Work/Reading Time

Cover letter: 1 hour

Cover letter revision: 30 minutes

Essay Revision: 45 minutes

Philidia: 15 minutes, 10 pages

Total: 150 minutes

What I want

I think at this point in life; high school and college, everyone goes soul searching trying to figure out what they want to do with their lives.  I'm not exactly sure what I'll be doing 40 years from now, because anything can change.  But I do have an idea to some extent of what I'll most likely be doing 5 years from now.

I want to go to a college somewhere in the mountains in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Tennessee.  I want to earn a swimming scholarship and swim in college, and hopefully study physical therapy, athletic training, psychology, or something of that sort.  After college, I really don't know where I'll live.  That is why I say that I have no idea what life will be like 40 years from now.  I want kids and a family, but where my family will live is indeterminable right now.

What am I willing to do for these things?  Well, I think I'm already on the right track.  I make good grades and put my best effort into swimming.  I guess now all I need is consistency.  I would say life is pretty good right now; It just needs to stay that way.

Philida by André Brink

2.5 hours, 102 pages

The Race

"The Race"

I look into that big blue space

The pool.

My home

My place.

I’m free

In the race, it’s only me

Cold water tickling my skin

As I dive in

The bubbles form a blanket

That comforts me and let’s me know

 I’ll make it.

But the fear is still there

How fast does time tick?

I see Red.

The numbers on the board dictate my fate.

I think I got first,

Judging from my pace.

Couplet: lots of use in couplets in this poem, but stanza 3 is a rhyming couplet.

Slant Rhyme: fate/pace

Imagery: water tickles/bubbles form a comforting blanket

Connotation: Red- red is usually associated with bad things, but red numbers showing a best time are good

Anaphora: My home/My place

Concrete Wall by Zee Avi

http://www.songlyrics.com/zee-avi/concrete-wall-lyrics/

In the song "Concrete Walls," Zee Avi writes in first person.  She describes a failing relationship in detail, which makes us feel as though she is the speaker.  This choice in narration allows us to have a deeper connections with the feelings in the song.  We can imagine ourselves in her place, and use her words to cope with problems of our own, because we know someone is going through the same experience.  She also addresses her "significant other" in second person instead of the alternative option, third person.  This shows more aggressiveness and assertiveness, because the reader feels as if her feelings are heard directly by the other person and are responded to.

You make me wanna throw this shoe

Right through that concrete wall

Maybe you should pack your things

If it’s that dreadful

Just leave it all

As far as rhythm and meter go, the chorus is written in a mixture of iambic and trocheic rhythms.  I also thought it was interesting how the number of syllables generally decreases as the chorus goes on.  This makes it seem like the speaker is giving up, and not caring anymore.  She is fed up, and says, "Just leave."  The shorter lines accent these feelings as they become more intense and distant.

Reading Response

In my reading of The Memory Keeper's Daughter this week, Paul's dad refused to let him go to Juliard, brought home a pregnant 16 year old girl to live with them, and fought endlessly with his mom.  While Paul is trying to find a way to live his dream of being a musician, his parents are also trying to find a way to live their dream life.  It seems like they should already have their lives settled by now, but it is the choices they made early in life that have led them to where they are today.

Paul's parents are now suffering because of their mistakes earlier in life, and they constantly remind each other of them every day.   When his parents start having troubles again, Paul runs away from home because he can't handle his surroundings while also searching inside himself to try to plan his life.  It's time he starts college and makes a life of his own, but now he has stollen a car, and could end up in jail.  This was caused by Paul trying to escape from his mom and dad's crazy lives, the result of the mistakes they made early on.  But now Paul has made a big mistake too.  It will affect him for the rest of his life, and just like his parents, probably leave an effect on his children.  Actions can be forgiven and forgotten, but weather you know it or not, the dents you leave in other people's lives stay there.  It creates a domino effect, and before you know it, everyone around you seems like they're drowning in the mess that you created.  People need to think before they act and realize how drastically their actions could change their lives, and the lives of others.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter:

3/25- 40 minutes, 30 pgs
3/26- 10 minutes, 7 pgs
4/7- 100 minutes, 60 pages
Total: 150 minutes, 97 pgs

Paper Revision

When picking which paper I would revise, I read my literary analysis and research paper and they were at about the same level in terms of need for revision.  It seemed that both of them were strong and even in all categories, and I got a 92 and 93 on them.  But then I remembered that I also wrote a Literacy Narrative, and I read that.  Wow- you could definitely tell it was my first paper of the year, and it needs a lot of correcting!  I am going to focus my revisions on Word Choice and Organization.

My paper was about reflection, and I used that word or some variant of it probably more than all the other words in my paper combined.  I kind of knew it was an issue while writing it, but I didn't know how to fix it.  Also, in my paper, I talked about a period of reflection where I wrote my life down at home, and also a paper I wrote in Mrs. Milligan's class where I talked about that experience.  One comment from Dr. D said that I could leave the second writing out, and focus just on the first.  I think that would make my paper more clear, but wasn't the point of the assignment to talk about a paper that we wrote in class?  I hope that I can eliminate the second writing experience from my paper and also work on word choice to make my paper better.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter: 150 minutes, 86 pages

Jane Goodall

After learning all of my life about all of the good things Jane Goodall has done, I would have never thought something like her plagiarizing would occur.  She's in pretty much every science textbook, and well known to students everywhere, but now her role-model status isn't so perfect anymore.  There are a few issues with her new book, Seeds of Hope: Wisdom and Wonder From the World of Plants.  She borrowed 12 passages, as well as other smaller pieces of writing without citing it.  This is a very serious matter, and needs to be fixed.

While some people argue that the liability for the infraction is dependent upon a number of things, I believe that there are no excuses for plagiarism.  At Episcopal, we believe this too, and if you get caught plagiarizing, you are punished.  So, I believe that instead of correcting the mistake and apologizing like she did, she should not be allowed to publish the book or any new versions of it and sell it.  It only seems fair that if you steal someone else's work, you should not be able to make money off of it.  While people should recognize that what Jane Goodall did was wrong, I hope that her reputation is not tarnished and that she still gets credit for all of the many wonderful things she has done in this world.

Nervous Conditions Review

Nervous Conditions should definitely stay on the course syllabus for next year's 9th graders.  It perfectly answered our class question, "How do community and culture shape who we are?"  Through the changing settings like the homestead, mission, and Sacred Heart, the characters had exposure to many types of environments that influenced them as people.  NC was also a very enjoyable read, with the exception of all of the projects that go along with it, but that is what has to be done.  They were a much more useful way of getting us to think deeper about this book than a test would have been.

When moving from the mission to the homestead and to Sacred Heart, Tambu and Nyasha find themselves confused and lost.  The pressure from society to be "english girls" and the pressure from their family to be "shona girls" are fighting each other.  These girls are put directly into the battle, and they are doing much of the fighting.  It is through their experiences with racism, sexual discrimination, poverty, and education that they are shaped into the people they are at the end of the book.   These social and cultural factors all create the plot, one that would not exist without them, therefore changing the outcome of the story.

In addition to how NC perfectly answers the question, I felt that it was a worthwhile read.  The story line was always changing, which made for a interesting read every time I picked it up.  I wouldn't say its the best book I've ever read, but I did enjoy it to a greater extent than some books I've read at school in the past.  Despite my pleasure reading the book, I am not quite sure what the purpose of reading this book would be other than answering our question.  I cannot see a normal person going pick this book out, because it doesn't really have a straightforward message or point to the story unless you're looking at it in the sense of postcolonial literature.

Overall, Nervous Conditions was a stimulating read that successfully answered our class question.  I would highly suggest keeping it on the syllabus.  The many stories that were woven so seamlessly together, and the qualities that made it enjoyable all come together for a great book.

Nervous Conditions B layer and A layer: 1 1/2 hours
Watch "Bend it Like Beckham": 1hour, 45 mins
Total: 3 hours, 15 minutes

Cars- Nervous Conditions

       When I began to think about what message the word car would be associated with in Nervous Conditions, I thought of money and being rich.  Yes, this theme did occur in the book while cars were mentioned, but many others were associated with cars too.
       The first mention of cars is when Tambu tells us of what their daily life is like when Babamukuru is visiting- how they farm all day under his careful watch.  This mention of a car is tied to Babamukuru's presence, but is still in the realm of daily life on the homestead.  The second mention Tambu makes is that Maiguru rides in a car, and her mother doesn't have things like Maiguru, therefore is inferior.  Tambu decides that is is better to be like her aunt than her mom, and declares she will go to school in order to reach this status.  In Tambu's quest for school fees, Mr. Matimba takes her into town where she sees many cars.  Tambu's ignorance and lack of knowledge about common life is revealed then. She asks him many questions about how cars work and the roads operate as a result of it being her first time riding in a car.  The next mention is when Babamukuru arrives home riding in his car.  Everyone gathers to greet him, and he is treated like a prince.  This signifies the symbol of superiority, richness, and power that the car possesses.  Babamukuru's second arrival has a much worse reception, as he carries the news of Nhamo's death.  Thus arises Ma'Shingayi's hatred for Babamukuru and his tendency to divide her from her children.  Tambu rides in a car with Babamukuru on the way to the mission for the first time, and is very excited.  This car ride is the first time Tambu thinks of the changes that will occur in her life.  Babamukuru is supposed to take Ma'Shingayi and Lucia home after the holidays, but he keeps forgetting.  The car is mentioned in relationship to their return home, but then Lucia is given a job cooking at the girls' hostel.  Finally, while arriving at Sacred Heart, Tambu finds herself admiring all of the other girl's cars and how grand and fancy her new school is.
       Contrary to what I had suspected, the car is not only a symbol of being rich and having money, but rather a symbol of change and new beginnings for this Shona family.

Expectations

       There are expectations in every aspect of our life, whether good or bad, and it is our decision how we are going to live up to these expectations.  Some people, usually called "people pleasers," totally abide to them.  Others choose to let themselves decide how they will act, as opposed to people around them dictating their actions.

       The first place that I think of expectations is school.  There are many different types of expectations, but let's just take a simple one for example.  Being on time to class- we all have problems with it, so you kind of just have to learn how to work the system.  For example, in Spanish, you can be late, because Sr. Ramos fiddles on his computer for 5 minutes before even looking at the desks to see who's there.  Also, in World History and Biology, you can sneak in late.  However, In english, or math, you are expected to be on time and working when the bell rings.  I know that I have to have my materials ready and have used the bathroom before class, so I can meet those expectations.  

       On a more serious note, the big expectation at school is to make good grades.  To my advantage, yet sometimes disadvantage, I put the expectation on myself that I should make good grades and have all A's.  My parents know that I have that motivation, so they basically leave it up to me to do my school work and make good grades.  I am very fortunate to have it this way, because I see so many of my friends who just don't care, so their parents get on them all the time and they get grounded.  While usually good, these expectations can lead to a huge amount of stress.  I know that I am not perfect, and never will be.  Sometimes I have to remind myself of that in order to be happy.

       Another scenario is swimming.  Swimming is a huge part of my life and who I am, and I'm so lucky to be able to do it.  It has helped shape me into a determined, motivated, and focussed person.  Before practice, the only real expectation of us is that we're on time.  Naturally, my full blown crazy personality is revealed, especially when I'm with my good friends.  But when I'm in the pool, it's all business.  I expect myself to have a good practice so that I keep my confidence up all season, and my coach expects us to practice as hard as we can, so that we can swim fast at the end of the season.  We are also expected to know what set we are doing in practice, so we can do it correctly and get it done.  

      Expectations are a hard reality of life to deal with, but once you learn which expectations matter, and which ones aren't as necessary, you can have a better understanding of how to live your life.

Nervous Conditions Chpts. 7-10: 2 hours
C Layer 2: 2 hours
Total: 4 hours

Maiguru

I am astonished with the language that my daughter has been using with me lately.  Well, not lately, really.  Every since she came back from the place...that horrid, unstable place...England.  She talks with a bratty tone and thinks that she can get whatever she wants.  I find myself in a state of turmoil.  I don't know how to respond to my daughter's behavior.  I let her do what she wants, yet she never stops asking for more.  I guess I've been too lenient, because now she's rubbing off on Tambu.  Still, I cannot want to be so strict like Babamukuru.  He beat my daughter.  My beautiful, perfect Nyasha.  Oh I must stay on her side.  I love her too much...

I am alone.  Alone in the quest for recognition of my achievements.  What about me?  My accomplishments?  I went to school and got an education.  I work and work, yet my money has no use to me.  Only Babamukuru.  He gets all the credit, and I'm left in the dirt.  But that's ok.  That's the way it's supposed to be.  And it may never change.  Unless you- Tambu, you- do something.

C Layer 1 Reflection

       I made it through C Layer 1.  But boy oh boy will I do it differently next time!  I read pretty much everyday, but I really procrastinated on my projects.  I found myself working late at night and early in the morning just to get my projects done in time.  I do have to say though, I did put my best effort into them and they actually helped me understand the book better.
       I don't really mind annotating, and it helps me understand the book so much better, so I did annotate.  Annotating was helpful for determining what needed to be clarified or discussed in class.  Also, the character bookmark was a very useful tool to have because at the beginning of the book, I found myself completely lost as to who was who.  I did chapter one reading guide, just because the beginning of books are always hard for me to get through.  One reading guide wasn't that beneficial to me, but I'm sure if I did them for all chapters, it would really help me out.  Finally, I did the story board.  I couldn't do this until I had read all the chapters, so I did it at the last minute.  I think it was probably the least beneficial one, which I wasn't expecting.  Never the less, I did find these projects much more interesting than a normal test, and now I know how to improve my experience on the other parts.

Projects: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Nervous Conditions: Chapters 4-6: 63 pages, 3 hours
Total: 5 hours, 45 minutes

Reflection

1. Summarize your writing process on this paper, pointing out what you found most difficult, most useful, and least useful.  Is there anything you would do differently next time?  Is there anything you think I should do differently next year in preparing students for this assignment?

For this paper, I did my research for quite a while, and I had a detailed annotated bibliography.  The bibliography helped me a lot because not all of my sources were useful, and my topic was reshaped throughout the writing process.  When it changed, I went back to my bibliography to asses which sources I would use.  Even more useful was the detailed outline.  It took me a while to do, but it was the most useful tool I have ever used while writing a paper.  Basically, all I had to do when I wrote my paper was copy and paste and add transitions.  Definitely tell next year's students to do a thorough job of this and don't just make up something so you get the points the day its due.  It really does pay off!  Also, next time I would spend less time doing research and more time working on notecards.  Next year, you should give everyone more of a timeline when to start notecards because I think I started them too late in the process.

2. What feedback did you receive (from peers, me, or anyone else), and how did you respond to it?

Before revising my draft, I read through all of the comments from my peer and made marks on my paper where I needed to change things.  Then I went to turnitin and thoroughly marked my paper with Dr. D's comments and ways to fix my mistakes.  I am really proud of myself for doing this, because normally I think my paper is good enough and I'm too lazy to revise it much and use people's advice.

3. Using the traits of good writing and features of strong research papers, what are the strongest and weakest aspects of your paper?

I think the strongest points of my paper are ideas and voice.  I think that my ideas were well developed and supported, and my quotes were well analyzed.  Also, I believe I kept an appropriate voice throughout my paper, being careful to not add to much of my own opinion.  The weakest aspect was probably sentence fluency.  My group pointed out that I had a couple of awkward sentences, and I tried to fix them.

Work on revising draft: 1 hour
Final Draft: 20 minutes
Read Nervous Conditions: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Total: 2 hours, 50 minutes

Reading/Work

1/29/13- Finish Notecards and  do Outline: 1 hour, 40 minutes
2/3/13- Revise Outline- 30 minutes
2/3/13- Frommer's Spain 19th Edition by Patricia Harris and David Lyon: 20 minutes

Research Paragraphs

       Basically, I’m trying to figure out what life was like for people in concentration camps and in slavery and how they survived or escaped.  I want to know what their life was like after.  I want to know how their experiences in earlier life shaped their lives after the horrors that endured and how they were affected.   I have always really liked learning about the Holocaust and concentration camps, and also about the Underground Railroad, so I kind of just combined the two.  So far, I have found lots of newspaper articles about holocaust survivors and their role in the community.  A lot of them work with younger generations to educate them on their past.  Also, some people became really successful businessmen or doctors, etc.  As far as ex-slaves go, a lot of them almost made a whole new life for themselves, and recreated their identities.  They changed their names, and moved far away from where they were slaves.  This probably has to do with the fear of being found and put in slavery again.

       For this research project, I have decided to embark on a quest for the answer of these questions: What was life like for those in concentration camps during the Holocaust and in slavery in the United States?  How did they survive or escape, and how did their experiences shape the life that they lived after their hardships ceased?  After my first exposure to the abhorrence of the Holocaust and slavery, I have desired to seek more information, and this is a superlative opportunity to do so.  At the conclusion of my preliminary research, I have constituted a one sentence answer to each topic; the Holocaust and slavery: Surviving the Holocaust takes a resolute person, and survivors use the skills they have learned about perseverance to create a new life for themselves.  On the other hand, former slaves adopt a different method, choosing to forget about the past and focus on the future, often times changing their name and relocating to a new home, in fear of being recaptured.

Reading Times: Total- 2 1/2 hours

Find, Read, and Annotated 5 sources + Revise Annotated Bibliography- 2 Hours
The Memory Keeper's Daughter- 30 minutes, 17 pages