Best of Today: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead

We watched this movie in class and I thought it was pretty funny but very confusing. The movie tells a different view of the story Hamlet. I think it is interesting the different understanding you get from this movie verses Hamlet. You get details about the personality of these two guys and when Hamlet is brought up it seems like he is just straight up crazy. When you do not get all the information about a person then when you hear someone say that he is crazy you start believing it. When we watched Hamlet we saw his personality with the public and when he was by himself. You could tell that he was not crazy, he was just holding so much emotion and pain. This movie reminded me how important it is to look at things in different ways and perspectives.

Best of Today: The Arts And Their Interpretation

What can we truly know about the creative powers of the human mind? In this reading he says the answer can be found at the juncture of science and the humanities. Homo sapiens relates to the ones born from natural selection. Natural selection is a science term based on only the strongest will survive into the next generation. Mind has evolved through generations based on natural selection. Culture also has been passed through generations. Generations has changed culture, mind and exc. Creative powers of the human mind has been shaped with science and through humanities.

Best of Today: The Arts And Their Interpretation

Today we read about the combination of art and science and the brain finding patterns to make sense of a subjects detail. Edward Rothstein compares their creative mind by breaking it down into steps. He says that it begins with objects that look dissimilar and we try to find patterns using what we already know.

This is very true for me and many others. When someone comes to a question or a problem that they haven't experienced before, they relay on what they already know. If they can connect a question to other events and find certain patterns then they can use current knowledge to answer other problems or questions.

Metacognition: What's on your mind

These mind questions are a really great excersize for the mind. Although the questions are sometimes very weird, I like answering them because it streches my mind. I have never been asked these types of questions before and so I really like doing these everyday before class starts. The coolest thing is hearing other peoples answers and seeing how different we all think. Although some questions are kind of personal and confusing, I still try my best to share my asnwers.

Connection: Hamlet

In the play Hamlet you see the main character have two different characters. When he is with other people he acts goofy, powerful and confident. When he is alone his character becomes depressed, lost and unhappy. He hides his true feelings and acts like someone else when others are around.

This relates to me and many other people. When I am with a big group of people everyone acts a certain way. When I'm with a friend one on one they have a completely different personality. They open up and deep down they are either really unhappy, or dealing with a lot of personal problems. I do the same thing, I use comedy to hide any pain or problems I'm going through. When I'm by myself I dont have to hide any emotions and I am truly myself.

360: School

Like many students I have learned to hate school and was pretty good at it. I would go to school because I had to. I did not even call it school. I would call it prison and hate waking up every day. Class was boring, maybe because I would stare into space and day dream about what I was eating after school.
High school is almost over for me and i just realized that its not school that sucked, it was my attitude towards it. I go to school in a good mood and participate with the activities and class discussions. I found out if I actually try and keep myself busy that the day goes by fast. If I let myself thing negative thoughts about class then obviously it wont be enjoyable.

Carry it Forward: Hamlet

When Hamlet's mother gets married after her husband passed away only a month ago, Hamlet has to personalitys. When he is with his mother he holds back his anger and acts with out emotion. When you see him with his family he does not show his distress and grief that he has for his father, and his mothers marriage to his cousin.
When everyone leaves the room, he finally expresses himself, and you see that he is sad and hates his mother getting married so soon. He is unhappy and many people dont see it because he keeps to himself. This kind of behavior is dangerous, for it leads to depression and possibly suicide.
I am the same way as Hamlet, I dont like to express my feelings and like to keep my private life to myself. Reading this book i reliaze that this is not a solution to your problems. If you keep everything to yourself it will just end up into a big mess. Now im trying to open up to my friends and family. I am trying to trust people and it really does make me feel happier.

Research: Shakespeare

Shakespeare was born in Stratford in 1564. His father was a businessman and served as a mayor. Shakespeare grew up in a nice house with several of his brothers and sisters. He went to school to learn how to read and write and studied Latin. He never went to college. Instead he married at age 18 to Anne Hathaway. She was eight years older and Shakespeares neighbor. The had three kids, a girl and girl twins.
In London he was an actor and got most of his education at. By 1952 Shakespeare had written many plays that pleased the audience. He was also an amazing poet, but he always went back to the theater. He joined an acting company called Chamberlain's Men and continued there until he retired. Some of his private poetry was published without his consent. He died in Stratford on April 23, 1616 and buried at the local church where he was baptized. His work was always a controversy at those times. People started really noticing his works over the past years.

Chute, Marchette. "Shakespeare, William." Reviewed by Jay L. Halio. The New Book of Knowledge®. 2009. Grolier Online. 24 Apr. 2009 .

Captured Thought: Art and Creativity

In class we always talk about creativity in art literature music and exc. I personally love to draw but always thought I was horrible at it. I love to just doodle and draw whatever that comes out. When I draw real life I find it difficult to make the lines perfect and make the drawing look real life. 

I was watching a television show where a teacher said draw me as perfect as you can and do not miss any details. One of the students said that art should be a drawing of how one person perceives it themselves. I was like wow this is a lot like humanities class, we talk about how a drawing tells a lot about the artist. The best type of art is when someone is creative with it, and makes it their own drawing by using own feelings and emotions into the drawing. It has so much more meaning and can truly be a piece of art. It really makes sense when you look at modern art and you can see how society was back at that time period. Many people might not understand it but if you take time on a piece of art you can learn a lot and appreciate something different. 

360: Modern Art

When ever i looked at modern art I always thought it was uncreative and to simple. I could not understand it nor did I want to. In my english class we look at a bunch of modern art, and when we looked at Picasso and first I thought it made no sense.

when we looked at in class and talked about, it made more sense to me. I look at this now and i can appreciate it. I think it is very creative and has alot of meaning behind it. This painting below is called The Guitar Player and is called cubism, a type or art. Its like a little of cubs put together to make a painting. I think it is really cool and I really like this painting. 

Connection: Letter from a Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King, Jr.

In class we read a letter written by Martin Luther King Jr. when he was in jail. In the letter he says "I have earnestly opposed violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension which is necessary for growth." I have always looked up to Martin Luther because he has been in horrible situations and tried to make changes without any violence.

In my conflicts resolution class we talk about genocides and the how to resolve them. It is common for the government to use the army to stop genocide. The army will go in the country and use violence to stop the conflict. Once the genocide is over things usually settle down for a little, but the overall conflict has not been solved.

If you look around now you see people of all race being treated equally. Martin never used violence and look at the change he has made. He gives people hope that not all people are bad and that to make a change or be noticed you dont have to blow up a building, but to use your voice. I believe that if people would to use their voice instead of a weapon to make a point that we wouldnt be having genocides and conflicts

metacognition: Zimbabwe Conflicts

For this project I had to research about Zimbabwe and there conflicts and how they could be solved. While i was researching i found out that Zimbabwe had many problems that were linked back to past events. So in order to figure out why they are in this situation I had to look back into history. This reminded me about Sophies World, and how Alberto told Sophie that they had to look at history to learn about philosophy. This has changed my way of thinking towards history. I hated history but now I love it because it helps explain current issues.

Blogging around

Ligia wrote about how she felt about philosophy and war before she read Sophies world. She thought that philosophy would be a good class to take and people that thought philosophically it would help end war.
Then while reading the book she read about how people are individuals and are all unique. That everyone has their own view of a subject, and therefore people that did not agree would end up in an argument. She now believes that philosophy would make things worse according to war.

Katya said...

Ligia-
I understand why you think that learning philosophy has a down side, but i also believe that philosophy is a great subject that helps people think in a different way.
Not only does it help people open their minds to new ideas but it helps people appreciate things and see things differently.
Society is so messed up today and i think the reason for that is that people are not educated. I think people have not been raised right and that everything people have experienced make them who they are. But also many people do not know who they are and makes them lost. A class of philosophy would help people recognize what is important in life and how to a happy life.

Change of Mind: Sophies World

I always thought about how the world had started and what started earth. I never believed in God, mostly because my parents were never religious and also did not believe in God. I always believed in evolution over a higher power or God. Whenever someone would mention God i would get upset and thought they were stupid for believing in it. I always thought i was right even though I had no better reason then them.
In English class I am reading Sophies World which is about Philosophy and has a lot to do with God. While reading this book I was suprised to find out how much i did not know. Alberto one of the characters would ask Sophie a question and i could not even come up with an answer. This book has made me open up my mind and think of so many things i have not befor. I know now that there is so much i do not know, that no one knows.

iMedia: Stand for Darfur

I found this photo on www.conversedinnerfordarfur.googlepages.com, which also has a short article explaining the situation in Darfur and how people need to act. Many people are unaware of the situation in Darfur, unaware of the genocide that is occurring today.

This photo really impacted me because the close up of the kid really shows his emotion. He looks sad, helpless and weak. Instead of taking a picture of multiple people suffering, it hits you harder seeing one person in close up, it makes them more real and is more personal. This photo is not only trying to make you feel bad but it has a purpose. We need people to stand up for those that have lost everything, and can not help themselves.

There are so many programs in America, where individuals are taking action and using their voice to make a change. For an example in our school we have a club called Stand, which is currently focusing on the genocide in Darfur. They are educating others, and taking actions to try to make a change. It is one thing to identify a situation that is wrong from right, but thats not enough, we need to do something about it.

Their are many people around the world that are trying to do everything they can to help. Should these people be called heroes, or should it be human nature to help the ones that can not help themselves?

Metacognition: Water Balloon Project

The purpose of this project is to hit my professor with a water balloon, by dropping a balloon off the bleachers as he is walking and using physics to calculate when to drop it. We are given enough information to solve the problem, all we have to do is use formulas and what we already know to solve the problem. 

After i started to solve the problem I looked at all the information I was given and used information I had learned in class. I went over the question several times to  get the idea of what i need to solve for. I looked at an assignment that we did the other day that was similar to this project. I already knew i would have to find out the professors average speed and how fast the balloon would drop. I found out the measurements and looked through it to see if it would make sense. If i did not look it over then I would have never noticed that the point of this project was not to have the balloon hit the ground but the teacher. Meaning i had to calculate his height and subtract it from the distance of the bleacher from the ground. 

Whenever I have a project or an essay, I always organize my thoughts and prepare myself for the final draft. I always look over my work, recalculate and check to see if it makes sense. If a measurement does not seem right then you probably did something wrong. I like to know the purpose of the assignment and have all the information needed to solve it. I try to be careful with my work, making sure everything is right. I always think what if this happens or what if he does this? How would it change the ending of the story or how would the solution change. 

What I need to work on the most about my thinking, is to stop thinking I am always right. I need to learn how to accept that I am wrong, or that someone else's idea is better. I am too confident with my answers and when I am wrong I often get frustrated and sometimes give up. If i work hard on something and end up wrong, it brings down my confidence. 

Best of Week: The College Application Essay

In class we read over Students College application essays. They were each different and unique to the person. Some were amazing and others were decent. One student used his comedian side to express himself, while another student was more personal and used a serious tone.

Mr. Allen explained the difference between sending essays out to hundreds of colleges verses sending to a fewer schools that you are really interested in. Colleges want to know that you are really interested into just them. Also that you’re not just using them as a plan b, in case you don’t get into another college.

College is very important to many students, including myself. Many colleges require an essay, and depending on your essay will help decide if you will be accepted. I learned that when I right my essay I should use my voice, otherwise it can sound fake or boring. Not only did I learn how to write a good essay, this will help me determine my future college.

Connection: The Writer

To be successful you must work hard and never give up. This poem is about a writer who never gives up, even through rough times she continued writing until she was finished. When people did not believe in her and no one supported her, she still fought on and continued her work.

So many people give up simply because they get bored with it, or because it is too hard. Life is not always what you expect it to be, and sometimes unfair. But if you take it day by day, and never give up, you can achieve so much.

This forces me to believe that I can be successful. If I believe in something and really stick to it, I know I can achieve a lot. If I give up then all the hard work and struggle I went through would be put to waste. This relates to me and everyone in the world, that success does not come without a fight.

Change of mind: Denis Johnson, 9/11

Everyone remembers September 11th 2001 as the day terrorists flew airplanes into the Sears tower. It was a horrible day that shocked people all over the United States. No one expected something like this happening to them. It was always the "other" people that bad things happen to them, not them. How could this happen to me? Why me?

I agree that this event was a tragedy, but look around bad things are happening everywhere. There are people that have been in war for years. They see people dying, villages being burned to the floor all the time. Everyday they are happy to be alive, and fear that they might not make it another day. Here we are making a huge deal about the Sears tower destroyed and lives taken, not saying that we should not, but we are selfish for which we are lucky. We are lucky to be free, that we are protected and safe. Others would kill to get just a little of what we have.