BLOG REFLECTIONS

BLOG REFLECTIONS

* What did you learn about yourself as a reader from creating and keeping up with your blog?

            Creating my blog has helped me realize that I've been attacking texts the wrong way all my life. I would read a book straight through and time myself on a log until I was done with it, which isn't completely wrong but it isn't the right way to go about reading either. However, keeping up with my blog posts has assisted me on my path on finishing texts properly. Whether it’s an article, memoir, or a short story I've learned to go back a few pages or paragraphs in order to keep track of key concepts but I don’t stress myself out.

* In what ways did you benefit from the experience?

As I mentioned before, blogging had been much more helpful than keeping up with a reading log in multiple ways. Reading logs have you trying to read frantically in order to read as fast as the time. On the other hand, we can plan ahead for blog posts with synthesis pages and not worrying about finishing the text. Overall, the experience I gained from blogging benefited my ability to develop ideas and comprehend texts.

* Is writing online different than in a notebook? In what ways?

            Writing online is different than writing in a notebook, both physically and mentally. For instance, typing is simply easier than writing in a notebook for most people. Also, writing online guides us in many ways. One example is the “control room” of reading blogs aka http://www.thestarryvoid.blogspot.com/. All the directions and model blogs are in this room and it is a very helpful website that a marble notebook will never have.   

* In what ways can writing online be liberating?  Limiting?

            Writing online gives you easy access to the answers to your questions. I learned that the internet gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to not fully understanding a text. Unlike writing in a notebook, writing online doesn't restrict you from reading the ideal assignments to know what is looked for when the assignment is graded. However, there is a downside of writing online and that’s that writing gives you the experience of thinking more. Writing online limits your intellectual capabilities.

* Do you think that people are more real online or do we create online personalities that project the best of ourselves? Or something else?

            People are definitely less real online than they are when writing in a notebook or by hand in general. When writing online, you’re sort of broadcasting your work so word choice is important. When I read blog posts, students choose to use slightly more sophisticated words, most likely because it’s recommended in the starry void but it’s still different than writing in a notebook. Writing with your pencil is using your brain more to brainstorm ideas and jot them down while blogging is planned ahead of time and more organized.

* Do you think that teenagers abuse the freedom that being online gives you on sites like Facebook? Do people type things they would never say to a person's face? Do you think this is a good or bad thing? Why?

            Teenagers do abuse a lot of their time on sites that do not benefit you and are specifically for interacting while they can be learning more about the world and its history and sciences. Also, people do indeed type things that they wouldn't say to anyone in person. For instance, I wouldn't tell anyone my opinion on something like this in person unless it was an assignment but I’m able to type it since there’s no pressure on me. This isn't a good or bad thing since pressure can weigh people down when they come face to face but they are still expressing their ideas when they are not under pressure.

* Can you imagine yourself keeping up this blog or creating another one?  What would it be about?  What's your opinion of blogs in general and why?   

            I can imagine keeping up with my blog posts but I will probably create a new blog that is more laid back where I can respond to a text every time a finish one. If I do create a new blog it probably wouldn't have any narratives or anything, but mostly articles on important world topics like poverty and global warming. In general, my opinion on blogs are that they are a good way to keep your reading and responding skills up which students like us will probably need in the future in high school and college. 

Philosophical Blog Post - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Philosophical Blog Post - Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

By Jonathon Safran foer

           The book, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer is mainly composed of the journey of a nine-year-old named Oskar Schell. His father, Thomas Schell, died in the September 11 attacks and Oskar didn’t really know whether or not he could live without him, which is why Oskar searches through his father’s things in order to find out about what was going on in his life before he passed away. Oskar finds a small, mysterious key after tipping over a vase in his father’s closet and decides to set out on a journey to see if he can find out anything about him. Along the way, Safran Foer attaches new ideas, lessons, as well as many new characters that connect to his philosophy.

            One of the most critical terms of philosophy, is ethics. Safran Foer most probably thought that it was ethical for a nine-year-old to search the five boroughs for more guidance. It makes sense for a young human to be so determined for the goodness of his own life. Moving on, “Optimist or Pessimist?” appears a few times in this book and it is a question that should be taken into consideration in real life. Optimists are positive and hopeful while pessimists are negative and doubtful. In the book, this question appears while Oskar’s father tells him the story of the “sixth borough,” where a jumper would leap between two islands every year on front of an audience until one year the gap between the two islands had been so large that he couldn’t reach the other side at all. However, the New Yorkers hadn’t given up on the Sixth Borough; they put large hooks on it and reeled it in to where Central Park now exists. Oskar’s father most likely told this story to show Oskar how the New Yorkers didn’t give up when they were about to lose something.

            In conclusion, the key ended up belonging to a man named William Black. It opened an important safe deposit box of his. The Author’s lesson to the reader was most likely that you should look for happiness if you lost something by not giving up and look to making a point. Oskar’s life was full of contradictions where he felt opposite emotions at one time or thought that his life was over after his father passed away. He ended up proving himself wrong at the end by moving on after his long journey. All of this connects to philosophy in its own way; the book is about how Oskar decides how he will live and think and at the end of the book he finds his own philosophy.

Blog Post - Friday, May 23rd

Hitting the SNOOZE BUTTON

By Jan Hoffman

            To begin, the overall main idea of the article is that many of the schools across the United States are starting class too early for students to pay enough attention to classwork. The entire text is mostly about statistics on how much the majority of high school students sleep, sleep times, wake up times and also efforts to adopt later start times. One detail that helped me understand the main idea was the title photo: it shows a classroom of students that are sleeping. A normal classroom of students wouldn’t be sleeping, but the author shows how the students aren’t getting enough sleep in order to be learning. Another detail that helped me understand why teenagers aren’t learning properly is one that researchers have known for some time. According to the article, sleep is a “period of deep sleep that happens three to five times a night in well-rested people—the brain is wildly active, sorting and categorizing the day’s data.  The more sleep you get the better the information is absorbed.” Obviously, since teenagers aren’t sleeping very well, the information they learn in class aren’t sorted and categorized in their brains very well. Also Jan Hoffman lays out some statistics like teenagers need to sleep from eight and a half to nine and a quarter hours of sleep to function properly during the school day. She also reports that fifteen percent of teenagers sleep a maximum of eight and a half hours. Moreover, an important statistic is that the average start time for public high schools in the United States is 7:59 A.M. A good statistic that shows that our efforts our working is that four percent of public high schools already adopted a later start time of 9:00 A.M. or later. All of these details support the Hoffman’s main idea since they relate to it and help promote a later start time in high schools.

            Furthermore, Jan Hoffman wants the reader to think that schools are torturing students in a way and expecting them to do well on their report cards and standardized tests. She wants her readers to feel betrayed by schools and wants her readers to take action by starting petitions to convince schools to start school later. One perfect example of what the author does to make the reader feel this way is using a student, Jilly Dos Santos, who struggled her way through her first two years of high school, sleeping in and missing classes because she couldn’t make it to school at the first bell, 7:50 A.M. Her school was proposing an earlier start time, 7:20 A.M, which would result in Jilly waking up at 6:00 A.M. In response, Jilly said “I thought, ‘If that happens, I will die’… I will drop out of school!” This example is very good because it shows the reader that is they are suffering, they are not the only one. Moreover, this example shows how to deal with the problem. Jilly got involved with a nonprofit organization in order to create a petition for starting school later. She gathered a group teachers and students to sign the petition which encouraged a vote for whether school should start at 7:20 A.M. or 8:55 A.M. According to the article, “The board voted 6 to 1 to push the start time to 8:55 a.m.” This is why the Jan Hoffman wants her readers to become activists of sleep.

            In conclusion, I believe that school should start no earlier than 8:00 A.M. Some people live further away while some people require more sleep to function so it’s best if school starts later in the day. This topic is important to me and I am against early school start times as well. This is because of my personal experiences; usually no amount of sleep puts me at rest. Also, my brother experiences similar problems as Jilly; his first bell strikes at 7:15 A.M. and but he oversleeps and always misses his first period class. This topic relates to other topics as well, like pollution because if transportation was not used, much less carbon dioxide would be emitted into the air and our environment would be safer for much longer. However, getting to school would be a dilemma. I want to know why school starts so early anyway.

Blog Post - Friday, May 9th

Non Fiction Critical Analysis - "The Heroin Epidemic"

By Deborah Sontag

           To begin, the overall main idea of the article is that heroin should be avoided as much as possible and people should act upon others using such an addictive and deadly drug. The entire text is mostly about a girl named Alysa who went through hard times with her mother and died of a heroin overdose. The author, Deborah Sontag provides background information on how heroin enters the U.S., why it’s illegal, how many people die of overdoses, and how the reader can help. This information helped me comprehend the text. For instance, Sontag explains why people are dying more and more every year from a heroin overdose; two million dollars’ worth of heroin is smuggled and sold every week which increases the amount of overdose deaths. Also I did not understand why people even used heroin and why young teenagers used it, but Phil Drewiske’s life helped me understand. Sontag explained how Drewiske was overusing a limited amount of painkillers that were in his grandfather’s cabinet but then the discovery of heroin helped him greatly. Moreover the author explains how heroin “is derived from poppies. Ironically, it was first manufactured in 1898 by the Bayer pharmaceutical company as a treatment for tuberculosis and a remedy for morphine addiction. I turned out to be even more addictive—and deadly.” All this information is connected to the main idea since they are both on the same topic: heroin. These details support the author’s position on heroin use since they are negative facts.

            Furthermore, Deborah Sontag wants the reader to think that people should stay away from heroin and money is a large issue in its trafficking, as well as its use. Her article makes the reader feel like acting upon the addicts who fall for drugs. Sontag achieves this using several techniques. First of all, she makes the reader think heroin is dangerous with the title: “Portrait of a Heroin Victim,” which is followed by a portrait of Alysa Ivy and a caption. The caption states “Alysa Ivy’s fatal overdose at 21 has made her one of the faces of a grim epidemic.” The introduction of the article’s topic, alone, tells the reader that heroin is a life threatening drug. Another way Sontag shows how dangerous heroin can really be is by presenting a line graph of the increasing heroin deaths among 15 to 34-year-olds in the United States. According to the graph, the amount of heroin deaths increased by nearly nine hundred. It shows that the amount of heroin deaths each year increased by about an average of sixty-three people. Moreover, Sontag demonstrates how heroin can ruin someone’s success; “Actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Cory Monteith died of overdoses involving heroin,” even though they were making a good living out of acting. Following that, Sontag describes how heroin makes so much money even though a bag only sells for six dollars here in New York. In other states, Vermont for instance, a bag of heroin costs forty dollars, which is almost seven times as much. The use of these techniques is how the Deborah Sontag achieves the feelings that she wants her readers to feel.  

            In conclusion, I believe that, not only heroin, but taking drugs is pointless. I always thought that drugs were bad but when people buy them, drug cartels become influenced to produce and sell more. It’s outrageous how they make a living out of growing and selling a drug that can cause instant death. What I want to know is why someone doesn’t just get a doctor instead of taking heroin for whatever problem they have. 

Nonfiction Critical Analysis - "THE IVORY WAR"

Nonfiction Critical Analysis - "THE IVORY WAR"

by Patricia Smith

          The overall main idea of the text is that elephants should be treated better and should not be killed for the ivory  in their tusks. The entire text is mostly about the decrease in elephants over the years and how the Chinese culture on ivory affects it greatly. There were several details that contributed to my comprehension of this nonfiction article. First of all, the sub-heading stated that “Soaring Chinese demand for ivory is fueling an illegal trade that threatens to wipe out Africa’s elephants.” This one sentence is a very important detail because it revealed that Smith is against the elephant killings for ivory. Moreover, one of her headings further into the article, are “Death by Cyanide,” which is followed by several paragraphs breaking down the toxic slaughtering of Africa’s elephants for their ivory. Also, when Smith describes how foreigners think of elephant tusks as white “gold” helped me understand people become very ravenous for ivory and are willing to do anything for it. These details support and connect to the main idea because they clearly prove Smith is against elephant deaths.

            Furthermore, Smith hopes for me to think that elephants are perishing pointlessly. She intends to make me feel empowered by these Chinese individuals, as well as groups, that desire ivory. There are several types of pictures that Smith uses to fulfill her intentions. For instance, she makes elephant deaths seem pointless by including a photo with the caption “Ivory disguised as chocolate bars by smugglers: an ivory shop in Hong Kong.” In other words, Smith is basically saying that many elephants died so their husks can be carved, painted brown, put into chocolate bar wrappers, and concealed within a store in China. Another photograph shows dozens of husks being burned in Kenya. The husks were being blackened and turned to dust even though many, many elephants passed away. Also, Smith described the rapid decline of elephants with a “before/after” image of Africa. As it appeared geographically, about a third of the country was full of elephants in 1979, but in 2007, they reduced to about a tenth of a country. Lastly, Smith included a pie chart to portray the amount of elephant seizures from 2009 to 2011 which let the reader know which countries are terrorizing them the most. This is how Patricia Smith achieves her goal.

            In conclusion, I learned a great deal of information about elephant/ivory poachers and how endangered they are.  Patricia Smith and her skills in persuading really made me think and feel that killing elephants is dreadful. She changed my way from thinking from before I even read the article. As soon as I started to analyze her thoughts and ideas, I grew an opinion on the issue: If China got rid of ivory products and such, the elephant world would be a much better place. All I want to know now is why is elephant poaching still legal?

RnJ Literary Essay

Romeo & Juliet: Literary Essay

            Gender is a large factor in the world. Different genders are directed on different paths in life.  For example, women may choose to go after a career in singing and dancing more often than men. However, men might go after a career that is slightly more rigorous, like sports, more often than women. Moreover, the elements of gender occur very often in the play Romeo & Juliet, by William Shakespeare. Gender can be a good and bad thing for both, males and females, which is illuminated throughout the story. Romeo and Juliet portray the pros and cons of being either male or female. Not only do they do this, but they also demonstrate the other themes that surround gender. Gender is a very crucial factor in the story, especially because of the surrounding themes like family relationships and marriage.

            To begin, gender plays an essential role in the play. The men and women throughout the story have major differences which mark Shakespeare’s themes. One difference is that the people in Verona that roam around and start quarrels are men. Mercutio says “I am hurt,” as Tybalt stabs him (3.1.93). This shows that males get into fights, while there are no physical quarrels between women in the play. Also there are no priestesses in the play, which shows that men control marriage and religion in Verona. However, women had other privileges like getting nursed and guarded. In the story, Juliet has a nurse who guides her in life. “Women grow by men,” she advised Juliet (1.4. 101). Also, men are superior to women. For instance, Lady Capulet does not have enough power in the family to decide whether Juliet will get married or not. She shows this when she says, “Here comes your father. Tell him yourself. / And see how he will take it at your hands (3.5.129-130).” Capulet was given full authority over Juliet’s husband, which shows that women are inferior to men.

Additionally, the families of Romeo and Juliet function differently throughout the play. For instance, Romeo does not interact with his parents like the way Juliet interacts with her parents. When Romeo was roaming out on the streets of Verona mourning about his love of Rosaline, he asked Benvolio “Was that my father that went hence so fast (1.1.167)?” This scene depicts that Romeo and his parents are not very fond of each other; his parents did not even know of his whereabouts until they saw him strolling around and they zoomed off as soon as Benvolio exited the car. However, Juliet speaks with her mother fairly often. “Madam, I am here. What is your will (1.3.7)?” Juliet responds to her mother respectfully, unlike Romeo’s perspective on his parents. Also, Juliet has less power over her mother than her father. This becomes clear when she shouts “He shall not make me there a joyful bride (3.5.122)!” but when her father enters, her words are more respectful. This is how gender plays a huge role in family relationships.

Furthermore, different genders reveal different ways people get married in Verona. For instance, men search for who they would like to marry by themselves; they decide who they want to marry by judging their attributes. In the play, Lady Capulet says “The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.” Paris was fond of Juliet, which was why he asked Capulet “But now, my lord, what say you to my suit (1.2.6)?” The fact that he asked Capulet instead of Lady Capulet, or even both of them at the same time, illuminates that men are senior to women. Women, on the other hand, do not get to select their husbands. They get arranged with a chosen man by parents. Capulet accepted Paris’s request to marry Juliet and says “O Thursday, tell her, she shall be married (3.5.22-23)…” This portrays the dominance of men in Shakespeare’s play.

In conclusion, gender is an essential component in the play, Romeo & Juliet, because of the themes like family relationships and marriage that enclose around it. These themes are not only critical in the book but also critical in real life. Men tend to show more authority in the real world today, not only in the U.S., but also in other countries. Men can truly be dominant in other countries, like Pakistan, where women were not even allowed outside at one point. Romeo & Juliet perfectly portrays this kind of dominance with the themes like family relationships and marriage which William Shakespeare deliberately involved into the gender theme.         

Blog Post - Friday, April 4th

Nonfiction Critical Analysis

"Bagging Plastic" by Veronica Majerol

           The overall main idea of the article, “Bagging Plastic,” by Veronica Majerol is that plastic bags should be avoided as much as possible if not given up on completely. The entire article is mostly about negativities of plastic bags and how people can strive to stop using them. Some details that helped me understand Majerol’s point of view was the tile, her captions, and her info. For example, the title is “Bagging Plastic” which obviously leans the author towards the negative side of plastic bags. Also, her captions like, “Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for food,” and “Los Angeles joins a growing movement to ban plastic shopping bags,” definitely promote the stop of plastic bags. Moreover, the info under the heading “Choking Sea Turtles & Whales,” all promote the under-use of plastic bags. These details support Majerol’s main idea because her main idea is to avoid plastic bag use as much as possible.

            Veronica Majerol wants the reader to think and feel that plastics bags should be banned. The author uses so critical craft moves to do this. Again, the captions come in handy; the author uses the facts in the captions to back up her argument. For instance, when she says “more than 30,000 people across the U.S. have jobs related to plastic bag manufacturing and recycling” she follows it with a caption stating “100 billion number of plastic bags Americans use each year.

            In conclusion, I will start to take into consideration the fact that hundreds of animals are dying because us humans aren’t properly using plastic bags. My thinking has went from not caring that much to really concerned about animals. I think plastic bags are a really bad influence to the environment. I want to know whether schools are doing anything about plastic bag use with the stores near them.