Reflection on First Semester

I never knew I could learn so much about world literature in one semester. Comparing my Alchemist essay, written in August, to my Lord of the Flies essay is incredible. I used to write very short and to-the-point paragraphs, but now I've learned that I can do so much more. What used to be a 4 sentence paragraph has now turned into an enriched full page paragraph. Lord of the Flies made me realize how in depth anything can get if you think about it enough. It makes me feel as if I can analyze just about anything using all the skills I've learned in this semester. I also feel like by owning all of these new skills, my self-esteem has improved. I have confidence in myself when writing essays; I know with citations and the correct format I can create a piece of writing I can be proud of. Preparing to write my final is stressful nonetheless, but I know I have the capability to get an A because I feel prepared and will try my absolute best. Every day I enjoy going into LA more than any of my other classes because it's always been my favorite subject, for one, and the fact that I'm made to think on such a high and deep level makes it seem so valuable to me. I'm looking forward to another semester.

End of the Lord of the Flies

The very end of the Lord of the Flies was filled with hypocrisy and irony. The novel was wrapped up in a bittersweet note with a naval officer rescuing the boys. "We saw your smoke. What have you been doing? Having a war or something?" (Golding 206). Here, the officer confronts Ralph and lightly jokes about the way they were noticed and rescued. It's ironic because the fire Jack set was meant to smoke him out and kill him, but instead it ended up rescuing the boys. "I should have thought that a pack of British boys... would have been able to put up a better show than that..." (Golding 207). This is also another example of irony, since the officer is criticizing the boys when he himself is coming from an adult world filled with war and violence. "The officer inspected the little scarecrow in front of him. The kid needed a bath, a haircut, a nose-wipe, and a good deal of ointment" (Golding 206). Here, the officer is analyzing Ralph as if everything were under ordinary circumstances. It's ironic in the sense that Ralph has just come from a run for his life, while having survived on an island for months, perhaps, and has watched two of his friends be murdered. The entire officer-Ralph confrontation at the end of the novel is ironic and touched with hypocrisy.

Symbols Emerging in Lord of the Flies

What symbols are merging in the novel? How are they changing in meaning? Think of how much Piggy is changing, or the conch, the island, etc.

Piggy is really starting to buckle down on his intelligence. At the beginning of the novel, he was a pure, raw form of intelligence. Now that he sees how stupid everybody else can be, it’s really starting to annoy him. At first, he was afraid to speak up and went along with everything Ralph says. Now, however, when an unreasonable idea is suggested, he makes sure to voice his opinion. Also, the conch started out as a vessel of democratic power and legitimacy. Now at meetings the boys don’t always wait for their turn with the conch to speak. This is foreshadowing how hell might break loose in the near future. The boys have been on the island for a good couple months, maybe, and they are getting more and more separated from the idea of civilization.

To College and Beyond

Last week, the counselors came into our classroom and had us tap into the back of our memories for our Naviance password. Once that was taken care of, we got into the good stuff. Thinking about college is scary for some kids. For me, it's really the one thing I am looking forward to in my life right now. As cliché as it sounds, I crave the freedom college grants you. I'm looking to go somewhere on the coast, whether that be the West or East Coast, I have not decided. Of course, I still have time to worry about all that good stuff. Being the eldest child in my family, I am the first one to experience just about everything in life. Sometimes this is good, but the majority of the time it can get a little rough. Learning how to be independent will likely be an extremely satisfying thing for myself. I feel like when it comes to applying for colleges, it is going to be a major step forward. I cannot wait to be able to meet so many new people, create lovely friendships, visit new places, and expand my mind all on my own. I cannot wait for college.

Piggy!

In Chapter 1 of Lord of the Flies, the character of Piggy really stood out. “An expression of pain and inward concentration altered the pale contours of his face” (Golding 7).  Piggy had asthma, and also his mom and dad both are dead. To the average person, these are most definitely factors that make up a difficult life. That is the deeper meaning of the word “pain” in this sentence. Piggy also seems to be the most intelligent of the bunch of boy survivors, as he is the first to become aware of the significance of not having an adult to take care of them, while Ralph is ecstatic over the idea of “no adults”. “’We can use this to call the others. Have a meeting. They’ll come when they hear us—‘“ (Golding 15). Piggy is an innovator, as his attentiveness comes to use right away in the beginning of the novel. Piggy represents the scientific and rational side of civilization in this novel. He is also the more feminine of the bunch, as he takes care of speaking for the little children and attempting to take roll of how many there are. While he is being made fun of for being indirectly motherly and intelligent, without Piggy Ralph probably wouldn't know what to do in order to keep the peace. 

A Modest Proposal

      Satire has become an instrumental way to reveal and call needed attention to flaws in society. Human thought is the foundation of society, and this means flaws are utterly unavoidable. Where there is an issue, a debate, there is bound to be two quite different points of view to it. In many cases, scathing, ironic, hilarious, and/ or disturbing satire will be taken advantage of in an attempt to sway the minds that are in the median area of opinion on the topic. However, effectively diminishing folly and unveiling the wrongdoings in society is no easy task. Satire is like an onion; it can have many layers, each one revealing the even more complex meaning underneath. Empathy, sympathy, and apathy are all different layers of emotion that are makings of satire, each having a significantly different effect than the next. 

     When digging through the piles of sarcasm and wit many satires have to offer, one must not get caught up in the obvious events taking place. The deeper a satire is dug into, the nittier and grittier the exposed topics become. In 1729, the overpopulated, underfed, and economically unstable country of Ireland was being oppressed by Great Britain. "It is a melancholy object to those who walk through this great town... when they see the streets... crowded with beggars of the female sex, followed by three, four, or six children..." (Swift 1). In the opening sentence of A Modest Proposal, Swift is stating that it is all too common to see women and children begging on the streets of Ireland. Ireland is quite unsuccessful at this time, and eventually Swift says they might as well put the impoverished Irish population to good use: why not eat the poor babies? "That the remaining hundred thousand may... be offered in the sale to the persons of quality and fortune through the kingdom; always advising the mother to let them suck plentifully in the last month, so as to render them plump and fat for a good table" (Swift 3). Swift points out a solution to the overpopulation that consuming the excess children will provide much needed food for the wealthy ("...persons of quality and fortune..."). He also states (which much wit) that the mother of the poor child should try and fatten it up as much as possible so as to satisfy the aristocratic mouths. Specifically targeting England in this satirical essay, Swift manages to bring awareness to the ignorance of the English (more specifically speaking, the upperclass English) while maintaining a thoroughly serious tone.

       Satire can be found in many other places besides just the impressively and complexly written A Modest Proposal. A scene from the show Family Guy is an excellent example of satire. While running for a position in office, the girl from Family Guy is stressing over what she is going to say to win over the sea of undecided voters. The little white dog (who was wearing a suit) reassures her and explains that the only thing she needs to do is respond to the undecided voters' questions with short and simple answers. When asked what she thought about the tragedy of 9/11, she straightforwardly replies that she thought it was "sad". The undecided voters roared in applause for her. Specifically targeting American voters,  Family Guy was calling awareness to how undecided American voters eat things up about politicians. "He seems like the kind of guy I could have a beer with. I'm going to vote for him" (Family Guy). Using verbal irony, the stupidity of the majority of American voters was called to attention. Is the detail of whether the politician is a relatable, family guy more important than the detail of how the politician is going to act as a leader and/or handle political problems? This question is brought up into the viewer's mind, as it very well should. Satire is executed perfectly in that scene from Family Guy, making the viewer think about their own voting process and if they have been making the same silly decisions when electing their candidate.

       Another reason satire is immensely effective is because it's relatable. Satire is written in a way that is quite personal to the reader, making the foolishness in society even more obvious. "And the money will circulate among ourselves, the goods being entirely of our own growth and manufacture" (Swift 6).  Here, Swift is satirizing one of the...benefits, per say, of eating the poor children. If they eat the children, this means that there will be profit for selling them, and the nation's stock will increase. Swift is mocking the partisans, taking a shot at them by saying that they should really take an interest into eating the children, as it will benefit them by creating money for them. There was discrimination against Roman Catholics in England in the late 1600s-early 1700s. Swift took advantage of this issue by saying "...therefore it will have one other collateral advantage, by lessening the number of papists among us" (Swift 4). They could lessen the population of Roman Catholics, whom they didn't like, by eating their poor babies as well. Swift did a superb job of sarcastically capturing the point of views of the ignorant upperclass (the majority, at least). 

       Satire can be a greatly persuasive factor when it comes to social change. Swift set many precedents when it comes to satire, as many of modern-day satirists use the same techniques such as wit, verbal irony, situational irony, sarcasm, and mockery to unveil ills in society as we know it. Swift accomplished a splendid job of rhetorically asking blunt questions about his solution to the overpopulation of Ireland because it made the reader feel uncomfortable and really evaluate what Swift is masking with irony and wit. Although disturbing, Swift created a new viewing of the issue between Ireland and Great Britain to try and get society to realize all of their wrongdoings. Jumping ahead to the modern day, Family Guy called attention to the naïvety of undecided American voters in a hidden sarcastic tone of voice. When it comes to making a change for the better in society, satire, when performed correctly, is an incredibly effective way to expose the flaws under a humorous, disturbing, ironic, sarcastic, scathing, but successful light. 

Reflection on other presentations

After watching so many of my classmates presentations, I realized how many different ways satire can be represented. Whether it's a 30 second long Saturday Night Live parody commercial or John Oliver poking fun at people for 15 minutes straight, satire truly attacks only stupidity or vices. At first when I watched satirical videos I thought the term satire was the same as making fun of anything you thought was stupid. However, satire is using critique, scathing humor, and irony to reflect on society. Some presentations ripped on how whiny the American society is, how news reporting is getting irrelevant and false, how dumb undecided American voters can be, and much more. I have realized how many issues I've fallen under the "target" category for, and since it's so embarrassing to be made fun of in a general sense, I've started to become more aware of what I complain about or buy. One of the presentations exposed how the average kid's imagination is dwindling. That particular presentation inspired me to try and live my life as fun as I can possibly make it. This means I will try my best to be smart about decisions I make, but I also have to take a step back and realize that not everything in life is meant to be taken seriously. The most important message I got out of that satire was to live your life by taking risks and being creative!

Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift did not have a very happy childhood. He was born 7 months after his father died, leaving him in a poor family with heavy reliance on relatives to support them.  In 1686 he graduated from Trinity College in Dublin. Later in life after his connections got him into Oxford University, he graduated with a M.A. degree. In 1728 he published the book Gulliver's Travels. He passed away in 1745 and is buried beside his wife, Stella, in Dublin. 

"He pays no court to the passions; he excites neither surprise nor admiration; he always understands himself, and his readers always understand him: the peruser of Swift wants little previous knowledge; it will be sufficient that he is acquainted with common words and common things; he is neither required to mount elevations nor to explore profundities; his passage is always on a level, along solid ground, without asperities, without obstruction." -Samuel Johnson

"May you live all the days of your life." -Jonathan Swift
I thought this quote was inspiring because I love quotes about how you have to make the most of your life because you only live once. It makes me really take a step back and realize that sometimes, you just have to step out of your comfort zone and do things for your benefit.

• " Jonathan Swift Biography - Facts, Birthday, Life Story - Biography.com ."Famous Biographies & TV Shows - Biography.com . N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. <http://www.biography.com/people/jonathan-swift-9500342>.
• "Jonathan Swift | Biography, Books and Facts." Famous Authors | List, Books and Biographies of Famous Authors. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. <http://www.famousauthors.org/jonathan-swift>.
• "Jonathan Swift | Biography, Books and Facts." Famous Authors | List, Books and Biographies of Famous Authors. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. <http://www.famousauthors.org/jonathan-swift>.
• "Jonathan Swift: A Brief Biography"The Dancing Girl" by John Barlas." The Victorian Web: An Overview. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. <http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/swift

Little Chocolate Donuts

     This Saturday Night Live commercial parody is portraying John Belushi as an Olympian. He wins Olympic gold in the Decathlon and long distance running. Afterwards, he explains how he logged a lot of miles that day and ate a lot of donuts. He says that the donuts have the sugar he needs to get him through the morning. He is explaining all of this while holding a lit cigarette. The announcer states that they are the donuts of champions. There's a crowd cheering for him and the commercial parody comes to an end.

     Now that was just a take by take on what happened in the commercial. As I was watching it, however, the satirical sense of it came into play. In my point of view, John Belushi isn't representing an athletic Olympian. He's sarcastically representing the average American male. Chocolate donuts obviously are not healthy for you, so they probably are not an athlete's food choice. However in the commercial it's what is giving him his energy for his competitions. The target could just as well be the average American who falls for fake advertising. I think that this parody is also trying to point out how smoking is a regular thing that is bad for you in America. Belushi is telling us about how the "donuts of champions" are helping him win while holding a lit cigarette. This is showing how not only is the guy eating fattening donuts but he is also harming his lungs and much more by smoking. I believe that this commercial parody is making fun of the average American who eats unhealthily and smokes while ironically believing that it doesn't actually affect you in a negative way.

Hero's Journey.

Reflection on the hero's journey presentations

     My group created a Hero's Journey poster over the movie Tangled. This film is about Princess Rapunzel, whose hair has healing powers from a magical flower. She is kidnapped by evil Gothel early in life, and she spends 18 years in locked up in a tower, believing Gothel is her true mother and the outside world is cruel and unforgiving. A bandit called Flynn Rider breaks into the tower, setting Rapunzel out into a life-changing journey. She'd always dreamed of seeing the floating lanterns on her 18th birthday, and Flynn promises to take her if she would just return the crown he stole from the kingdom. Their journey consists of a sassy horse, big tough men with surprisingly sweet personalities, a tiny chameleon with opinions of his own, and much more. It tells how you must always find it within yourself to do what is impossible. When there is nothing left to lose, you keep going. 

     There were some very creative and inspiring hero's journey movie posters presented in class. One presentation I enjoyed was the Nightmare Before Christmas because the poster was very detailed and you could tell hard work had really gone into the making of it. Also, the movie sent an inspiring message; that if you really want something to happen, sometimes you have to do it yourself. There are two kinds of people in this world: the doers, and the watchers. Another presentation I liked was the Life of Pi. The poster itself was well done, as there was tiger stripes in the background and it fit in really well. Also, I really related to Pi, the hero, because we share the fact that we are both physically and mentally tired. He becomes physically and mentally tired while stranded on the boat with the tiger, and I have become physically and mentally tired for different reasons. However, it's inspiring to me that Pi got through it all and made success with his life; he made himself happy. To me, happiness is one of the most--if not the most-- important thing one could possibly have in life.

   

Just Keep Swimming, Just Keep Swimming...

Write about the film you think works best for the hero’s journey.

I have always loved the movie Finding Nemo. Not until now have I realized that there is a hero’s journey in it. Dory, the cute blue fish who has short-term memory, rises to the occasion and helps Nemo’s dad help find Nemo. I think that she is underrated in the film because everybody focuses on the fish that the movie is named after: Nemo. However, Dory is in high spirits throughout almost the entire movie. When Marlin (Nemo’s dad) is about to give up all hopes of finding his son, Dory pushes him to keep going. She even has her own little motto; to “just keep swimming!” She is a hero in the very sense of the word. Dory reads the origin of the scuba diver’s mask to Marlin when he is busy almost getting eaten by a horrifying electrical fish in the dark depths of the ocean. Her optimism helps her achieve the impossible on the long journey to finding Nemo. Marlin even suggested that if Dory hadn't comforted him so much he may have never even reached Sydney and found his son!

Gotta Get Out of That Funk!

An abyss is the lowest part of a person/hero’s journey. It is the place of darkness and a place to face (metaphorical) monsters. Once the “dragon is slayed” transformation occurs.

     All throughout my life I have fallen into abysses of different magnitudes. One of the most recent ones that have occurred was tryouts for the volleyball team this year. I was really shooting to make Junior Varsity (JV), but that unfortunately didn’t happen. Instead, I made the sophomore team. At first I couldn’t get over it. I was furious at myself, because I thought I had tried really hard at tryouts. Then I second-guessed myself and thought that maybe I hadn’t tried as hard as I should have. But as the days passed, I realized that in the long run me making the sophomore team was the best possible outcome. There are quite a few reasons for this reasoning. One is because by being on the sophomore team; I get an abundant amount of playing time. Also, my coach really pays attention to me and I feel like I am getting better and better each practice. Also, it gave me a chance to make friends with a lot of really great freshmen; I can tell that in a couple years they are still going to be good friends of mine. This is not to say that I wouldn’t like to be on JV. However for many different reasons I am completely content with making the sophomore team. Thinking hard about it, in my point of view the whole world revolves around labels. It’s what things are labeled that make people want or not want them, and I think that I just had to get over my want for the label of JV and face reality. The best way for me to improve greatly this season is by being on the team that I’m on, not the team I randomly wanted to make. 

This is a highlights video from the Olympic's volleyball. I can only hope and work to one day be as good as these players are!