Music Review

           I like this blog because it gives us a chance to express ourselves. Out of all our blogs so far this is the far most free and open to whatever one yet. So basically we are writing a music review on whatever album song etc., good or bad. At first I wanted to pick a song that no one knew to review, because I listen to all types of music. But then I realized that instead of making an unknown artist known I'd rather just praise and increase the likeness of an already established artist.

           So I decided to do Beyonce's new album 4. I've always liked Beyonce because she can actually sing, and in today's world there are new artists coming out everyday. Most of these artists can only sing with the help of our new technology. But although I've love Beyonce regardless I think that this is one of her best albums yet. So let's get started on this review.

BEYONCE: 4

If we don't all already know Beyonce is pregnant. Wow big deal!!! LOL and I think that's what her ultimate goal was in making this album. In that she wants to portray this idea of family and love and happiness, something some people can relate to and others want to relate to, but in reality something we all need. Throughout her album she keeps this uniformity of the theme of love, most often referring to her and her husband Jay-Z and now their child on the way. A lot of her songs are up-tempo and melodic. She has done a lot of videos to this album which I also like, and I think these are her most energetic, care free videos. My favorite one happens to be countdown because it's a very enthusiastic song and also  incorporates their child on the way in her lyrics. It's one of her best albums yet. And because this album embraces her child it increases the rave reviews about it.

Winter Poem

This is a winter poem describing in words how I envision snowflakes. Using things to symbolize the winter time I attempted to provide a image of snowflakes without uses the words snowflake and winter. Winter is a great season other than the cold weather. Christmas is around the corner and I'm anxiously awaiting it. I enjoyed writing this poem a lot . Hopefully you enjoy it too. Happy Holidays!

Snowflakes

White and fluffy. Cold as day.

Stick out your tongue and catch it that way.

Intricate design. Melts in your hand.

Not at the beach where there’s water and sand.

Santa awaits this very big day

And when these things fall it’s not far away.

How little and precious these little things are

They fall every second and cover it all.

See them on paper or see them for real.

Don’t be mistaken by what you feel.

Happens in one season the coldest of them all.

You have to wear gloves, a hat and a scarf.

During this season there’s many things to do.

 These little things can help you get the flu.

Various shapes they come big and small.

Collect a lot of these to roll in a ball.

Unless they appear it ruins the time of year.

With hot cocoa, caroling, and cheer.

It’s almost time for us to take a break.

But until then look for those SNOWFLAKES.

Where Did You Go JD?

          J.D Salinger liked to write for his own pleasure. He felt that publishing was an invasion of his privacy. J.D. Salinger could be considered one of the greatest, and most contraversial authors of our time. We only know limited things about him and his work because he has been pushed off into the woods due to betrayal by his loved ones, and people close to him. Negative criticism of his work has also contributed to making him leave.  In 1953 he moved into a modest hilltop home in tiny, population 1,268, Cornish, N.H. He hasn't agreed to an interview since he spoke to a high school student later that year, and he hasn't published a word since 1965. One the many reasons quite frankly the main reason for his retreat from society is his famous novel "The Catcher in the Rye". In this novel the main character Holden Caufield, most recognized for his desire to protect childhood innocence, said  "What really knocks me out is a book that, when you're all done reading it, you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it. That doesn't happen much, though.”  It is to my knowledge that people actually began to try to contact him in various ways because his book was very popular and they thought it to be very influential and in his eyes invade his privacy. Throughout the book a lot of events that occur are similar to those of his real life such as when Holden reaches the brink of his nervous breakdown and plans to head west and live in a log cabin.
          From the beginning I think J.D Salinger was just a very private person and that is why he went into "hiding". Some people are just that way in that they are to themselves and very private and you cannot fault a person for being that way. So where did he go? The publishing of the catcher in the rye in 1951 marked the beginning of his seclusion from the world where he lived in the wood in a shed guarded with a shotgun, and guard dogs behind high walls.

A Direction the class needs to go in

         First off english is my favorite subject. I don't even know why, it's crazy because I never have anything favorite. In case you didn't know I'm very indecisive and I can hardly ever pick my outfit out every morning. Thats the amazing part about it. I think what began my interests in english was the 7th grade. Before I was already good at english but in 7th grade my entire perspective changed. My teacher was AMAZING! I loved her sooooooo much. She taught english in a way that made everything seem so fun and interesting yet we learned so much at the same time.  And she was funny, she had me rolling on the floor laughing everyday. Yup so thats her my amazing funny 7th grade teacher that sparked my love for the subject of english.
         Besides all my love for english the class is just amazing alone. With Sohrob, Kirkland, Giana, Charlotte " my dog" lol etc. our class in my opinion is perfectly fine and needs no adjusting. In a way I look forward to coming to this class everyday and it always lives up to my expectations. If there was one thing I would have to change though is ........................ Ummmmmmm I wonder..................... NOTHING!!!! That's just how I feel about the class and that's where I am right now. If ever anything changes drastically I will notify you but I seriously doubt that and with that being said I think I will be satisfied with my 5th period english II class forever. O wait I do have something to request, if possible you could get this same exact class next year. I mean every single person stayed the same. I don't really think you could pull that off but if you could o if you could I would be soooooo happy and exciting and you might just become one of my favorite teachers.
                And I forgot to mention that I want to be a teacher and I remember a comment you said about how when you were a child you would've wished for your class to be structured how you teach now, and maybe that provides me with insight on how I would structure my class if ever I became a teacher.

Holden Caufield

        Throughout our many discussions in class we have talked about what type of person Holden is or if he's phony or not. In my opinion I don't think he's phony or if he is there isn't enough evidence yet to prove this. I can recall a question from a group work activity in which it asks in what ways is Holden phony? My group basically said that we didn't think he was a phony because he lies to himself but does not conform to what society wants or expects of him. The people that he considers to be phony are phony because they change to become something that they are not. Like in the case of Stradlater. Holden says that he is a secret slob but he portrays to be of this very clean, fresh handsome guy. He somewhat puts on this front to satisfy society. Society being the other guys. Others may think that Holden is phony primarily because he has qualities similar to those he call phony in that what he considers to be phony he in turn does himself. But this doesn't make him phony because he does things for different reasons. Reasons to him that are his so called principles. So in reality he isn't phony because he stays true to himself, and what he beliefs to be right.
         When I mentioned that he lies to himself I mean that we only know what he tells us, and alot of the stuff he says is only his train of thought. He doesn't do a lot of what he is actually thinking. And then also he paints these images in our head of how lousy his childhood was that is not so in reality. Another instance in which I think he lies to himself is when it comes to his age. When he went to the club in the hotel he asks for a Scotch and the waiter knows he isn't old enough and asks for verification of his age. But he seems to allow us and himself to believe that he looks older than he really is because of his gray hairs. But this does not necessarily make him phony because we find out that he does some things for the sake of survival in this lonesome and depressing world.

My red hunting hat

        In the Catcher in the Rye Holden Caufield wears this red hunting hat quite often. What is the significance of this hat? First off a hunting hat is something worn by hunters to stand out so that other hunters won't mistakenly shoot them. And also because deers supposedly are color blind to the color red and their are unable to distinguish the hunters from their other surroundings. Holden's hat was symbolic. Referencing back to the meaning of what a hunting hat really is the hunters are him and other people seeking out and trying to find who the real people are. They can see him because they have qualities in common in that they are real people (supposedly). The deers are the phonies or the people that Holden believe to be phony. They can't see him or see the burden that they are to him because he never comes out and tells them. They are blind to his real emotions and feelings. So is Holden phony?

       What is my hunting hat? I think my hunting hat is my appearance specifically my hair and the color of my skin. It makes me stand out and fit in depending on the circumstances. My old school was predominantly african american and people would constantly ask me if I was mixed or white or whatever. I didn't have a problem with it but I am all african american , just very light skinned with long hair, But it makes me stand out because  although I am black my light skin complexion makes me stand out. On the other hand I can also fit in. In places such as Whitney Young where there is a more diverse crowd of students I blend in more in that there are a lot of other people that looked like me or were in my same situation. And then also people really don't care as much because they are used to seeing so many different races that it doesn't matter if im all black or not.

       So my red hunting hat is my skin complexion and my long hair because most people don't think that I can be all black with long hair and light complexion. This makes me stand out but I can also blend in.


             

Thankful for a Classmate

             I am thankful for Sohrob, he makes the class better. I think that Sohrob always adds a little extra to the class whether it be in his various changing voices or his enthusiastic way of answering questions. English in itself is one of my favorite classes but with Sohrob it is that much better because of his wonderful personality. In writing this blog there was a few people I had to chose between to write about but certain things just put Sohrob over the top. And I hope he reads this so that he can see how much I appreciate his presence in the class and how much I am thankful for him. Everytime we are having a discussion in class Sohrob never hesitates to raise his hand and provide a very intelligent sometimes somewhat eccentric but none the less useful answer. Sometimes his answers give a clearer understanding to something that at first wasn't quite clear to me and in doing so he also provides additional information that one day will come in hand. And then he also amuses me while in the class together when he speaks in a different tone of voice. I can recall once when we were reviewing this excerpt in our text books and he was asked to speak like a preacher and I thought it was hilarious because he did it so excitedly and realisticly. At the end of the day I am thankful for my entire American Literature class but especially Sohrob because to me he is just always so anxious and enthusiastic in participating in class and that makes me exciting to continue the rest of the year with him in my class. Happy Thanksgiving! :)

Cormac McCarthy

The theme I chose to focus on was how he closely relates The Road to his own personal experiences with his son. And trying to express how he protects his son and this idea of what a father son relationship should be like. In a wall street journal interview McCarthy talks about how his son was the co-author because some of the conversations that the boy and the man had in the book are exact conversations that he and his son had. In another part of the interview they ask him why the father and son never say " I love you" if this is supposed to be a love story between the two. And he responded that he thought it wasn't neccesary because it wouldn't add anything to the story, but I thought it was a way to indirectly say that actions speak louder than words and if the book is supposed to show how a father would do anything for his son in any circumstance which it does then there is no need for "I love you". And then also he choses not to give the man and boy names. Before discussion and research I thought that was mainly because the  past has been erased and it is gone now and with that goes your name. I also thought that it represented who you were and gave you an identity and now there is no need because all but a few humans are remaining and no one needs to be able to know who someone else is. But know I know that is somewhat because he wants the father and son to represent him and his son or for that fact any other father and son. McCarthy says that his work is often driven by pain because if you don't have something in the back of your head driving you nuts you might not do anything. So along with the relationships in his personal life McCarthy also displays a sense of dark, violent, and painful periods throughout his books and movies. In No Country for Old Men there is violence, depravity and mayhem as in All the Pretty Horses and Blood Meridian and The Road. But overall I think that Cormac McCarthy tends to make his novels personal and always somehow come back to his interpretation of the west or death or religion etc.

Letter to Charles Bukowski

Dear Charles,            After I read your poem Dinosauria, We so many thoughts were in my head of the world we live in today and if we will ever become the idea of the this or if we already have become it. You wrote this poem in the 1970s and it is an accurate representation of the modern world. Are you psychic? Or is it just a reasonable assumption based on occurences in 1970? Regardless of what it may be I think the outcome you described will eventually surface and that is the scary part. Through your poem we see everything that we happen to our world in the future. But the question is what is the future? How close is it? And most of all is it the END of the world? In your poem one thing that really struck me was when you said Dante's Inferno will be made to look like a children's playground. Dante's Inferno referencing to Hell. I thought that to be a strong line because your saying that the world will eventually come to be so bad that Hell, something that we think of as being a horrible place that most don't won't to go to, becomes something desirable, enjoyable and something to look forward to. And then you said the fingers reach for the throat the gun the knife the bomb..........the fingers reach for the bottle the pill the powder. In today's world so many people look to violence and abuse to solve and cope with the problems. And in your poem when this is occuring all these realistic events of wanting to kill and reference to wanting to take drugs also occur. Lastly I think a strong part to your poem is that you continue to repeat "this" or born into "this", which for me adds to the intensity of the poem in the fact that it shows readers that "this" is serious and cannot be taken lightly. Your prediction or assumption of what the world will become is accurate because of the actions of human beings. The way we are headed in our world today with people having the mindset that the world can fix itself or that eventually it all will not pile up is the wrong mindset because it will and I think that everything you described in  your poem can happen and is possible. The only way it can be fixed is with the help of the entire human population, which is highly unlikely, starting now before it is too late or else they won't be another chapter. THIS will be the end.

Father and Son

Currently we are reading The Road, a post- apocalyptic story describing a son and father's journey through the disastrous world. Their relationship is one that is not typical of a father and son relationship, because in modern day most fathers are not as gentle, and compassionate as the one in the story. That is the role of the mother supposedly. They believe in tough love and making their sons men . But in the Road the father knows that the child won't be able to live a normal life or for that fact know what a normal life is. The father tries as best as he can to comfort the child and he begans to show motherly like  qualities.

John Proctor Hero or Stooge?

John Proctor is a hero and a stooge but more so a hero. In the courts while his wife Elizabeth is being taken and arrested he is accusing other people because his supposed main goal is to save his wife. But the underlying truth to that is that eventually when his wife claims to be pregnant and saved for a year he doesn't want to drop his charges to the other people. Parris says that his main goal is to overthrow  the court and that may seem true. Towards the end of the story he confesses his sin of lechery on Abigail but  they do not believe him and his wife denies it to save his name so he is in line to be hanged,but only if he confesses will he survive. He choses to go against his religious priciples  and lie to save his life. Eventually after hee has confessed without going againt his friends he tears up his confession saying that only God needs to see his confession and that his name shall remain the same in the town of Salem. So John Proctor will hang and be judged only by himself as a good man because he knows that he is no better than everyone else standing up for their beliefs that are being hanged, and that is why he is a hero more than a stooge because when it mattered he stood up and followed his principles when some other citizens in this town based solely upon theocracy has chosen not to.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God

     Sinners in the hands of an angry god is a sermon of Jonathan Edwards that speaks about humans opposing the BIBLE and  supposedly threatening the vengeance of God.In this sermon he basically degrades other people referring to them as being  wicked and associated with the devil, but in all reality he is not following the bible himself. He is essentially the strongest follower of the bible seeing as though he is the reverend. Throughout this sermon he somewhat becomes contradictive and hipocritical because he himself is not being of Christian faith by accusing others of committing a sin.
     The puritans for instance were extremely fearful of God and they felt that if they stepped out of line just once they would go toHELL. Jonathan Edwards knows he can impose fear on them , seeing as though many were iliterate unlike him, a very well educated man with an ultimate belief in God.

Arrivals......There goes the Neighborhood

 Blogs are very difficult for me to write because I debate on if I should jus write what I feel and let it flow or go about it an organized way with paragraphs and paragraphs of information,  but for this particular post I guess I will combine a little bit of both into one.
      When I think of the title arrivals.... there goes the neighborhood I think of society and how they tend to stereotype certain people. So maybe society thinks if someone different( not similar to them) comes along the neighborhood will become worse and do down hill. Personally I don't think I have experienced such stereotypical behavior before so I couldn't tell you how it feels or even relate myself to that type of situation, because for as long as I have known.... I've lived in the same neighborhood.
      Going back to what we've talked about in class over the past few days I think Phillis Wheatley and Christopher Colombus went through similar situations. Phillis having being a slave trying to fit in with "white folk" as they say faced discrimination. She worked in the house closer to her slave master's family, and was taught how to read and write. Well in that time slaves weren't allowed to be educated so Phillis in a sense was above the pack somewhat becoming a white and becoming part of this family. Many whites didn't appreciate or neccessarily like how Phillis Wheatley being black could be so close to whites in society. So her story story comes to mind when we talk about The title.
      As for Christopher Colombus  he relates to the topic because he invaded these native islands and the native people weren't welcoming to his arrival. He in a way insulted their culture and beliefs and the natives didn't respond to that very well, refusing to trade any valuable tools. They weren't familar with his ideas and ways of life and neither was he with theirs so I believe that the natives were basically saying that his arrival to their land was turning the islands wrong and disrupting their ways.

      Hmmmmmm..... to began my blog I guess I have to introduce myself so my name is Katrina (like the hurricane) , that seems to help people remember my name better, and I have no problem with referencing such a terrible event to my name. I've never had a blog or even thought of having one but I guess I will start having to get used to it. My older brother has one and is familar with it so if  I ever need help I'll probably just ask him. I am kind of excited to have a blog now because it's basically writing down all of your thoughts, facts and or emotions on a particular topic. There are no right or wrong answers to a blog it's all so opinionated, which I like because you can express yourself.        I really enjoy to play basketball it is my life besides education of course! I started playing basketball when i was in 5th grade i wasn't skilled at all back then but now i am much more improved. I don't know what compelled me to began playing sports because before I was a cheerleader. First I was cheering at the games now I'm in the games. I know thats a BIG turn around!!!!! Education is really important to me because I want to maybe become a teacher someday. I'd want to teach at an elementary level I'm not sure what subject yet. Most of my time is filled by playing basketball and school but besides doing that I like to listen to music or get on facebook and twitter :-) haha. I'm really open to all music because a good song is a good song despite what genre of music it is. If any really knows me they know that I don't really have a favorite of anything. There are things that I strongly like or mutiple things I like, but I'm very indecisive and its hard for me to choose between things.
      I have 2 older brothers and 1 younger sister so I would consider myself a middle child. I'm closest to my brother the other middle child probably because we are kind of close in age and we are complete opposites. They do say opposites attract.My family is quite funny and really know how to enjoy themselves maybe that is where I get my outgoing bubbly personality from. My mother somewhat collects movies of all kinds so I sometimes occupy my free time watching millions of movies from horror to action to comedy.
      Although I may not have favorites I assumed it is appropriate to include your favorite things in a introduction of yourself so I will attempt. My favorite colors are orange and selective pinks. My favorite book is to kill a mockingbird although I never got a chance to finish reading it entirely. My favorite year of school would have to be 8th grade so far seeing as though I'm only a freshman, but besides that I think Ion't have to many other favorites.
      I think this blog entry was a really good way to introduce ourselves to the teacher  and our classmates and I think I did a pretty good job explaining myself in a nutshell. One thing I forgot is that I really like using exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!