A Year in Words

Few will complete this assignment (cough* cough* Senioritis)....

And even fewer will read this post,

But I just wanted to share a few words of advice for anyone willing to read this (if you don't read it don't comment).


Advice Pro-tip Numero uno (Number 1)

1. Always keep questioning!!

If we do not remain curious then we do not remain fully human. QUESTION EVERYTHING, never settle for the easy answer, and if you go spewing your opinion (I am quite guilty of this), then at least make the pretense of knowing what you're talking about


Advice Pro-tip Nombre deux

2. The greatest people in life are good at two key things: Procrastination, and Quitting.

This may seem irrational and even illogical, but when thought about it makes sense. The most successful in the world only quit when an endeavor is no longer favourable, or no longer makes sense. They no not quit because it becomes difficult, they quit because it would be more beneficial to start over.

The same is true about procrastinating. They are not the typical "Damn...I have homwork...meh, I'll do it later" type, they procrastinate only when they are unsure how to continue and wait to gauge how future events will play out.


Advice Pro-tip "I've run out of foreign languages" Number 3

3. Taking the easy road out will never reward the best outcome.

This is a motto I live by. I have never, ever taken the easy road out. It can be stressful, annoying and sometimes dangerous, but the reward is worth it.



And now for some random stories...


Location: Iceland
Age: 7 years old

Upon rental of a 4x4 my family drove around the entire Icelandic island; however, not without incident. Our vehicle caught a volcanic sand burm at speed and spun the car 180* onto an inclined slope. The vehicle (with us inside) almost rolled...unluckily we were in the middle of nowhere (basically all of Iceland), yet luckily there were 2 hydroline workers who towed us out with a truck.






Location: Maldivian Atoll, Indian Ocean: Island of Kuramati
Age: 8 years old

I swam in the middle of a large baitball (large congregation of fish near the surface) being attacked by sharks...yeah so that was fun.

Later in the trip I was caught around the neck with coarse rope and was almost lynched...

and finally My knee was stung in volume be a sea anemone, which killed the melanin (skin pigment) for 2 years.

An American Dream

The original American dream was similar to the "perfect family" of Victorian times. This is a family in which the head of the house is an alpha-male, his wife is a housewife, and he has 2 children: a daughter and a son. They all live in their own house with perfect etiquette and knightly manners. However, over the years the meaning of the American dream has changed. Later, it meant a well paying job and a house. As of late, it has a closer relation to the ownership of modern technology and less about owning a house. And while this is a change, both have one thing in common: wealth. Many people commonly mistake being upper-class with being wealthy. Personally, I have seen plenty of upper-class poor people and conversely, lower-class rich people. Class is all about etiquette and manner, and is only related to wealth because of socioeconomics. Wealth itself, is just the ownership of large quantities of material matter, and states nothing of politeness.

Talk of such wealth brings up a new point of how Americans view differences in wealth. The very poor, living in poverty are often viewed as freeloaders (unless they have a mental or physical disability). The extremely wealthy are viewed as insidious, sucking the life out of every day people, no matter how hard they worked or what their original situation was. The only wealth respected by the majority of people is in between. This group is often called middle-class in mistake (don't make me start on my previous lecture again), but should more accurately be called median-income families.

Personally, I have no wish to demonize the extremely wealthy. As far as I'm concerned, if the money was earned because of their hard work, who am I to say they can't be rewarded. As for the extremely poor, some certainly need help to get back on their feet, but many are also freeloaders (30% of people on welfare use some type of drug). Coming from a upper median-income family, I'm sure my personal bias affects my writings; however, I plan to create my own American dream.

Hieroglyphics, or Whitman's Journal?

Part 1:

Starting with the leather bound cover, it immediately becomes apparent that the journal has a more complex closure than a regular one. It features a double fold with a leather tag conjoining the two sides folded over the scripture. Upon examination of the the the papers inside, it's easy to see that the journal was used for multiple purposes besides journal keeping. Included in the pages are anything from contacts, to places and ideas for new texts. Christ, and the religion of Christianity is brought up several times, which would lead to the assumption he was a believer in the faith of Christianity. There also appears to be some sort of running commentary with an imaginary person, and also some sort of seal or stamp.

 Finally, comes the paper itself. It looks to be of a higher quality most likely of British origin; based upon the grain and the yellowing of the pages (color was most likely a cream color originally) it can be determined that the journal was most likely manufactured in the mid 1800s.

Part 2:

Well, I was right about the whole contact thing...and about him using the journal to plan out potential texts. However, I did not realize the seal was a congressional mark, which I found to be of interest. I also had no idea that Walt Whitman had something of a man-crush on Abraham Lincoln (I originally thought it was just an imaginary person, tuns out it was Lincoln), or that he created his own religion, now THAT is something to tell at a cocktail party. 

The next fact of interest was his use of the spanish word "Libertard," meaning liberty in English. Why he chose to use a Spanish word? Absolutely no idea. And apparently, the source had no idea either. I did not mention anything about libertard during my original analysis, but I just thought it was an extremely interesting choice. 

Finally, my analysis of the journal itself. The journal was indeed leather bound, though there was no specific mention of the paper's origin, it would appear the journal was manufactured during the mid 1800s. 

Freebie

This is my freebie,

It may be like other freebies,

but this is mine.

I clean my freebie,

Take care of my freebie,

because my freebie will take care of me.

My freebie is used.

My Vlog Brings all the IB Students to the yard

VLLOOOGGGGIIIINNNNN



Grading Below:

A: 4 while I backed up my statements with the text, they were very vague and "superficial"

B: 2 I hardly talk about FIDDS or SPARS and half the time what I say makes no coherent sense

C: 1 my organization SUUCKKEDDD

D: 4 My language was well used; however, I did use some crutch phrases and fallback words.

Total: 11 points

I'm Letting Go

Today, I was asked to compare two cover pages for the book Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.

I have chosen to compare, contrast, and analyse the two cover pages below.

 
Pulled from: http://geneskylitlang.blogspot.com/


Compare and Contrast:

Both display the title prominently; however, the cover to the right displays the author's name in much smaller print. The cover on the right is much darker, and gives a foreboding mood. It also displays a roughly drawn internal organ diagram, and shows the title in a childish scrawl. This childish twist might give insight to what is to come later in the book with the kids of Hailsham and their destinies. The cover on the left is a yellowish tint, and is also relatively dark. However, it shows a boat moored to a pole, and the title is printed in a professional type print. The boat suggests the ocean, which in turn may foreshadow the seaside town of Norfolk.

1. a. The first words that come to mind with the left cover is boat...for quite obvious reason. This then forces me to memories of the beach, and past adventures.

1. b. The first words that come to mind from the right cover page is horror movie. The dark wooded background and childish writing and schematics make for a dark and scary mood that a likens itself to horror movie type settings.

2. a. If I hadn't read the book yet the cover page would make me think about fishing adventures, or a coastline. Instead, it makes me think about a strange relationship with Norfolk, England, and the fact it is a lost corner of a country.

2. b. The right side cover page would have made me think it was some sort of horror story about orphanages and strange spirits. Now, it makes me think of the cruelty with which these clones are brought to the world, only to be slaughtered for their organs.

3. a. No one is being portrayed. But, we are looking at the scene from the viewpoint of one of the clones that went on the Norfolk trip.

3. b. Again, no one is being portrayed. And, again it is from the viewpoint of a Hailsham student. However, this was a view from when they were younger, maybe 6 or 7 years of age.

4. a. No ideas are sparked by this image (left cover). It just reminds me of sections of the book.

4. b. This gives the reader a clue as to how a Hailsham student drew growing up. They acted (and were) just like any other regular human being of that age (in England).

5. The fifth question perplexed me somewhat, but I believe it would be created by a person who wished to experiment with human society in their minds. It would be read by school age students who are forced to read it for their class....or by people who take a strong stance on the matter of cloning.





Note: The Cover page on the right has the body section outlined by barbed wire, almost as if to signify their organs are trapped and cannot escape what they are destined for. The left cover page includes an award the book won which may encourage a potential reader to dive in.

A Story of Video

TED Talk Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/george_takei_why_i_love_a_country_that_once_betrayed_me

Story Analysis

What is the rhetorical situation?

• What occasion gives rise to the need or opportunity for persuasion?
• The personal experiences of George Takei in an American concentration camp
• What is the historical occasion that would give rise to the composition of this text?
• World war 2
• Star Trek
• Pearl Harbor

Who is the author/speaker?

• How does he or she establish ethos (personal credibility)?
• Personal experience
• Personal recollection
• Does he/she come across as knowledgeable? fair?
• Yes, he shares personal experience
• He is bound to be biased due to personal experience
• Does the speaker's reputation convey a certain authority?
• Yes, George Takei is considered a famous actor

What is his/her intention in speaking?

• To attack or defend?
• No
• To exhort or dissuade from certain action?
• No
• To praise or blame?
• No
• To teach, to delight, or to persuade?
• Yes, to teach

Who make up the audience?

• Who is the intended audience?
• Professors and college students at TED
• What values does the audience hold that the author or speaker appeals to?
• The audience has little personal experience with the american camps
• Who have been or might be secondary audiences?
• The online watchers of the TED conference
• If this is a work of fiction, what is the nature of the audience within the fiction?
• N/A

What is the content of the message?

• Can you summarize the main idea?
• Americans were incredibly prejudiced against Japanese-Americans during WWII
• What are the principal lines of reasoning or kinds of arguments used?
• Logic, and emotion were used multiple times
• How does the author or speaker appeal to reason? to emotion?
• The speaker (George Takei) appeals to emotion by recounting personal stories

What is the form in which it is conveyed?

• What is the structure of the communication; how is it arranged?
• A speech: It is arranged chronologically
• What oral or literary genre is it following?
• Nonfiction
• What figures of speech (schemes and tropes) are used?
• Imagery
• What kind of style and tone is used and for what purpose?
• Thoughtful and methodical speech

How do form and content correspond?

• Does the form complement the content?
• The methodically given speech allows for a greater contemplation of the story being told
• What effect could the form have, and does this aid or hinder the author's intention?
• The chronological order allows the audience to understand the initial problem, and how it was resolved

Does the message/speech/text succeed in fulfilling the author's or speaker's intentions?

• For whom?
• It successfully portrays the story of Japanese-Americans during and immediately after WWII
• Does the author/speaker effectively fit his/her message to the circumstances, times, and audience?
• The speaker brings up his homosexuality which may not fit in with the audience present

What does the nature of the communication reveal about the culture that produced it?

• What kinds of values or customs would the people have that would produce this?
• His clear and methodical approach to his story help reveal his upbringing as a Japanese-American
• How do the allusions, historical references, or kinds of words used place this in a certain time and location?
• The personal allusions and historical references allow the audience to better understand the time period in which the speaker is telling his story

Summary of Story

George Takei's story starts out with his personal experiences of American concentration camps for Japanese Americans. Next he talked about the prejudices he and his family faced after they were released from the concentration camps. Finally, he talks about a military regiment (442nd) that was completely comprised of Japanese Americans. They were the most decorated regiment in the entire military and were greeted back home by President Truman. They also helped to break down the prejudices against Japanese-Americans. 

Personal Connection

As a Japanese-American, I found the talk appealing due to the fact that it relates to my past, and could potentially affect my future. My mother is also a huge fan of George Takei, so that is mostly why I picked his talk. 

Purpose

George Takei succeeded in conveying a personal message that American democracy is one of the best democracies in the world. However, it is always influenced by the people in it.




SORRY FOR THE CRAZY PAGE FORMAT< NO IDEA HOW TO FIX IT