The Dark White Tiger

The main character in The White Tiger is Balram. He grew up in a village of darkness. There was no escaping the darkness, those born into darkness and those born into the light pretty much stayed there. The dark side of India consists of the poverty stricken and slum villages where government regulations and codes are thrown out the window. Then there is the lightness, where the rich are served by members of the dark and money is the least of their worries. Balram made his way to the light by cheating, lying, killing, and stealing. I wonder if it is even worth it to live in the light. Is it worth sacrificing family, your morals, your dignity, or your life to live like those in the light? I don't think so. In the novel, it seemed that those people living in the light were full of darkness. They could not see happiness in any situation and they consumed themselves with material things to numb the pain of their sad lives. In this story, I believe that everyone lived in darkness. And I believe that to be true for most people today. The poor strive to be rich and the rich strive to be content. It is a constant struggle that is just exhausting. What is the point of it all? I really love that Balram made a change in his life. I believe that hard work and dedication can defeat anything. The only problem with his success story is how he got there.

Hamlet

Freshman year I read Romeo and Juliet and I really enjoyed it. Sophomore year I read Julius Caesar and I also really enjoyed it. I'm surprised that I liked these because it is Shakespeare. Most students and people in general turn away from Shakespeare because of the specific language he used. I’ll admit it, I have no idea what he is talking about half the time, but I get the jist of it. Spark notes helps a ton in the general understanding of the plot so I am very fortunate that I have that resource. To be honest, I don't really know anything going into reading Hamlet, besides that Shakespeare wrote it and "To be or not to be" is a famous quote from it. I have loved the story lines that Shakespeare presented in the past two plays that I have read, so I'm hoping that this is another interesting one. I hope that I can understand what is going on and that I get used to reading in this unique language. I was interested in the fact that this is in Mr. Mullin's top five list of important literature, so it must be very good. I know that it is a tragedy and someone dies, but I hope that the other details are kept a secret until I read them. I'm excited to learn about Hamlet and hopefully it is all, and more than what it is hyped up to be.

Salem Play

My first impression of the Salem play was that it was great. It was an interesting take on the story line of the Salem trials. It brought many social issues to the surface dealing with prejudices and discrimination. I feel like these issues need to be discussed and they are not exposed in the way they should be. The whole aspect of the puppets was very confusing. It allowed the characters to do certain scenes that they normally wouldn't be able to do. I was so interested in how the puppet costumes matched the actor's costumes so well! After the play was over, a student asked how they managed to work the puppets. I was surprised how difficult it was to control the mouths and keep them raised away from their bodies. I think the play may have been better without the puppets just because I found them very distracting. The whole story line was cliche and it has been done before, although it was interesting how there was a flashback in time. It was humorous at times and I really enjoyed those moments. I wish that it could have been longer and that way the end wouldn't end so abruptly. It felt rushed in a way. The set props were really cool and unique. The lights were supreme (good job Kim!!!!). Overall, I really enjoyed the play and I cannot wait to see what else the drama department produces this upcoming year!

Oedipus Rex: Fate v. Free Will

 

 

In the group discussions today in class, I saw a lot of new perspectives on certain topics that I didn't see beforehand. A large issue that my group discussed was whether Oedipus was driven by fate or free will. Oedipus met his father at a three way street and killed him and a few others. I believe this was driven by free will. He was angry and his frustration led him to murder by choice. That is something that humans have control of. We consciously decide to kill someone or not. I do believe that it was fate that brought the two of them together at that specific time and place. They were each Kings of cities and it would have been difficult for them to run into each other by free will. I think today that people are driven by both fate and free will. We consciously make decisions but I believe that sometimes fate leads us to those decisions. Oedipus was lead to his father, but makes the choice out of free will to kill him. I think that it was fates that lead him to solve the riddle and become the new King. But, it was free will that he slept with his mother. That is a choice one person makes and has control over. Ultimately, fates lead him to the specific destinations, but it was free will that created the end results.

Fear of Thesis Statements

Hmmmm, where to start with thesis statements. I have a fear of writing thesis statements and I have no idea why. I guess I feel a pressure like what Mr. Mullins was talking about to summarize every aspect of the story into one short and concise  When I go to write a thesis statement, I have a hard time focusing on the central idea and coming up with everything else. I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words and making it sound intellectual and right. I envy those people who can whip up a theme or thesis statement out of what it seems to be thin air. I guess I never really learned how to write a thesis statement the correct way. I was taught a so called formula where you just plug in the theme and supporting details. So when Mr. Mullins told the class that there was a better way to write one, I was, and still am quite confused. I also have the problem of relying on the prompt too much. I need to learn how to incorporate my own vocabulary and ideas into my thesis statement. I am glad I took this class because I really need to learn how to write a strong thesis before college. Hopefully I can get better at it. I think people have such a difficult time with it because it is the main part of the paper and you base everything off of that one statement. If you have a bad thesis, you will have a bad paper. Also, I feel like it is really hard to include all the important points of the story in one sentence. Lets hope I can overcome my fear and write some strong thesis statements soon!

Electronic Textbooks

My view on electronic textbooks is that I think they are awesome! How convenient would it be to pull up all the textbooks you need on one device? No more heavy backpacks or strained backs! I love that the article mentioned how this new electronic network would offer help and have make up work available. It would be so easy to make up a quiz electronically and thus not fall behind in the class. There are a few problems with this transition. Every student would need a laptop or tablet and for some school districts that would not be practical. Every school district doesn't have the funds available to provide each student with a laptop. Also, just like music, textbooks could be copied. This new network could possibly rob current textbook companies that make their money from printing textbooks. I think the positives outweigh the negatives and I am excited to see the future of he textbook world. Even though this is my last year of highschool, textbooks are still used in college. And in college textbooks are very expensive, so hopefully if this electronic textbook network is set up, it will lower the cost of textbooks. I think it is important for the United States to keep up South Korea electronically. If books are electronic, hopefully more students will have the opportunity to have textbooks and learn. Because South Korea is so advanced academically, maybe this electronic kick can boost the United States up to South Korea's standards. A cool aspect that electronic textbooks would offer would be the live streaming network that could offer help. There have been times where I have been stuck on a math problem and I wish I could ask a specific question and have an answer instead of going in early for help the next morning. I think that this would be so helpful for students and this would open so many doors and really improve the education system. I agree with Mr. Mullins that novels would be quite difficult to read electronically. I have a kindle and I have read quite a few novels on oit, but I don't mind it because it is an opaque screen and it doesn't have a touch screen. Overall, I really hope that this plan is carried through by 2015 so that the textbook world would become more efficient.

Senior Year

 

 

Going into senior year, I was expecting the light homework load and carefree life that senior year usually brings. Well, to say the least, it hasn't been all that easy. I only have three classes and a peer tutor. The other four blocks I am doing community service at Clays Mill elementary school. It has been really nice to see my past teachers and it's really weird to be on the other side of things. I help out in the art room so I see third and first graders. My boss or site leader is very nice, I lucked out in that area. It's nice to be treated as an adult there and to be respected. On top of my few classes, college is stressing me out big time. Not to mention the ACT. To say the least, I will be very happy when all these events pass over. I am at the point in my life where I just want to start a new chapter of my life and high school is holding me back. I know I should savor the last year I have as a high school student, but right now it isn't very much fun. Hopefully after registering for college and deciding where I want to go, some of the stress will be lifted off of my shoulders. I have been told, it doesn't get much easier after high school and you have a lot more things to be concerned about, but right now I am just looking forward to a fresh new start.