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I would like to use my two skip posts for my first blog post.

The Wait

Peaceful waves on warm sand,
like colors pushing back and forth on one another.
Beach towels, Bubba kegs, and bass turned up high.
For our nights were never dull,
but filled with friends, food, and fun.
I enjoy looking back as people plead,
"Summer, please come back for me!"

The three techniques I used for this poem were:
Image- I used the waves on warm sand to send the reader to a peaceful beach, as many people miss during these last few weeks before we are let out for summer.
Simile- I used the simile "like colors pushing back and forth on one another" to give the idea of what the waves look like on the beach
Personification- Within the simile of "like colors pushing back and forth on one another", I personified the colors pushing back on each other to give the allusion of how the waves are very peaceful, yet hard and crashing as the waves are pushed onto the beach sand.
Alliteration- I alliterated the words "beach towels, bubba kegs, and bass" to give the audience the idea of the different lifestyle you have at the beach.

Reading Times

Over spring break, I was really hoping to get some good relaxing reading in while I had a marvelous week of breaking from school, and starting to enjoy the nice weather we started to get. I did get a good re-reading of some books that I have already read before, and hoped to catch up on with some details that I have missed. I was very excited to be re-reading The Help and Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

Sunday- 30 minutes (Help)
Tuesday- 40 minutes (Help)
Wednesday- 30 minutes (POBW)
Friday- 45 minutes (POBW)

Song Analysis

The song I decided to analyze for this post is "Now" by Paramore. This song represents some of the terrible things that our world has come to, and even though some people may not like this genre of music, it is still very inspirational.
Starting off, I noticed within the song that they mention the word "now" a lot (ergo the name of the song). They show it in many ways, within the way they say it, when they say it, and others. For instance, in the first and many other lines to follow, the singer has an enjambment between the words "don't try to take this from me" and "now". If we said this sentence speaking regularly, we would not pause in between these two words to emphasize the meaning of NOW. Also, after listening to the entire song, I heard many times where the singer elongated the word of "now", while every single other word in the song was only held out a regular quarter note or eighth note. I think this was another showing of the emphasis that the writer was showing of ending this war NOW. Next, throughout the song, it mentions multiple times of almost moving forward. It describes them in different ways, but still comes to the reader/listener in the same message. For example, some of the sayings they used were "Waking from the dead", "we're starting over, or heading in", "if there's a future we want it", and "bringing my sinking ship back to the shore". These sayings symbolize that if the world wants to get better, they have to keep moving and push through the hardness of life. In forms of patterns, I had trouble finding any in the lines of writing.
Ever since we started to annotate more poems in English, I have been noticing it much more in every kind of writing that I see. In songs, books, or even things like quotes. I am excited now to learn more about poems and hopefully help me with understanding writing even more!

Goodall's Plagiarism

I have now realized the downfalls of plagiarism. First, you can always get caught, no matter how much you try to cover it up. Second, don't lie about something someone said, because people talk and figure information out. Lastly, just say something in your own words, because it's so much easier to just say it your way than say it the same way an author did, and get in trouble for it. After seeing how much Jane Goodall did and her co-author, I will never plagiaries.
Many of the places that Goodall was caught for her copying was word-for-word. Also, when Goodall said that she interviewed some of the people in her book, many people said that after asking the people who she claims to have interviewed said that they didn't recall of ever even talking to her before in their lives. I personally don't think that this was all Goodall's fault, but the faults of some of her co-authors and publishers. It was not Goodall's main job to cite a detailed bibliography. I think this is a mishap on her co-author's part, since she was probably the main person with the writing expertise. She should have seen and realized that Goodall didn't properly cite her information from websites, or write the information in her own words even. I do think that people should be punished for this, but not Goodall.

Portfolio Writing

Looking back at my writing over the past year has really opened up my eyes of how much I have learned this year in English. Seeing my writing from the beginning of the year, I realize many little things that I had missed, or how many comma splices I may have had! With the year almost over, I feel I have almost accomplished all of my goals for the year.
After looking at comments from Dr. deGravelles and my peers, I have reminisced in past papers, and remembered how much fun it was to write some of them (even though I may not have thought that at the time). I have also decided that I will look over my first writing piece, my Literacy Narrative, because I like the feeling of writing in first person, with my own experiences. Writing about my personal experiences from english will help in the future when I end up writing more personal experiences. I would like to focus my revising on 3 main things. First, I will attempt to bring the audience with me when writing this. I noticed a lot when we were writing drafts that Dr. deGravelles always made that an important factor for this kind of writing. I see now why she said that so much, since it will help my audience to see what I was going through in this event. Next, I would like to work on my sentence fluency, because after re-reading this paper, I have many awkwardly worded, or cut off sentences that need much more life to them, instead of just "I had to write this paper and I can't think of anything else to write". Lastly, I would like to work on my wording throughout the paper, since I know that I can use better words than some I had used. I felt like an immature writer when using some of the same words I did in 6th grade in my new writing.
I hope that I will immensely improve this paper, because it was by far my favorite of my papers, and also helped me through my journey as an english student this year.

Nervous Conditions- Chapter 10

Now, after finished reading the book, I have realized many things. I love these books that add mystery too it. I also like at the end how she describes "setting down the story", because even though it is her story, the way she describes re-living her story when writing this story like she is reading a story. She has to put down the story because she has lived a very emotional and epic life, that has many ups and downs. Something that I found interesting about her character Tambu is how she was always a strong wall when it came to all these tear-jerking scenes. In most stories, or even in real life for example, most girls would probably have some time in the story where they have either a big mental breakdown, or just have a cry-fest. Even though, unlike other girls, I do also think that Tambu was unaware always of what was really going on. For example, when Nyasha was going on her "diet", Tambu never thought anything of it but as a diet for her cousin to go on to slim her body. When she was really becoming anorexic and having a fatal eating disorder. Tambu was always lost in her studies that she never really knew what was going on, or how it was happening.
Even though the story is over, it mentioned how this was only the beginning on the last page, so it sounds like there is still much more to tell than just her younger life. I have also heard that there is a series of these books, which I will keep a lookout on, and maybe even start reading one in the near future. This book was very different reading for me, because usually in english class we read more Shakespearian stories like Romeo and Juliet or Macbeth (just like we will next quarter), but this book was unlike any other being that it was full of much more intense, and also modern information. It dealt with the troubles that many black people had to face in that time period of segregation, it dealt with many family troubles (husband-wife unevenness, eating disorders, relationship troubles) that not many books talk about. It was personal enough to make us feel like we knew everything about that family, or like what we talk about in class, bringing us to the scene. I hope I will find books more like this in the future, and to hopefully read the sequel soon!

Nervous Conditions- Chapter 9

This chapter in Nervous Conditions has really opened my eyes a lot to everyday problems in the world, and how to face them. I've almost forgot one of the worst things going on during this time period; the civil rights movement. Tambu in this chapter is so excited to be going to Sacred Heart, but soon is segregated into black and white classrooms. I know that this was a typical thing going on during this time, but every time I read or see a video or something about this, it makes me wonder what people used to think. Why would someone think something bad of someone of color without even knowing them? Why didn't more people try to stop this in earlier times (besides the well known people like Harriet Tubman or Rosa Parks)? This theme kept revolving in my throughout the chapter.
I also saw the passage on page 184 (we read in class) when Maiguru is talking about the terms of "loose" and "decent" and how women could never win no matter what they did. I completely agree with Maiguru in this case because she is making a very good point. She makes her own money and could make it on her own, but Babamukuru is the only one who gets to see the money in the family, and is also the only one who controls what they do with all this money. It mentioned earlier in the book how they have 2 cars, yet Maiguru doesn't drive either of them. Why? Because Babamukuru doesn't allow her to. Back to what I said in the last chapter, Babamukuru has so much good in him, but he just keeps taking steps back instead of dealing with them.

Nervous Conditions-Chapter 8

This chapter really got me a little confused, and also more glued into my book. First, I'm wondering what Maiguru is going to with Babamukuru and Nyasha, because I know that she was about to go way crazier than she actually was. I think it's good that she left the house for like 5 or 6 days because she really needed to cool down after holding all that tension in from the family over the last few months. I don't think its healthy that she holds things in, but it's also very risky to go and talk to Babamukuru about it, because she knows that no matter what he will always come out on top over her, and treat her lower.
Tambu hasn't caused all this tension throughout the house, but also isn't just a witness. We just never knew how much drama was in Babamukuru's family until we go and witness it ourselves. I guess that this tension has always been there, but it does seem like since Tambu has shown up, that it's gotten much worse. I do think there is still hope for Babamukuru too, since he is letting Lucia go to school at the mission. He is presently taking like 3 steps forward, when earlier he took 5 steps back. I am afraid that something will happen since this good thing has happened now. I know that Babamukuru is a good person, but he needs to work on it.

Nervous Conditions- Chapter 7

I never knew that there could be this much tension and drama in just one family. Seeing the many struggles now that Tambu's family has to face ever since Tambu has left the homestead is stomach turning. It is unbearable some of the things that we now know Tambu had to do on a regular basis. For example, when she had to clean the bathroom, she never mentioned earlier in the book, but it was one of the less fun jobs that she had on her list. I noticed that she mentioned that it looked like no one had cleaned it since she had left for the mission, which it probably wasn't. The family is 24/7 dependent on the kids, because 1)Tambu's mother starts getting sick and becomes helpless (which is all really made up) and 2) they know that they can't do the entire jobs by themselves. In Tambu's case, her dad is a very lazy, bad father that isn't even grateful for everything his children do for him, while her mother is trying to protect them, but while living in fear of her husband.

Overall, I think that Tambu is becoming such a dynamic character in this book. She isn't being like her brother by losing all her culture, but still is growing from what she once was in Rhodesia. Instead of being a poor african girl, she is becoming a well educated young lady in England!

Nervous Conditions-Chapter 6

After reading this chapter, I couldn't stop reading the book! Even though most of the chapter was full with a lot of violence, it made my eyes glued to the book where I couldn't stop reading! 

Even though this chapter was so riveting, I also changed my look on Babamukuru. I used to look at him as such a loving, giving man who wanted the best for his family. Now I look at him an evil, violent man. I never thought about it, but now that this event has happened, it makes sense to think that Babamukuru only thinks about appearance. It would explain why he got so mad at Nyasha, or why he let Tambu and her family live in his house in Rhodesia. He just wants to look good in front of people, and doesn't want his family to be known as the dirt poor people. I feel as though there is good and bad in all of it. It's good that he cares for how people may look at him and his family, but also bad that he just wants them to be known as not poor. Tambu also realizes, just like in our quiz that we took, that men are dominant over women. We learned in chapter 7 that just like Babamukuru, Maiguru gets a paycheck. I'm sure she works just as hard in her job, but doesn't even see her pay. It goes straight to Babamukuru, and she doesn't even have a say what the money will go for. I think that this is an uneven male dominant society, just like how the women at the homestead aren't aloud to say much in conversations. I think that this needs to end, and that Tambu has to do something about it soon before it gets worse. 

Free Post- High School

This weekend has been very busy! With sports, homework, and family time, I have barely had time to do anything! I am very nervous that the third quarter is already ending! It's crazy to think that I am almost done with my freshman year. I know that I need to work hard for the next quarter for good grades, and a good GPA. I have realized this year that I need to work much harder to get the grades that I want, even though last year I could fool around, and still get pretty average grades. Now, it was a slap in the face knowing that I will have more late night homework sessions and studying, less friendship gatherings on the weekends, and much more sports related work. After putting it all together, and going through it, I know that it can be very hectic! I am fearful that next year I will be even more stressed with a bigger workload, because many upper-classman have described freshman year as just the beginning. I know that I will sooner or later have to figure out to organize myself better, and to stop procrastinated like I'm well known for.

Tambu's Expectations

Tambu goes through a lot of change in chapter 7, not in one way, but many ways. She has realized how different her life is on the homestead than the mission, how much her family depended on her throughout the years that she was there, and also saw and found out many more things than she knew before.

When thinking about it, it's very logical the way that Tambu is acting; since she is in a new environment, she is going to be acting differently. She realizes little things like talking in her shona language to her mother, or even that she needs to act more intelligent at the mission than when she did at home, or she may even dress differently. The first thing that I thought about after thinking about how much Tambu had changed, and when she changed, was eating at a fancy restaurant. I thought how first obvious thing was you wear fancier clothes, and may act more sophisticated (appropriate language, table manners, etc). I know that when I was younger, if I had ever gone to a fancy restaurant, that I would always act differently than I may have done around my family every night. I would be more courteous of manners, or even make sure that I always talked loud and clear so that the waiter/waitress could hear me. 

The ways that Tambu are acting in the book, some are obvious and are non-thinkable, but others that she has to think about, like the hierarchy of the family (who washes hands first, etc). She knows that she has to know what to do, and always act right when doing so.

Character View- Maiguru

I'm sure not many people are going to choose Maiguru, because Nyasha and Tambu have much more of a stance than her, but Maiguru has such a huge part of this book that many people don't notice. She goes through such much confusion, hatred, and tension throughout the book, and she really knows how to hold it in. When reading about how we found out Maiguru has a masters degree, and gets a paycheck just like Babamukuru, it hit me that if I were her, I would feel so un-appreciated. She does just as much for the family as Babamukuru, gets no thanks, and also doesn't even see her paycheck. She never says anything, or even fusses about it. She just knows how to keep it in, and what to always do. Also when Babamukuru and Nyasha got into that fight, she was so frightened, but also had to step up as the adult and try to stop it. I know that if I were in that situation, I would be so scared I would probably start freaking out, and go blank to the thought of doing anything. Maiguru is a big inspiration in this book to Tambu also, as Tambu can look up to her when working hard to get her education. She will know that it is possible to get an education and succeed in life, even if she wasn't a boy. I also have a feeling that in the future, Maiguru will do something very big, and that it will open the eyes of some of the other characters in the book. I'm not sure what it would be, but knowing characteristics of her, she seems like the strong, independent woman that also knows what to do, and how to handle it.

Nervous Conditions- Part 1 Reflection

This has been one of the most different books I have ever read in my life. It is very interesting and keeps me reading, but it also goes into detail so much, that it will take as much as 10 pages to explain something. I know in Chapters 1-3, it was hard to stay interested because all she did was mention her brothers death for 50 pages!
Many events leading up to chapter 7 always kept my jaw dropping, from the event with Nahmo dying, to Babamukuru and Nyasha, it always kept me surprised and even more interested in the book than I already was. I hope to soon see what else happens, and how it will affect the characters and the story as a whole!

I also know that during these 2 weeks of reading part 1, I procrastinated multiple times. The time flew by, but my work never did. I planned on doing so much for my first C layer. But it never went as well as planned. There were points of confusion, and I also procrastinated to get help for those answers to questions (like on Friday). I plan in the future to get my work done as soon as I can. I can't always do it as soon as possible, because I need to read a lot, and also get work done at the same time. I will hopefully get better at that, and get my work done as soon as I can..

Paper Reflection

I am very happy with my final paper for this project, even though it was a very advanced paper to write. This paper was an extremely enjoyable experience, but as a whole also had a few things that I wish I would have done differently. When I first started my project, I and I'm sure many of my peers thought that they had a good topic that they would find many helpful links that would inform them even more about their topic. I never thought that it would be difficult to find many bibliographies that would help for my paper, but was I wrong. I did have an easy time figuring out what my topic would be, but a hard time finding at least 10 links that would help me. I wish   that I thought of a more broad, or even bigger topic that more people knew about. Even though it was difficult to find links, it was easy to make a detailed outline of what I imagined for my paper as I went through my process. I do wish though that I had become better with time (and I still need to work on that) when going through the process, and putting it all together. 
I am told that I can scatter off topic when writing my papers, and after re-reading some of my past papers, I have realized that I do that quite a lot. I would like to improve on my staying on topic as a writer, and look for more detailed links that will help with my papers in the future. 
I would hope that I am good at my transitions and opening/endings, because I think those are the strongest aspects of me as a writer. I have more confidence now as a writer that I hope will help me in the near future.

Working Times

2/6- Began Drafting/Free read (45 minutes)

2/7- Drafting/Free Reading & Nervous Conditions (30 minutes)

2/8- Finish Draft (90 minutes)

Work Times

Last week I worked on some of my sources to help out this week when drafting. I have gone out and re-evaluated which sources are the strongest and which ones are not as helpful and informing. I also got some more of my reading of culture done too!

Monday- 20 minutes (latin culture)
Tuesday- 25 minutes (latin culture)
Wednesday- 20 minutes (re-checking sources and shape of my paper)
Thursday- 45 minutes (changing encyclopedia sources; adding some things to shape of paper to help with transitions)
Sunday- 30 minutes (checking for any new sources; sorting the look of my overall draft)

Reading Times

My reading times this week mainly focused on my research and getting more good sources to help with my paper.

Monday- 45 minutes
Tuesday- 15 minutes
Wednesday- 20 minutes
Thursday- 30 minutes
Friday- 60 minutes
Saturday- 25 minutes4

Research Topic

My topic for my research paper is how the Acadians came all the way from Acadia, which is now present day Nova Scotia, to south Louisiana in places like Martinsville, Thibodeaux, and some other cities too. I guess the main reason why I chose this topic is because I find very interesting to see heritage of Louisiana, and also to see if I have Acadian in me. I like to see where people came from, like where their great great great-grandparents were from, or even to see what they looked like back then! My aunt Veni does stuff like that; goes as far back as she can to find family trees from our family. The first time I saw it, I thought it was one of the coolest things I had ever seen! I also love the cajun food that we have now, like gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, boudin, and even stuff like crawfish. Things like this are very well known in Louisiana, and without the Acadians coming here, we would have never had any of these amazing things in our lives today!
My research topic for my paper explains the Acadian migration to Louisiana and how it has affected modern day Louisiana's. The reason why I chose this topic is to help inform people more of the Acadian heritage that we all may have in ourselves. It sparked my imagination from a young age of where our ancestors may have came from, or if we resemble them in any sort of way. I find it interesting to see where peoples family trees have gone in the world, and how they have evolved over the centuries. Acadians have grown all over Louisiana, from cities south like Martinsville, to places north  like Shreveport. We have so much cajun around us that we might not even notice. Everyday we may have at least 2 or 3 showings of it in our lives. We eat, live, and speak Acadian culture. We eat many cajun foods like boudin, jambalaya, etouffee, beignets, and more. We have a cite to show the migration of Acadians, called Longfellow Evangeline state park, which is only a short distance away from Baton Rouge. Without the Acadians being driven out of Acadiana (present day Nova Scotia), we would not be known for so many things in Louisiana!

Reading Times

Reading times this week: Roman Culture
Monday- 20 minutes
Tuesday- 30 minutes
Wednesday- 45 minutes
Thursday- 10 minutes
Friday- 15 minutes

Free Post: Sports

Athletes are all around good things to be, and many athletes are very successful in life. Most athletes are protege's that need someone to help train them, but some are individuals when it comes to training. Usually the coaches that train them are very erudite and know much about the sport, so that they can help the prodigy in as many ways as possible. The athletes have to have a good demeanor towards them, or else they could get into a lot of trouble. The athletes also have to make sure that they are always training during their seasons, or else they will lapse and fall out of their zenith. Speaking of the training, the athletes crusade through it, because it can be very difficult at times. Overall, the main reason why the athletes do the sport is because it probably is a avocation to them. They enjoy the sport so much, and devote much of their time to doing it.

Acadian Settlement

So far in my paper, I have figured out a lot of new details about my research topic (how acadian settlement has shaped the ways of Louisiana life today) that I had never known before. I know that we are still barely into the research yet, but I am very excited to find out more about heritage of my life today!
Even though I have found many sources, I am still having trouble to get new information, because a lot of the sources say the same thing! They have all been very repetitive, but I know that if I keep looking I will be able to find new sources that will help me even more.
I do have a few concerns about my paper. If I have found a source that if from the library, will I be able to use it in my paper, or do I have to use all my information from online sources? I understand that in Norton it said we could, but after Dr. deGravelles explained how not always paper sources were good, I wasn't sure if I should use it or not. Also, I am worried that I won't notice how fast the due dates come, so should we start writing the paper now, or maybe next week? I am a very bad procrastinator, and have trouble with that sometimes (writing the entire paper the night before its due), so I am trying to plan this out so I won't be hit with panic right before it's due.
Overall, the experience so far in the project is going extremely well, and will hopefully get even better as time goes by!

Free Post

High school has been surprising so far to me personally. I have gone through the struggle from grades, to drama, to the fun of the homecoming experience. Even though I am only one year older than I was last year, I also feel like a completely changed person. I feel more mature, more trusted, and also more intelligent. I never imagined such a big jump from middle school to high school until I got there. I expected that there would be more homework and harder classes, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when I actually realized how much it was! 

I underestimated EVERYTHING. All my honors classes, the grades, just everything. I never had it in middle school where if I just missed one assignment, I would have a completely changed letter grade, or if I did bad on just one test, it would bring my grade so lower. I guess in middle school, we had so many more opportunities than we do now, and I wish I took advantage of them more when I had the chance. But everything is a learning experience, and I know there is so many more things about school that I will regret in the future (not doing well on a test, not doing homework, etc.). 

Right now, in 3rd quarter, I think I am getting into all of the high school feel, after getting a taste of it first semester. Now I know I need to work very hard, because what I do now will affect me in the future. I hope that I improve this semester and the years to come!

Perks of Being a Wallflower

Over the weekend, I have read the amazing book called Perks of Being a Wallflower. This book was different to me because of a few things. First, because I usually don't read books fast, and this one I read in just 1 day! Second, because I'm not a very big reader, and I could never force myself to put the book down. And lastly, I feel it has changed me as a reader. This book is not like the typical book you see, because usually books aren't very realistic and consist of either a new girl that comes to a town and becomes so popular and has the best boyfriend, or some really sappy love story (don't get me wrong I love some of those books, but this book was nothing like that). Most books are very predictable and easy to spot, while this was the exact opposite.
This book consists of a boy named Charlie, who is a very awkward person, who just recently lost his only real friend (due to suicide), and is starting his new high school. He is quite intelligent for his age, and really knows how to write. I look at Charlie as very dynamic character throughout the book, after meeting his two senior friends Sam and Patrick, learning so much about himself and about life in general. If you read this book, you will never be bored. It was always keep your jaw dropping with surprises, to eyes full of tears in the gushy heartfelt moments between characters. I will always read books differently now due to this book. I also hope to be reading more of Chbosky's books soon!

Reading Times:
Saturday- 150 minutes
Sunday-  63 minutes