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Reflection
The most challenging part of this project, by far, was finding a connection between the themes of this class and places in Philadelphia.  Although we live in a very diverse city, examples of globalization are not as evident as one might imagine.  It took a lot of creative thinking to complete this benchmark.  

Most of my pictures required a special trip, whether it was to the Philadelphia Zoo or to Chinatown.  However, I was able to take two of them while I was in the city for other reasons.  GlaxoSmithKline and the flags that line the Parkway are on an average day's route, so those picture were easily to take.  My favorite picture is the one taken in Malawi, in front of a school constructed by buildOn and the local village.  It perfectly connects to the globalization of education and brings back wonderful memories of my trip last year. 

While some examples of globalization are evident in Philadelphia, certain topics, such as international politics and security, are much more difficult.  In cities with higher immigrant populations, like New York, or cities with an international focus (i.e. Washington, DC) globalization would be easier to evidence. 

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In a ukelele sound is produced through sound waves, created by vibrations. Vibrations are created from energy transfer from the strings being strummed. Depending on how hard you strum the more the strings will vibrate and the louder the sound will be.
Specifically, pitch is be changed through the tension of the strings at the head of the guitar and where you apply pressure to the strings on the neck. For instance, if you apply pressure to the strings onto a fret close to the center of the guitar, the pitch of will be higher and vice versa; if pressure was applied closer to the head of the guitar then the pitch would be deeper.

What materials will you actually be using for your instrument and why?
I will be using a wooden box, strings wooden rods or poles for the neck and guitar stings. I will shorten them to a appropriate length for my ukelele. To create the correct sound, I'll use a wooden box because I can easily sand it and change the shape of the box accordingly to the sound I'm trying to create. The rods will act as my ukelele's neck. Together,  I'll be able to  play my instrument like an acoustic guitar or ukelele.


Do we have time in class to practice the song or do we have to build and practice the instrument outside of class?

Statistics is a great class with many different challenging projects, class work, and quizzes. But not only are they challenging they also are fun to do because it is more of a real-life application than in any other math class I have taken at SLA. My purpose for this post to tell you why my favorite benchmarks of the year was from the first quarter. This benchmark was fun because we had to go to our local supermarket and find the price of certain food items and compare against the people of our group who were assigned a different location. With this benchmark, we were put to the challenge of finding the:

•         Z-score
•         Mean
•         Median
•         Mode
•         Range

Also, this was my favorite because I got the opportunity to see how much money I was either saving or wasting by shopping at said supermarket. As a group doing this, we were able to see how the different supermarkets price the same item and compare it, and we also looked to see if the “generic” brand had any comparison to the regular brand.

In addition to that, my second favorite benchmark from this class was the most recent one that we were faced with doing. This benchmark I am talking about, required us to make ourselves a mini-study guide for our college math course that we are going to take in the fall. This study guide had to touch on all topics that we touched throughout the year. However, this was hard to do because I had to go back in my now sloppy notebook to figure out what we had done this year.

Only 7 days left...not excited



STUPID OWL!!!

Reflection:

My portfolio is a demonstration of how much of a good student I can be If I try, and how I sometimes may not do my best because of time of sequences that don't work for me. The Odyssesy comapare/contrast, I tried my best, managed my time, and met was able to complete everything I needed for the assignment even though I did it in the last week. An example of a project gone right. Unlike my Mysterious Skin book review, It was rushed and incomplete in body and depth, It was obviously a fault of mine that made me not able to show off my best efforts. Throughout the entire semester my grade was a reflection of this repetitive unbalance of time, and organization.

2) Memoir Vignette: In this project we had to write a narrative about something that happened to us, that was impacting and played a role in how we grew up. I choose an event that happened to me when I was very young, which inspired my fascination for paranormal science. 


In the summer of 2001, when I was only five years old, I was to become a member of a group of paranormal phenomenon fanatics and victims. What I witnessed when I was young may be a factor to my arms length detachment to society. Don't be afraid, for it was but a mere miscomprehension. And come to these years discovering that it wasn't really what I thought it was a t first. And maybe so the expanding mind of a five year old really did misinterpret but it happened. My mothers van another blur in the great big spectrum of cars we' own in the future years. Sitting in the back, seat belt strapped over my shoulder staring in amazement out the window. Eyes to see, eyes to learn. This ride is muted, like a slow dive. It's the time when summer trades in it's sun umbrella for a rake. My favorite time of the year, the weather at humble ease into a closer step towards peacefulness.
My mother is in the front driving, my baby sister Lindsey in the car right next to me as we head under the bridge into Kelly Drive. I remember always being scared when we went under the bridge. I always thought it would collapse over us, and we'd be goners. I still think that sometimes today.

The van cruised smoothly down the road. Right next to it brown river with a beautiful rainbow forest to the other side, with little dirt paths playing pick-a-boo with the travelers. A bikeway on our side with a little wooden bridge that connects you across the river. I stared out the window, the yellows, and greens of nature moving vastly through the window like a mosaic. We went around the curve, and I observed the river closely.
Brown and mucky it was, with all kinds of dead trees and plants creeping at the surface. My mind swallowed it whole. My heart stumbled.Eyes faltering to a blink. Face pressed up to the window. A humongous yellow creature emerged from the water. It stood in its brown puddles. The size of the house it was. Steadily moving in the muck water dripping from it. It was garbage truck yellow and had brown little patches of stains marked all over its monstrous body. Its legs were skinny and almost robotic. It had giant black fly eyes on an alien shaped head. And yellow antennas mutinous. It seemed to be praying, almost. And then I figured it out; it was a giant yellow grasshopper! It made a horrendous noise "SCREEEECCH!" As it maneuvered itself in the river. I wanted to scream. But we just drove on by. All the cars seemed to be driving on by. I was to pertrify to tell my mother. We drove on in to lost memories.

For years and years that scene stayed a bullet in my heart. I always believed it was a giant grasshopper. I had witnessed the paranormal. The pretend things. That's another thing that sparked my curiousity for UFOs. For years every Saturday morning I'd be on the Discovery Chanel watching UFO Files. Going on the computer and researching ghosts and any kind of paranormal happenings. The Church of Satan, Christianity, Exorcisms, Bigfoot, the missing, and unexplained creatures. All these things had become the center of my life. I had always thought all these years that I had witnessed the paranormal. I was a one of those people you saw on TV talking about being abducted, I was that country family who saw the flying saucer zoom across the sky. That was all I cared for, until I grew up.
Life it happens, but sometimes we do let our imaginations get the best of us. And now when I look back, I learn that I didn't discover some new species, but I discovered something more colossal. What I saw wasn't a giant yellow grasshopper, but a CATERPILLAR truck. Used for construction and destruction. Those big black eyes were probably bulldozers I was seeing. It's funny how strong the mind can fool you.
Memories painting pictures and illusions. I understood why there are so many crazies walking around believing that zombies will return from the dead and it will be salvation. People believing anything they hear. I was afraid so my mind made it all up. Fear is thoughts that distort reality. Thoughts that distort reality are lies, and thus imaginary. I like to laugh at what I though, but want to humble myself for the truth about life I have gained.


The 3)Odyssey Compare/Contrast:
In the Odyssey Compare/Contrast essay we were required to pick a character and or event of the Odyssey and compare it to another story/movie/ tv show. I chose to compare Athena of the Odyssey, and Lady Galadriel of The Lord of the Rings. 

It is assuredly valued that the goddess Athena and Lady Galadriel are sage mentors of their time. Although the texts of The Odyssey and The Lord of the Rings take place in different times and settings, Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings elfy Lady of Lothlorien, and the Greek's virgin goddess Athena of The Odyssey both appear as guilders of wisdom and power in both stories. But just how do these immortal ladies meet head to head in similarities of their stories?
Athena and Lady Galadriel are different because Athena is a Goddess, and Lady Galadriel is a high Elf. Though Lady Galadriel is great in wit, Athena is known for her logic and intelligence, and Lady Galadriel for her fairness, calling her the Lady of Light. Athena is known as the Virgin Goddess, because she never married or had a lover, Lady Galadriel on the other hand is married to Lord Celeborn.
Athena and Lady Galadriel are similar because they both prophesize to help the main characters of their journey. In the book The Odyssey Athena predicts Ulysses' return to Telemachus " ...But come, tell me this and declare it truly, whether indeed, tall as you are, you are the son of Ulysses himself. WOndrously like his are your head and beautiful eyes; for full often we did consort with one another before he embarked for the land of Troy, where others, too, the bravest of the Argives, went in their excavated ships. But since that day neither have I seen Ulysses, nor he me."( Book 1: 178-210). And Lady Galadriel does the same thing to Frodo and Samwise Gamgee, by taking them to her Mirror of Galadriel and letting them look into the future of what could be if they don't complete their tasks. In The Fellowship of the Ring, she states,"' Like as not.' said the Lady with a gentle laugh. 
'But come, you shall look and see what you may. Do not touch the water!'...' There's only stars, as I thought,' he Frodo said. Then he gave a low gasp for the stars went out. As if a dark veil had been withdrawn, the Mirror grew grey, and then clears. There was the sun shining, and the branches of trees were waving and tossing in the wind..." ( Book 2: p. 362) These quotes exemplify how Athena prophesizes the return of Ulysses and how Lady Galadriel lets Frodo and Sam see the future.
In conclusion, Lady Galadriel and Athena are both important and key characters in the books Lord of the Rings and The Odyssey. They meet head to head, by providing characters with gifts, prophecy, and help in near impossible situations. By highlighting the relation between Lady Galadriel and Athena, one can have a better understanding of the influence of ancient Greek mythology on later masterpieces of fantasy and literature by authors like J.R.R Tolkien.
4)

5) Independent Reading assignment: Nineteen Eighty Four, in this assignment I do a review the book Nineteen-Eighty Four. I basically talk about the book

 

       On June 8^th 1949, the English author of the popular novel Animal Farm, George Orwell, published the 326 page book Nineteen-Eighty-Four.  The book was listed as number 13 on the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century.

 

Nineteen-Eighy-Four  takes place in the post-capitalist fictional dystopia Oceania, which is supposed to be a model of future Britain  thirty-five year after the book was written.  We find ourselves in a totalitarian, collectivist,  oligarchical state, where state interference is apparent in a very controlling manner, and all popular thoughts, and opinion reign. The story is in first person told by the protagonist Winston Smith, who though works for the central Party’s branch in changing historical records to make sure that propaganda is always true, is actually very critical of Big Brother, the dictator of Oceania,  and is throughout the entire story trying to find his way into a direct action of rebellion.  The conflict of the story, is basically him trying to achieve some sort of independence and revolution in a society where censorship is prevalent, actions and you are constantly being watched. The main conflict in the story is Winston trying to survive, trying not go completely insane in a police state where everything his force fed and authority blankets every inch of land.

 

 

My favorite character is of course Winston even though, how he ends up is very much shocking and terrifying.  I can’t honestly say I favor any of the characters, for every character is not very likeable, in fact they are all very bland, and it seems as if some of them don’t even exist.  People should realize that this book  isn’t even about the characters, it’s about looking into a perspective and challenging everything you know. One theme I took away from this book was definetly, revaulating my opinions on authority, government control, economy, and correlating these things to modern day society. Though fictional, I’d say this book, is at the same time a gothic horror and an informative essay. Very beautiful, eloquent, and explosively written.  This book should without a doubt be read more than once, because there is so much to take in, one can possibly not take in everything at once.

 

This might just be one of the greatest books I’ve ever read and one of the greatest novels of all time. Imagine, the “Catcher in the Rye” but the politically correct version. One strength this book has is demonstrating perspective of the rebel, and thoroughly exemplifying the mentality one who is against the grain. I wouldn’t change anything about the book, I’d only read it again and again and again. It introduces many political themes such as socialism, capitalism, democracy, etc, so additional research should be done so you know about every thick concept the book explores. It may be quite overwhelming because of the intense word usage, so having a dictionary by your side is recommended.

 

In conclusion, this book should be read by every sort of person, of every range of abilities. Something about it taps into your brain, leaves you shocked, possibly frightened, but eager to learn more.

6)Journal Entries: These are journal entries from this year that love.

JOURNAL:3/17/11

Your environment shapes who you are because living in a certain environment can effect how you see the world.The things that you do in that environment, affect how you spend your free time, either it’s too dangerous to go outdoors, making you stay indoors, or your prefer going out in the jungle. What you see outside of your house for me, is what you see in the world. Either it’s a clean suburban slum, or a the gutters of the city, that’s what you have to show for your perspective of the world.

 

JOURNAL: 3/18/11

 

I didn’t feel anything when I encountered the word “nigger”. I would’ve been interested if I was in the 5^th grade or something, but no. I don’t really think it means anything, it’s use is to evoke hatred and bad memories, but really when you get over it, it doesn’t affect you. It’s not the best come back, and it’s not even the best insult, people have turned it into something different, making it not really harmful at all anymore.

 

JOURNAL 3/24/11

 I think Kevin will eventually end up having to adapt to the new world,  or become insane and institutionalized.

 

JOURNAL: 4/5/11

Some of the expectations put upon me by others are to have good grades, good behavior, look the best, be in tons of extracurricular activities, and be everybody’s favorite. My expectations for myself are to basically  be as secure with my own individuality regardless of what others say and not try to live up to other people’s standards and be content in what I feel is best for me. These expectations are way different because though, I am involved in an extracurricular activity, I’m not excited by most of them,  my expectations are about being at what you think is your personal best, and doing things that give you purpose and meaning and not just being a tool for others.

 

7) This year was very very messy for me. It's unlike any year I've ever had. My grades were not all straight A's like usual, and I had to face uncomfortable socialization from the staff and students.  I guess I learned how to deal with screwing things up and how to pick up the pieces from the mess I make. It's great.

Blog # 1

I would like to play the Ukelele, it is a string instrument. Sound is produced by the musician strumming the strings. Depending on how tight the strings are and how thick the strings are. A different sound or pitch is produced due to tension. Tension is kind of like friction, tension is caused by the objects resistance to movement, like friction. However, tension focuses more on the vibration of the strings rather than its movement in general.  By pressing down on the strings in different places on the frets (which are small rods attached to the neck of string instruments like guitars, ukeleles, violins etc.) also changes how high or low the pitch of the strings will be.  
Ukeleles are typically rounded wood, with a small cut out hole in the middle to let sound escape. the exact size of the ukeleles alternate. The shape is really important for the sound to amplify, the sound waves can bounce off of the rounded and flat surfaces rather than pointy or just simply a straight box.
Which makes me think a lot about how I'm going to create my ukelele, specifically what kind of materials I'm going to need in order for the sound waves the be amplified enough for everyone to hear them. I think that this is going to take a lot of hard work and a good amount of calculations especially when I add and tune the strings.

Considering that I didn't know much about sound waves except for the basics of them. Like how mediums interact with them, and the fact their their are multiple types such as sound, light or UVA/UVB rays, heat and wave disturbance within a liquid. I don't know exactly what type of wave is going through the liquid or medium. I did not learn about waves before these classes so this is all knew to me. But I know, that I have quite a bit of learning ahead of me before friday, when we perform.

Click here to see a video how how the song is played: http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-play-lazy-song-by-bruno-mars-ukulele-408518/

Click here to see the chords being played as well as where they show up in the song:
http://www.ukulelestrummer.com/lazy-song-bruno-mars/

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Introduction:

            Our third big project was an Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay. Students had to pick a character from the book the Odyssey and another piece of work. In my project I compared Odysseus from “The Odyssey” and Everet for ‘O Brother Where Art Thou” In this project the students had to create a thesis and link it through the paper and support it.

Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay:

                                     Odysseus vs. Everett who is a better leader???

Sometimes leaders can get distracted, even the great ones, but it is their job to realize that they made a mistake and must suffer the consequences. Some leaders only lead for the glory. Odysseus from The Odyssey and Everett from O Brother Where Art Thou were both amazing leaders and their men looked up to them. Despite their similarities there are some things that set them apart. Although Everett and Odysseus are alike, Everett has better leadership skills, which in the end helps him and his crew get to where they need to go.

 

Odysseus and Everett are both on a journey to get home. In The Odyssey, Odysseus has been away for twenty years. He was at the Trojan War for ten years and it took him ten more to get home. In O Brother Where Art Thou, Everett escaped from the chain gang so he can go home and win his wife back. Both men are vain. In O Brother Where Art Thou, when Everett and his men are trying to fix their get away car, Everett is supposed to be getting car parts, but he is worried about his hair treatment. This shows that Everett can get off track easily when it comes to his self-image and he doesn’t even think about what he should be doing. In The Odyssey Circe is telling Odysseus how to get home, when she tells him about a deadly creature that he should stay away from he wants to fight it any way. ”Deadly Charybdis-can’t I possibly cut and run from her and still fight Scylla off when Scylla strikes my men?” (Book 12, Lines 124-125, page 275). He says this because he thinks he is unstoppable and that he can take any monster that comes at him. He also wants the rights to brag about defeating a monster that no one else could defeat. It seems that Odysseus is more focused on the glory and the fame than the actual consequences of doing what he wants to. If he did not talk this over with Circe, Scylla would kill more of his men and maybe even himself.

 

Despite their similarities both men have many differences. For example, Everett is more focused on the task at hand while Odysseus is distracted. Odysseus and his men are on Circe’s island, after Odysseus saves his men from the clutches of Circe. Odysseus and his men hang out at the island for a year because Odysseus is sleeping with her. Odysseus’ men have to tell him that they have to go because they have been with Circe for a year and that its time to start heading home. The men say to Odysseus “Captain this is madness! High time you though of your own home at last, if it really is your fate to make it back alive and reach your well-built house and native land.” (Book 10, Lines 520-523, page 263). His men said this to him because Odysseus promised them that he would get them home. Instead he was fooling around with a Goddess for a year. After Everett and his men fall into the trap of the Sirens they wake up and fine that one of them is missing, Pete. Wanting all his men to get home safely Everett tells Delmar that they cannot stay because they have to finish their journey without Pete. In this case Everett shows that he is a better leader because he is more focused on getting to his destination

 

Odysseus steers his men in the wrong path, because of this many of his men die. Odysseus feels bad, but keeps it to himself and doesn’t tell his men. When Odysseus and his crew go towards Scylla and Charybdis he doesn’t tell them what is coming. As a result of this his men are horrified and six of his men die a horrible gruesome death.  When explaining his journey to people he explains how bad he felt and how he wanted to apologize but didn’t. This is how he explained the death of his six best men, ”I could see hand and feet already hoisted, flailing, high, higher, over my head, look- wailing down on me, comrades riven in agony, shrieking out my name for the last time!” (Book 12, Lines 267-270, page 279). Everett also steers his men in the wrong direction and lies to them. When Everett and his men escape from the chain gang he tells them that he has a treasure that they can split if they come with him. After Everett and Delmar rescue Pete, Everett tells them the truth about the treasure. He tells them that there really wasn’t a treasure; he just wanted to get his wife back. Everett feels bad and apologizes to his men for misguiding them and lying to them. Everett’s men are extremely mad at him because they only had a little more time on the chain gang and now they have another 80 years added on. Over all Everett has the audacity to tell his men the truth. This tells us that he is a better leader /man than Odysseus.

 

Everett and his men are all able to get where they need to go safely because Everett has better leadership skills than Odysseus, even though they are both alike. Both of the men Odysseus and Everett are very vain, they are both consumed with their self-image. Odysseus gets distracted by a lovely goddess and doesn’t leave for a while; his men have to tell him to leave. Everett however falls into the same situation, but can easily spring back into action. After Odysseus and Everett make a mistake Everett apologizes to his men and asks for forgiveness. However Odysseus keeps his feelings to himself. In all the leaders today and along time ago lead for different reasons, how would we lead in different circumstances.

 

I would my favorite Benchmark was the 3rd quarters. It was a chance to do something a lot more interesting then normally present in math. I really enjoyed applying the statistical concepts we had learned into video format. I normaly find any math topic to be dreadfully boring but in this particular case I think I shined. The concepts of probability and chance were represented through a game of black jack shown in our video. The chance of getting 21 with various cards was shown . Several varying "trees"of black jack were also shown. These trees branched off showing various outcomes and probability of getting 21.

Introduction:

            Our second big project was a Memoir Vignette. In the second Quarter the class read Freedom Writers and Funny and Farsi. These two books are memoir vignettes and we had to do one too. The students had to pick an event in their lives and write about it by using the elements we learned in class. Students had to incorporate a reflection without showing it was really a reflection.

Memoir Vignette:

                                                  Family is Always Better

            I was so excited for the next school dance[SA1] . The first one was so much fun. I felt free and like I was able to do anything. I also had a basketball game the same day. I was so excited to walk into that dance and tell the school about our amazing victory. But all that excitement went away when my mom finally mentioned that we were going to see our family on the 17^th of December. I thought to myself, “NOOOO!! That’s the day of the dance. I’m going to miss it.”[SA2]  But I just had to suck it up and deal.

            On the day we left I decided to go into the car with my parents instead of my grandmother. At first I thought it was a good idea. I’ll never make that mistake again. I was smashed up against the car door like a dead bug up against the windshield.[SA3]  During the drive my dad was being even more weird than usual. He kept saying the same thing in a loud obnoxious voice. “DANG YOU DANG WOODCHUCKS QUIT CHUCKIN’ MY WOOD!!!!” He saw it on a commercial and couldn’t stop saying it all weekend. We had to make a few stops to eat and use the bathroom. At those stops my parents started to embarrass me out of my mind. They started blurting out all of my personal information to the public. We were in the food court sitting down on the cold hard red chairs; we sat and started to eat our food that we just got.[SA4]  My dad started to say that annoying thing that he heard on the TV. I decided to ignore him and keep eating my cheese pizza and Coca-Cola. Then I had to ask my mom a very important question. It is way to personal to talk about. Any way they started to talk about it really loudly, I tried to quiet them down but it didn’t work. Eventually I decided to go and eat my pizza in the car where it was quiet. So far this was the worst trip ever, I though to myself “I’d rather be at the girls Basketball game or the dance.”[SA5]  Then it was back on the road.

            We thought that we were only two minutes away; well it turns out after five hours no one noticed that my mom put in the wrong address. So we drove around for another hour and a half trying to find where the hotel was.  Well it felt that way; it was only about five minutes.[SA6]  We made it to the hotel and pulled into a parking spot. I ran out the car to greet the family that I only see once a year. I run out and hug the first person I see, who was my Uncle Chris. I turn to hug the next person but there is no one else there. I end up waiting for my family to come. It didn’t take that long for them to show up.

            At the time only half of my cousins ended up coming. My cousin’s names are Kristen, Lauren and Stephanie. Stephanie the oldest brought her boyfriend along named Russel as a joke we called him Roger. My Uncle Chris’ wife is my Aunt Denis (we call her Aunt GG). I ran and hugged each of them, except for Russel, and helped them bring in their bags.

            After the family got all settled in we decided to watch the most amazing and funny Christmas movie ever, ELF!!! We all wanted to open our presents but we didn’t because our family was not there yet. It came to be about twelve o’clock and I was tired so I went to bed before my other cousins came. When I woke up I found out that my other cousins came a half a hour later, my mom took them to a dinner for breakfast/desert. I was jealous and kind of sad that they didn’t wake me up to take me with them.

            I woke up the next morning and greeted all the family I haven’t seen yet. My two younger cousins Emily and Jon Jon. I greeted my Aunt Leslie. Lastly I greeted my Uncle Rob. After I greeted everyone[SA7]  I went to the waffle maker and made a chocolate waffle with a mountain of whipped cream on top and a drizzle of chocolate syrup on top. It was the most amazing chocolate waffle ever.

            At this point I was still upset that I missed a basketball game and the dance. Some how I decided to get over it. I learned that we were going to see a whale hunting boat named The Charles W. Morgan. I was amazed that it had my name in it. I felt like a celebrity[SA8] , but no one really cared I could tell. We learned many things about how it was built, being rebuilt and lived in/used it. We also learned who worked in it, how it got its name and the captains that lived there. [SA9]  You could say it was like a class trip.[SA10] 

            After we finished the tour of the magnificent ship we went to the famous Mystic pizza. The pizza is said to be the best in Connecticut. And the romance movie Mystic Pizza was shot right there in that shop. Julia Roberts was in that movie and it was the jump-start of her career. I couldn’t believe that I was standing where Julia Roberts stood almost 30 years ago. I can honestly say that was some of the best pizza I have ever had. The flavors all-swirling in your mouth like a merry-go-round of delicious toppings cheese and sauce.[SA11]   Some went back to the hotel to take naps and swim, but I went back to see the ship. It was somewhat fun. I kind of wished I had my swim suit with me so I could swim with my little cousin but that was alright I had an amazing time.

            Soon enough it was present time. We started to each open our presents from each of the 3 families plus one from Grandma. In total we got 3 presents, except for my sister and myself. Since our grandmother lives with us we have to open ours at home. I got a 25 dollar itunes card from my aunt GG and a cute long-sleeved shirt-hoodie from American Eagle from my Aunt Leslie. I love the presents I got.

It is a tradition to play Monopoly after unwrapping all our presents. My dad always used to make up bogus rules. During the game we were all watching one of my favorite romance movies called The Titanic. This game was intense; I was winning then losing then winning then losing[SA12] . If you can’t tell this game went on forever. After a couple hours of playing I lost. My uncle Rob was the one who ended up controlling the whole entire board and winning. I was surprised I made it that far. The game ended at four A.M. Monopoly is always a good time.

            The next day came and it was the day to leave. Before we left my grandfather came over with his wife Mary. I didn’t stay, Jon Jon , Emily my sister and I ditched everyone and went to different buildings to play ding dong ditch on the residents. It was a rush, thrill anything awesome you can call it.[SA13]  Eventually it was time to go. I was sad to leave my family we had so much fun together. When everyone was all packed up and ready to leave we all said our good byes. We got into our designated cars and drove our separate ways. As I sat there in the car with my mom, dad and sister I was upset. I looked back on all the fun I had and was content. Family is way more important than any old basketball game or stupid school dance. I am happy now that I saw my family when I did , I can’t wait to see them again soon and I hope they feel the same way.[SA14] 

             

My favorite benchmark of the entire year was the first quarter benchmark where we had to go to the supermarkets. It was a group benchmark, and typically I don’t like group projects, however this one I made an exception for. I had three other group members who had the same ambitions as myself work ethic as I do. I had Ashley who was the organized and determined one, Evan who got his work done, and Marchella who understood the work, but had to push herself to actually do it.

Another reason why this was my favorite was because it was given to us back when everything was so easy and staright to the point. We had the basic: mean, media, mode, and range, Along with the quartiles, z-scores, and graphs like bar graphs and histograms. With the easy unit there was no wonder why I was able to so well on this benchmark. Thinking back now of course there are many things I would change. I hate that now I think about it because there is nothing I can do about now, but the opportunity may come up again if  I have something similar to this. Firstly I would chose a completely different supermarket with completely different items. The prices that I had before were either too close or the same price, and that didn’t give me much data to work with, challenging data anyway. Thinking back on it shows my reflection, wanting to change my store and items is my presentation, my group was my collaboration,  and the assignment was my inquiry and research. Oh look SLA’s core values.

Introduction:

            Our first big project was a character analysis on the book Macbeth. Each student had to pick a main character and map out how they changed over the course of the book. In this project the student had to create a thesis and link it throughout the project to support it.

Macbeth Character Analysis:

Lady Macbeth:

Thesis: Lady Macbeth is a controlling housewife and would go to any length to get what she wanted, but by the end of the play, she suffered from remorse and guilt.

Act 1:

 In Act 1 Scene 5 of Macbeth, Macbeth just came home from war and seeing witches. He gives Lady Macbeth the news of the promotion he just received to the Thane of Cawdor. He also tells Lady Macbeth about what the witches said, and she begins to hatch a plan to kill King Duncan. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under it” (1.5.64-65). Lady Macbeth wants Macbeth to look innocent but be evil and have a secret darkness underneath his innocence. She is thinking that if Macbeth is sweet and innocent, he will gain the King’s trust and maybe he can get the title of king easier. Then she can be queen faster. This reveals that Lady Macbeth is a sneaky woman and can convince somebody to do something that really benefits her, and not the person she is convincing.

Later in the same scene, Lady Macbeth is still telling Macbeth her plan in progress, but she is not telling him all the details yet. Lady Macbeth doesn’t want Macbeth to worry about anything. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth “Leave the rest to me” (1.5.72). She is saying that Macbeth doesn’t have to worry, and that she will plan and take care of everything. She wants to be in control of everything, and she wants to plan and be the mastermind. This shows that she is a controlling housewife that always has to be in charge of everything all the time.

In act 1 scene 7, King Duncan and the other thanes are at Macbeth’s house having dinner. Macbeth just finished his first soliloquy and doesn’t want to go through with killing Duncan, but Lady Macbeth Is trying to convince him to go through with the plan. She is convincing him by insulting him and using harsh insults. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth,  ”I would, as it were smiling in my face, have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out.” (1.7.56-58). She is saying to Macbeth that she would do the most horrible thing to the one she loved and gave birth to if she promised him she would. She is trying awfully hard to make him want to kill the king. She tries everything till he finally cracks. This shows that she is definitely controlling housewife that will go to any length to convince someone to do something, or to get what she wanted.

Act 2:

            Macbeth has just killed Duncan. Lady Macbeth realizes that Macbeth still has the daggers when he was supposed to plant them on the passed out guards. So she takes the daggers and does it herself. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth, “Give me the daggers.” (2.2.56). She is frustrated with Macbeth for not following the plan. She panics and takes the daggers and finishes the job herself. This shows That Lady Macbeth is a do it herself kind of woman and is a controlling housewife. This also shows that everything must go according to her plan, which shows that she is a controlling housewife/woman.

Lady Macbeth Just took the daggers from Macbeth and planted them on the guards and smeared blood all over their faces. So she has blood all over her hands just like Macbeth. Lady Macbeth says to Macbeth, “My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white.”(2.2.67-68). She is saying that she has finished the rest of the plan and now she has blood all over her hands just like his, but she hates that she has a pure soul and ruined it. This shows That Lady Macbeth is a do it herself kind of woman and is a controlling housewife. This also shows that everything must go according to her plan, which shows that she is a controlling housewife/woman also.

Macduff just found King Duncan’s dead body and called everyone to wake up. Lady Macbeth is acting like she has no idea what is going on, when she finds out that Duncan is dead she acts like she is sad and can’t believe it and pretends to faint because of the “shock”. Lady Macbeth says to the men who are on stage, “Help me hence, ho.” 2.316. She is saying to the men “O my gosh, what a shock. Someone please help me”. She is faking it so no one will be suspicious of her and Macbeth This reveals that she is will do anything to get what she wanted such as pretending she knows nothing of what happened to protect herself and Macbeth.

Act 3:

Macbeth is king and Lady Macbeth is queen. Macbeth just hired 3 murderers to kill Banquo and Fleance. Macbeth is hosting a banquet for the Thanes and Lady Macbeth is getting ready for it. Lady Macbeth says to servant, “Where our desire is got without content.” (3.2.6). This shows that she is slowly feeling guilty about how she got to be queen. She says she is not happy even though this is what she wanted, but it’s not enough.

 

Macbeth is seeing Banquo’s ghost at the banquet and he is going crazy, Lady Macbeth is trying to protect Macbeth by telling all the thanes to leave so she can find out what is going on so she can help him. Lady Macbeth says to the Thanes, “At once, goodnight. Stand not upon the order of your going, but go at once.”(3.4.119-121). She is saying for them to leave the banquet at once and to not worry about the manners of the way they leave. She wants them to leave at once because her husband is going crazy and she wants to protect him and see what is going on with him. Macbeth might be going crazy about him having so much guilt of him killing Duncan. This shows that she is willing to end a big banquet to protect their big secret.

Act 5:

Lady Macbeth is sleep walking and the Doctor is telling Macbeth what is going on with her before a big battle between Macbeth, Malcolm, Macduff and Seward’s army. She is talking about what happened to Duncan in her sleep. Doctor says to Macbeth, “Not so sick, my lord, as she is troubled with thick-coming fancies that keep her from her rest.” (5.3.39-41). The doctor is saying that Lady Macbeth is not sick just extremely guilty so she sleep walks at night and talks of what she shouldn’t. Macbeth is dreadfully worried about his wife, but he has bigger things to worry about like the battle he is about to go into. This shows that Lady Macbeth is going crazy from the remorse and the guilt of killing King Duncan. She is most definitely suffering from remorse and guilt.

Macduff has just killed Macbeth and Malcolm is making his acceptance speech for becoming king and Lady Macbeth is dead as well. Malcolm says in his acceptance speech, “Of his dead butcher and his fiendlike queen, who, as ‘tis thought, by self and violent hands took off her life.” (5.8.69-71). He is saying that Lady Macbeth killed herself because of her guilt; she couldn’t live with herself so she committed suicide. Lady Macbeth felt so terrible about killing King Duncan that she killed herself. This shows that she suffered from remorse and guilt, and she knew she couldn’t make it right. She couldn’t live with herself so she killed herself.

In conclusion Lady Macbeth was a controlling housewife that will do anything to get what she wanted, but by the end of the play, she suffered from remorse and guilt. She convinced her husband to kill the King just so she could be queen. But when she became queen she was unhappy and was slowly going insane with the guilt of having to do with the death of Duncan, so she killed herself. In the end Macbeth and Lady Macbeth are both dead and Malcolm resumes his rightful place as king.

Oh god were gonna graduate soon. OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD 

Link to PDF

The thing I found most challenging about this project was categorizing and finding pictures for different sections. I don't know. I just feel like globalization can be represented by many things. The way I defined globalization in Philadelphia was if something from outside of Philly (like a culture or thing) impacted the people of Philadelphia as a whole. At first, I collected pictures from Chinatown, because they have their own Asian Bank and their own health buildings there. However as I went on I realized how all of those pictures were the same thing, of a culture migrating to Philadelphia and colonizing. My trade and technology picture is my favorite because those are all parts of a phone from the same company yet one is made in Korea and another is made in China. I don't know, I just find it amusing. I do believe that globalization is everywhere in Philadelphia, however, in places like New York I find it way more prevalent than Philly. New York is like a more cultured and busier Philadelphia with all of it's different culture based fashions and it's vast selections of food.

Here is my 4th quarter globalization benchmark

Writing two paragraphs for one picture was quite challenging for me at first. I had trouble knowing what to write for the second paragraph, but after some collaboration with my fellow students I figured it out. I also had some difficulties finding a picture for energy and security, yet after some hard thinking I thought of some images to use and ventured out to take pictures. Aside from selecting images for security and energy themes, all the other images came easily to me. In one day of class I brainstormed 8 images I could use for various themes. Going out and getting pictures wasn't hard either because the images I was going to use were all near my neighborhood and school. My favorite image is of Liberty Place. The photo I have makes the building look godly and epic. Also my other photos weren't of the best quality (due to camera phones and my crappy camera) and I thought the picture of Liberty Place was the best of the best.  My photos alone don't really capture the evidence of globalization, however my paragraphs do. Based on my findings I believe the evidence of globalization is quite prevalent in Philadelphia since there are various cultural neighborhoods all throughout the city. While Philadelphia is a very globalized city I think other large U.S cities are just as internationalized as Philadelphia, such as New York and Chicago. These cities are just as or even more globalized than Philadelphia because they are the main hubcaps of business in the United States and in order for business to flourish cities need have worldwide interactions. 

This year has had ups and downs as far as my work goes.. I put effort into a lot of my assignments but didn’t always follow up on the next one. I know I can do better, ad I will do better. Sophomore year is going to be a year a trials and tribulation, but also a time of great success. Freshman Year of English has showed me a lot about SLA and the work ethnic level here. I will have to put all of my attention into my work and worry about videogames later. I still did pretty well this year.

I made a serious mistake on this assignment. I uploaded the wrong file. I had two of them. One of then was a draft that needed a ton of work. And the other was one that was nearly perfect. That was my final draft and I got them mixed up. Then I didn’t realize it until almost a week later. By them it was to late and Ms. Dunn had already graded the assignment. I think that even though I uploaded the wrong file I did a good job on this assignment. In my improvements, I have the right file in this reflection portfolio I also looked at the file based off of what the feed back I got from the unfinished version.

            Lady Macbeth has a lot of character change in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. In the beginning she is greedy and ruthless although she didn’t think everything through and did not know the full consequences of her crimes (physically and mentally). Lady Macbeth is greedy and ruthless but has a vast and intriguing conscience.

            Lady Macbeth has just read the letter that Macbeth has sent to he. In Act 1, 4 lines 15-18, Lady Macbeth says, “Yet do I fear thy nature is to full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.” Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth does not have the mental strength to kill Duncan. There is no way for her and Macbeth to obtain their ultimate goal. She wants nothing, but to achieve the ultimate goal and will help Macbeth accomplish this.

            In Act 1, 7 Macbeth has second thoughts about killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth wants him to stand up and act like he is a man. Then in lines 59-61 Lady Macbeth says, “But screw your courage to the sticking place”. If she wants Macbeth to get his courage to a greater level so that he will have the strength to kill King Duncan after he tells her that he is scared. She knows that the only way they will ever get to the throne is to kill King Duncan; she has a whole new plan in mind.

            In Act 2, 1 Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have just committed murder and Macbeth is sad and ashamed and can’t even look at his own hands with out showing signs of disgust. Then on line 19, Lady Macbeth says, “A foolish thought to say a sorry sight.” When she says this she refers to when Macbeth says, “A sorry sight” The blood on his hands made him thinks to say this. When Lady Macbeth says her line she means that you had know reason to say that and it’s not important. She finds it unimportant and decides to stay focused on her one goal of becoming queen.

In Act 2, 2 Macbeth ahs just killed Duncan and has the bloody daggers in his hand. He is so shook up that he can’t even put them back at the scene of the crime. Lady Macbeth needs him to focus or they will get caught. In lines 45-52, Lady Macbeth says, “…infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers, the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures.” She says this when Macbeth brings back the daggers from his killing of King Duncan. She believes that he is not focused and needs to stay focused if they are to succeed and not get caught in their scheme.

            In, Act 5, 1 Lady Macbeth is raving and has fits where she begins to act in her sleep. She also begins to give away secrets that Macbeth wanted to keep. In lines 36-40, Lady Macbeth says, “Out damned spot, out I say!” Lady Macbeth is driven mad. She continually seen images of blood on her hands that was washed off days ago. She thinks it is still there because she has been compromised by her conscience. She now has broken down now that she has become queen. Her conscience caught up with her.

            In Act 1, 6 Lady Macbeth is thinking more what is going to become of this prophecy, she realizes that the only way for Macbeth to become king (and more specifically, her as queen) she needs to have a stronger mind in order to do what she believes should be done for them to become the royal family. In lines 38-43 Lady Macbeth says, “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts. Unsex me here.” Lady Macbeth needs to, not be a weak female, but act as that of a strong man and so she wishes that a supernatural force will allow her to become this. She needs this strength to help Macbeth get them into the royal family.

            In Act 1, 7 Macbeth has just had Banquo killed and does not take it well. He is about to break down over the matter. Lady Macbeth tries to continually persuade him on page 2, she says, “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would.” Lady Macbeth is saying that he needs to not pull back and go forward with everything that was planed and not pull back because of weakness. Lady Macbeth knows that if Macbeth does not kill Duncan than this chance will never come again and they will never get to earn the crown.

            In Act 2, 2 Lady Macbeth goes to lay the daggers on the guards to frame them of the crime. Lady Macbeth feels stronger now and says, “That which have made them death have made me bold.” She is referring to the drunken guards; which have passed out because of an overdose of wine. With them knocked out, Lady Macbeth has a lot more courage. She only became strong because she can easily accomplish her goal now with the help of Macbeth.

            Near the end of the play in Act 5, 2 Lady Macbeth has just had another fit. She also gave away here secrets about how they got in the throne. After Lady Macbeth leaves in lines 70-71 the doctor says, “Foul whisp’rings are abroad. Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles.” The doctor knows that only these fits made her reveal these deeds and that she revealed these deeds because her conscience plagued her to do so. Lady Macbeth has broken down completely now because she already has exactly what she wants and has nothing other to think about.

            Lady Macbeth has gone from mean and greedy to soft. In the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth wants nothing but to get into the throne; but by the end of the play she wants nothing but to be rid of the guilt. Thesis: Lady Macbeth is greedy and ruthless but has a vast and intriguing conscience.

            This benchmark was a bit of a difficulty for me and in the beginning I was having trouble finding a topic. Once I found my topic, I wasn’t sure how I would go fourth with it. Once I was positive of where I was going to take this benchmark, I started to lose focus of my topic. I think that over all though, once I got past all of the complications, I turned in a product that didn’t need a ton of improvement. I did very well on this assignment. I had a solid opener and I included points of humor and sarcasm, important dialogue and vocabulary. My benchmark was also of proper length and didn’t run over. As part of my improvements, I improved the second paragraph by clarifying on some things that seemed a little abstract.

What a coincidence?

             I prayed to God one day last year (Opener).  I had just started to search for high schools, and I discovered Science Leadership Academy. I probably wouldn’t have found it, if I hadn’t looked through the entire high school book for 2010. I wouldn’t have looked through the entire book if my mom hadn’t told me to. Coincidence? I don’t think so! This happened for a reason. I am not at SLA because of a chance incident. Life is not full of things that just happen to happen until the height of your life. A greater force plans life out. Life just isn’t supposed to be for something spectacular to happen, but for something meaningful to occur.

           

If you followed that entire first paragraph then I am proud of you (humor). See most people don’t see things that way. A lot of people don’t want it to seem like someone is messing with their life and screwing things up for them to show them a truth they don’t want to see. Take one day in my science class in my 7^th grade year. I was planning today to ask my science teacher to write a letter for a recommendation for me. I am well behaved in her class and since science is my favorite subject and I thought it would be a good idea to get her recommendation because she is a science teacher and could help me get into a science based school (sarcasm); but “what a coincidence”. I got into trouble for telling the student next to me the agenda because he couldn’t see it. I guess it just wasn’t a good day for her. So I waited until the end of class for her to cool down then I gave her the envelope and she smirked and said, “After how you acted today? You come and ask me for a recommendation?” I stared at her then said, “Yes” (dialogue) She laughed and acted like the entire recommendation will be based off of one day. So I asked her with a shrewd (vocabulary) look on my face, “What is so funny? I know that with your level of intelligence that you will not base the entire recommendation off of one day.”

She stopped laughing.

            “Have a good day Ms. Peddle,” I told her then walked away.

            By doing that not only did I increase the positive things that she would put it into the recommendation, but I also helped change her conscientious (vocabulary) view of the rest of the class. All of this occurred because I changed her point of view. For the rest of the year, things were a lot easier to deal with in her class as far as relationships with students and teachers in that class.

Now I’m not going to get real deep by telling you that there are some mystical forces out there. It’s pretty simple actually. Life has been planned out. Not every detail but small goals and plots that are here specifically to show you something meaningful that you may never have known otherwise. All you have to do is fulfill it. It teaches many people valuable lessons. It will help you to grow and mature inot an adult, and even after that.

So it is near the end of 7^th grade year and we are all ready to leave. We have about 6 days left and some people decided that it would be smart to bring some knives to school and sell them between classes. They got busted before lunch.

They apparently wanted to try their luck and decided to show off the knives while we were walking up the steps to our next class. They didn’t act very wary (vocabulary) about it either. All three of them were suspended and later afterwards two of them were expelled. What’s the point; that had a sad ending? Now one of them is at SLA with me and is even in my advisory class. The other goes to a private school called LaSalle. They both made off better by leaving Overbrook Educational Center (OEC) for a year. Another coincidence? Yeah right! They both have told me that if they hadn’t done that that they would have never been where they are today. All of this is because of a mistake they decided to make. Coincidence? I don’t think so! It happened for a reason.

Life may not have an ultimate plan but there is always cause and effect. There is always some small plot to teach a lesson. In fact I would not be telling you my story if I didn’t have this assignment. I wouldn’t have had this assignment if I hadn’t gotten into this school; and I wouldn’t have gotten into this school if I hadn’t seen it listed in my search. That wouldn’t have happened if my mom hadn’t told me about this school. So thanks mom for allowing me to tell this story.

            This is probably my best work of the year. I put the most effort possible into this assignment. I worked on it even after I was already done and enriched it multiple times. In this assignment I had to compare The Odyssey to some thing modern. I compared it to some thing that used to be one of my obsessions. Star Wars! I loved watching Star Wars reading and listening to it. When we got this assignment it came easy and I did a ton of work on it. The problem was, I did too much work on it. I had too much information and my thesis wasn’t very focused. I actually felt kind of upset over this assignment. I believe that I did a good job on this assignment. I decided that I would mainly focus on focusing my thesis and narrowing it down. That was my goal in my improvements.

“The Star Wars Saga” (By George Lucas) and “The Odyssey” (By Homer) are both great stories to be told. They both have interesting plots that show a lot of determination. The stories of “The Odyssey” and “Star Wars Saga” are very similar; they are built off of each other. They have different plots that are meant to get specific ideas across. Obi-Wan and Athena both act as mentors but also have some differences. Anakin and Odysseus both have similar goals to accomplish, but have limits to how far they will go to accomplish them. Luke and Telemachus are confused about their very existence and who their father is, but want different things out of their life.

 

Obi-Wan and Athena both act as mentors to Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Odysseus and Telemachus. When Odysseus was getting through the war, he had assistance from Athena that helped him plan battle after battle. When Anakin Skywalker was using bad judgment on battle strategies to take down the Separatists Leaders, Obi-Wan showed him the errors of his ways and guided him in making the right decisions. Obi-Wan guided Anakin even after Anakin betrayed him, he helped his son, (Luke Skywalker) later to help bring Anakin back from the dark side after he had already died and then figured out a way to come back. In the Odyssey, Athena helped Odysseus win many battles over his enemies even when he began to lie and think dishonest thoughts. She also helped Telemachus bring his father back home and get him prepared for when it was time to rid the house of the suitors, without him even knowing that she was there. Where Obi-Wan was a good friend and Master to Anakin Skywalker, and also a positive mentor to Luke S., Athena was a mentor to Odysseus when he struggled in battle and then Telemachus when he didn’t know what to do with his life.

Now even though Obi-Wan and Athena are a lot alike, they still have many differences. Obi-Wan had his life threatened by Anakin and was only able to return from the netherworld for short periods of time, whereas Athena is immortal and cannot die. Athena also never actually fought along side Odysseus because she would get to involved with mortals whereas Obi-Wan battled along side Anakin many times and even saved each other’s lives. When it came to life and death situations, Athena only gave Odysseus hints instead of just bluntly doing it for him. Obi-Wan also had his life saved by Anakin many times and Athena rarely asked for assistance from Odysseus. Athena and Obi-Wan are both wise and powerful characters that play a great role in the Star Wars Saga and The Odyssey.

 

While Anakin Skywalker and Odysseus are extremely similar in their conquests for power and justice and also their cockiness, they also have differences that make each of them unique. Every mission Anakin went on, he took unnecessary risks to prove a point to himself. In II, Anakin flew straight threw a set of power couplings, (which could kill anyone connected to machinery if they were to get hit. When Odysseus defeated the Great Cyclops Polyphemus, he risked his entire group and his own life just so that he could get glory and feel good inside. Almost immediately after him and his crew left the island Odysseus yelled back in triumph, “If anyone asks you who gouged out your eye, which stripped you of sight, it was I, Odysseus, Raider of Cities, who did it.” There is no real reason for Odysseus to do this; he was simply being cocky and dangerous. Anakin also has many great interests in obtaining as much power as possible. In II Anakin stated that, “I will become the most powerful Jedi ever… I will even be able to keep people from dying.” Anakin was so power hungry that he wanted to do the impermissible. A while before he had said this he had slaughtered an entire tribe of SandPeople. He was mad because a few of them had just killed his mother. In the Odyssey, Odysseus slaughtered everyone in the house because he had been away from his family for so long.

While these two characters are very similar, they are also very different. Anakin killed his wife because he believed that she was working with his enemies. Odysseus would never kill his wife no matter what. Anakin had also gone so far into his evil that he eventually joined “The Dark-Side.” Prophecies were made about both Anakin Skywalker and Odysseus. Anakin was “The Chosen One” and was supposed to bring balance to the Force by ridding the galaxy of “The Sith.” Odysseus had several prophecies made about him. There was one where Ithaca would not be able to destroy Troy without his assistance. Another prophecy stated that he would not be able to return home except for under specific circumstances. Anakin and Odysseus did many great works and in the end they both lived for what is right.

 

Luke Skywalker and Telemachus are both cunning characters who want justice and to (in Luke’s case) avenge their father, or (in Telemachus’ case) to find their father. Both of these characters are very skilled in many different things. Luke can build or fix almost anything. Telemachus was a great warrior. They both were relentless in finding or avenging their father that they never knew. While Luke and Telemachus are both good at many things they were also clouded from information that meant a lot to them. Luke fought his father (IV) unknowingly and at the end of the battle Luke still wouldn’t believe. It wasn’t until later when Obi-Wan showed him the truth did he believes.  Telemachus was housing his father-in-disguise in his own house and didn’t know.

While Luke and Telemachus are very much alike, they also have some differences. Luke wanted to kill his own father even after he realized whom it was he was battling. Telemachus would help his Father to the very end. Luke is more careful than Telemachus. When Luke first realized that his father was Darth Vader he wouldn’t believe it, and it took a lot more time for him to trust what his father had said. Telemachus believed that a homeless guy in rags was his father without a second thought. Telemachus and Luke both have many skills that often come in handy.

 In conclusion, the plots of Star Wars and The Odyssey are similar in plot and also were built off of each other. The stories are not exactly alike but the stories seem to be a slightly distorted reflection of each other. Anakin was brought back from the dark side despite what he believed just like Odysseus was able to get back home. Luke wanted more than anything to avenge his father just as Telemachus wanted nothing more than to find the father he never knew.

            This assignment worked out pretty well for me. I explained Lady Macbeth well and had an interesting way of showing it. When we did this assignment I wasn’t keen on grading other peoples work. I personally believe that I deserved a better grade than what I got. I graded people on the effort it looked like it took then to do the assignment. I think that I was graded on if they liked it or not. I also think that it may have been repetitive. Part of my improvements have been to put a little more rhythm into the song and also to use less repeats so that the song fades out at the end.

            The book I read for this assignment was awesome. When I wrote this assignment I knew what I was going to say and exactly how I would say it. I pulled threw with a large amount of effort and I think I got a great grade on the assignment even though I didn’t see what I got for the assignment yet. In my improvements I elaborated on some points I made that were unclear.

            The second book in a new series by Rick Riordan “The Throne of Fire”  is a fast paced book based off of Egyptian Mythology. Two children have the blood of the Pharaoh within them. This makes them extremely powerful and also extremely dangerous. These children control the fate of the world.

            A couple millennia ago, The Egyptian Gods would come to earth from a place called the Duat. The Duat is where the gods could roam freely. It is also the place where mortal souls go after they die. Two kids named Sadie Kane and Carter Kane. Two gods of Egyptian Mythology once possessed them. Isis, a goddess of magic possessed Sadie Kane and gave her awesome powers that no other magician could do. Horus, the Falcon Warrior god, possessed Carter. Carter was able to be anyone with his combat magic. Towards the end of the first book they gave up the power of gods and now have to train a lot harder to do the simplest spells. Later, they sent out a beacon of magic to help other magicians find them and get help.

            Now they are back in Book #2. Carter and Sadie want to summon an ancient diet of Egyptian Mythology. They want to summon Ra, God of the Sun. According to ancient Egyptian Mythology, Ra went up into the heavens permanently after Isis used Ra’s secret name (which is like a magical social security card number) and forced him into doing what she wanted. They wish to re-summon Ra so that he can become King of the Gods once again. They have to go on a quest threw the Duat and find all three parts of him.  In the morning, he is Khepri, god of the rising sun to symbolize birth and creation. In the middle of the day he is Ra. Then at the end of the day he is Atum, God of the sunset. Carter and Sadie also have some opposition. The House of Magic (Egyptian’s underground society) doesn’t think they are doing a good thing. They try and stop them multiple times. Carter almost died at least twice. Sadie was about be suffer from a curse that would leave her with out a will of her own. Eventually they get all three parts of Ra, but he isn’t exactly himself. Ra acts like someone who is 6 years old. He is brainwashed and doesn’t remember a thing. The Head of the House of Magic also has been killed in the efforts to stop them from awaking Ra. Their uncle Amos Kane now takes over the job since he is the most powerful magician in the world.

Horus believes that Carter is a fool for putting Ra back on the throne. Many of the other Gods agree that it might have been a mistake. Now Carter and Sadie have sent out another magical signal for more people to come. They want to become strong and take down the Lord of Chaos, Apophis. They will still need Ra’s help. But how can they when he barely understands the simplest things.

            Sadie and Carter are also both experiencing mixed feelings about other people. Sadie is stuck between Anubis (God of Funerals) and a guy named Walt who is suffering from the disease that killed King Tut. Carter found the girl of his dreams then found out she wasn’t really there with them. Now he has found her again and she isn’t sure if she likes him like he like her.

I can’t wait until the third book comes out. “The Throne of Fire” and “The Red Pyramid” have been great books and I love the level of action that hey present. The suspense is killing me though. I want to know if Ra gets better and if Zia (who Carter has a crush on) begins to remember the past that Carter and her shared when Zia was a Shabti. Rick Riordan, a great book writer of mythology and action. He has a great imagination.

The journal entrees are simple assignments that we do every once in a while to clear our head. The topics are very simple things even though they are extremely important things, some of them. The four I chose were “Fitting In”, “Expectations”, “Adulthood” and “Heroes”

​It is important not to fit in, but to feel accepted. The term, “fitting in” has a loose definition. It pretty much means that others like you. Some people think that fitting in means that you go with the popular group. It is only popular if everyone around lets it be popular. I personally would prefer that I was liked by people instead of hated or disliked. I wouldn’t go extremely far to do it though, because if you have to change too much to make people like you then they don’t like the true you. I am positive that people who change too much just so that they are liked end up not knowing who they are themselves. Then that could lead to depression or worst. Just be yourself, don’t try to change for others and don’t try to “fit in”. Fitting in doesn’t really exist. It just means being part of something that you believe is cool.

Heroes

A hero is someone who simply did the right thing. They didn’t go with what people around them said and they have a large sense of what justice is. Heroes can be the most hated people in the world sometimes. Some people just don’t have a good sense of what justice is, so they antagonize those of us who do. I think that any one who does the right thing against what is known to be wrong. Of course there are other definitions of a hero for me. I believe that fire fighters and police officers are heroes because they do things that show acts of courage. I am not against them, but all they do is step outside of their comfort zone. Anyone who has the courage to go way outside their comfort zone is courageous to me and therefore is a hero in my book.

 Adulthood

An adult is when you reach a level of maturity that makes the world seem different. A “child” sees the world as a place to have fun and be carefree. An adult sees it as an opportunity to prosper. I personally believe that an adult can be any age. Legally though, adults are 18 and until then you are not allowed special previleges.

People expected me to go to college at 15. I was expected to keep watch over my sisters and help my parents in their old age. I am also expected to have a ton of kids. This is because I am the only Spencer male left. Every one of my family members who live on the West Coast expect me to do something great because I am the only Spencer left of my generation that is male. I think that it is natural for people to expect things of you. Even though none of it is guaranteed. I have also made expectations of myself. I have always expected my self to run a company call “SpencerTech” Industries. I think that when you set expectations for yourself that you tend to find them easier to fulfill. No one should know you better then you unless they are stalking you and recording your every movement, which would be weird. If you set the expectation for yourself then it shouldn’t be really difficult unless you want to challenge yourself. When other people set expectations for you, it is usually what they want, and not you.

This assignment was rushed for me because my character didn't have a lot of information in it. I was about to change when links finally started to come up. I choose this character because he was powerful and the single biggest threat that the Olympian Gods ever faced. By the way, I drew that depiction Porphyrion myself.

This is my globalization benchmark about how America and Philadelphia has been globalized. Here is the link to my BM presentation.

The most challenging thing about this benchmark was connected globalization to Philadelphia. I knew things that I wanted to put up but I didn't know how to write how it did connect to Philadelphia. The easiest part for me was obtaining the images. Most of my images had me in it and others were easy to get since the places wasn't that far from my house. Out of all my pictures, my favorite has to be the one on the society slide. It's a picture of my family(1/8 of them) and I, in the temple praying together as a family. 

I think the evidence of globalization in Philadelphia isn't that hard to see if you live in a certain neighborhood. I live in the Khmer community of South Philadelphia, so it was easy to see where my family and my culture has globalized Philadelphia. I can't tell if it's more or less than other countries but I think it's less because my family in California says their Khmer community is bigger than the one here and that people would go all out during News Years.