Me Magazine

In the beginning of the year, Ms. Dunn gave us a project called the Me Magazine.The Me magazine tells others what makes me at the point in the year as a 15 year-old incoming freshman to SLA.This magazine had to include a front and back cover, and editor's letter to introduce our magazine, and it must have four inside pages covered front and back. We also had to add advertisements that was about something we are interested in. This is great project to start the year off with. This project also helps our class learn about each other, get more comfortable with each other, and see what we may have in common with each other. This was my favorite project out of the whole year and it is a great way to start off our year with.
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Independent reading review

Ms. Dunn gives her ninth graders 2 independant reading reviews throughout the whole year she has us. We get a chance to chose whatever independent reading book we want to read for this assignment. It could be any Genre, by any author but, it must be at least 150 pages long. This independent reading review should give a detailed overview of the book you read so that the person who is reading the review will know what the book is mainly about. This review goes into details if you answer all the questions asked, and elaborate on each question.

Before we were Free

By Julia Alvarez

The book “Before we were Free” by Julia Alvarez won the Pura Belpré award for its writing and the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award in 2004. This book also won the ALA Notable children’s books and ALA best book for young adults in 2003. Julia Alvarez published this novel in 2002.

       “Before we were Free” is about a 12-year-old girl named Anita Torre who lives in the Dominican Republic in 1960. Her family moved to The United States to escape the harsh treatment in the Dominican Republic. Her grandparents went first and they found a house in New York and lived there legally. The rest of her family left, therefore, it was just Anita, her mamá, her papá, Lucinda and her family’s maid Chucha (Chucha is like another family member, she has token care of basically all of her family, she even took care of Anita’s mamá). Soon or later things started getting even worse for Anita and her family that was still in the Dominican Republic. Secret Police called the SIM kept 24 hour watch on their house, their family, they were watching their every move. They searched every house looking for a man named Carlos Garcia and his family. The SIM rudely check people’s homes all the time; they walk in and destroy everything in their way, throwing things around. They will not stop until they find what they are looking for so they keep coming back to each house.

At the end of the story, Anita has to move out of her house because the SIM was after her family. They moved into the Mancini’s house for a few months, they had to be really carful and sneaky there. At the Mancini’s house, they had to hide in their bedroom closet, which was the safest place for Anita and her mother. Meanwhile her papi and her tio tony were fighting for their freedom. A month and a few weeks later, Anita and her mother moved to New York with her grandparents, where they were safe. Everybody in Anita’s family who moved from the Dominican Republic was there. While there, Mr. Washington who moved to Washington, came to visit them in New York and delivered the news that Anita’s father and uncle was dead. Since El Jefe were killed, his son was killing everybody in his way, He tied up everybody who was involved with trying to set people free to a tree and shot them until they were dead. Then he left the Dominican Republic. Now Anita is safe living in New York with her family members that escaped to the United States.

       My favorite character in the story is Chucha. This is her Anita’s clairvoyant nanny from Haiti. She is my favorite character because she is very wise; she is very different from the other characters in the story. She is a very spiritual lady. She wore purple all the time to protect her from the evil spirits; she also sleeps in a coffin, which I found very interesting. She is a fortuneteller, most of the fortunes she tell that are about the future, she use little riddles.

       My favorite character in the story is Chucha. The reason is, the whole family looked up to her, Chucha she took care of as they grew up. I have lots of younger children that look up to me. I used to help at a recreation center and help the staff watch the children and help the children with their needs. Chucha helped the family raise each other and they looked up to her because she was old and wise. They came to her for just about everything from advice to physical changes in their lives. I believe that readers should take from the book that there were harsh times in this world for some people and there still is some harsh moments. Some people didn’t have to go through what Anita had to go through at 12 years old and maybe people even younger than that and they should appreciate the fact that they are free and they don’t have to hide from the government. People should also appreciate that they live in their own houses and not a neighbors closet with a limited amount of things to do.

I could not relate to any of the characters in the story, but I can feel how they were feeling. The person that I really felt the most was Anita. The story was in her perspective and I knew every thought during the whole story. I have felt the way Anita felt when Oscar, her love, moved to the United States. Her heart dropped when she found out and she did not even get a chance to say goodbye to him. I had an experience like that when a person that I like moved to Georgia, it was unexpected and I did not know so I did not get a chance to say goodbye.

I did like the book. It was very interesting and had me wanting to read increasingly. I did not want to stop reading it, which is how interesting it was to me. Reading about something that other people experienced that I know I could not live like that, especially at her age is just amazing. I also would want to know how they handled being in that situation and what they thought about it. Some strengths of this book are, They keep the reader engaged, it explains almost every aspect of her life in the Dominican Republic in 1960, it has sympathy, and it has lots of dialogue so you can get a clue as to what the other characters’ personalities are. I if could change something in this book, it would be the way they explain the background of the story which, they do not. If they did explain the background then they should make it more obvious because I had no clue as to why were they fighting for their freedom, and the restrictions they had because they were not free and who were the SIM because I had no clue what they were either.

       I would recommend this book to other people. This book was very interesting, especially for someone who likes to hear or read about racist or unjust events that happened in the 20th century. “Before we were Free” was told in a young girl’s point of view, so that is what makes it even more interesting. Some people may what to know how it was to live there as a child. So yes, I would most defiantly recommend this book to other people.

Journal entries!

​Throughout our year as ninth graders in Ms.Dunn English class, we have wrote Journals. Our Journals are about many different things and our opinions on them. We could either do a free write and just write what comes to mind or how we were feeling, or we could answer the journal prompt that was written on the board for us to answer. Our Journals would also relate to a story that we are reading as a class. Below are my top four Journals that I really enjoyed writing.

 
How important is it to fit in?

Fitting in is somewhat important to me; the reason why is because if you do not fit in, then you may be the person that get picked on or always by yourself. You might be excluded out of the fun activities everyone else is doing and become desolate. It really depends on the type of crowd you are trying to fit in. If the crowd is insolent, barren, and choose to be doing the wrong things such as vandalism, smoking, selling or doing drugs, drinking under age, or something you know your parents would rebuke then most likely you would not want to be apart of a group of people like that. If it is a conscientious and shrewd crowd such as study group, a girl/boy scout club, music group, or something positive, then you may want to be apart of that crowd they could help you in your future. I have done some things with a crowd that I later felt horrible. When I was in school and my friends were talking about jumping this girl, they did not like because she has a smart mouth and she is conceited. I knew who the girl was, and where she lived at which was right down the street from me. I showed them where the girl lived, and they egged her house. I felt horrible about it because I knew they did not like her but I still showed the group of girls where she lived. I could have prevented it from happening, but I unfortunately did not.


A time when I exceeded expectations (someone else’s or my own)...

A time when someone exceeded my expectations is when my sister Dabreyah told me she was going to get some clothes for my birthday. I only expected her to be cheap and only buy me a shirt. Therefore, when my birthday came, and I looked at her gift box it had a whole outfit plus a small stuffed animal. I really did not think she would or had the ability to do this; she is a big grouch most of the time. She exceeded my expectations by buying me more than what I expected. I felt delighted, loved, and I felt like out of everything she did for me, this was one of the best things.

         I have exceeded someone else’s expectations. A time when I exceeded someone else’s expectations is when I was in 8th grade, last year; I had to do a history project on Somalia. My teacher, Mr. Thomas, expected my call to just make a neat and organized poster board. I really needed this 100 % on this project because I had a high C in his class. Therefore, what I did was add a little extra to my project. I did the neat and organized poster board with a dance to a Somalia song from Somalia. I worked hard trying to perfect every move to the dance. I did so great with this project, that he gave me the 100% I wanted with extra 10% extra credit, that is when I knew I exceeded his expectations.



What are people’s expectations of you? What are your own? Some of the expectations put on me by others are to be mature, responsible, peaceful, hardworking, to know how to do almost any and everything, and to always be blithe. These are not expectations I put on myself though. I live by the expectations I have for myself and not the expectations other people have of me. The expectations I have for myself are to not let little things ruin my day, to set an example for everyone, act my age not my shoe size, and to stay positive.

 

Why write?

The main reasons why I think we write is, because it is a way of communicating, showing your knowledge, and it is an eloquent way of expressing yourself to yourself or others. Writing is a very useful skill in my eyes.

         You can communicate through writing, by writing letters, notes, and it could even help you speak to people who can’t hear. Communicating through writting is a great method of learning and teaching so it could also help expand your knowledge.

         Writing is a way of showing your knowledge. I believe this because you have to write what you learn in school and many other places. Writing also shows that you know how to read and that you know how to speak the language you are writing in. Writing is also a way you could record your knowledge. You cannot always remember everything you say or learn. Therefore, when it comes down to your knowledge writing is a big aspect.

 Writing is an eloquent way you can express yourself to yourself. I believe this because when you write in a journal or diary, you are writing what you think about something or how you are feeling. This is a great way to relieve stress. Writing to yourself could also keep you out of drama by writing down things that you may not like about somebody or something.

 

Memoir Notebook Free write Nov. 29

Being a freshman at SLA for me is very exciting, fun, and I had to learn how to adjust to it. In the beginning of the school year, I knew I was going to make many friends, but I thought they were only going to be freshman. I met many 10th, 11th, and 12th, graders. Well not many 11th and 12th graders but its all right I will meet more as the days go by. I really loved how SLA have colored streams for all of the freshmen obviously I was out in red stream (which is the BEST stream ever with the BEST teachers ever) my connection with red stream is closer than ever. I look at everyone as one of my sisters or brothers. I also met 9th graders outside of red stream through my friend that came from my old school Hamilton. I have no classes at all with them so I really did not like the beginning of the school year too much. However, if they were in the same stream as me then I would not be able to meet more people out of red stream. Now that I have gotten used to this school, the people in it, and the environment in and around the school I am extremely happy that I chose this school and I made really close friends in red stream and around our school that have my back and who will never let me down. I also know that I worked hard this marking period and my report card will show and it will be AWESOME!

 

Journal response to one Freedom Writer OR writes your own FWD Entry. What would yours say?

My favorite diary in the freshman year fall 1994 is on page 11-12 diary #4. This is my favorite because I could relate to it in a way. I would also want to see a fight just for the fun of it. Once I was hit during a fight of insolent children, and I did not do anything but stumble and almost fall. It was unexpected, but it was by accident the person was jumping up and down and was not really paying attention to the people around him. For the rest of the day, I was a little shocked because I never was  hit like that; also, because I can be a little over dramatic in situations like that. So, I could relate to this journal in a way.

 

Q4 English Portfolio Reflection

I think that my portfolio shows how I have progressed as a writer and a student in my freshman year. I think it shows how I have not only improved my writing style and skills, but how my work ethic has improved from a minimal amount of effort on my magazine, to a much more developed and thought through 2nd and 3rd benchmark. In English class, I feel like reading and understanding what I read is something that came very easily to me. Writing, however, is something I have always struggled with. I have a tendency to decide something is "good enough", but in reality, it could be much better. This is something I have improved this year in English, but I still have some work to do in that aspect. While making this portfolio, I saw all my old work, and I was able to see how much I improved this year. Occasionally I would come across something that I thought needed a lot of work, but that wasn't a huge problem, because I could just find each problem easily and correct it. I think my favorite thing that I wrote this year in English was my vignette piece, the 2nd quarter benchmark. I was especially proud of this piece because what I struggled with the most in English is writing about myself. I don't have problems when I'm analyzing something someone else wrote, or writing a short story, but when I write something like a vignette, I spend a lot of time deleting entire sections because I don't like what I've written. In the vignette, not only was I happy with what I had written, but I got a good grade, which is something that I was very proud of because it was a project involving something that I had always struggled with throughout my life as a student.

Q1 Benchmark

We got our 1st benchmark after reading Macbeth. We had to choose a major character from the book, and create a thesis that we felt described that character in the book. We chose 10 quotes from the book, that had to support our thesis. I chose Macbeth, here is my project:

In the beginning of the play, Macbeth is a brave and loyal thane; but as the play progresses he becomes an evil tyrant.

            In act 1, scene 2, page 4, a captain enters the room to tell the king the latest news about the war. He said that they had just one a great battle, and that Macbeth killed a rebel leader. He also said that the thane of Cawdor was a traitor, so the king ordered his execution. The captain said, “For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name…” (Act 1, scene 2, page 4, line 16). What he means is that Macbeth deserves to be called brave. He’s saying that Macbeth is very courageous, and is a hero. At this early part of the play he is described as very valiant. Others in the play also admire him for his bravery and courageousness.

            In act 1, scene 5, page 15, the king is talking to Banquo about Macbeth, during a gathering of all the thanes. The king says to Banquo “… he is full so valiant…” (Act 1, scene 5, page 15, line 54). He is saying that Macbeth is extremely valiant, and when he says full he means he is full of only good, nothing bad. He is talking about how much he values Macbeth, and how fine a thane he is. At this point King Duncan trusts Macbeth with because of how well he has proved himself to the King. He is being called loyal at an early stage in the play. Macbeth knows that he is valued which makes the decision to kill the king much more difficult.

            In act 1, scene 7, page 21, Macbeth is in his first soliloquy, talking about whether or not he should kill King Duncan, and he is very conflicted. He says “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, strong both against the deed…” (Act 1, scene 7, page 21, lines 13-14). What he means is that he shouldn’t kill the king because he is his kinsman and his subject, which means he shouldn’t kill him. He is trying to come up with reasons for and against killing Duncan. At this early point of the play he is already deciding whether or not to kill King Duncan, which shows how quickly the thought of having power is already corrupting him. He is extremely conflicted with himself, and is having lots of problems.

            In act 3, scene 2, page 47, Macbeth is talking to Lady Macbeth about how they are not going to get caught. He says “…full of scorpions is my mind…” (Act 3, scene 2, page 47, line 37). What he is saying is that his mind is full of conflict. This means his mind is changing. This change signifies his change to an evil tyrant. As the play goes on, his change becomes more apparent.

            In act 4, scene 1, page 63, the witches are making a potion when Macbeth appears and they give him 3 prophecies. The second witch says “…something wicked this way comes.” (Act 4, scene 1, page 63, line 66). The witch is saying that something wicked is coming. This means that the witch sees Macbeth as something wicked. The first time Macbeth came they just said Macbeth was coming, but the second time they said he was wicked, which shows how he has changed in the eyes of the witches. Eventually this change becomes more apparent, when he shows that Killing Duncan was hard for him, but the rest was easier.

            In act 4, scene 1, page 68, he witches finished telling Macbeth the prophecies, and Macbeth finds out Macduff fled to England. He says “The castle of Macduff I will surprise…” (Act 4, scene 1, page 68, line 173). He is saying that he will attack Macduff’s castle. This means that Macbeth is going to kill Macduff’s family, and servants. This shows how he is less loyal and brave and more evil. Others also see he has changed, and see how evil he is.

            In act 4, scene 3, pages 76 – 77, Macduff is talking with Malcolm about how Macbeth took over. Macduff says to Malcolm “Fit to govern? No, not to live!” (Act 4, scene 3, pages 76 – 77, lines 104-105). He is saying that Macbeth isn’t fit govern or live. This means that Macduff sees Macbeth for what he actually is. This shows how Macbeth has become an evil tyrant. Others start to see him in the same way also.

            In act 5, scene 2, page 86, the Thanes and some soldiers are leaving Macbeth because they are joining Malcolm and Macduff. Angus says “…like a giant’s robe upon a dwarfish thief.” (Act 5, scene 2, page 86, lines 21-22). He is saying that Macbeth is a thief, who stole something from someone greater than him. This means that people have found Macbeth out. What he says also shows that Macbeth is an evil tyrant. Macbeth also shows this in the way he acts.

            In act 5, scene 3, page 87, Macbeth is frustrated with all his responsibilities, when a servant walks in. Macbeth says to the servant “The devil damn thee black thou cream-faced loon! Where got’st thou that goose look?” (Act 5, scene 3, page 87, lines 11-12). He is calling the servant a cream-faced loon, and asking why he looks like a goose. This means that a servant walks in ad Macbeth immediately insults him. This shows how Macbeth has become an evil tyrant. Macbeth is also extremely harsh.

            In act 5, scene 5, page 92, Macbeth has just learned that lady Macbeth has died, and a messenger walks saying that the trees are moving, fulfilling one of Macbeth’s prophecies. He says “If thou speak’st false, upon the next tree shalt thou hang alive till famine cling thee.” (Act 5, scene 5, page 92, lines 38-40). He is saying that if the messenger is wrong we will tie him to tree until he dies of hunger. This means that Macbeth will punish someone extraordinarily harshly for something incredibly small. This demonstrates that Macbeth has completed his transformation into an evil tyrant.

            All these quotes show how Macbeth changed throughout the play. He changed from a brave, loyal thane who honored the king and did great deeds in battle, to an evil tyrant, who threatened and abused people. The message Shakespeare could be trying to give us is that all of us have something inside us that will go to any length to get what it wants, no matter how respectable or wicked we truly are. Macbeth shows us this because Macbeth is an honest and loyal thane, who is shown that he could be king. This temptation made him kill many people, just because he wanted to be king.

Quarter 4 benchmark - Journal Entrys

Journals

In English we kept a journal and everyday when we came in we wrote in it and shared. Here are some of the topics we wrote about.

 

Why write?

 People should write because it’s good to put your feelings and thoughts d     own on paper if you normally don’t talk about it. Also it gives you the freedom to write about anything you want, Stretch your imagination. It is an amazing talent if you love writing then do it all the time.

 

A time when I exceeded expectations (someone else’s or my own)....

A time when I exceeded expectations is when my family and friends didn’t think I would sign up for running and be good at it because I am a very lazy person but now I have bin running for 2 years and I most I ever ran was 13 miles and I hope to run a marathon and my friends didn’t think I could do it but I did.

 

 What makes a good story? What kinds of stories do you like?

I like fiction, fantasy and mystery stories because they are very creative. What makes a good story is when it is descriptive and flows it’s not all over the place. Also when they are not to long but not to short. Sometimes people do not want to read a book because its to long so it being right in the middle would would make a reader more interested in the book but that’s not always the case.

 

Response to reading/hearing/saying the “n” word...

When I see the “n” word in stories it makes me not want to read the book. I think the word is wrong and should not be used at all. Also the little kid said it and didn’t no what it meant so maybe he might start using it and it don’t turn out good. Some people say it all the time and it doesn’t matter to them because they way its used now like as a friend to friend saying it makes it okay. No using it at all is not okay doesn’t matter what the situation is.

 

If you really knew me...

If you really knew me you would know that I am not shy at all, I am always talking to someone no matter who or where it is. I always try my best to keep a smile on my face even if I am not happy. If you really knew me you would know that I have bin through so much with family and school. If you really knew me you would know I am the pickiest eater ever!

 

A time when you wish you could drop a part of your identity...

A time when I wanted to drop a part of my identity was in school and with my friends would make fun of my nose because its big. I was called a couple of different names and it hurt but then I started to get used to it and just laugh along.

 

 

Quarter 4 benchmark - Macbeth Creative

For the Macbeth creative we had to take the Q1 benchmark and make a different creative piece that shows the characters change.

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Q2 Benchmark

The second quarter benchmark was to write a vignette about one of our past experiences, and use various writing elements such as magic 3, and symbolism. Here is my project:

I have always been amazed by my travels, seeing things like the Eiffel Tower and the Pantheon. I however, had no idea that something natural could be more spectacular than anything man made. For the past 4 years I went to the Schuychill environmental center to go to summer camp. Every week we would go on a camping trip somewhere in the US. We went to places like the Pine Barrens, Assateague, and Allaire state park[SA1] . These trips were fun, but the places that really stood out to me were the White Mountains and North Carolina.

In North Carolina our camp learned how people got food before they domesticated animals and made farms. I learned how to whittle knives out of wood, I went fishing and I learned about edible plants that you could find in the wild[SA2] . What really stood out to me on this trip was a night hike we went on. We were in a national park so there was hardly any light pollution, and the stars were bright and numerous. A little bit into the hike we saw a spider web[SA3] . When most people think of spider webs, they think of it as creepy and want to destroy it. What they don’t think about are the countless hours the spider put into making this web. First, it makes several lines of web between two objects and then slowly spirals its way in. This spider web I saw was spanned across the entire trail and was perfect in every detail. If you looked closely (which isn’t an easy thing to do considering it was pitch black out) you could see that every little section of the web was tiny, the perfect trap for insects. No one beside the spider could have made anything so perfectly. Compared to something as simple as a spider web, all of man’s achievements are nothing. The Pantheon? Nothing; The Louvre? Nothing;. The Arc de Triomphe? Nothing.[SA4]  I find natural things to be more incredible than something artificial. Nothing made by a person could ever be as intricate as a living creature. We couldn’t make anything as big as a mountain, or as powerful as star. [SA5] Anything we can do is nothing compared to the scale to which nature can do it. Seeing the spider web also made me sad, because sometime in the next few days, someone will come along and destroy it. It wouldn’t really matter whether it was on purpose or by accident. That seemed to me as a perfect metaphor as to what mankind is doing to Earth. We take some natural and unspoiled area and ruin it by either polluting it or building something on it. After marveling at the web for a few minutes we decided to head back to camp. Along the way I looked up, and the stars, coupled with the darkness and the trees gave me a sense of how incredible our world is.[SA6]  We’re the perfect distance from the sun, and an incredibly unlikely series of events occurred to make life possible on the planet. What I felt at that moment is impossible to describe. It made me think and I realized that the world cannot be changed by an individual. We still obliviously cut down forests and build ugly suburbs; we still burn millions of tons of coal a year, and we still don’t change.[SA7] 

            The other trip that stood out to me was when I went up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. The highlight of that trip was going to be summiting Mt. Washington. The first few days of the trip the other campers and I went rock climbing near Mt. Washington. After a short hike, we got to the rock wall. Rock climbing was a lot of fun, and in my opinion, a lot more fun than watching TV, or playing video games. The next day we started the hike. We had packed the day before with clothes, sheets, and other things we might need on the two day hike[SA8] , and set out early in the morning. At first the hike was steep and rocky, and I thought, “There’s no way I can do this.” But as I got going I got used to it. About three hours into the hike we were about to leave the forest and start actually going up the mountain. When we got above the tree line we turned around and I saw the most incredible view of my life, an extensive forest beneath us and the rest of the White Mountains in the distance. As I kept going up the steep and rocky trail, I kept turning around and each time the view was better than before. After a few more hours of this, we got to the ridge between two mountains, Mt. Washington, and Mt. Monroe. Even though we all wanted to summit that day, we knew it would be late soon, so we followed the original plan and went to the “Lake of the Clouds” hut to spend the night. After an hour’s hike we got to the hut and it was late in the afternoon. We got there tired and happy and found ourselves to be the only kids there. All the people there were experienced hikers and were amazed to see us. That night there was a meteor shower and there wasn’t any light pollution, or even clouds for that matter. Fifteen other people and I just lay down on top of the rocks and watched, not caring for how freezing cold it was, even though it was summer. The next day when we were hiking up the final trail, we were really excited to be almost there. Finally reaching the top, however, was different from what I had expected. First, there was the huge sense of achievement that comes with summiting a mountain, which to me was more gratifying than any thing else that had ever happened to me. But the summit itself was disappointing. It was basically a big parking lot with some buildings. It doesn’t matter where the space is, because human nature makes us build there. Whether it’s the top of a mountain or in a canyon. Nature is most influential when it comes to advancing in technology. The robotic eye is being made to recognize things the same way as the human brain does. Batteries are being revolutionized by a design that nature created. Almost all of our research is devoted to understanding nature. If we keep destroying the areas untouched by humans, we won’t have anything to learn from. Rare plants would be lost that could have been the cure for cancer, or a new way to get fuel. I wasn’t sure what I was hoping for at the summit, but a parking lot wasn’t it. I felt that views like we could see from the summit should be earned, and you shouldn’t be allowed to just drive up. But it didn’t matter, because I was still happy to be there. The way down was as incredible as the way up, but not quite as difficult. When we finally reached the bottom I looked at what I had just done and thought, “There’s no way I just did that.” All in all, it was one of the best experiences of my life.

 

 

Reflective "cover letter"

I feel like my portfolio as a ninth grade English student really shows how much I’ve changed and grown throughout this year. When someone looks at my portfolio, I want them to see an honest, young, girl who changed and grew for the better throughout her year at Science Leadership Academy. I want it to be clear that I care about my work, and I would hope that my thoughts and honesty come through in this portfolio.

            My strengths in English are my vocabulary for one. I love to read, and I have always read at higher reading levels than normal for my age. I have acquired a great vocabulary and this always comes in handy in My English classes. Another thing about me is that I am very descriptive and honest in my writing, and I want to do something with journalism when I get older so I think that writing in general is a skill I have.

            This portfolio was hard for me to make because I was out of school for most of the first and second quarter this school year with mono. The only problems I encountered were having to rewrite large parts of my papers that I’d been able to shorten before, and editing a lot of half written journal entries.

             I think the work that I am most proud of is the work that I did towards the end of this year because that is the work I tried the hardest on. My book reflection on “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” is one of those pieces, and I loved that book as well.

Quarter 4 benchmark - 3rd benchmark

The third Benchmark was for the book The Odyssey, we had to write an essay comparing a character from the Odyssey with a character from another author or movie.

 

Jessica Maiorano

Penelope & Bella Comparison Essay

3rd Quarter English Benchmark

March 11, 2011

 

Most people understand or know the feeling of being depressed or abandoned by someone they love. Two girls, Bella and Penelope know that feeling very well. You can get lonely staying away from someone you are really attached to. Bella from the movie twilight is in love with a vampire named Edward. This made things difficult for her. Penelope from the Odyssey is in love with her husband who has been gone for 20 years. What should these girls do? Even though Bella and Penelope’s reuniting with their men was different, their paths were very similar.

 

Bella and Penelope were both left by their men but the way they got back together was very different. When Odysseus comes back to Ithaca he is not himself.  Odysseus stays disguised as a beggar until the battle between him and the suitors is over. He reveals himself to Penelope but she doesn’t believe him.  Odysseus discusses this with his son Telemachus. “Now because I am filthy wear such grimy rags She spurns me – your mother still can’t bring herself to believe I am her husband” (Page 459, book 23, line 130-133) this shows that Penelope is independent and wants proof herself. Mean while Bella is jumping off a cliff because Edward Is gone thinking it will bring him back. Then she goes after him when he was going to expose himself. That shows that Bella is dependent on Edward. Contrasting, Penelope handled the situation better then Bella.

 

Being abandoned by your husband or boyfriend for a long period of time hurts.

Penelope and Bella both felt the same when they were. Bella went into zombie mode for months while Edward was gone. She didn’t want to go out with her friends anymore, cried. Penelope kept going back to her room and crying. They both were not themselves. Having this feeling will make anyone’s life different or difficult no matter what the situation is just like Bella and Penelope.

 

Both characters were depressed about the situation and found a way to stall. Penelope drops hint to the suitors and saying she misses her husband but went along with everything that was happening. This quote from the book shows that she was just going along with everything  Dangling promises, dropping hints to each but all the while someone else is mind."(Book 2, lines 99-100) The quote from the Odyssey says that she is now feeling alone even though she says that she is going to marry one of the suitors. Also she weaves a web to stall also. Bella hung out with Jake when Edward wasn’t there but tried to find way to get to him, which was her way of dropping hints. They both have someone that wants to replace their loves. Bella has Jake like the same as Penelope she has the suitors that want her. Whether or not they want to be with them they are trying to take them from their men.

 

All and all they have walked similar paths. Even though the paths are the same the ending can be totally different. Penelope is independent and mischievous while Odysseus is away for twenty years.  Her idea of weaving a web kept her from answering to the proposals that were being constantly thrown at her. Waiting for her husband, not doing anything to get him. Penelope gets her love back in the end. For Bella however, seeks Edward out in her hallucinations of him as a way to cope with the Cullens’ departure.  She does reckless things to be with Edward in her hallucinations like cliff diving.  Doing that eventually reunites her to Edward.  These characters from to different books all of the four characters are trying to get their love.

Myth Project

My myth project was on Eirene, the goddess of Peace. Each student had to pick a character from mythology. So it had to be a god/goddess, hero, or another figure from greek mythology or history. We just had to cover the basic information, a myth, and why do we think anient people might have been interested in the figure. Our final project was a poster with the four sections.



Basic Information

Name: Eirene

Symbol:

·      Olive branch

·      Peace sign

·      Birds

·      Clouds

·      Flowers

Relative of:

·      Zeus (daughter)

·      Themis (daughter)

·      Eunomia (sister)

·      Dike (sister)

Enemy of:

·      Polemos (god of war)

Where she is from:

·      Greek myths

·      Roman myths

·      Latin myths

Other names:

·      Eirhnh (Greek)

·      Pax (Latin)

Described as:

·      Heavenly qualities of calm, quiet, and still.

·      She is usually thought of as a young maiden wit an infant child name plutos, the god of wealth, and an olive-branch in one hand with a torch in the other.

·      Burning a pile of arms, or carrying corn-ears in her hand or upon her head.

EPITHETS:

·      Shy Eirene

·      Quiet Eirene

·      Blooming Peace

Myth:

Eirene has two sisters Dike, the goddess of Justice and Eunomia, the order of good-pasture. They are always together and usually mentioned in one sentence together, you cannot say one name without saying the others. The myth is that they are always together because you cannot live without peace if you do not have justice, and you cannot live with justice if you have disorder. Some people also say that it is never a good thing to disrespect justice, destroy peace, or live in disorder.

Some people do believe that you can separate the three sisters. For example, some people believe that peace (Eirene) must be banished for the sake of justice (Dike) or that justice must be suspended in order to keep order (Eunomia). No matter how much. 
Abstractions are the things we want, or things that we inherit as people.
My Take Away

I think this myth exist because the ancient Greek people had to have a meaning for wanting peace, justice, and order. I think that they were thinking about what is it; what is the importance of it, and why do people want it. Once they thought of the meaning of Peace, they probably wanted other myths to link up to peace, so they also thought of justice and order. On the other hand, they maybe just wanted three goddesses to link up to each other to define a good way of living. Eirene is also the hora of Spring.

I believe that they made the the Hora of Spring because, when I think of Spring, I think of justice, graceful, peaceful, and things blooming. In the statue of Eirene holding plutos (wealth) and a olive branch in one hand, and a torch in the other hand, that is what I think of. Plutos reminds me of the blooming because he is a baby and he is growing every day. The torch reminds me of justice because usually you hold up a torch when you have gained justice of when you have achieved something great. The olive branch reminds me of peace and grace because the olive tree is a symbol of peace, and peace makes me think of grace so I believe that they are connected.

Eirene and her symbol

I made this symbol using illustrator application on my computer. I believe that this would be the perfect symbol for Eirene. The reason is, it represent her as the Hora of spring, the myth about her and her three sisters , Dike (justice) and Eunomia (Order) sticking together, and her being the godess of peace. Also, I imagined her having a bunch of flowers on her dress because she is the hora of Spring and a halo on her head to represent peace.

Bibliography:

http://www.theoi.com/Ouranios/HoraEirene.htmlhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eirene_(Greek_goddess)

http://www.loggia.com/myth/eirene.html

http://www.maicar.com/GML/Eirene1.html

 

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Q3 Benchmark

Our 3rd benchmark was to write a compare/contrast essay comparing Odysseus from the Odyssey, and Everett from the movie "O brother where art thou?" Here is the project:

Everett Odysseus compare contrast

            In the Odyssey, Odysseus, the Greek hero, has a 10 year journey home where he undergoes many trials and challenges. In the movie O brother where art thou, Everett, the main character, has to go through similar challenges to Odysseus. Despite Odysseus being a hero, Everett had characteristics that in some ways made him more heroic than Odysseus.

            Both Odysseus and Everett had very similar stories in their journey home. This is because the movie O brother where art thou was based off of the Odyssey. Both Everett and Odysseus faced many of the same problems, such as the Sirens, and the Cyclops Polyphemus. For example, Odysseus had over 100 suitors courting his wife because they thought he was dead. Everett also had a suitor, but there was only one. Another example of this was changing the Sirens, who were women who would lure sailors to them by singing. The movie changed them to women who sang and seduced Everett and his men and took in Pete, one of the crew, for the bail. A third example was the Cyclops Polyphemus. He was changed into a large bible salesman with an eye patch, who robbed Everett and his men. While Everett and Odysseus had similar things happen to them, they didn’t always act the same way, or get the same end result because, even though they were similar in many ways, they were different people. Odysseus would sometimes look for only the fighting way through, whereas Everett might seek to trick someone, or escape the problem altogether.

Odysseus was mainly known for being two things, clever, and a hero, but he was also very prideful and vain. During the Trojan War, he fought with the Greeks for 10 years. At the end of the 10th year, he had the idea for the Trojan horse. The idea was to build a massive wooden horse, and have the best Greek warriors go inside it. They would act like it was a gift saying that they surrendered. Then the Trojans would take it inside the castle, and when it was night, the Greeks would leave the horse and attack Troy from the inside. It worked and that was how the Greeks defeated Troy. Another example of Odysseus being clever was when he was captured by the Cyclops. He got him drunk, and when the Cyclops fell asleep, he stabbed him in the eye. The next day, because the Cyclops was blind, Odysseus and his men were able to escape underneath sheep as the sheep left to go out into the field. But Odysseus can also be vain and prideful. For example, when he escaped from the Cyclops, he yelled out “Cyclops, if any man on the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so – say Odysseus, raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Book 9, lines 558 – 562), so the Cyclops would know who blinded him, and he would get credit for it. But the Cyclops throws a boulder at the ship, because he heard where it was from Odysseus’s voice, and then knowing his name, was able to curse Odysseus, and ask Poseidon to make Odysseus’s journey home as difficult as possible.

            Everett, like Odysseus was also vain. When they were escaping from a burning barn, he wanted to make a detour so he could get his hair gel. This would have gotten him killed, but his crew convinced him not to. This shows that even though he could be stubborn, he could also be convinced to do something. He also liked to show that he was smart by using big words in every sentence. He was also somewhat humble, because he could admit a mistake, and at one point in the film, asked his crew for forgiveness, whereas Odysseus never did.

            Everett and Odysseus had many similarities. For example, they both were “smart” and were known for it. They were also both vain, and always tried to make themselves look better whenever possible, whatever the cost. They also had many differences. Odysseus was much more of a “fighting” person, and always wanted to solve problems with a sword. An example of this was when he tried to fight Scylla, who was immortal. “But now I cleared my mind of Circe’s orders – cramping my style, urging me not to arm at all.” (Book 12, lines 45 – 46), he went up on deck with his some of his crew, and lost his 6 best men. Other than that, he almost always “won” his fights, like when he went past the sirens he chose to listen to them while his crew tied him to the mast, and put wax in their ears. “They bound me hand and foot in the tight ship – erect at the mast block” (Book 12, lines 194-195). Everett, on the other hand, would usually be on the losing side of fights. When he met the Sirens, Pete was captured. When he met the Cyclops, he was robbed. Everett was also much more humble than Odysseus. Odysseus may have shown some remorse occasionally, but he never actually apologized for anything he did wrong. When Everett told Pete and Delmar that he had lied about the treasure, he apologized, showing that he could be humble.

            While Odysseus may have been a hero, Everett, the protagonist in the film O brother where art thou, was in some ways more heroic than Odysseus. Though Odysseus and Everett were proud people, Everett could be humble, and admit his mistakes. Though Odysseus and Everett were both vain, Everett could be convinced that there were things more important than himself. Though Odysseus and Everett were both the leaders in their respective groups, Everett cared more about his men, whereas Odysseus would recklessly answer to any challenge, no matter the harm to his men. In all, any humility and being humble could make someone greater than any hero who was proud and self-centered.

Reflection on the school year.

Reflection      


 
Throughout the school I have tried my hardest and worked to the best of my ability to do well in school, especially when it comes to English. English class involves a lot of writing and thinking which is what you need to type a well-presented paper. The work that you represents me as a writers, maybe not a very good one but, someone who puts forth an effect to complete a well challenging task.

           

Some things that I feel are my weaknesses in English are my spelling, I can’t spell to save my life. When writing, I could type for hours if it’s an interesting top I’m writing about, but when it comes down to revising it I find many errors in my writing. Especially when using the right form of the word, such as their, they’re and their also than and then. These are just a few things I need to work on so when I enter 10th grade I’ll be on point with my word context.

 

I’m proud of myself looking back on my work throughout the year. I feel accomplished with all the hard work I put into my portfolio. A few things I struggled on are finishing assignments last minute and just completing my work the day it’s due. It’s usually because other assignments from other classes I’d be forced on more because they would be due first. Juggling task from other classes is a major thing I need to work on for the new school year.  Another thing I had a hard time with was gathering information or coming up with information to write about in the papers for my portfolio. It very hard because after all ideas and details I’d put it the paper, I’d see that it wasn’t enough to fit the requirements of whatever the assigned pages were.

My piece I am most proud of is my vignette, in that assignment I felt as though I got to express myself because our stories we writing had to be about something that happened to you or your family. Such as a special event, vacation or even your family itself. In that piece I talk about how it was living in my household and compared my family to a family portrait, wishing that would be my everyday life, my family being as happy as in a family portrait.

Macbeth Benchmark. Character Analysis.

Introduction: This project is based off the playbook Macbeth, which was assigned to read for English class. For the project, our job was to chose a character, 10 quotes and explain how that person changes throughout the story.

 

Victoria Odom

Macbeth Benchmark

Thesis: Lady Macbeth stands her ground as a strong woman who is willing to do anything to get what she wants, but in the end her guilty conscience gets the best of her, leaving her with the wrong act of suicide.

 

In Act 1 Scene 5, Lady Macbeth discovers a letter from Macbeth that he we will soon be promoted as the Thane Of Cawdor and later reign as King.   Since Duncan is still King, and is staying the night at Macbeth’s castle, Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth on a plan to killing Duncan in his sleep.  She states in Act 1 Scene 5 Lines 64-65, “Look like the innocent flower, but be the serpent under’t”.  What she means is be a gentle person show no fear, emotion, or signs of murder.  Although she is excited that the King is coming to stay, she hides that eagerness of her husband Macbeth becoming King.  In the quote she is talking to Macbeth and telling him to do this also, she wants there to be no suspicion of them being the murders behind this death, hoping for this to be a perfect kill.

 

In Act 1 Scene 7, Macbeth is having seconds thoughts on killing Duncan and is a bit scared of the outcome.  He is still wondering on whether or not to go through with the plan, but Lady Macbeth questions him and makes him want to change his mind. She says in Act 1 Scene 7 Lines 39-41, “Art thou afeard to be the same in thine own act and valor as thou art in desire?”.  What she is asking him is, is he afraid to act the way he desires.  She questions him on if he is afraid to do want he feels he needs to do, but she uses seduction to convince him to stick to the plan. 

 

In the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2 Macbeth is on his way to killing Duncan while Lady Macbeth awaits for the conclusion of it being done.  Within this Act and Scene, Lines 10-12 Lady Macbeth says “Th’ attempt, and not the deed, confounds us. Hark! I laid their daggers ready – he could not miss ’em”.  What this means is Lady Macbeth is anxious and can’t wait for the murder to be done with. She is waiting and waiting and wants to know what’s taking Macbeth so long but, when she final hears the good news she is filled with relief.  This indicates that Lady Macbeth is willing to do anything to get what she wants and stop at nothing to make sure that happens. 

 

In the middle of Act 2 Scene 2 Macbeth is going crazy and starts to feels guilty about killing Duncan.  He starts to regret it and wish it never happened but, Lady Macbeth says in Line 37 “These deeds must not be thought. After these ways; so, it will make us mad.” She tells Macbeth that thinking that way is wrong and if he continues on this path he’ll go insane.  Lady Macbeth is now starting to take command and shows that she now has power.

 

In Act 3 Scene 2 Lady Macbeth starts to get worried and feels regret of what has been done, although she was the one telling Macbeth to man up and feel no guilt.

Macbeth starts to keep to himself and tells Lady Macbeth that he’s been thinking a lot and having nightmares about the night of the murder. Lady Macbeth states in Lines 12-13 “Things without all remedy should be without regard. What’s done is done.” What she means is what is done can’t be fixed so stop giving it a second thoughts.  She wants Macbeth to stay focused with his role as King and stay on path with his power in command.

 

In Act 3 Scene 4 Macbeth is at the banquet dinner with all the other Lords.  Before the dinner he sends out murders to go and kill Banquo but, during the dinner Macbeth starts to have illusions and see ghosts of Banquo. This makes him seem as if he’s crazy and talk out loud let the ghost is really there.  Lady Macbeth watches as this happens and talks to the Lords and tries to play it off.  As she shows the Lords out the door she says to Macbeth “You lack the reason of all sleep”, Line 142, she starts to give up and lose that willingful power.  She’s telling Macbeth to go to bed because she knows he is tired, she also feels tired too. Tired of the lies and worries, and so she starts to die off and lose that empowering control.

 

In the beginning of Act 5 Scene 1 the doctor and gentlewoman are in the hall, and are talking about Lady Macbeth and her continuous sleepwalking.  The gentlewoman says in Lines 28-29 “It is an accustomed action with her, to seem thus washing her hands”.  What she means is that she’s been seeing Lady Macbeth do this a lot lately for many minutes at a time. What she doesn’t know is that what Lady Macbeth is doing, is replaying that moment in time where she was washing the blood from her hands from the murder of King Duncan. Lady Macbeth has let all this go to her head and this guilt she is holding in making her go insane and feeling she has done wrong.

 

 

In the middle Act 5 Scene 1 the doctor and gentlewoman are still discussing Lady Macbeth and her sleepwalking.  They observe the things she says and does, and soon they find out that her and Macbeth were the masked murders behind this killing of Duncan.  As Lady Macbeth is walking she says in Lines 50-51 “Here’s the smell of blood still.  All the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hands”. What she means is in her mind the smell of blood still lies on her hands, and nothing no perfume or cleaning can make it go away. Again she feels this guilt inside of her and its eating her alive. 

 

 

At the end of Act 5 Scene 1 the doctor and gentlewoman are still listening and watching Lady Macbeth sleepwalk and soon are on their way to bed.  Before they go off, the doctor says to the gentlewoman in Lines 58-60 “I have known those which have walked in their sleep who have died holily in their beds”. What he means is he doesn’t know vary much of this disease but those he’s known who have done it weren’t guilty of anything.  Although, Lady Macbeth is spilling the beans about the murder in her sleep these truthful words warn the doctor and gentlewoman about what Lady Macbeth might do next.

 

In Act 5 Scene 8 the battle is on for the taking of thrown, now that everybody knows that Macbeth is the murder behind Duncan’s death.  Before the battle beginning news is brought to Macbeth that Lady Macbeth is dead but, really shows no emotion of this terrible news. Macduff enters the castle and slays Macbeth leaving him with nothing.  At the end of the battle Malcolm states in Lines 70-71 “Of this dead butcher and his friend like queen who, as ‘tis thought, by self and violent hands took off her life”. This indicates Lady Macbeth took her own life because of all the guilt tearing her apart.

 

In conclusion, Lady Macbeth has definitely changed throughout the play.  At first she was excited and happy her husband was becoming King.  She was also hoping to be satisfied with the murder of Duncan and felt that she had some say and power in the decisions made.  As time moved on she started to feel guilty and less and less powerful while her husband was king.  Then she started sleepwalking and having nightmares about the day of the murder. Finally the day or a few hours before the big battle Lady Macbeth took her own life because she good no longer take the guilty conscience in her head.

 

 

 

 

 

Vignette Benchmark.

Introduction: This benchmark was to write about a special moment in your life and describe it with stylistic devices, such as magic 3, dialogue, and similes.

 

Red Stream

Victoria Odom

Family Portrait

 

            Families aren’t always what they look like in family photos. (opener) I guess, “I’m blessed to even have a family”(dialogue) as my mom would say, but sometimes it doesn’t feel like that. I remember the first time my family and I went to take our first family photo. My mom was looking in the car mirror trying to get her hair the way she wanted it, my dad still inside trying to figure out what to wear, and my little brother crying for a reason of which I don’t remember, we all were excited to get our picture taken. (magic 3) As my dad entered the car, a few minutes later we pulled off and were set out for reaching our destination. 

Arriving at the photo shop within 30 minutes, we all hopped out the car, as my mom unstrapped my brother from his car seat.  (magic 3)  While we entered the building, I discovered that we weren’t the only family getting our picture taken today. Minute after minute after minute (rep 4 effect) went by, and finally it was our turn under the camera light. The cameraman, whose name was so hard to pronounce I couldn’t remember it, told us to sit, positioned us all in an appropriate angle, and told us to smile. I smiled wide and proudly as if I was a superhero in a comic book, that had just saved the day. (simile)With all the positioning just right the camera man kindly said “ 1…2…3…smile”. (dialogue) He took a few photos so when it came time to selecting the best ones we had a variety of them to choose from. My family and I left the photo shop with great excitement, so when the pictures were delivered to my house and the photos were hung on the wall, we had some sort of happy memory to look back on in the near future.

            By the time the weekend was over I was so ready to go back to school, at that age you think school is cool and learning was something you’d be interested in the rest of your life. Back then I had already gotten tired of people pronouncing my last name as if it was “O your dumb”. (dialogue) Coming home from elementary school that day I heard strange voices I wasn’t expecting to hear after a good day of learning. “Its your fault its all your fault” (dialogue) words that never seemed to make sense to me at such a young age, were all part of a puzzle I’ve always been hoping to but together.  The voice came from upstairs, I walked into the kitchen as if I didn’t know what was going on, although I could still hear the arguing. Being young then, it was hard to understand why my parents were always mad at each other one minute then loving and caring the next. I guessed that’s what real love was all about, and you just had to except the similarities and differences of each others’ open-minded company, and if you didn’t like it then leaving was the only other option.

I always thought my parents would end up in divorce, with my brother and I juggling from place to place to go to one parent to the next.  Especially since on our last family vacation, filled with great joy and amusement, my dad didn’t join us. Before we left for the vacation I ask my dad “Why aren’t you coming with us?” (dialogue)he responded ask your mother, and indeed I did. As I walked to my parents’ room to find my mom still packing her things. She seemed pissed but I still intended to ask her “Mom”(dialogue) as every average American girl called their mother, “Do you know why dad isn’t coming on vacation with us?”, “He’s mad at me I guess” (dialogue) replying with an irritated voice. She started mumbling under her breath, I got tired of listening to my mom’s complaining similar to what I heard on a daily basis, so I left and waited with my brother down stairs in the living room. Over all the vacation was great with splashes, laughter, food and fun but I wish we could of spent it as a whole family.

If I was to really think hard about it seems to me that they fight over about the any and everything, especially when it comes down to money, bills, and sometimes even me and my brother. That’s what hurts the most, sometimes I think we’re the cause of the problem, between my brothers reckless behavior and my so called nasty attitudes, it’s easy to believe that’s why they argue, but harder to imagine.(magic 3)

The arguing is mind blowing, it’s hard to study or even complete homework with all that noise. It’s not always the arguing though, I would say sometimes its not that at all, I’d say its mainly the yelling, screaming, and complaining at me. (magic 3) This gives me major headache, along with the fact my brother’s room is literally right next to mine. He’s always gaming, and talking on the phone, he talks on the phone more then a female does. Although there’d be nothing for a 7th grade middle schooler to talk about, he indeed spends hours in conversation. The vent from his room is connected directly next to mine, so it’s as if he’s in the same room as me. I’ll tell him to “Shut up”(dialogue), that just results to me yelling “Shut the hell up!”(dialogue) but still that butthead continues to disrespect my elderly authority.

My life isn’t what I want it to be but it does have its happy sides, like good family outings. It’s always fun then, spending time together, having a good laugh, and just chilling. (magic 3) Quality time together seems to be the best time I enjoy with my family, even if they’re a pain, but overall it’s better then not having a family at all.  My parents are still together, for now anyway, but sometimes I wish living in a house with them was a great happy feeling as you see in a family portrait. 

Odyssey Benchmark. Penny and Penelope Comparison

Introduction: This benchmark assignment was to compare and contrast a character from the book The Odyssey and another person that related to them but  at the same time showed some differences.

 

Victoria Odom

Red Stream

3-11-10

Penny And Penelope Comparison

 

 

Could you stand being a single mother raising your children alone, while your husband is away on a journey? Well Penelope and Penny could. The book The Odyssey and the movie O, Brother Where Art Thou are being compared and contrasted based on the characters Penelope and Penny, the wives of the main characters, Odysseus of The Odyssey Penelope’s husband, and Everett of O Brother Where Art Thou Penny’s husband. Although Penelope and Penny were both left pregnant and alone their stories of struggle and husbands’ journeys home are different.

 

Penny and Penelope both remain confident throughout their stories. Penny divorces her husband Everett, after he has to leave and go to jail. With a need to support herself and her family, she seeks out to find a new husband, who has better qualities than Everett, one who she says has to be “bone-a-fide”. Penny knows what’s best, so she finds herself “a suitor” who is up to her standards and is formally engaged to her fiancé, Vernon T. Waldrip. Penelope is left with a baby boy to take care of while her husband Odysseus is away for 20 years trying to find his way home after the Trojan War. Penelope has her house invaded by a group of 100 plus suitors, with one who she has to marry. She still feels for her husband and doesn’t want to marry any of these suitors. She wants him to come home but has a feeling he is dead. According to Penelope the suitors are nothing but a bunch of greedy pigs, and she wants out of her home. One day she has enough of the suitors and says” And you, if you have any shame in your own hearts, you must leave my palace! See to your feasting elsewhere; devour your own possessions, house to house by turns. But if you decide the fare is better, richer here, destroying one man’s goods and going scot-free, all right then, carve away” (Book 2 lines 156-160). The both of these ladies know what they want and if it’s best they’ll strive to get it.

 

Penelope and Penny are the reasons why their husbands want to come home.

While Everett is away serving his jail time, Penny sends him a letter that tells him she is getting married to her fiancé Waldrip. So Everett lies to his companions who is he is chained to telling them that they are escaping to find treasure. He is dedicated to returning home and getting his wife back. Penny stubbles upon Everett in a store and he realizes that she has been telling her daughters that he is dead because he was hit by a train. Penelope, on the other hand can’t communicate with Odysseus because there is no way she can. Odysseus is coming home from the war but along the way faces many great challenges occurring by sea and islands. Penelope has no idea he is alive and when he comes home Penelope doesn’t know it is Odysseus because he is disguised as a beggar. The only people who she can talk to,  are the suitors who she wants nothing to do with.  “These men drive me mad, hedging me round, right and left, plotting their lethal plots, and no one takes my side”. (Book 18 Lines 261-262) Penelope has no contact with Odysseus but Penny has contact with Everett. This shows that Penny as a chance to talk to Everett and work things out in there relationship. Penelope has no way of talking to Odysseus and explain how she feelings about him but, she can’t all she can do is worry and hope he makes it home safely.

 

Penelope and Penny both want their husbands’ back but at different times. Penelope remained faithful to Odysseus for 20 years and didn’t want to marry anybody else, but when he returned home things were a little different. He came home in disguise, as a beggar, but Penelope doesn’t know that it’s him. “… my husband in their ships, Odysseus if he could return to tend my life the renown I had would only grow in glory.”.  (Book 18 Lines 284-286) When the competition arrives Odysseus proves himself worthy because he is the only one who successfully completes the challenge. He tries to tell Penelope that it is really him, her husband and not just an old man. So Penelope tests Odysseus to see if it’s really him. She tells the maids to move the marriage bed and once Odysseus sees this he quickly fills with anger because that bed was made special, made from a firmly planted tree trunk. Penelope immediately knows, it’s Odysseus after she sees his reaction. Penny found herself a new man, “a suitor” who met her standards and could help support her family. She forgot about Everett as if he was really dead and told her children that a train had hit him. Once Everett proves himself to Penny and shows that he is “bone-a-fined” she plans to remarry him but only if he finds the wedding ring he gave to her when they first were married. Both women Penelope and Penny take their husbands back but with a catch.

 

These stories of Penelope and Penny are different but in some situations they are alike. They both were single mothers who took both parent rolls while their husbands were away. Penelope was loyal to Odysseus but, Penny on the other hand could care less about Everett.  Their husbands wanted them back so Penelope and Penny were the reasons why the wanted to come home. When their husbands arrived Penny and Penelope took them back but both at different times in their stories. Over all, both women remained confident throughout their stories and got their husbands back with an amazing story for them to hear about Odysseus’s and Everett’s journey.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

 

Independent Reading.

Introduction: We were assigned to read a book over the first and second quarter and write a book review to turn in at the end of the second quarter.

To Kill A Mockingbird

Book Review

By: Victoria Odom

 

 

To Kill A Mockingbird is a novel written by Harper Lee. The book was first published in 1960 and in 1961 won the Pulitzer Prize. It was lately made into modern day movie, which some people like to call a great classic. In the story, the setting takes place in the deep south of Maycomb, Alabama during the time of the Great Depression.

 

In the book the main characters are Scout, Jem, Atticus, Tom, Bob and Mayella. The book is told through Scout’s eyes and as you read you’ll discover, as a young girl, Scout is learning a lot about what really goes on living in the deep South. Scout’s father, Atticus, is a lawyer and is appointed to represent Tom Robinson, a black man, in a rape case. Although everyone knew that Tom wouldn’t stand a chance on trial, the sheriff knew with Atticus as his lawyer that at least Tom last longer.  Tom Robinson was accused of rapping a young white girl, Mayella but, truth is Tom is innocent. Her father Bob has been beating and raping her for as long as she can remember. Growing up this is what Scout is a witness to this racist unfair trial, and later discovers what racism actually is.

 

Although I have not really experienced any of the things the characters have, I have experienced of racism in my daily life. When I walk into a store usually owned by a different race they follow me around as if I was going to steal something. We as black people have come a long way from all the wrongly accused acts, I feel that peace has gotten better since that time period.

 

Over all I really enjoyed the book, it was very interesting to read and I have read it many times before. In my opinion, this is one of the greatest books ever written. It combines the act of racial discrimination with the everyday life of a young girl. If Harper Lee ever continues from this book I would love to read the next book. I think she is a great author and when she writes she really bring in the reader’s attention. There’s nothing I disliked about this book.

 

Yes I would recommend this book to others because of its truth relations in history. It inspired me to read more books just like it. It shows that some people are caring and kind the stick up for others. As Atticus did with Tom in court, all though everyone knew they didn’t stand a chance on trial. I wish this book was longer because I think 376 pages wasn’t enough, it will have you thinking what happens next even after you’re done reading the book.

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Journal Entries.

Introduction: These are my top four journal entries, that we were assigned to write about in class throughout the school year.

Journal Entries

Victoria Odom

 

11-30-10

I thought school was suppose to be a place of peace and learning but, some people make it seem like the total opposite. I think some girls feel so bad about themselves that they talk about other people to make themselves feel better by degrading others. If they something to say, then they should say it to your face rather than behind your back. This is why I hate two-faced people the want be your friend to get all the n they talk all this trash about you. This is why it’s hard to get along with people because you never know who you can trust. Making friends comes easy but, finding the true ones are the hard part. I feel that you shouldn’t judge people on how they look or was others say about them, what really matters is what’s on the inside, was things like a good personality.

 

12-9-10

A lot of times I wish I could drop my race because of the racist stereotypes. When I walk into a store that’s usually own by a person of high class or different race, they follow me and or my friends around. I hate the fact of stereotypes, just because I’m black doesn’t mean I steal because that surely is not true. I think no one should be thought of a criminal just because of their outer skin appearance. Or even thought to be a drug dealer or murder just because their black, live in a not so fancy part of their city and may or may not own a gun. People need to stop judging others on racial aspects and judge based on personality.

 

12-9-10

I am who I am

 

I am who I am

each and everyday

I am who I am

no matter what you say

I am who I am

when I go to sleep

I am who I am

when I don’t say a peep

I am who I am

standing tall and proud

I am who I am

speaking very loud

I am who I am

no matter what I wear

I am who I am

no matter if you care

I am who I am

each and everyday

I am who I am

is what I have to say

 

 

 

1-4-11

My winter break wasn’t so great. Spending the majority of it sick wasn’t what I had planned, but over all I guess you can say it was okay. Christmas was interesting, I got everything I wanted and more, seeing family I haven’t seen in awhile was great too. Family time is usually fun, when there’s no drama but, that’s all it seems to be lately. New Years was even worse, BECAUSE I DIDN’T GET TO CELEBRATE IT! I guess you say it was my fault, it’s all because I was on the phone from 3 to 8:30 am the night before. So when the new-year came around I was knocked out on the couch fast asleep. Although I was sick for 2 weeks straight I feel much better now.

Journal Entries

At the beginning of some classes, we would be given a prompt on the board that we had to answer in our journal entries. These prompts could vary from asking why people write, to if we have ever done something with a group we were ashamed of.

Why do we write?                                                                                                       11/24/10

 

            We write because writing expresses what messages we want to give to the world, whether they are expressed in a serious or a comical way, we can give these messages even if we believe them or not. Other than that, there are many other reasons we write, if we want to write a story, to complete an assignment in school, or to get something on paper and off our mind. Everyone can write, even people who are illiterate, because writing to me is less the physical act of putting words on paper, but more an act of self expression, like art, or music.

 

Is it important to you to fit in? Have you ever done anything as part of a group that you’re ashamed of?                                                                                                                       12/2/10

 

            It isn’t that important to me to fit in, I don’t want to be completely excluded from a group, but I don’t want to be the same as everyone else either. I have never done anything as part of a group that I have regretted later, and I think that fitting in is important because people want to feel wanted.

 

What makes someone an adult? Do you ever finish growing up?                                  1/25/11

 

            I think that what defines someone as an adult is maturity. Just because you are over 18, doesn’t mean you are mature. You are never finished growing up, you are constantly learning and growing.

 

What are some expectations set on you by others? How do these compare to expectations you put on yourself?                                                                                    4/5/11

 

            Expectations put upon me by others are that I do well in school. I expect myself to do this also, but I also expect my self to do well in things other than academics. These expectations are somewhat different, because I expect more from myself than others expect from me.

Portfolio Reflection

     My portfolio shows that I am a hard working student. For every project or assignment I never go anything lower than a B. That might not say how good of a student I am, but it does show that I work hard and try my best most of the time. As viewers I would expect you to see how different my work is. The work I do is unique, different than most peoples work, but it works for me. Getting into class reading assignments is one of my strengths in English. For example when we did Macbeth in this class I did an amazing job on the projects we were supposed to do. I procrastinate and I don’t like reading a lot, this can be considered as o huge weakness in English class. I always wait until the last minute to do my projects or to read a book for a book report. This can really hurt me in the future and I need to work on it. It was fun looking through all of my past projects and seeing how I grew in vocabulary and over all work since the beginning of September. I didn’t come across many issues in my work, but there were a couple of things I could have done better on. Some of those things are my first Independent reading project and my Vignette. I resolved these issues by reflecting on what I needed to change and what could have made it better. I am most proud of two pieces that I did in this class and they are my Me Magazine and my Macbeth Creative Piece. I am most proud of my Me Magazine because it was the first project that I did in this class and I really talked about my life, I never wrote so much in my life before I started going to this school. At previous schools before SLA we never had acting class or got a chance to do something really creative, my Macbeth Creative piece is an imovie of me acting as Lady Macbeth so obviously it is pretty special to me. I am proud of all of the work I did this year and I want you to see my best creations showcased.
Photo on 2011-05-08 at 12.49 #2
Photo on 2011-05-08 at 12.49 #2

Quarter 4 Portfolio

Introduction/ Reflection:

 

I think my work says that I am a very creative person and I put a lot of detail into my work. I love to use keynote, because it allows me to put color and be creative on my work. As viewers, you will see a lot of me in my work in the way I write and the way that I express myself. For example, the memoir vignette, you will learn a lot about me just by reading it. I think my strengths in English are comprehending the work and doing the work on time. Also, I think that I’m good at participating in class and engaging in the conversations that we have.