Self Portrait 

I think that selflies are important because they show people's self expression. I myself take selfies every chance I get to, especially on a good hair day. Selflies are indeed like self portraits because I get to be my own artist. I am the photographer and I get to be the model at the same time. I get to show people a side of me that they may not usually see in person, I think through selflies I show my true personality. With selflies the viewer looks at the meaning in the picture to see what kind of person you are, selflies can give others a look of how you are as a person even if they don't know you. #strongesteyebrowgameonthisTL

Sweet Potato Cupcake

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Sweet potatoes

1 3/4 cups sugar 

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1/2  teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 cup vegetable oil 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cups warm water

For icing:

8 ounces cream cheese 

5 cups of confictionate sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)

1/4 cup shortening

1/2 stick butter

1/2 cup milk

Directions:

-Pre heat oven to 325 degrees 

-In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

-Set the mixture aside.

-In a separate large bowl, mash sweet potatoes, until it forms a light texture.

-Pour in eggs into sweet potato bowl and whisk together.

-Then in that same bowl whisk in warm water, sugar, oil, and vanilla. 

-When all is mixed stir dry ingredients from the the first bowl.

-Mix everything  with electric mixer and then mix by hand.

-Scoop out cake mix and pour into cupcake holders.

-Place cupcakes in oven and let bake for 25mins or until fully cooked.

-take out when done.

Direction for icing:

-Mix shortening and butter in large bowl until creamy

-Add cream cheese and stir at medium speed

-Gradually add in sugar while speeding up mixer

-When mixture thickens, low down speed and add milk gradually

-Once mixture loosens add more sugar

-Pour in vanilla, taste test and add salt if necessary

-Repeat addition of sugar until all the sugar is gone and mixture is smooth and creamy

- Scoop icing into piping bag and ice cupcake when cool

This recipe is used to make about 24 cupcakes so it was double to get a total amount of 50 cupcakes. Each cupcake is about 260 calories with icing and 190 calories without. Whole foods in this recipe include sweet potatoes, water, eggs, and ground cinnamon. Processed foods are salt, sugar, vanilla , baking powder, flour, and oil. This food is a dessert and in being a dessert it is in fact sweet. It has a high count in sugar and saturated fat which can led to weight gain, diabetes, high blood sugar, acne, and high blood pressure, if eaten excessively. All of the processed foods come from all over the country and are sold in local markets. The whole foods like sweet potatoes and eggs are grown in state and come from gardens and farms. Each whole product cost $4.00 or less and since we only used a fraction of each product the cupcakes cost about $.30 each to make. Compared to fast food like bakeries that charge any where from $2.00 to $10.00 per cupcake you save a lot of money. The sweet potatoes where purchased from Produce Junction and all of the fruits and veggies they sell are always fresh and come straight from the farm. If I myself were to grow the potatoes, it would take a month of more for them to become ripe. Compared to buying them at the market it's more convenient to purchase them there then it would be to plant them for myself. Also with sugar it would be easier to buy sugar at the market then it would be to grow sugar cane and create it to its form that we use for cooking. Overall most foods we eat are not grown in state some not even in the country. Although it is healthier and energy efficient to make everything ourselves, its more convenient for people to buy something to purchase and eat within 15 mins which makes Americans fat and lazy.

Personal Analysis:

This unit I learned about the impact of food and the effect it has on society. Not just food that is considered healthy but food that is fresh and or organic. Less processed food is better because they have the freshest ingredients in them. The food I eat today is weird because its made of things that come from other things that are not directly from the source. In this unit  we learned about the Western diet, which consists of sugary desserts, meats, and salty snack, thinking about this I realized this is apart of my daily diet.Before this unit I didn't really pay attention to "if this food is good for me?" but after this unit I learned about our food system today I realized that most of the food I eat is not healthy for me at all. I think it would be smart for people to start reading the labels they put on food and pay attention to calories because if you over eat the amount of calories you burn you gain weight and build fat in your body. I realized that if you treat your body better you start to feel better.

Our food system today has many problems. Fast food is continuously growing, when it is particularly the reason why America is so fat. Fast food is cheap, fats and resourceful , while Organic more natural food is more expensive, time consuming, and expires faster. To change my own food choices I could be smarter to eat a piece of fruit instead of Mc Donalds fries. And remember not to eat desserts when you are stressed. I would be willing to make these changes because I know it I keep this up it will effect my health in the future.

It all began with a mini project that Ms. Pahomov assigned to the class. We were split up into groups of 2 and given the choice to chose a topic to touch on about problems in Philadelphia. After every group presented their project, we voted on the top problems and then each of us were give a topic that we liked the most. The people that chose the same topic, were in the same group and within the group our job was to create a campaign to spread awareness.My group chose the topic of high school dropouts, and our campaign was to spread awareness that the dropout rate in high and increasing as we know. Also that staying in school benefits your future.

My group first decide on the audience we wanted to target which was teenagers because those are the people high schools consists of. We all decided on components that we should use that will get our message out, a website, a survey, youtube video, flyers , QR codes, and a catchy slogan. I worked on the website which at first seemed easy but I began to put ti together  I had to think of things to actually post to the page. I started to post things like “Our mission” and pictures but the blog still seemed empty so I decided to post quotes that students wrote from the form that I created. I had to also make the blog creative and by that I mean the our all design of it. Making the blog eye catching was very important to me because that is what grabs peoples attention and makes them want to actually read it and learn more. As the blog started to come together we got views everyday, and even exceeded our goal, which made my part successful

The survey/form was also my idea but I don’t think that was success at all. My goal was to get at least 100 responses but instead we only got 26. I posted the link on social networks and even asked my group members to send the link out. But it winded up not being as effective as I planned. 

I  had the idea of creating QR codes for the flyers so that it would be easier for people to get to the website and the form. The codes were placed on the flyers and put around school. I don’t think the QR codes were that successful because I didn’t see people scanning them with their phone. Maybe if the flyers with the codes were placed outside of school, people would had scanned them, making this component more successful.

Overall I enjoyed this project and had fun with it. I just think if other in my group had worked harder and had things done on the deadline we assigned, the campaign could have been more successful. 

Holes, Jamie “Why Can’t More Poor People Escape Poverty?”, 06 Jun 2011

This artivle talks about why the poor remain poor and how they get their.  People choose the wrong paths at times which can lead them into poverty. Because of the recession and evidence of bad budgeting it is harder now for the poor to get away from poverty.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/environment-energy/89377/poverty-escape-psychology-self-control#

Odom, Victoria. “Interview” 13 Feb 2013

I interviewed one of my friend’s mother Ms. DeJesus through FaceTime and asked her questions about her job and what she does.  She works for PHMC at a service called Child Link. She works with the welfare of children with special needs. She assists the child and their families by having interventions by teaching the families to interact with child so they can live a normal life. This program is available for all families of any race of household income.

City of Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Neighborhood Map - Income, House Prices, Occupations, Boundaries 13 Feb 2013

This website shows the average income of the different neighborhoods/areas of Philadelphia. I focused on 2 different areas of Philadelphia Mt. airy and Kensington. Mt.Airy represents a higher income  based on what the average Philadelphian makes and Kensington represents a lower income based on what the average Philadelphian makes.

http://www.city-data.com/nbmaps/neigh-Philadelphia-Pennsylvania.html#N35

Herr, Susan. “Google Finds Rich Don’t Help Give to Poor” 10 Oct, 2007. 13 Feb 2013

There were two points found from a study on Patterns of /Household Charitable Giving. It was discovered that less than a third of  American’s donations given to charities actually help and benefit those in poverty. Also wealthier families are less likely to give back and help the needy. Those who make $200.000 - $1 million give back about. 29%, those who make $1 million and up give back about 22% and those who make less than $200,000 give back about 36%.

http://www.philanthromedia.org/archives/2007/10/google_finds_rich_dont_give_to.html

Neuman, Susan. “One City, Two Libraries, and Ten Years of Watching Inequality Grow”. 

Fall 2012, 13 Feb, 2013.

This article talks about how the different classes of families treat there children when it comes to education. In article it compares to libraries and differences of reading levels that people have. One area described as the badlands, an area of poverty, has 42% of the students reading at a level that is lower material. Early teenagers read books like Dr. Seuss when they should be reading something more challenging. To find the answer why is this? They turned to an earlier child, pre-schoolers.

http://www.aft.org/pdfs/americaneducator/fall2012/ae_fall2012.pdf

This quarter I painted all of my drawings and just painted on what interested me most. Thorough out this quarter I painted 5 paints and drew a couple of abstracts. Because of the missed day of my teacher my art work was thrown out and pictures couldn't be taken of the first few of them. The first pictures I drew with pastels and the work was abstract art filled with many different colors. The next weeks work was a tree that was brown I painted it with pink and red flowers. The next week I painted a changing sunset in the valley with the blending  colors red orange yellow and colors in between that. The next week I painted a replica of the rap groups Odd Future's "OF" donut on a large piece of paper. The week after that I started a new painting and was going to paint the superman symbol. During that week those got thrown out and so I started and tried to recreate these projects. Through this quarter I completed my assignments in every class and enjoyed it as I was painting them.

Growing up isn't easy and sometimes neither is making friends. Knowing who is real and who is not, lets you know who is trustworthy. Coming into a new environment with new people comes easy for some to make friends but for others it takes time. This podcast is about my friend Imani and how she feels about trusting family and friends.

Crossing boundaries can be for the better and for the worse but in this case it was for better. Doing this interview I learned a lot, like how worst of enemies can become the best of friends and sometimes it can be hard to trust your own family.

When doing the interview it flowed really well and I got everything done in one take. After the first question she felt more comfortable and the conversation got more interesting even making me want to hear more. Editing wasn’t really a problem either, I cut out weird endings and added intro and outro music. Hearing her stories also made me see her personality for a different point of view instead of asking as a friend, I asked her as a curious person. Sometimes someone’s life wasn’t always what it is now and things from their past effected their life today.

The feedback my peers gave me was very helpful and influence a better idea in what to say in my intro. I agree with a lot they said and over all they said I did a well-done job in my draft. Over all I think I did a good job, I’m happy with my final product. 

Victoria Odom

Language Essay

Translation Please!!

“You ain’t gon do shhhit!”

“What does that mean?”

“You’re not going to do anything.”

“Bitch I air you out.”

 “And what does that mean?”

“She’s going to curse her out.”

I took a walk around the neighborhood with my best friend and saw two girls arguing. We stopped and gathered the crowd around them to see what the argument was about. In my mind I already knew I’d have to be the one translating for Chrissy. The two girls were both black and looked older than us, about sixteen or seventeen. With us being thirteen, and Chrissy not getting out much, she had never heard that kind of language before.

“If that’s what they mean, than why don’t they just say that?”

“You ask to many questions, shut up and listen!”

The sound of an angry parent lurked the air and immediately everyone splits. After about 5 minutes of running, Chrissy and I decide to both go home. Walking into the house I started to think about what Chrissy said. If the girls really meant what I explained to Chrissy than why didn’t they just say that.

Most who look down on blacks refer to the way they speak as “slang” or “nigga talk” but for me it comes natural because it’s the way of English I speak most often. My language does change a lot depending on my environment. With friends and family my age, I use “slang” because we adapted to that language as we grew up. When with them, I replace the “th” in they, that, them, their, there, and they’re, with a “d” creating “dey, dat, dem, deir, dere, and dey’re”. When in a professional environment I annunciate my words more, creating the more standard way of speaking English. “Yes, I agree with you completely.” rather than saying, “Yeah, you right you right!” Speaking more formal gives me power because it gives others a chance to hear my voice for more respect.

That wasn’t always the case for me, I use talk “white” growing up in private school but, some of them use to say I talked funny.

“Can you pass me a napkin please and thank you.”

“Why you talk like that?”

“Like what?”

“So white, what you half white or something?”

“No my mom taught me to always speak as if I’m educated.”

            Being much younger then, about the age of nine, I didn’t fully understand why other kids my age didn’t pronounce of their words.

It all depends on their environment because that’s what shapes you. You can’t choose your first language, its kind of chosen for you at birth. Whatever native tongue your parents or guardians speak is the language you learn first. After you learn to fully speak a language you make it your own in a way, by choosing the way you want to speak it. Speaking with confidence in mind, shows power and giving off that demand for respect.

If Black English isn’t a language; Then tell me what is? By James Baldwin, he says “The argument has nothing to do with language itself but with the role language.”. This quote shows that a language is a language but differs by the way it’s spoken or who it’s spoken by. Saying “Who you talking to?” in “slang” shows people in today’s society that you have little to no respect or are uneducated because you leave out the “are”. By saying “Who are you talking too?”, it shows you  have higher class and a decent amount of education.

            Language shows your character and creates an identity for us individually. It also varies in our environment depending on the people around us, forming our personality. Language makes us who we are today and shapes us as we use it.

No mom but I’ll go start it now.

Hey grandpa,

 I’m your grandson Billy, I just turned 11 a few days ago. Mom says we share the same birthday, which is why I’m named after you, Bill Samuel Johnson. Mom use to tell me about how you wanted the perfect grandson, someone to take to baseball games, to play catch with in the yard, and to teach how to fish in the river. I’m in the 5^th grade now I have good grade, and I love to play sports. Mom says that I’m like you when you were in school. She also tells me about how you fought in the war and won lots of medals because you were very brave. When I grow up, I want to be a soldier just like you. Mom tells me a lot about you and how you used to be there for her.

We live in the house that you raised mom in and she says that you never ever wanted a black person to set foot in this house. Why don’t you want black people in our house? My dad lives here with us in the house, I wonder what would happened if you found out he was living with us? I really love my dad, he doesn’t act different than any other white person. I have always asked mom that but she never wanted to respond to me. She always said “Baby I really do not know.” Or “Billy can you stop asking questions!” So, after a billion times of getting those answers, I just stopped asking her.

One night, I heard mom talking to grandma. She was saying how you were disappointed in her because of the type of men mom liked. She talked about how you wanted only one race in the family’s bloodline, full breed Italian. She also says that you really hated black people. My dad is black do you hate him? Because mom talks about how he tried so hard to make you like him. My dad is a great person and loves me and mom so much, he takes care of us and always will, he says.

Sincerely, Billy

P. S. Even though I haven’t met you I still love you grandpa and always will, I just hope you love me too.

I write because although actions speak louder than words, words sometimes can make a difference in life

I write because sometimes written humor can brighten someones day

I write because I feel free to tell a story to and audience or myself

I write because through these words it explains who I am

I write because when I write, I write for myself not for others

I write because things that are written down show proof, rather than speaking with hear say

I write because it's a way to empty your mind when stress takes over

Sitting in the corner of my junky room, when my mom asks me what’s wrong.

“Nothing” I replied

My mom walks out of my room, I remain in the corner feeling hopeless but, some people may say, “It isn’t that big of a deal”.

She walks back into room and says “Did you finish your homework sweetie?”

I screamed “NO!”

She sits on my bed and asks about my feelings.

I then reply by moving out of the corner, leaving my room and slamming the door behind me.

I was about 12 at the time, waiting impatiently at school for my bus to come. Sitting at the lunch table with my friends, laughing, joking, and having a good time. 30 minutes pass by, all my friends have left, and my bus was the last to come. Walking through the grassy pathway, and onto the “cheese bus” as us school kids had called it, and said hello to my bus driver and sat quietly next to the foggy window. Arriving at my stop, I hoped off the bus, walked to my doorstep, reached for my keys out my blazer, and opened the door. Slowly I walk into the house as if I was a dead zombie, lugging my bag over my shoulder, as I reached the dining table I poured out everything that was in it on the floor. I sat next to the pile of books, papers, folders pens and pencils and repeatedly shouted, ”IT’S HARD, IT’S SO HARD”. No one was home then, and it was almost time to walk down the street and get my little brother from school. I immediately ripped up every single paper I had poured onto the floor, walked outside making sure I had my keys and threw all my papers in the trash. I then walked to my younger brother’s school, called him over, signed him out, waved hello to my old teachers, and walked back home. Knowing that no one knew I’d just “spazzed” made me feel as if I was crazy.

That was the first episode I can remember having, I know it doesn’t seem like much but as I got older the episodes got more raging and intense.

Life wasn’t always as hard for me as it is now. Some say I “use to be the nicest person ever and I’ve changed a lot since my younger days”. To me this change is a good thing but my parents see it as bad and out of control. My emotions get the best of me sometimes and expressing my feelings is just the outcome. Being rude and stubborn has become a natural reaction and people don’t seem to understand why. People shouldn’t even try to understand the reason because it’s just none of their business. I’m just something we define as being human.

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 10^th 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.

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.

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 7^th 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. 

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.

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.

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.

In depression, drug and or alcohol abuse is most commonly found. By this teenagers, seem to run for it as a solution to their problems of making them feel better. It also is like a friend that takes place of an adult role model and if things like drinking and smoking are publicized on the television, a teenager might think of that to help themselves, even if the outcome leads to something bad.

Suicide shouldn’t be covered on the news, but since it is, than its method shouldn’t be talked about. The location and few not very detailed information should be given. This is because sometimes the information told gives teenagers ideas of how they might want to harm themselves. Suicide should be stopped because life is worth something to live for, every 15 minutes someone commits suicide and at that rate it’s about 34,00 suicides a year. Some should be done about this so I think teenagers, adults, and people of every age who are going through depression and or are thinking about suicide should speak up and reach out because someone cares.

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/hs/medical/bioethics/nyspi/material/SuicideAndTheMedia.pdf

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120755264

http://www.211bigbend.org/hotlines/suicide/index.htm

Signs of Depression:

•                Frequent vague, non-specific physical complaints such as headaches, muscle aches, stomachaches or tiredness

•                Frequent absences from school or poor performance in school

•                Talk of or efforts to run away from home

•                Outbursts of shouting, complaining, unexplained irritability, or crying

•                Being bored

•                Lack of interest in playing with friends

•                Alcohol or substance abuse

•                Social isolation, poor communication

•                Fear of death

•                Extreme sensitivity to rejection or failure

•                Increased irritability, anger, or hostility

•                Reckless behavior

Difficulty with relationships

Suicide is the leading cause of teenage deaths and more teenagers die from it than cancer or any other serious disease. Every year suicide is planned by over 2millions high students in the U.S. and 400 thousand of them attempt it and need medical attention. These attempts are mainly made by gays, bisexuals, and transgenders.

The rates of teen suicide are shown to have increased because of teen suicide coverage by the media. Whites at 31% are shown to receive the most treatment for suicidal cases, while blacks show only 22% and Hispanics show only 14%. Some say it’s a racial issue that whites get the most help out of all the other races, but others say its because they get the most attention from there families. I say it all depends on how busy and loving your parents are, they show you the most attention. If they noticed things different about you, then they do their all to get you the help you need.

http://www.pristiq.com/major_depressive_disorder.aspx?sourcae=google&HBX_PK=s_+depression&HBX_OU=50&o=47362258%7C223601699%7C0&skwid=43000000331928133

http://www.pristiq.com/major_depressive_disorder.aspx?sourcae=google&HBX_PK=s_+depression&HBX_OU=50&o=47362258%7C223601699%7C0&skwid=43000000331928133

http://www.educationupdate.com/archives/2002/oct02/issue/speced-factsonteen.htm

The world is a place that we the people live in and is full of problems. For this project we were to pick a topic based on a worldly issues that we’d like to discuss.

My topic focuses in on teen suicide and depression because it is the leading cause of death. As you grow up, sometimes you hit unexpected events in your life that you can’t handle. Bullying, because of weight, looks, clothing, and or sex, is the main cause of suicide and depression. Even though I haven’t been through the act of bullying myself, I know someone who has.

When the act of suicide is successful its usually not the first time it was attempted, in fact researchers have found that plans for suicide are made by 1 in 6 teenagers. 20% of teenagers have thought about suicide itself even if they weren’t actually going to commit it. Depression is not only caused by bullying, but also by relationship problems, deaths with family and friends, stress for school, parental abuse or divorce. These struggles can cause angry emotional and physical abuse to themselves, sadness, loneliness, and lack of energy.

I wonder what others did who didn’t commit suicide to better themselves and help get through their’ deep state of sadness. I wonder if those who did commit suicide reached out to others for help or even had someone to talk to discuss their’ issues with.

I plan to do a lot more research about depression and suicide and talk to my loved one who has attempted suicide to share her feelings with. No one should have to go through this so you speak up because someone cares.

For more info visit:

http://www.teensuicide.us/articles6.html

http://www.teendepression.org/related/teen-suicide-statistics/

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen.htm

Here is video of a friend asking their friend when their birthday is: