Comments Q2 W8

Lane-Writing Center
Sutter-Student Prompt

Writing Center Reflection

     My writing center visit was very helpful. Though I didn't go to the writing center during school, I had a writing fellow help me after school one day. The writing fellow helped me with many things. One thing we worked on was making sure that I don't give too much information in the introduction. Another thing was to make sure that before I turned in my paper that I would make sure format and quotations were all correct. We finally talked about making sure that I sold my argument instead of the book. He told me that my job was to make that argument in my thesis instead of telling the book.
     There are still some things I think that I need to work on about my paper, though. I still need to work on all of the above and my transitions and intro paragraph. My writing fellow and I also talked about making sure that my transitions tied the previous and next paragraph together with my thesis. There are a few spots still where my transitions aren't good enough because I only tied in in two of the things together. I still need to work on some quotation embeddings, but I think a major concern is that I need to have more "how it supports my thesis" and less context in my introduction in some places. I have made some good progress, but there are still some things I plan to fix. This trip to the writing center was very helpful to me, and I plan to get help from them again in the future.

Comments Q2 W7

Sutter- Free Post
Max- Free Post-Exams

Free Post

     Last Friday, as most people know, there was a jazz performance by the Freshman Band. We were performing during lunch out on the deck. If you didn't know already, I was one of the two trumpet players standing in the back. Before this performance, I was so nervous because I have never liked performing in front of people. It made me more nervous because I kept messing up in practice that morning. We also added a new piece which was probably the hardest of them all.

     Since the performance was during lunch, we got to leave class early and because of this we got to eat fish without waiting in line at all. After we had eaten, we got our instruments and warmed-up. We were all out in our positions and ready to play, but there still weren't many people outside. I was still so nervous, but when it started, I was so happy, and it was so much fun. I might have messed up a few times, but it was so cool to have all of these people cheering us on when we were doing something we like to do. So thank you to all who came out, and thank you for my fellow band members for making this so much fun.

Literary Analysis Process

     So far I am still working on putting my outline into a draft. The hardest part about this so far is making sure everything fits in correctly. It is also hard to make a difference sometimes in my "looking closely" and my "How it supports my thesis" sections. I still need to do a better job at making each one of those clearer. I am also worried about having to much context in my introduction.

     When I needed help, I wasn't afraid to ask Dr. D or a writing fellow who could help me with one little problem. Also, the writing center was a really big help. They helped me make sure I had all the requirements, and they helped me with some pointers to use when finishing writing. I am struggling a lot with the amount of information I have especially when trying to have the same length of "looking closely" as "How it Supports my Thesis" sections. Hopefully, this all ends well.

Comments Q2 W6

Charles-Symbolism
John N-Symbolism

Symbolism

     Every year I usually go to my grandparent's neighborhood in Bastrop, Louisiana. This neighborhood is out in the country. It is really small, but in this same neighborhood, all of my grandfather's brothers live there. Every two years all of the grandchildren come in. This year was one of those years.
    We enjoy doing so much together. We play football, basketball, and video games. Then on Thanksgiving Day we all eat turkey and enjoy the meal together as a family. This family is very important to me. When we are all together we don't worry about the outside world, but only the fun of being with each other.

Symbolism:
Bastrop-Place of Freedom and Peace
Family-Fun and enjoyment

How to Prepare for a Run

This blog is all about being properly prepared for a run. There are two key things in preparing: (1) being hydrated, and (2) stretching properly. Both of these things can are very significant when you start running. If you aren’t hydrated, then your body won’t have enough water to perform its task. To stay hydrated drink lots of water before, but not too much.

Stretching is important because if you don’t stretch, you can get bad cramps and your muscles will hurt when running and after. It is important to stretch before and after a run to help the muscles. Here are some steps to stretching:

1.     Jog a little bit to warm up the muscles.

2.     Do some drills over a short distance. This could include butt kicks and skips.

3.     After drills, do stretches standing still. Hold each one for 10 seconds. You could put your feet together and touch your toes. You could also spread your legs and try to touch the ground. Really any stretch that helps leg or arm muscles will work.

4. Stay loose and don’t wait too long to run after stretching.

Comments Q2 W5

DJ-Thanksgiving
Jack-LOTF Scene Response

Free Post Thanksgiving

     This Thanksgiving I am going to spend the first part of the week with my dad. He will come into Baton Rouge Friday night and then Saturday; we will go out to the LSU game. After the game, we will head up to Shreveport. When I am up there, I will be spending time with family, and I will eventually go up to my camp on Lake Darbonne in North Louisiana. 

     On Wednesday my dad will drop me off in Bastrop, Louisiana where my mom's grandparents live. This is where we go every year for Thanksgiving. This year is one of those that all of the family comes in. This week will be exciting because all we do is play football and hang out. This year will be fascinating because of all of the food that I will eat and because of all the family that I will see. 

LOTF Scene

     The scene that I chose is on pages 68 to 72, when Jack killed a pig and let the fire go out. This scene had a lot of importance. It created rivalries that would last to the end of the book, and it gave foreshadowing to future events. In this scene, tension builds between Ralph, who wants to be rescued by having a fire for signal, and Jack, who just wants to kill and hunt and have fun. This is also how the book turns out; Jack is hunting Ralph because he justed wanted to have fun. And Ralph was hunted because he wanted a signal fire. Some foreshadowing in this scene is when they are chanting, "Kill the pig. Cut her throat. Spill her blood." This shows how they are becoming savages, and more focused on violence and death. This savagery is also seen on page 69 when Jack is describing the death scene of the pig. We see this same chant later in the novel when Simon is killed.
     Some important things to notice is the difference between Piggy, Ralph, and Jack. This is when the conflict of human vs. human starts to get intense. Jack's beliefs and desires are now seen to be different from Ralphs and Piggy's, and this creates the division of the tribe we encounter later. Another thing to notice is the foreshadowing that happens. Jack and his other hunters are becoming savages. This scene also shows how valuable the fire is to Ralph and the other people who want to get rescued. This scene is very important because of the rivalries created, the foreshadowing, and the significance of the fire.

Comments Q2 W4

Charles-Prompt
Max-Make Your Own Prompt

LOTF Passage Respone

Passage:

The world, that understandable and lawful world, was slipping away.  Once there was this and that; and now--and the ship had gone. [... Jack refusing to give Piggy the floor when he has the conch...]
"The rules!" shouted Ralph.  "You're breaking the rules!"
"Who cares?"
Ralph summoned his wits.
"Because the rules are the only thing we've got!"
But Jack was shouting against him.
"Bollocks to the rules!  We're strong--we hunt!  If there's a beast, we'll hunt it down!  We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" (91)

     When I first read this passage, I saw two meaning that this could relate to. One was a reference to what was happening in the bigger world, and the other was to show what was happening on the island between characters. The bigger picture is just seen in the first sentence, but it shows how the world is falling apart because of war.
     This passage shows how organization and rules are slipping away between the characters. Also, it reveals that Jack doesn't care about the rules and that he is more obsessed with hunting than with control and regulations. It also shows that Jack is very aggressive and wants to kill. The last thing we learn that Jack doesn't give much respect to Piggy by not letting him talk when it is his turn.

Prompt

Who is one person or a group of people that have inspired you to be who you have been today?

     There is a group of people in my life that have inspired me to become who I am today. These aren't individual people, but just my coaches in general. All of my coaches have inspired me in some way, shape, or form. Since I was young, I have been on many teams, and all of my coaches have helped made me who I am today.

     All of my coaches have always pushed me the hardest they could. They pushed me mentally and physically. For me, being a runner, it isn't always the physical challenge, but rather the mental challenge of making it through the hard workouts. None of my coaches have ever wanted me to fail, and if they did, it was to teach me a lesson that I can use later on in life. All of my coaches, from when I first started playing t-ball to cross country today, have made me who I am, by pushing me to become a better person, never giving up on me, and teaching me about life.

Comments Q2 Week 2

John-Reading Response
Wyatt-LOTF Reading Response

Human Nature

     I believe that humans are not always intended to be good or to be bad. To me, humans are full of possibility. People always surprise me no matter who they are. No one has a set way of living. No person can live a life in one way. You can't be completely good or completely bad in your life. There is always a mix. This is why I say humans are full of possibility. You never can say exactly what people are going to do next. Someone could do the nicest thing, then a week later that person could be in jail. You never know. Just like in Lord of the Flies, we cannot predict what they will do to survive for who knows how long. Life is a possibility just like humans.
     I came to believe this through religion. Humans are not perfect and therefore, they make mistakes in their life. Someone can't say that they will be good their whole life because eventually, they will make one bad mistake. Also, I believe that humans do not have a set way to live by any supernatural figure or person. I think that God knows what you will do in the future, but I do not believe that he sets one way for someone to live. This is why I believe humans are full of possibility.

LOTF Reading Response

     When I started this book, I thought it would be like any other book I have read about people trapped on an island, but I was wrong. As I got farther into the book, I realized it would be a much more entertaining book since it portrays a huge group of kids who have an island all to themselves without any adults. It will be very interesting to see how these kids try to survive while wanting to goof off and have fun like kids.

     The plot of this book has been very interesting because the kids have already created an organized system. So far they created a group of hunters, elected a leader, started a fire, created rules and given jobs to some people. These children have surprised me so far with their responses to their new life on this island. It will be very interesting to see how the book will turn out, and what the children will do next.

Comments Q2 Week 1

Sa'veon-Free Post
Jack T-Free Post

Reading Response

     I am still reading Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge, by John Flanagan. I have been on this book forever, but I only have three chapters left. Hopefully, I will finish this book by next week. In the last few chapters of my book, the conflicts are coming to a climax for the war has begun, but the antagonist's plans have been ruined. He knows he has lost because he lost three-fourths of his army.
     Where I am in the book, the antagonist surrendered, but we know he won't give up that easily. There is much suspense to find out what will happen next. Hopefully, the problem is resolved before the end of the book because I don't like cliffhangers. Also, there is a mystery about what will happen because the antagonist is holding the main character of this series. This character is the apprentice who ruined his plans, and the apprentice's master is hated very much by the antagonist. I can't wait to see how this turns out. Hopefully, it is something good.

13th Gate (Free Post)

     Over this fall break, I went to the 13th Gate with the Cross Country Team. I was so scared at first when they told me about it, but as it got closer, I was more excited to go. We all met at the LSU lakes at 5:30pm  and then went in a few cars to the 13th Gate. When we got there, we didn't have to wait too long to get in, but once we got in it took a while for us to get to the start. The anticipation was the worst. The Haunted House had begun even before they sent us inside. There were so many things to scare us while waiting in line. 

     When we finally got into the elevator to start, I was so nervous and frightened about what would come next. There were so many pop scares at the beginning, but as you got farther into the house, there were more actors and more things to be frightened of. There was one part where there were strobe lights, and I think that put me into a daze. I felt like I was asleep for the next 10 minutes asking every 20 seconds if this was real or if I was dreaming. I must have put myself in a state where I thought it was all a dream because of how real everything seemed and how good the actors were at scaring people. Especially when there were parts from movies. I must have been making it all up. When we finally got out, everyone kept saying that it was the scariest it had ever been. I had to agree that it was super scary, but it was still super fun.

Comments Week 7

Kaya-Should We Abandon Louisiana? In Some Ways, We Already Have
Jack-Should We Abandon Louisiana? In some ways, we already have.

Response

How to Rig Elections, the Legal Way

by The Week Staff

     This article says that there is one way to rig elections, which is by shaping districts in a certain way also known as gerrymandering. Gerrymandering is when districts are drawn in a certain way to help a particular political party, and in effect, specific politicians, win those districts. I believe that gerrymandering is wrong because it is helping parties win more votes creating unfair situations. I think that districts should be drawn in a way to give each political party an equal chance.

     Gerrymandering needs to be solved, but it would be too hard ever to happen. Politicians won't give up their power easily. Giving up gerrymandering is giving up their higher chances of winning. People want to hold power and want to keep it as long as possible. Just like California, Arizona, and Washington, I think all states should have districts drawn by computers. There should, but doubtfully ever will be, a law passed saying that districts are drawn in a certain way to level the chances. People should be able to vote on who they want to not the other way around. Politicians are choosing the voters by shaping the districts, and it isn't just particular parties. Republicans do it, and so do Democrats. Even President Obama did it when he was a Senator. Gerrymandering divides the American people and should be addressed to create a more even playing field.

Comments Week 10/3

Lane-Free Post
Sydney-Sharks vs. Eagles

St. Joseph's Invitational

     Last weekend was one of our biggest races of the year, St. Joseph's. Usually every year this is the biggest meet. This meet, we had a chance to win. We were all very nervous, but we were determined to win. The weather conditions were outstanding. We all ran very well that day. Our top 5 runners were all under 12 minutes which was fantastic. I had finished with a time of 11:34 which was a season record for me. 

     I felt good about placing. I had gotten 11th overall. When we were sitting at the awards ceremony, we were confident that we had won but disappointed when it was time. We had finished 2nd. We had lost to the team in front of us by one single point. We were all sad, but we still had amazing times and did well over all of the teams.

Reading Response

     Sadly, I am still on the same book that I have been on for the previous month or so, but luckily I have done way more reading and a lot new amounts of excitement are going on. This book is, Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge. Since my last post, there have been a lot of turning points. My favorite part so far is the dramatic irony. We know stuff about some of the characters in the book that the other characters don't and it gives this book way much more suspense, but also mystery. Also, there is now lots of action involved between the main characters and the enemies.
     Over the last chapters, the war has started, but a new plan of the villains has emerged, and it is up to three apprentices to stop it, or the whole army will die. This plot line is creating a lot of tension especially because their plan failed the first time. My least favorite part of this book is the suspense. I keep wondering what will happen next but I always get cut off right at the important part. This book is very good especially because it is starting to wrap up, but I know it will still be a while before I finish.

Comments Week 5

John N - Harrison Bergeron
Gautam - The Worst Course Ever

Fictional 100 Word Story

Where the Chickens Went

     

      It was a beautiful morning. The roosters were crowing and the cows were mooing. It seemed to be a good morning until the dogs ran away. We looked all around the farm, and we found nothing. The only thing we found was piles of feathers, so then we knew where the dogs had gone. We looked in the chicken coop and there they were, but where were the chickens? All of a sudden one of the dogs coughed up some feathers and we knew that we weren’t going to have fresh eggs for a while. That is why we no longer have chickens in our backyard.

Harrison Bergeron

     When I started reading this poem, I didn't expect the plot at all. I didn't think that it was going to be about a fourteen-year-old trying to overthrow the government. The plot was a total shocker, but very fascinating. It made me think about the future and made me ask a lot of questions, like: "What caused all of these changes to occur?"
     This story confused me about being futuristic and having a society where everyone was set equal to each other. I was still mostly confused throughout the story, and it took me a lot of thoughts to figure out that everyone was set equal. I thought everyone had a disability and that is why they had hearing aids or masks. Eventually, I realized that this was because the government wanted to make all feel equal and therefore made the better people worse by making them wearing certain things and gadgets. Overall, this was a very different, but very fun and unique story about the future. It takes a lot of creativity to come up with stories like this.

Comments Week 4

Casey - Dear 11 Year Old

Alex W. - Dear 13 Year Old

Personal Narrative

     The narrative I am writing right now is called, "The Four-Mile Condo Run". It is about a hard workout at cross country boot camp this summer. In this narrative I am trying to capture what the day was like and how we felt during the miserable run. I picked this story because I felt like I could tell it well, have good details, and I could give it some significance. 

     When I started writing this paper though, I felt like I didn't do a good job describing with vivid details. I felt like the story was there, but that it was to bland and boring. As I got farther I realized that the details weren't that bad, but it was the significance that I needed to work on. Instead of straight out saying the significance, I needed to tie it into my story. The hard part for me was that I could find more significance from the trip as a whole than that one specific run. So the biggest challenge so far, is finding a way to tie the significance to that run. This essay was very unique but challenging at the same time.

Dear 9 Year Old,

Enjoy life and try new things. You only live once and you are only a kid a short part of that time. Have fun in everything that you do. As you get older life gets harder. You have more school work. Sports are harder and opportunities disappear. Try new sports as a child.

When I was starting 6th grade I decided to try a new sport, basketball. It was a wild decision but one I didn't regret. I know that I won't play in a organized team again, but I'm thankful for those three years of Middle School and grateful for the opportunities and skills it gave me. Although we weren't a good team, it was a fun opportunity that I took advantage of. Take the opportunities you have and find the fun in those things and all the things around you.

Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge

The book I am reading right now is called, Ranger’s Apprentice: The Burning Bridge, by John F. Flanagan. This book is the second in its series behind Ranger’s Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan. The first book was one of my summer reading books that I also wrote a blog post on. Even though I am only still near the beginning of the book, it is still an amazing book. So far this book is filled with mystery, adventure, suspense, and action.

The thing I like most about this book is the suspense. The main characters showed up at a border post which came up empty, so they go to two different villages which are empty too. So the suspense is what they will find at each village until at one some bad guys show up to fight them. This book so far is also different in the way that ever other chapter is telling a different story. I would recommend this series to all readers who like action stories that take place in medieval like times.

Katrina

I found a poem about Katrina called "Up On the Roof Top" from the book Blood Dazzler, by PatriciaSmith. This poem was all about people staying on their roofs waiting to be rescued during this horrific flood. This poem made you feel like you were there on the roofs waiting for a helicopter.      The thing I liked most about this poem was the way the author made you think what they were thinking. He wrote about how they felt and how they wanted to protect their family.

When I read this poem I thought about what was happened in Baton Rouge. People’s houses got flooded. People lost everything. The part that reminded me the most about Baton Rouge was that people were on their roofs waiting to be rescued either by boat or by helicopter. We also cared about how America thought about us. Some of us were mad that none of this made national news. That was also talked about in the poem. This poem made you feel like it happened to you and that you lost everything. This was a very sad time for everyone affected by the hurricane.