In Time for the Season of Giving...

Hello Everyone! If you don’t already know me, my name is Tori and I am currently a high school senior at Righetti High school. I am selling tickets to raise money in order to pay for a trip to Africa and Hong Kong with the 1 Dream Foundation, Athletes to Africa, April 4- April 15, 2012. This will be my first year attending, and I am really excited to have the chance to take part in this amazing opportunity. I will be able to travel and help people across the globe that are in need. I have heard so many great things about this foundation, and I am glad to be a part of it. I am selling tickets that are $40.00 each, which gives you the chance to be a part of this amazing opportunity as well, for free! I have until December 31, 2011 to sell my tickets, and then there will be a drawing for the winning ticket of a free trip! Your generosity would help me tremendously in being able to take part in this incredible opportunity, and would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to pass this on to ANYONE you feel would be interested in winning a free trip with us, and helping me raise money for my own trip. Thank you so much for your help!To get your ticket, please call Tori @ 805.268.5270 or Tami @ 805.310.2286

Checks may be made out to 1DreamFoundation.

And for more information, please check out the link below.

Sincerely, Tori Thompson

http://www.1dreamfoundation.com/1dreamafrica.html

My Big Question...Revised

What drives people to abuse their authority when its given to them?

Literary Term: Purpose

Purpose: the reason for which something exists or is done, made, used; an intended or desired result; end; aim; goal.


There are many things we connect with purpose, such as our purpose in a project, in a dream, in every step we take, or our purpose in life...

Thinking Outside the Box

I found "Allegory of the Cave" and " No Exit" to be very similar. Both talked about how humans think in terms of life and what is to be real and expected.
Plato described humans as ignorant human beings, saying that whatever we saw must be real, even though they are merely shadows. Yet, Satre described humans as ignorant in the sense that they think they need physical objects to "torture" them. When in reality, people just torture themselves with their thoughts and other people around them. Both of their extended metaphors give enlightenment on hard complex ideas and make them easier to follow and understand.

Literature Analysis # 3: Catch 22

1. The plot is about how Yossarian ( the protangist) tries to be sent back home during War World Two. But can't because of many obstacles that are in his way. One being the catch of catch-22, which has many different meanings throughout the book. One meaning being how, if you are crazy, you can be discaharged, but Catch-22 states that once you say you're crazy, that means you're sane because you realize you are crazy. Basically going around in a circle. Yossarian's main goal during the book is too stay alive throughout the whole war and always fend for himself, which in turn makes the men think he's crazy.
2. I think the theme of Catch-22, is that, everything in life will always have a "catch-22" ( a circular reasoning)
In Yossarian's life, he not only had the written statement, but he also had his mental one too,  life is not worth living without a moral concern for the well-being of others, but a moral concern for the well-being of others endangers one’s life.
3. I think that author's tone is sarcastic, in the sense, that only person that really understands war, is the person everybody in the army thinks is crazy.
"His nature was invariably gentle and polite. He had lived for almost twenty years without trauma, tension, hate or neurosis, which was proof to Yossarian of just how crazy he really was."
"They were the most depressing group of people Yossarain had ever been with. They were always in high spirits."
" He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive."
4. Heller's irony, hyperboles, foreshadowing and symbolism helped me really get the theme.

•  "There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he would have to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to." Irony is very prevalent in this quote, which basically makes you realize that the book is set around this one quote.
• The book is really one big hyperbole, in the sense that the author writes each character with huge exaggeration so you can really see what Yossarrian has to deal with.

My Big Question...

    We may not realize it, but there are a lot of people that have fatal attractions to wild animals. Becoming fascinated with animals like venomous snakes, bengal tigers, mountain lions, bears, etc. They house them as pets and form "strong bonds" with these animals treating them as part of the family rather than dangerous animals. What drives people to think that they can control dangerous animals and treat them as one of their own?


(Absent)

Hamlet Essay

Hamlet Essay

      There are many things that can be interpreted by Hamlet the character and Hamlet the play. By evaluating these two main factors, we are able to evaluate the impact of performative utterance on Hamlet and our own sense of self. Through this play we see how the way Hamlet speaks constitutes action in itself, how it impacts the characters and the plot, compares with our own “self-overhearing”, and how the way we reflect on our own experience creates a sense of memory, expectation, and real-world results.

      According to its original conception, performative utterance is a sentence which does something in the world rather than describing something about it. For example, the statement "I now pronounce you man and wife," is not true or false but instead 'happy' or 'unhappy', depending on whether or not it is performed properly. In Hamlet the play, Hamlet the character makes a vow to the ghost. Throughout the play he is haunted by that vow he has made and it drives him to fulfill it. Driving him mad with revenge. When we make up our minds to do something, we either do it because we know its what we have to do, or we complain and beat ourselves up at the fact that we failed to carry out our vow in our own sense of self.

       In the play, the way Hamlet speaks constitutes action in itself. His long, drawn out, self- debating speeches give the readers a sense of what he is feeling. We are able to see his thought process and inner most desirable or undesirable feelings. The way Hamlet thinks is action in itself because he is making up his mind on what he wants to do whether he has done it yet or not.
The way he speaks impacts the plot because we know things that the other characters do not. We are able to be a part of Hamlet’s thought process, impacting the plot and other characters. The things Hamlet says to the other characters is very precise and has a purpose. He is knowledgeable in his decision of revenge and wants to carry it out effectively.
     
      Our ”self-overhearing” is essentially our decision making process. We all have our own ways of making decisions and carrying them out. In Hamlet, Hamlet has a lot of intricate and tough decisions to make. He is battling with the decision of death, and holding in a massive grudge of revenge against Claudius. We are able to see how he overcomes his struggles throughout the novel, and through his thought processes. The way he speaks to Claudius is very intricate and witty, and he is careful not to give his plans of his revenge away.
In the end, we all have our own ways of reflecting our own self-overhearing. Creating a sense of memory, expectation, and real world results in our own lives. We all face our own challenges in different ways. Performative utterance is something we do not create intentionally, it is just a part of what we do, and the decisions we make. Yet, what you do with those decisions and thoughts, is ultimately up to you.

Hamlet vs. Beowulf

   The use of language plays a huge role in Shakespeare's play Hamlet, because the language ties in directly with the thoughts of the characters. Not only do we as the audience get to see how they spoke to one another, but we were also given the chance to see how they spoke to themselves.  Through Harold Bloom's concept of "self overhearing", we were given insight to Hamlet's innermost thoughts and struggles. When Hamlet promised himself that he would get revenge for his father's death, he not only created an expectation but he created a fact in the world. Hamlet has a lot of power in his words and thoughts.
   Sometimes it appears that his thoughts get in the way for Hamlet. He over analyzes everything and becomes so indecisive that he ends up making irrational decisions that come back to hurt him. An example of this is when Hamlet doesn't kill Claudius when he has the chance because he is praying. He goes back and forth wondering if it is a worthy revenge and if he will go to heaven. He ends up not doing anything at that moment, which later leads Hamlet to kill Polonius by accident on a whim. Another example of how language has a huge affect on Hamlet is when he faked his madness. The language Shakespeare used showed Hamlet's diverse character and how he could use his words to manipulate people for his own benefit.
   Hamlet's use of language makes him very different from epic heros such as Beowulf. The writing style in Beowulf was almost predictable to me, whereas in Hamlet the uses of irony and plot twists keeps us guessing until the end. Hamlet was somewhat of a mystery and harder to figure out. He seemed to change his mind a lot and different layers of his thought process were revealed as the play progressed. When I first read Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy, I viewed him as someone who couldn't make up their mind. Someone who was debating suicide and whether living with the struggles he had was better or worse than facing what was after death. -"To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death; And makes us rather bear those ills we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?"
Later, I realized that Hamlet had already planned the play to test Claudius's reaction. He might have been thinking about suicide but he wasn't really considering it. This showed me Hamlet's level of intelligence and how cautious and wise he was with his decisions.
   Hamlet's life was mainly driven by his conscience and morals. He relied on his faith as a guide for many things. When he was sent to England and saw those men in war dying, Hamlet reconsidered his motivation. He was killing Claudius for a noble cause in his mind. He needed to get revenge and Claudius deserved death. Hamlet was willing to die if he achieved what he felt like he owed to his father. This was different from Beowulf because his motivation was honor and fame. Beowulf was inspired by the challenge of killing Grendel, where Hamlet was never really given an option, it was more of a requirement.
   In a way Hamlet and Beowulf are similar. They both represent qualities of bravery, independence, and loyalty but in different ways. By the language used we can see that Hamlet over thinks a lot of his actions. Beowulf acts a lot faster. He knows what he needs to do and he doesn't hesitate. People could argue that Beowulf was an honest man but Hamlet wasn't. I can understand this perspective because Hamlet did decieve a lot of people and make them believe he was crazy. Beowulf was very simple and clear in his speaking. It was obvious to everyone that he wanted fame and recognition for his accomplishments, but he did a lot of great deeds. Beowulf was easy to figure out because when he spoke it didn't require too much analyzing. It was pretty obvious where he stood, which made Hamlet more complicated to read but also more interesting in my opinion.

Self Discipline and Determination

In this 12th grade AP English course I have learned a lot about self discipline and self determination. We are now gearing up to leave high school and venture out into the unknown world of college life. We are going to have to make new friends, adjust to new environments, and learn how to keep ourselfs on track through self discipline and self determination.
This course gives us the opportunity to exercise these two traits. We are not expected to always turn in a piece of paper in class, but to challenge ourselves to go the extra mile and create a blog and post our assignments there. We are expected to think in depth about things and invite others to join in the conversation. We are creating a learning network of all the classes and even people outside of our class, and even school.
By not having to bring in a piece of paper, we get a little more space and time in turning in our assignments. Or so some think. Many of us have learned the hard way, that just because we dont have to bring our homework into class, doesnt mean we can do it whenever. We have learned to be responsible in our work and have grown a great deal since August. Thank you Dr. Preston, we are ALMOST ready to leave the nest!

Literature Analysis #2 : The Scarlet Letter

 1. The Scarlet Letter begins when Hester is released from prison so that she can be paraded through town, displaying her scarlet "A" while standing on top of the town public stage. She carries her baby daughter, Pearl, in her arms. Pearl was born in prison. Hester steadfastly refuses to reveal the name of Pearl’s father, so that he might be saved from punishment.
   Hester Prynne’s long lost husband arrives in the midst of this parade through town. He visits her in prison before she is released and asks her not to tell anyone that he’s in town. He wants to disguise himself so that he can seek revenge on her lover.
   Hester’s husband tells the townspeople that he’s a physician, and he adopts a fake name: Roger Chillingworth. Hester keeps his secret. Chillingworth soon realizes that the minister, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, is the likely father of Hester’s baby, and he haunts the minister’s mind and soul, day and night, for the next seven years.
  The minister is too afraid to confess his sin publicly, but his guilt eats away at him; Chillingworth’s constant examination really makes him antsy. Seven years pass and, finally, Hester realizes the evil her husband has done to the man she loves, the father of her child. She reveals Chillingworth’s true identity to Dimmesdale, and the two plan to runaway together.
   The minister can't follow through with the plan. Dimmesdale confesses his sin to the townspeople on the public stage that had, seven years earlier, been the scene of Hester’s public shaming. His dying act is to throw open his shirt so that the scarlet A that he has carved onto his chest is revealed to his parishioners. Dimmesdale finds peace through confession.
   When Chillingworth dies approximately a year after his rival, Dimmesdale, he leaves all his money and property to Pearl. Hester and Pearl finally escape the community where they have been outcasts for so many years and return to the Old World (England). However, many years later, Hester returns to the New England community that had been the site of her shame, resuming the scarlet letter of her own will.
   When she dies, she is buried near the minister, and they share a gravestone. The gravestone contains an image, described as follows: "On a field, sable, the letter A, gules." In other words, marked on the headstone is a scarlet letter A drawn over a black background.

2. Some themes that can be interpreted by this book are sin, knowledge, the human condition, the nature of evil, and idenity and society.

3. The tone of this novel varies between contemplative and somewhat bitter in the introduction, thoughtful, fairly straightforward, yet occasionally tinged with irony in the body of the narrative.
- "In our nature, however, there is a provision, alike marvellous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know the intensity of what he endures by its present torture, but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it."
-"A bodily disease, which we look upon as whole and entire within itself, may, after all, be but a symptom of some ailment in the spiritual part."
-"It is to the credit of human nature, that, except where its selfishness is brought into play, it loves more readily than it hates.  Hatred, by a gradual and quiet process, will even be transformed to love, unless the change be impeded by a continually new irritation of the original feeling of hostility"

4. Some Literary devives used in The Scarlet Letter are symbolism, allegory, and imagery.

-The prison door is described as having never known "a youthful era". It’s made of iron and very old and creepy. Yet, the wild rosebush that grows at the side of the portal is its saving grace. The rosebush represents kindness and forgiveness to the prisoners who must face either a prison sentence or a death sentence. The iron door seems to represent all that is strict and unrelenting in Puritan society, while the rosebush seems to represent the concept of "grace" or forgiveness.

- Pearl, Hester’s daughter, is a symbol of all that Hester gave up when she committed adultery and gave up her place in Puritan society. Hester has gone through hell as a result of giving birth to a child. She lives in perpetual punishment because of Pearl, and that is why she loves Pearl so much. The name “Pearl” makes us think of  jewels, and there is indeed something very regal about Pearl – we know that she becomes a great and wealthy heiress. The name “Pearl” also reminds us that pearls come from oysters, and oysters are hard to pry open at times. Pearl definitely is not an easy nut to crack – she mysterious and full of mischief.

- The symbolism behind the scarlet letter A changes throughout this novel. Though initially this letter A symbolizes the sin of adultery, Hester Prynne alters its meaning through her hard work and charity. Some people begin to suggest that the A stands for "able," since Hester is such a capable woman. Others begin to recognize that the scarlet letter has begun to achieve holiness, righteousness. It has "the effect of the cross on a nun’s bosom. It imparted to the wearer a kind of sacredness, which enabled her to walk securely amid all peril. Had she fallen among thieves, it would have kept her safe". Many years later, when Hester returns and voluntarily takes up the scarlet letter again, it has become, for her and others, a symbol of grace.

Tool's That Change The Way We Think

  The evolution of technology has definitely made our generation a ot more lazy. We rely on the internet to give us answers instead of the newspaper or books from the library. When my parents are grandparents were kids, they relied strongly on the newspaper, and going to the library and doing physical research. Now, the internet has evolved so immensely that we have created filter bubbles without even realizing it. We only see what the computer thinks we want to see. Some people think this is affecting people in their workplace even. We rely on the information our computer right in front of us is giving us, not realizing that we are not seeing every piece of information we could see. We really need to make sure we arent just stopping our research right at our first keyword serach on Google.

In Search Of...

Eli Pariser's TED talk on "Filter Bubbles"
 
    I had no idea that Facebook, Google, and other sites were tailoring the information we see to what they think we want to see.
   Now, I feel like there is a lot that I am missing out on online. I think there is a lot more information that I cant see because the algorithms have decided (for me) that I am not interested in that particular information.
  For me, this video raises the question of whether or not I am getting the full experience i should be allowed to recieve online. It is secluding us into our own "filter bubbles", only allowing us to see what the algorithms think we want to see.
   I can improve the effectiveness of my searches by taking more time to look at different sources for what I am looking for. Checking all and any websites, articles, videos, etc. that I can.


Re-researching William Shakespeare is hard because I am not entirely sure if I am seeing all the possible information that is out there. Using Google Search Engine, I typed in "Life of Shakespeare" and looked  at some of that information. Then I searched "Life of William Shakespeare" and compared the information from that search to the other search. Lastly I searched "Biography of William Shakespeare" and compared that information. Each time I changed the key words in the search box, new information appeared. I think that by changing up the key words in the search box, you have a better chance of seeing new information that you havent already seen. By only  searching one topic, one specific way, you're limiting yourself to certain information and allowing yourself to stay in your "Filter Bubble".

Notes on Hamlet

   In Act III, Hamlet is faced with many decisions. Claudius and Gertrude (The King and Queen), are worried about Gertrude's son Hamlet and want to find out information on why he is so depressed. They think he is upset due to the death of his father and the wuick marriage between Hamlets uncle, Claudius and his mother Gertrude.
  Hamlet is deliberating on whether to kill himself or not. He doesnt want to live in this life anymore, yet he isn't sure if after death the hell is worse than the mortal hell he is in now. Ophelia interrupts him in his deliberation, offering to return any gifts he has sent her way. Hamlet denies ever sending her anything and tells her he has never loved her. He goes on about how he is bitter with women, and how they are fake and intend to drive men insane.
    Hamlet creates a play in which he plays out the death of his father by Claudius. No one knows that it is about Claudius and Hamlet's father, except Hamlet and Claudius. Claudius is so appalled by the play that he orders them to stop.
   Hamlet gets the chance to kill Claudius but he is praying at the time. Hamlet will not kill Claudius while he asking the Lord for forgiveness because then he will not get what he deserves.
  Hamlet has gone mad in rage and from dealing with everything himself. I think Hamlet will get the revenge he is looking for, but will realize that it doesn't give him the satisfaction he expected. Yet, will still put Claudius through a living hell. So, to Hamlet, it will all be worth it.

Who was Shakespeare?

    William Shakespeare is a mystery. There are a lot of "accepted" facts about him, but no one actually knows anything for certain about him. Even the way he looked is a mystery. Many people have allegations about him and his life but not one person has actual evidence of any of it.
 Shakespeare was an amazing writer, and today he is known for his historical works. He wrote about 38 plays and 6 poems. People today still marvel and study his writings and he is admired.
 I had no idea that Shakespeare was such a complete mystery. When studying his works, everyone seems to have him all figured out. In his writings anyways.
   William Shakespeare will always be admired for his wonderful plays and poems, and will continue to be studied for years to come.

To Facebook, or Not to Facebook?

   First impressions tend to leave a mark, good or bad. Facebook strategized well with it's first impression on new users, and the world. When you first sign up to be a member of Facebook, you're doing it for the fun of it! All of your friends and family are users of the site, and it's a great new opportunity to learn new things and catch up with friends. Facebook is a great way to communicate with classmates you have now, or classmates you had years ago in school, see what your friends are up to, keep in contact with family, or even meet new friends. The trouble with Facebook is that we dont really understand the whole aspect of the site. Once you post something online, it is no longer yours. someone could steal your photos or even post unwanted photos of you without your permission. You're essentially inviting people into your personal life without even always realizing it.
 There are a lot of young users on Facebook, that don't even have to capability to know about the dangers of being a part of Facebook. As we speak, the creators of this social site and other executives are deliberating on making it illegal to use Facebook if you are under the age of thirteen years old. I dont necessarily think this law will keep kids from being a part of the social site because there are always ways around the system when online. Parents need to be aware of what their children are doing on the internet and enforce parental controls on their computers.
    I am a user of Facebook, and after reading the article "Why Facebook Is After Your Kids" I was informed of a lot of things that I had no idea were the case. Facebook is all about advertising. They are careful to put things that you are interested in on your profile, and show others that are interested in the same things who else is interested. It relys strongly on advertising through you and your profile information. You may set your settings to "private", but a month from now they could say, "Oops! Technical difficulties." and your information is now public for anyone to see. When posting things online, you should treat it as if the entire world is going to see it. I upload a lot of photos that I take on my cell phone. I knew when I took a photo that my GPS on my phone tagged the exact location of where I was in the picture. What I didn't know, is that when I upload that photo to Facebook, the rest of the people that can see my profile, can also view the information of my whereabouts.
    There is a lot that we need to be aware of when using the interenet. Facebook is not a terrible, identity stealing, life ruining site. Yet, we do need to be careful in what we post, knowing that once it is online, it is no longer in our control.

Literature Analysis: Bless Me Ultima

1) Antonio Marez is six years old when Ultima comes to stay with his family in New Mexico. Se is a curandera, one who cures with herbs and magic. Under her wise wing, Tony will probe the family ties that bind and rend him, and he will discover himself in the magical secrets of the pagan past--a mythical legacy as palpable as the Catholicism of Latin America. And at each life turn there is Ultima, who delivered Tony into the world...and will nurture the birth of his soul.

2) The two main themes are the importance of independence, and the influence of culture on identity.

3)  Antonio is serious, thoughtful, and prone to moral questioning, and his experiences force him to confront difficult issues that blur the lines between right and wrong. ex 1) " It was true, i thought, it is the Marez blood in us that touches us with the urge to wander. like the restless seeking the sea." ex 2) "...and i knew what i had to do..." ex 3)" So again the power of the priest has failed, i thought."

4) The author's Tone, Dialogue, Syntax, Diction, and Imagery helped me understand the novel better.

Quote of The Day

"Use soft words and hard arguments." - English Proverb