Fahrenheit 451 Analysis.

Prompt: Discuss how montags changing perception of fire mirrors his personal development. Use specific examples from the text in you argument.

In Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, we see the main character-Montag- change his perception on a lot of different points, from human relationships, to love, to children. One of the most significant things that he changes his perception to is Fire. Montag works as a fire man in Fahrenheit 451. But unlike the Fire Men of today, these fire men start fires, They burn book and the houses of people who own them, because in this society book are illegal. In the book Montags perception of Fire and burning changes, and the use of fire by the author mirrors such change.
         In the beginning of the book Montag has a great love and passion for burning and carrying out his duties as a Fire Man. "It was a great pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see thing eaten, to see things blackened and changed."(Pg.3) This quote clearly illustrates montags love for burning. It is satisfying to him. Fire mirrors such a lust and passion for burning. "With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head, and his hands were the hands of some amazing conductor playing all the symphonies of blazing and burning to bring down the tatters and charcoal ruins of history. "(Pg.3) This quote shoes Montags fondness of fire and also fire as something beautiful to Montag. From this quote it is clear that Montag feels empowered by fire, it makes him feel powerful and purposeful. These quotes show how Montag feels about fire and how fire reflects such feeling. In he beginning of the book Montag has a passion for fire and burning, fire is used to mirror this.
            In the middle of the book Montag being to question his profession as a Fire Man as well as the deed of burning books. In the book Montag and the rest of the Fire Men received a call to burn a house because it contained books. This call resulted in the burning of a house as well as a woman who refused to leave her books. Montag being to feel guilt over this. In a conversation with his wife Montag says "We burn a thousand books. We burnt a woman."(Pg.50) Montags continues on to say "There must be something in books, things we cant imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You dont stay for nothing."(Pg.51) Fire reflects this feeling because as Montag begins to question himself and his profession he begins to reject the idea of being a Fire Man. "He pressed at the pain in his eyes and suddenly the odor of kerosene mande him vomit."(Pg.49) This shows that Montags rejection fo fire mirrors his questioning of the burning of books and his profession as a Fire Man.
            During the end of the book we see Montag lose all faith in his work, not only this but Montag begins to rebel agains the Fire Men and the practice of burning books. Montag tries to hide books, store them and memorize them. Montag does this because he is sick of the world he is living in. At one point Montag yells at one of his wife's friends "'Go home'. Montag fixed his eyes upon her, quietly. 'Go home and think of your first husband divorced and your second husband killed in a jet and your third husband blowing his brains out, go home and think of the dozen abortions you've had, go home and thing of that  and your damn caesarian sections, too, and your children who hate your guts..."(Pg.101) This quote shows some of the things that Montag thinks is wrong in this world. But as Montag continues to try and understand books and as Montags actions are starting to be realized by authority Montag uses fire to destroy his past. At one point in the book Montag uses fire to burn down his own house. By doing this Montag feels cleansed of all the things that he hated, all the meaningless things. "He burnt the bedroom walls and the cosmetic chest because he wanted to change everything, the chairs, the tables, and in the dining room the silverware and plastic dishes, everything that showed that he had lives here in this empty house with this strange women who would forget him tomorrow."(Pg.116) This shows how Montag is using fire to cleanse himself. Montags hatred of his world, of all the superficial people and things is reflected by his using of fire as  an eraser to forget the past.
           In the book Fahrenheit 451 we see the main character Guy Montag interact in this futuristic world, with different and frighting values. beliefs and culture. Fire is used throughout the book to image and accent what Montag is feeling and how he might act. By reading and thinking about the book we can see the Bradbury changes Montags perception of fire as Montag develops throughout the story. This book can  teach us a lot about who we are, were we have been and were we are going as a race.

TU Tuesday. Local

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Troubling-issues-at-Guilderland-nursing-home-3533412.php

We have all heard stories, jokes and references about the same problem. But i never thought that it coupld be happening right behind out school. "State inspectors have cited the Guilderland Center Nursing Home for 52 deficiencies over the past three years, more than double the statewide average." This is bad news and advertising for nursing homes, who in this country at least seem to get a bad reputation. Also its grim news for a place that many of us could be heading, hopefully much later in life. The article states to prove its point that "The average nursing home in New York has been cited for 24 deficiencies,.." While this news could be worse i dont find it all that comforting. Unfortunatly other offenses have taken place at the nursing home, one employee at the nursing home was "...accused of grabbing the breast of a 95-year-old resident in 2010, leaving a sizable bruise..." Not only thins but neglect and a lack of safety has also taken place inside the establishment. SOmeone from a inspection group stated "'Clearly you have staffing problems here,..'" Although I think that this maybe a large part of the problem the underlying problem is within our culture. As stated before the average number of Nursing Home deficiencies in New Yrok State is 24. I dont know about you but when i'm old and fragile-which i hope never happens- i do not want to live in a place with any number of observable deficiencies. I think that our culture frankly treats our elderly like crap, with disrespect. Think about it. other cultures do not. i remember in my History class last year we were begin taught by a woman in her older years. She started one lesson telling us about  cultures in Africa who hold their elders in high regards. They have barley to life a finger and what they require is at their fingertips. People value them for their wisdom and what they have to offer to a community. I understand that America is a youth worshiping nation. It always has been and always will be. Its a great part of being an American. But we should try to improve the way we lok at the elderly, because in truth they are our most valuable educators, and frankly were all headed that way.

Prompt Number 48

When i think about war now there isn't much emotion. There isn't much patriotism. There isn't a clear or defiant cause. For most of the years of my life america has been at war. I have forgotten what it is like to live in a county that isn't at war. Is it really that much different? You tell me i have no idea. Things would be different if it was WWII or WWI, the Civil war, The Revolution. All those wars, i would describe as necessary evils. The cause of them is pretty obvious. All the same no matter what war it is we all need to remember people who willingly risk their lives for their friends, family, and country

What isCrippling Us?

I do believe that the author is making a good point. I believe that there is, something wrong with the way kids are taught in America and more importantly the way teachers teach. Dont get me wrong i love all my teachers and most of them challenge me a fair amount but too many time shave i seen teachers who have NO CLUE on what they are doing. Its not enough that they just know the material, they have to be taught on how to convey it to kids in an understanding manner that everyone can absorb not JUST the advanced students. As Gatto says about school teachers "Boardroom is a common condition of school teachers." I think that this is true. I will say this though, for the most part guilderland high school does a great job of hiring quality teachers. Not everybody of course, but i haven't ever had an unenthusiastic teacher at GHS. But there is something that i would like to point out about the article. When Gatto says "...a considerable number of well-known Americans never went through the twelve-year wringer our kids currently go through, and they turned out all right. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln?.." I just want to point out that all those people lived more than 100 years ago. They didn't have public education. They had one roomschool houses for rich white boys and that was it. I'd also like to point out that the author did not include one accomplished female in his list. Anyway  I do agree with him that much can be learned-most in-fact- out side of a classroom. That what summer vacation is about. 

          Anyway, there are several ways to connect this to Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. One way is that Bradbury describes through the character Clarisse McClellan, that the children of her generation are irresponsible. Similar to the way in which Gatto describes children of this generation as being board and unmotivated. Talking about a past generation Clarisse says "...they believed in responsibility..." and later she says "Do you know, i'm responsible. I was spanked when I needed it, years ago..." Bradbury made some accurate predictions on the futre of our nation, as good science fiction authors do. And Gatto, pointed out some of the weaker points in our system, they seem to tie into Bradbury's predictions pretty well. 

Tried And True

I would choose a knight. I would choose this one simply because i feel like the middle ages would have been a fun time if you were healthy. My daily life? Well i think that everyday i would wake up, go shoot the breeze with the king cause i would make sure that i was his favorite, I would aim to make myself popular among the towns people as well as the royal family. I would work my way up through the ranks with my 21 century intelligence. Then after acquiring very close friends i would go off with them and have an adventure of some kind. Ive always wanted to do that, just walk off on an adventure, not knowing where your going, maybe the town was just ransacked by bad people and we had to run away. Yeah that'd be cool. Of course i would enjoy it. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r36wikH36JM

We can spend hours and hours, arguing about some of the greatest leaders in history. Abe Lincoln, Margret Thatcher, Washington, Sitting Bull, heck, even Jesus. We can argue about which ones of them were better, purer and with the best intentions. But I believe that the best leaders are those who have been thrust into a position of leadership, and have accepted the challenge for the good of others not for themselves. Great leaders are not given their place. Sir Winston Churchill is a great example of a leader, who was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders and never once faltered. In his speech to Harrow University in 1941, during Great Brittians 3rd year in the Second World War he said the following "Never give in, never give in, never, never, never! In nothing great or small. large or petty, Never give in." This is a perfect quote of his, perseverance, his determination to bring his country up from the ruins and fight the Nazis. He is proud of what he has done to the country also, in the speech he also says "...the great improvement in the position of our country..." he knows that he has helped this country out of one of its darkest times and, he knows there is further to go.  "Why when I was here last time we were all alone, desperately alone."but later in the speech he says "We are not poorly armed to-day". All these quotes show his attitude, it was positive, it was a positive "lets go kick some butt" attitude.
           Churchill succeeded Neville Chamberlain, constantly opposing his, and most of Europe's policy of appeasement "Churchill took the lead in warning about Nazi Germany and in campaigning for rearmament." In his first several years of office he had to deal with the constant Air Raids on Brittian during the Battle Of brittian in 1940. After Brittian successfully defended themselves with the help of the shelter of their subway system and anti- aircraft fire the Nazis backed off. Brittian continues to fight on mainland europe and had a hard war infront of them until 1945 when the nazis were defeated.
          I think believe that many lessons can be taken from Sir Winston Churchill, his quotes, his speeches and his actions. Too many times in life do people give in to intimidation and fatigue, the only person- usually- who is standing in our way is ourselves. One of my favorite quotes of all time, helps me to keep on going when all seems lost and never give in.
"When your going through hell, keep going"
                                                       -Sir Winston Churchill

4 A Community I Love

A Community i love has to be Altamont. My house rests on the boundary between Guilderland and Altamont. I grew up in the woods of altamont. I made a lot of friends in the village from a very young age. It was like growing up in a movie, we would go hiking up waterfalls or swimming in ponds, trespassing, playing football at the park, eating ice cream and going to the Altamont fair every year. I love that town because its so relaxed. Its like a picture out of the 1950's

Love to Know Slideshow

How do you feel when you walk though freshly fallen snow?

I love all the seasons. Really i do, the change they bring always seems to come right in time and its always the right thing. But i think i get most excited when winter rolls around and it snows for the first time. I love walking through the snow for the first time in the woods with the moonlight reflecting off the snow and making it into day. Its the strangest feeling, its an adventurous feeling and it makes me excited. It makes me want to be with my best friend and go sledding or go explore or just see all that i can see when this beautiful snow is on it.

Creative Contest III

This is how legends are made.

Philosophy Blog

Buddhism- Founded in the Indian subcontinent it stresses the detachment from worldly possessions, hate, greed, and all worldly emotions. Founded by Siddartha Gautama in the 5th century in continues to live on today. Buddhists follow the laws of the Four Noble Truths and the Way of Life that is the Eight Fold Path.  Buddhists neither attempt to prove or deny the existence of  a god or higher power but believe that we should worry about our time on earth. The goal of all buddhists is to reach Nirvana, or enlightenment in which they are truly happy and truly disconnected from worldly possessions.

Do i agree with buddhism? Some aspects of it i do agree with. I agree that humans should worry about being happy on earth rather than obsess about what will happen to us when we die. I think that being miserable all of your life is not worth whatever someone may or may not promise what will happen to you when you die. I don't think that we should have no morals to carry us throughout or lives. We should have a moral compass and to be faithful is also important to me, but lets enjoy our lives as much as we can.
Buddhists tend to attempt to reconnect from all worldly possessions. I think that this is a good goal to an extent. People shouldn't be obsessed with their possessions, they are distracting from what is really important in life. However we are humans, we are animals and we want things, of course we do. We want to be comfortable and happy. You cannot strip people of their instincts no matter how hard you try.
       About Nirvana, do not ask me if i agree with it or not. I have not experienced nirvana so i could not say. You would have to ask a buddhist monk.

Tu tuesday classified

http://timesunion.kaango.com/ad-antique-estate-auction-saturday-april/20545988

It was, i suppose about the time to put up the add. I mean we had to get rid a lot of that stuff. We have been meaning to do it for a long time. It had been taking up space in the Attic and basement for years and years. They were nice wedding presents and inheritances, but now they had to go. Jim and i mutually agree, this fall seemed like a good time to get rid of this stuff. My grandmothers  old paintings, My grandfathers furniture, that pottery, and that damn Steinway Piano.

That Piano has been in the family for years and years, and-not to sound to superstitious- but the thing has caused nothing but trouble. My great great grandfather- according to family legend- bought the Piano on his crossing from France. He was a rich man, and had a manor waiting for him on the other side of the ocean as soon as he got to America. For years he and his wife entertained guests with this piano, for 40 years that piano was played in that house and made beautiful music.

When my great great grandparents passed away, the house was sold and the piano passed down to my great grandfather. Now when the piano was moved it had to be moved from the third story of the house to the ground story. It was lowered out the window, anyone could have guessed what was going to happen next-well its not totally expected. As my great great grandmothers favorite chandler was being moved out of the house, keep in mind this thing was so expensive, so rare. made of real diamond and gold, from the palace of Versaille in France. The ropes hauling the piano snapped and fell on the chandler, not to mention one of the movers. He only broke his leg but the chandler was totaled. 1 and a half million dollars down the pooper. The piano, survived.

My great grandparents- who inherited the piano- left candles burning on it which commenced to burn down their New England home. Everything was destroyed, but the piano. My mothers sister inherited the Piano when she became of age, she tried to sell in on account that nobody could play. A man walked up to her one day saying he would buy it. She gave him a price and he said he would drop buy later and pick it up. An hour later he showed up on the threshold, as soon as the door was opened the man fell a crossed the threshold. He had died of a heart attack. My aunt freaked out and gave the piano to my mother. I hated this thing. At night i would stay up and listen to it crack and groan, some nights i would hear notes play from it, this was just my imagination i assumed.

U=uncooked cookies

Ingredients

Recipe Info Category : Baked Food Rating : 3 Contributor : Print Recipe

Directions

2 c Sugar- i remember when i was young in my grandmothers housewaking my finger and dipping it in the sugar and just eating raw. 1/2 c Milk- i have always been a milk addict- i drink it more than anyone i know. I've never broken or fractures a bone, 4 oz Margarin- i like butter better but i used to eat both raw, thats really gross to think about but come on i was young. 3 c Oats, quick cooking- I hate oatmeal. My brother used to eat it all the time and i always thought it looked gross and just tasted like wet flavored bread. 1 tb Coco- i remember once my mother was cooking and i ate some unsweetened cocoa, it was really gross 1/2 c Nuts; chopped- My favorite thing to do when my mom was making something with nuts in it was to chop up the nuts. -OR 1/2 c Coconut- i remember my dad once brought home a coconut. i drank the milk and ate the flesh inside, it was one of my favorite things 1 ts Vanilla- I always loved the smell of vanella. My parents by vanella beans sometimes and i always just stand there and smell them. Put sugar, milk and margarine together in a saucepan and bring to a rolling boil; boil for one minutes. Mix together oats, cocoa, nuts or coconut, and vanilla. Pour the liquid over, and mix well. Drop by spoon- fuls onto waxed paper. Let set until firm. Lee Ann Moore Lubbock, TX in the Gustine, TX P-TC cookbook -----

Famous poem Starters

But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep-this first line reminds me of something simple like a road trip. maybe a road trip to see a friend because of the "but i have promises to keep". Or maybe something unpleasant, like a desperate race, or maybe-i dont know why i thought of it- your lost in the woods and you have to get out. these are the main thoughts that run through my mind when i read this first line.

Nursery rhymes ARE Relevant to Life

http://blackboard.neric.org/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_2263_1%26url%3d

This rhyme connect to my life because when i hear it i think about friends and going on adventures, these are both things that i love. i remember the only place that i have hear this is in the movie "Denis the Menace" It always made me a little sad and i dont know why, but i always really liked it. but again i think it just talks about being with friends and seeing beautiful things.

NYT Tuesday

REBELLION 
trust a system it can barely see
We understand
there is clearly a problem with transparency.
Emotions boiled over,
struggles between them and police,
people gasping and choking,
The Chancellor is concerned,
feels like an act of desperation 
It comes down to this: to have faith in its integrity










http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Students-angry-over-pricey-courses-pepper-sprayed-3457512.php


http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/Editorial-Secret-ethics-3456986.php

Things that make me fearful...

Things that make me fearful are a wide variety of relevent and irreleven fears. the Strangest is my fear of large objects underwater. If i am swimming in a lake and i see a boulder or log i freak out. Another fear of mine is tall posts in the middle of flat areas. It doesn't make me freak out but is does make me keep my distance. I have always been afraid of elephants, they have massive heads and it just freaks me out. I hate ticks and all sorts of parasites. I think the thing that i am afraid of most though is growing up. Everyone has to do it but i dont want to grow up. i feel like Peter Pan, Death doesn't scare me that much, i know a lot of people say that, but as unpleasant as dying would be death is just something we all have to do. It just another adventure. But when you grow up people start dying around yuo, friends and family and theres not much you can do about it, that is my worst fear.

T=Tops Dinner

I used to eat here a lot with my family, its in Rotterdam. The thing that i remember about the place the most is not so much the food, which is excellent, but the atmosphere. It is a comfortable contemporary looking place, clean, not what one would think of when the word "Dinner" passes their ears. The food as I said before was very good, a large array of cuisine from chicken parm to broiled scallops. There is a nice bar from which you may order anything your heart desires. If your looking for a night out, to a family friendly atmosphere, excellent staff, delicious food and a great time Tops is the place to go. 

The Book the Changed my Life

I have read a lot of books in my 16 years on earth. It would be hard for me to tell you an absolute favorite. But if I had to choose I would say that The Hobbit by Tolkien was an still is my favorite book. The first time I read this book I really didn't read it. My family was on our way to our Aunts in Indiana. All the way there we listened to The Hobbit on tape. I was really young, i didn't remember much but i do remember Golum and the Misty Mountains. When your young and you spend a lot of time around something for some reason it makes a strange impression on you. Whenever i am on a road trip now, i remember that time we listened to The Hobbit. I read it a couple years ago and liked it just as much. Its a great adventure book, The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings are all good books with a really deep meaning, which like all books is different for everybody.

bucket List

#1. Have an adventure that people will want to write about. This is on my bucket list because who doesn't want to go off on adventures and then have people write about them.

#2. Have a sword fight with a real pirate and win- why not?

#3. Witness something impossibly amazing and beautiful- I figure we all witness these things every day, we just have to realize and recognize it.

#4. Go up in a hot air ballon for a week and travel- I've wanted to do this since i was really young and i dont know why.

#5. See something nobody has every seen before- Because we all want to discover something.

#6. Backpack a crossed europe for a year- This is a goal i have had ever since my mom said she did the same thing.

#7. Start a Family one day- people say that its one of the best things you can do

#8. Go bungee jumping- Another dare devil experience that has to happen.

#9. See a lion in the wild- once again, why not?

#10. Have so many adventures and write them all down in a book. publish this book and have it on the new york times bestseller list for at least a week-who does't want people to know their adventures?

The language of Song.

99 Luftballons by Nena
Hast Du etwas Zeit für mich 
Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer Dich 
Von 99 Luftballons 
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont 

Denkst Du vielleicht grad' an mich 
Dann singe ich ein Lied fuer Dich 
Von 99 Luftballons 
Und dass sowas von sowas kommt 

99 Luftballons 
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont 
Hielt man fuer UFOs aus dem All 
Darum schickte ein General 

Eine Fliegerstaffel hinterher 
Alarm zu geben, wenn es so war 
Dabei war da am Horizont 
Nur 99 Luftballons 

99 Duesenjaeger 
Jeder war ein grosser Krieger 
Hielten sich fuer Captain Kirk 
Das gab ein grosses Feuerwerk 

Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft 
Und fuehlten sich gleich angemacht 
Dabei schoss man am Horizont 
Auf 99 Luftballons 

99 Kriegsminister 
Streichholz und Benzinkanister 
Hielten sich fuer schlaue Leute 
Witterten schon fette Beute 

Riefen, Krieg und wollten Macht 
Mann, wer haette das gedacht 
Dass es einmal soweit kommt 
Wegen 99 Luftballons 

99 Jahre Krieg 
Liessen keinen Platz fuer Sieger 
Kriegsminister gibt es nicht mehr 
Und auch keine Duesenflieger 

Heute zieh ich meine Runden 
Seh die Welt in Truemmern liegen 
Hab' nen Luftballon gefunden 
Denk' an Dich und lass' ihn fliegen

Have you some time for me,
then I'll sing a song for you
about 99 balloons
on their way to the horizon.
If you're perhaps thinking about me right now
then I'll sing a song for you
about 99 balloons
and that such a thing comes from such a thing.

99 balloons
on their way to the horizon
People think they're UFO's from space
so a general sent up
a fighter squadron after them
Sound the alarm if it's so
but there on the horizon were
only 99 balloons.

99 fighter jets
Each one's a great warrior
Thought they were Captain Kirk
then came a lot of fireworks
the neighbors didn't understand anything
and felt like they were being provoked
so they shot at the horizon
at 99 balloons.

99 war ministers
matches and gasoline canisters
They thought they were clever people
already smelled a nice bounty
Called for war and wanted power.
Man, who would've thought
that things would someday go so far
because of 99 balloons.

99 years of war
left no room for victors.
There are no more war ministers
nor any jet fighters.
Today I'm making my rounds
see the world lying in ruins.
I found a balloon,
think of you and let it fly (away).

I was growing up in europe during WWII. it was an awful time, there were bombings every night. people disappeared. One day i was walking down the road and a man called to me. I hesitated but followed the man. he was dressed in a rech coat and looked suspicious. Something told me to follow him though. He lead me for a while never saying a word into a field were i saw standing there ominous and dark a giant red ballon with a basket. He told me to jump in and leave. It was the only chance out of here. I started to say no but the next thing i knew I woke up on the bottom of the ballon and stood up. I realized that here i was at the top of the world, over green field in this giant red ballon. there was food and drink on the floor, plenty for what looked like weeks. there were also instructions on how to get down and how to get up. For five weeks i flew on this ballon, making stops in the safe cities, making friends and connections. I went all the way around the world on that thing and when i came back to my home the war was over. FIN

1. Saint Partrick was often beaten by Irish thugs.
2. Snakes never had a chance to migrate to Ireland.
3. Patrick tried to convert the people of Ireland to Christianity 
4. The holiday was "invented" largely by Irish Americans
5. Parades started in the Revolutionary War as irish attempted to reconnect with their Irish roots.
6. On Saint Patties day The chicago river is dyed green. 

1. St. Patrick wasnt even Irish. 
2. he became christian after being kidnapped to Ireland
3. He escaped slavery on a pirate ship back to Englad
4. On Saint Patricks day the number of Guiness beer consumed more than doubles
5. 
   

TU tuesday-Crime

Times Union Article
http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/Alleged-gang-member-enters-plea-in-NM-shooting-3404078.php

Research
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang#Motives

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/background-gang-violence




Question: Who is typically more prone to join a gang?
Gangs target and are made up mostly of individuals who live in poor urban communities, as well as obtaining considerable power in the Third World. The shooting reported in the article took place in Bloomfield, I discovered that Bloomfield is an Urban/Suburban community. According to my second research article "Gangs are also proliferating in rural and suburban areas of the country..." Also socio economics can play a role in who joins a gang. "Ethnic solidarity is a common factor in gangs" According to my research black and hispanic gangs became increasingly common during the 60's and 70's.
So to answer my question the most "at risk" people to join a gang would be one living in a poor urban community, and or the third world, who is surrounded by other Gang members.

Creative contest II Blog

A little known face in the stick figure world. Too much dancing can lead to sudden decapitation.

Scruples

You find a wallet containing $300. By the address, you can tell that the owner is wealthy. Do you keep the money?


I would not keep the money, considering i was in a comfortable financial situation. If i found that money i would give it back to the owner. one because its the right thing to do and two, i think it would say a lot to the owner if you gave them back their money. And who knows maybe they would even let you keep the money because you displayed such moral sound and character, or you could put a good name for yourself in with a powerful rich person. But fo the most part its about just doing the right thing. Judge people on what they do, not what they say they will. 

My blog idea

Think of the most perfect day you could possibly have. Think to yourself if i could live the best day that i could live what would i do that day? This day is completely unique to you, so every one will have a different schedule. There are no money limitations, the only limitation is what is physically possible. You can also be anywhere in the world on this day.  Give an outline of the most perfect, awesome and epic day you could possible live. He is an example of one.

On my perfect day i would wake up early, at about 5:30 to get a head start on my day. I would be in New Zealand because that one of the places i have always wanted to go to. In the morning my buddies and I head out to the cliffs to do some bungee jumping, after that we decide to go skydiving over the island, then tone tings down a little bit with some snorkeling around 9. We then settle down for an awesome new Zealand breakfast, i have no idea what they eat there so just bare with me. At 10 we go hiking to the mountains then bike down them. perhaps around lunchtime as we are parasailing we encounter some pirates who try to take all of our money. We then go on to have and old fashioned sword fight with these pirates as the world looks on via mobile device. Afte defeating the pirates and sending them to Davy Jones locker around 2 we go skiing for a couple hours in the mountains, we get done with this around 4, and go into the village to make some friends and enrich our taste buds. By now the sun has started to go down and we are feeling pretty tired. For the remainder of the night we once again hike into the mountains and sleep under the stars.

R=eight people to emulate

Rachel Ray- who doesn't want to be a TV host. I dont necessarily want to cook but being on TV would be pretty awesome.

Mr. Renaud-Hes a cool guy and a very good teacher, he makes learning about history a good time.

Daniel Radcliff- Hes Harry Potter and extremely wealthy, hes got a cool accent and a lot of talent.

Lee Russo-The coolest saxophone teacher in the school/district not to mention a very talented man.

Rick Santourum- I would never in a million years vote for this man but hes got guts.

Al Roker-the funniest weather man on TV. I feel like this guy just loves living and he lets me know whats going on in my neck of the woods.

Ralf Fletcher-I remember reading his books in the 3rd grade and just really liking them.

Rebecca Black- Because who doesn't want to sing badly and become famous for it?

Valintines Day

Should schools allow children to celebrate Valentine's Day in the classroom?

When I hear valintines day the first think I think of is those little chalk hearts with "Love Me" written on them. I hate those. i then continue to think about the boxes of chocolate everybody gets on valintines day. Its a mystery. you smile when you get one but what your really thinking is "which one of these is the one with toothpaste inside?"
Valintines day is great and all but its not like the other holidays. Cupid cant compete with Santa Claus, or the Easter Bunny. The only one below cupid is the toothfairy, and people still like the toothfairy better.
   Anyway back on topic, i really do not care if we have valentines day in school or not. I dont think about it that much to be honist. Yeah its a little gross when couples make out in the halway but they do that all the time. When they make out in the hallway i take it as an opportunity to make things awkawrd. Its a game, just like hunting you walk by these smoochers and say something loud or strange. Totally ruins the mood.
   So yeah when it comes down to the choice i would say i want Valintines day in school. I like watching people fall in love and making it strange. thats all i have to say.

Dreams are lined up against the wall

Dreams are lined up against the wall,
most everyone looks at them,
excited and full of wonder.
They pick and coose the ones that they think are best for them,
they pick which will be the most
possible.
This is what most people do.

 But when i see dreams all lined up against the wall
i look at each, think about each
and try with all the will of me
to follow each

Comic Connection

I know that this comic is a little harsh and even a little shocking but i love it. I close this comic because for years i sat there in my pi's and watched Mr. Rogers and wondered to myself  "What is this guy  hiding?". I mean we all have our secrets but this guy has some serious skeletons in his closet. What does he do on his spare time? Where does he shop? What does he shop for? What are his friends like? Does he gamble? I don't know why, but Mr. Rogers just got under my skin. The gentle way he talked that made the whole world seem so simple and so wonderful. Nothing ever went wrong in Mr. Rogers neighborhood....nothing....or did it? 

Pep talk-tough is my middle name.

This applies to my life because when ever i feel uncomfortable or nervous I try to bring my self back to my element with telling my self that I can handle this easily, Ive had to deal with worse things than this. I then reflect on all the times i have had a hard time and how i overcame it. I remember how good it felt when i was ont the other side of my problem looking back and laughing at it. This is a good way people to overcome their problems because "Tough is my middle name" just says "yeah i'll kick you butt, you got something to say about it?" maybe i'm getting a little excited but thats what i think.

TU tuesday

   "we realized that the light fixture was actually smashed and shattered" =Descriptive language, language used to give the reader a visual of the text.


"I found — no, not a Keurig, like Deb — a full-size arrow"= Voice, the use of unique writing to create a distinct tone and personality of the writing.


"My story, however, quickly un-restores that faith."- Foreshadowing, to give hints or clues to what the writing piece may be about. 


My Very own Christmas Vandalism is Robin Wheeler's story about how she came home to a vandalized home on christmas. "They were all bunched up in one big ball and partly hanging off the shrub" this was the state of her christmas lights, an arrow was found also in their lawn, as Wheeler describes it "Yes, an arrow, as in bow and arrow." I found that this blog contained a lot of voice more than anything. Most blogs do because they are really written for entertainment purposes, or usually they are.

Original Poems lll

THE DACKS
This ancient and untouched ground,
sacred to this population
and the rightful one before it.

Pines who talk
and stones who remember
the lakes who paint

The beating of centuries
sounds in the deep woods
through the ground, and up feet

4 YEAR PARTY
Its the only way to look at it,
every year for many months nothing but
shouting and talking ones mind
in the confines of the rough walls and glossy tiles

Some chose to like it some chose not to
the classic "Time of our lives"
coming out of the warm confused mind
in to the windy world which is there room for room
person for person
ours to do with

Sometime I wonder why
sometimes it gets hard and exhausting like every party,
but from the beginning and to now and further for sure
it still seems like a constant dance
to my music.

THE CHEST ( object poem)
In the attic sitting there by the round window
agains the rough wooden walls
 green and yellow light falling on it through the dust

the creak of the old boards
an old padlock, a new found key,
The hinges wined out of their long held positions

Inside were papers, ancient flowers and images
of a family long past, a family only my grandfather remembers
black and white, the faces I see in myself, my brothers and sisters.

The Chest receives them again, its treasure and
its duty to protect

Original poems II

WOODS
Walking through the woods,
nothing to hear but the soft
whisper of the wind in the valleys

the cold bark of black trees
rough and illuminated
by the moonlight

the crack of ice and the
movement of animals
deep, deep in the dark forest

WORM GUTS
The smell of pond water
and worms, fish and dirt
the sound  of the wind, but not that of the winter,
a warmer and softer wind, which
smelled sweet like the woods.

The pointless throwing of a line
maybe? just curious little
sunfish, but over there
by the spring, under the pine
thats where the bass hide

out on the boats, to the island.
just going along, hoping for something
you knew you would have to through back in the
end, but who cares
it was the summertime.

WHY IN THE NAUTRE
I was walking in the hills
and I asked the thyme why it smelled the way it did
like summer games and picnic sunsets
the thyme all looked at me and
laughed

I was walking through the woods
and asked the Rover tree why is sounded the way it did
dry and loud like cracking bones
the Rover tree looked at me and
laughed

I was walking in the stream
and asked it why it felt the way it did on my feet
like clean mud and warm ice
the stream looked up at me and
laughed

I was walking through the grass
and through the trees
and through the rain
and the thunder
and asked someone why these things are the way they are
and it
told me.

Original poems 1

SPRING TIME
The snows and bitter cold of winter
gave way to the smell of mud and sound of birds,
the hard cold ground
replaced by a living sod

Waking up to darkness
gave way to waking up to a gray horizon
animals were returning from their winter retreats
the quiet of winter was leaving

in the distanse rivers and streams were running again,
off in the distance waterfalls were running just like they used to
winter was dying, spring was on its heels.

AUGUST NIGHTS
There were no limits to these nights
summer nights, surrounded by lights
eager to see faces and hear voices that you haven't seen for months
the sound of rides, voices a sea of voices

leaves of trees, screams of joy, laughing
no problems here just you feeling at the top of the world always watching
cotton candy, caramel apples, pizza.
friends

the walk to the sleepover house
a dewy ground, lamp lights reflected off the pavement
of these quiet streets
with the shadow of leaves dancing on the summer ground.

WHERE I AM FROM
I am from the wooden blocks, from the oreo cookies
I am from the dirt on the fishing worms
I am from the massive oaks, the thyme on the hiding hill
I am from the clam bake and broad shoulders, from Nanet too and Jack of course, and also Paul.

I am from the quick to temper and the "do you know who I am?"
From "Eat your crust damnit." and "What ever you want to do with your life."
I'm from silent and holy nights
I'm from the Italian Iowans. Beans and church basement food

From Uncle West and the rattle snakes,
From The arrowhead adventures
and the water skiing boys

I am from the upstairs closet, the drawer in The Godfathers Desk
The Artifact box in he basement, and the green field that cannot be forgotten.
All streaked with dusty sunlight.
all of us burdened to thicken their brims

Vocabulary On My Mind

The obsolete and trivial boy soon became intractable to his elders who were banal. His typical languor soon turned into a swagger and his raucous looks soon became grandiloquent. His shy nature became convivial. All his adversaries soon became submissive to him because of his ominous vibe. He mitigated his fear and replaced it with an avid atmosphere. Austere teachers were skeptics but were petty to his problems. His sly nature allowed him to thrive on the work of others. And while some might call him a narcissist but he knew they were obtuse.

“What I Need to Know about WRITING AND WRITERS to Become a Better Writer”.

The one thing that i noticed from our presenters and their writing is that all of them, some more to the extent than others seem to follow their passions in their writing. they all seemed to mention the fact that one must write about what one wants to write about. I think that they are all right about this. Life is too short to be focusing on something you don't want to do. If i was going to write a good story i would write it on something that I enjoy writing about. So my question is "why do people write" is it their passions? I want to do my project on this because too many times have I been writing for a school  project and thought to myself "I hate this so much." Other times I free write and feel like my writing can take my mind anywhere. Any memory can be revisited and any dream elaborated on.

The speaker today was interesting. She stressed writing about you passions and writing about things that you liked. She kept my attention for most of the presentation, and I think most of the class as well based off the amount of question asked. 1/17 weaker (***)

Guest speaker four: Robyn Ringler

The first thing I noticed when I read my first essay was that it was easy to read. I did not feel board or uninterested. Each essay flowed nicely, all were loaded with detail which gave the piece voice and character. My favorite essay was "High Dive". Ringler said in "My artistic journey with HIGH DIVE" that she read this to a group of people and nearly broke down. She nearly broke down because her father died in a car crash. I happened to read "HIGH DIVE" After I read "My Artistic Journey with HIGH DIVE." Me knowing that her father died untimely and then reading an affectionate essay about her father added some weight to the piece. After reading the biography and reading "HIGH DIVE." I would say not knowing ringlet as a person i would guess that she is a driven individual. At the end of "HIGH DIVE" she says "This had been my first high dive, but it was not going to be my last." connecting that to the things she has done i life according to the biography like taking care of Regan after he was shot in 1981, she is published in the Times Union and New York Times and not to mention she opened her own book store. 


Our art speaker was interesting. We only had him for about 55 minutes but I thought he was a valuable speaker. a little depressing at times but a good speaker and he provided helpful tips on writing. 1/12 speaker (****)

round THREE=Stephen Leslie

When  I first saw the Haibun I thought that it was the little paragraph at the very end. I soon realized it wasn't and read through it. When i got to the end I didn't think that it was very good. It didn't sound like poetry to me. Then I went back and read it slowly, paying attention to the breaks and pauses, the punctuation and the lack of punctuation and I felt a rythm. What I noticed most was the way that the lines cut off, like this
"...speaking only when
necessary..."
It ads pauses and rests like in music, those are the things we hear and feel in poetry. i also liked the description he used. The best example of this I found was "....Cold black Granite walls..." I thought this a perfect  of what the vietnam memorial was like (I've been there). It makes them ominous and describes them physically.

We watch as the clouds unfold in the summer sky, rolling and unrolling
by an invisable wind. As we stand there I realize that I have nothing to remember
or to be troubled with. I remember none of my problems. Every day now was a
Never ending guessing game of "Whats Next?" We had no plans
because thats the way we liked it. This was not the earth we knew this was
an earth of our own making, our own crafting and it was in every sense compltely perfect and
green and free.

We have nothing to worry about. No problems to cloud our minds just the
air and grass and the never ending daydream that is our reality.

Adventures now
untold and unlimited
This won't end.

I thought that our speaker today was great. She kept the class interested and engaged very well. Her stories were very interesting. The whole time she was talking I thought to myself "Wow, I want to do something like this when I grow up." She certainly had a bunch of stories to tell and a load of advice to give. Not only about writing but also about her travels. She made me feel that getting to know what you want to write about is just as important as being a good writer. Those two things go hand in hand. I really enjoyed hearing Dr. Smith talk about her travels and give advice. This advice i could connect with because I do plan to travel my whole life, much in the way that she does. And could you imagine getting paid to do that? 1/10 speaker=*****

Blog: Deb Smith

For my Deb Smith article I read Tales of the Beach. In this essay Smith descripes her excursion to the Beaches of Spain with her son Connor. She describes the scenery and the cusine as well as the weather and attractions. Such views as "...that marble paved costal bluff with a stunning ocean view..." made me want to see them with my own eyes and created an image in my minds eye of locations I have seen on T.V. Places that I wish to go myself one day. When smith wrote "I discovered horchata, an almond-milk drink and brought velvet-smooth melocontones (peaches) from the market..." she made me want to go there and try those foods.


For my adio portion of the homework I listened to Smith talk about her dentist expereinses in "Revenge of the Tooth Fairy." From my experience with such authors as David Sedaris who often reads his work out loud, i figure that reading out loud can be really good, or really bad. A good reader is calm and collected, you do not hear them breath nervously and they go at a steady rythem that isn't monotone. A bad reader is just the opposite. Smith was a very good reader. She was calm and her voice had character. It gives the piece more voice obviously, but it also gives it more attitude. When She said stuff like "Several times I was so gone on the gas I thought I'd see god." she puts in a certain speed and voice into it that makes it funny. Unless your her reading the piace you wouldn't read it like that, and it wouldn't be as funny. Sometimes its about how you say something not what you say.

#1. What part about writing do you enjoy the most?
#2. Do you write about your son a lot?

The speaker from last class, Mrs. Broderick, set a entertaining first impression. She was upbeat and didn't seem like any other speaker i had ever seen. I didn't see though how she was going to talk for 85 minutes without me falling asleep. Who could? But she succsessfully managed to hold an interesting conversation the whole time about her work and her passions. I found the way she wrote interesting. Her methods and style was unusual but effective. 1/6 speaker=***1/2

Round one=Therese Brodreick

From the Three poem I read from Brodreick, "Moon of the Marble rye", "Moon of the concord brothers" and "Moon of the spice route" and the interview i read about her i learned about het style and form of writing. In all of her poems I feel that she does not give the reader an obvious insight into what she is talking about. I realize that most poets and poems are not obvious, they all tent to have some sort of symbolism and they tend not to tell you what they are describing, they just describe it. But some poems are more easily understood than others and i feel like the poems that she writes are most mysterious and connect to situations unique to her life rather that a general description of what happens in the lives of most of us. For example, in the poem "Moon of the Concord Brothers" she writes "...Two brothers harmonized keyboard-with-guitar sound..." The mention of the specific instruments and brothers leads me to think that she actually had real life connections with these people. Me beliefs were confirmed in the dedication when i read "For ben and josh my musical nephews." take that.
                  Also I picked up on the way that Brodreick uses lists in her poems. In "Moon of the Marble Rye" she writes "...Mile, rye, dilll seed, flour, oil ,yeast..." this is a list in one of her poems and it adds a certain rhythm and beat to the poem. Another example of this is in her poem "Moon of the spice Route" When she writes "...cinnamon bark. cardamon choir, wan clarinets..." when I read these lists I realize that other than rhythm they also create a visual in ones mind.

Question #1. Why do you write?
Question #2. What do you think is important for young writers to understand about writing?