It was easy

The best way to describe the difference between now and at the beginning of IB can be summarized by this statement:

It was easy.

Not to minimize the stressful things I had going on in my life during sophomore year and before, but I had never faced any big challenges that needed to be overcome or felt as if I experienced many hardships. 

I was... pretty close with my family, and dependent on them. This is a picture from my spring break sophomore year to act as a visual. I felt as if I could come to my parents if I had problems, I could relate to Mia and Parker (my siblings) and overall I was happy when I went home at the end of the day. 

Sadly this has changed a little for me since then. Over the past two years, I have had opportunities of fierce independence and developments in myself in such a way that I feel like I have hit my maximum development I can under my parent's wing. I have gained a sense of capability, from being able to run errands by myself to knowing my limits without needing someone to tell me (like not needing my parents to manage my candy intake anymore). I have grown and gained maturity and a strong sense of self over the past two years, and I no longer feel as if I fit in at home, which is a very hard thing to face moving on. Now, things are hard at home as I seem to constantly feel smothered by my parents.

I was... unsure of my identity and what I was passionate about. This picture from 8th grade is a pretty hilarious example of three of my sides. I often found myself acting certain ways around certain people, trying to please them, making things easier for me. I would avoid voicing my opinion on subjects when my opinion was unpopular, and avoid confrontation at all costs.
Certain areas in which I have a passion for now have been formed over the past few years. Two examples are my passion for promoting females in sports and in the STEM field. In middle school and into the beginning of high school, I had not hit the stage at which my love for those two things (sports and STEM) were very limited by my gender. I also know that the obstacles I have faced over the past few years are only the tip of the iceberg relative to the rest of my life. Yet, I am now more fervent in my beliefs and passions, which means I am no longer afraid to hide my opinions. This makes it harder for me to get along with people in general.

I was... good at school and it came easy for me. Enjoy this picture from my sophomore year volleyball banquet of us standing in front of some books and let it act as a valid form of visual evidence for my point.  Okay so gimme a second to explain myself because of course school was easier sophomore year and of course over the past two years school was hard. During this time I had rough times in class, but overall it was never a lack of understanding in the material. I didn't have to study much (if ever), I could easily bring myself to get my work done and do it well, and I had no problems with balancing all the things I was doing (sports after school everyday, club team practices, school clubs, spending time with my family and friends) and maintaining my sanity and grades.
Over the past two years that story has changed. IB has pushed my limits academically. I have shed many tears over stress from school, lost hours of sleep, and had times when I had no clue what was going on in class. I would argue that this isn't directly correlated with only my intelligence, but also with aspects such as time management and mental health. On all fronts, these things have gotten harder for me when it comes to success in school.
 

I have so much more to say that I can't fit in this blog post and some that I probably shouldn't include. Here's some more things that come to mind that fit the idea of that time being easier: 

I was... making non life changing decisions 

I was... more stable in my friendships 

I was... less stressed

I was... given less responsibilities 

I was... so excited and looking forward to being a graduating senior. 

Now being in that position, I am so excited and looking forward to the next step in my life.

Reflecting on what I wrote and how that represents my growth over the past few years I feel a certain message emerges. Yes, the future is exciting, but so many good things are going on around you at any given moment. All of these things I pointed in this post I took for granted at the time. It is important to take time to realize all the things you have going for you right now in your life. 

Also it points to the idea that life only gets harder as you grow up, but those hardships are not without their importance and value in your life.  I'm sure I could write this same thing in two years, if not in the next six months as I transition to college. Things may be getting harder, but it'll be worth it. 

What Whittman Wrote (and why)

(disclaimer: I'm not 100% sure this is how you want us to format this but I tried)

My original impressions without looking at the notes:
 My first thought is that his handwriting is SO HARD to read. In addition, trying to read it without looking at the notes is really hard. Moving past that, it is super interesting to get this inside glance into Walt's mind. This notebook seemed to be for literally anything, from the addresses of people to little doodles. Structurally it reveals a lot about Whitman. His minds wanders from thought to thought, crossing out words and phrases as he goes. Yet he still has a vague focus for each section of the notebook, as all the drawings are confined to one space rather than being spread out. Something else I noticed is that he seemed to vary the direction on which he wrote on the page. It might have just been the way the pictures were taken, but it seemed as if sometimes he wrote horizontal and sometimes he wrote vertical. That seems super weird to me, and it gives me the sense that he knew whether he was going to be writing longer sentences (horizontal) or shorter sentences (vertical). This seemed to be a place for him to work out his ideas, evident through the fact that some of his words and phrases are marked through. He toys with ideas such as the metaphor of a ship representing different things, the idea of religion, and others that appear in his published writing.

After reading the notes and having my mind blown with all the info they got from this:
He is for sure toying with his ideas in this notebook, from multiple titles for a never created brochure to poetry about Lincoln. This notebook reveals the extent to which Whitman's poetry and mindset was influence by the political state of the united states. In particular it reveals how invested he was in Lincoln and how much he wished to share with the president elect at the time. In addition, the theme of democracy, which is very present in his published poems, are also very prevalent in this notebook. It is seen through his questions of how Lincoln will do in office and his other political statements. Also, let me just say that I'm a little annoyed they skipped around pages and put them in a different order maybe because I don't like that someone who is not Walt decided what I see of his notebook and in what order. Also that causes some of my first observations to be not valid anymore, like ordering all the drawings together. Also, I am confused by the idea that he didn't draw those doodles himself. I mean, I don't hand people my personal journal to draw portraits of myself, but I guess it speaks to the kind of guy he his, one who likes to look at himself. I mean I have my friends take selfies for me so I can see the similarities to that and the drawings in his notebook. From his notebook and what that website told me about his notebook, I feel as if Walt was a guy who was confident in his opinions and reflective of the world around him, especially the political world.

The American Dream?

(I know this meme doesn't directly correlate but I enjoyed it nonetheless)

What is the American Dream? Google defines it as "the ideal that every US citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, and initiative." and I'd have to agree to some extent. To me, the American Dream is something that exists due to the hope it fosters, not the reality of the situation. Though some people do succeed, a multitude more spend their lives working hard due to their hope with little to no success. That hope creates a more motivated and willing workforce in the United States. I'm not saying that whoever fostered the idea of the American Dream did it in order to create an inspired workforce in the United States, but I think that's what it did. The American dream is something that dangles over the head of the great percentage of people, but like a carrot dangled in front of a horse, it encourages them to work for it. In many ways, I think the American Dream has contributed to our very success driven society that we see today. From that point of view, I would describe the American Dream as it describes itself: a dream. It is unrealistic mostly due to idea of equal opportunity and how it depends on the idea of a happy ending. I don't think it's a bad thing, I think any amount of hope for a group of people is positive and will have a positive influence on that group of people. The American Dream is an unattainable ideal, yet instills positive values in our culture.

To me, wealth correlates with the idea of having a lot of something. Most often, when I think of wealth I think of monetary wealth, but I also believe wealth can be found in multiple different forms. One example is the idea of wealth in possessing a large amount of knowledge and wisdom. Honestly though, a huge aspect of wealth is the idea of possessing a large sum of money and material things. I would define wealth as a chain reaction of having a lot; having a lot of money leads to having a lot of things which leads to having a lot of friends which leads to having a lot of influence and the chain of what wealth provides goes on.  

Americans generalize wealth as an indicator of success and poverty as an indicator of failure. Wealthy people are worshipped. They are on the cover of magazines, they host reality TV shows, and they become president; they seem to have the admiration and friendship of everyone around them.  On the other end of the spectrum, people in poverty are blamed for their poverty. A common example is drug addicts and alcoholics who are also in poverty. Our culture looks down on them, deems that it was the individuals fault for letting their addiction control their lives, if they had made different decisions they would not be in poverty. The appeal of wealth, mostly of the monetary kind, and the fear of poverty, is what drives many Americans to get out of bed in the morning and go to work. Most Americans fall somewhere on the scale in-between wealth and poverty, never being truly in either end. I think leads to a general attitude from Americans of striving for wealth but avoiding poverty.

Whether this is a bad thing or a good thing, my attitude towards wealth and poverty aligns with the average American I described above. I avoid poverty, whether it is my own personal poverty or people who are experiencing it, and I run towards wealth in a similar manner. I strive for wealth, and it maybe is the reason I work so hard now. I say this because the culture of everyone around me echoes the idea that I need to work hard to get into an impressive college to get a high paying job, hence equating to wealth when I'm older. Something has caused me to buy into this idea. Despite my doubts in the viability of the American Dream, I do have my own version of it. I'll know where I'm going to college by the time I have to write another blog post (the national last day to tell students they got in is April 1st). In that sense, one step of my drive towards wealth and my American Dream will be fulfilled. My American Dream is also built off the idea of hard work, and that I can achieve wealth if I maintain a strong work ethic in school then my future career.  I think my attitude corresponds with the generalized American view towards wealth and poverty due to the environment I was raised in, and how I was constantly taught to strive for wealth.

FREEBIE

IOC practice

I shared my video with you because it was too big to post on here!!

Below is my passage and annotations I made

SELF GRADING:

Criterion A: 6- So I felt like I had a solid understanding of the text and offered strong textual examples, except I was not too great at the historical connection part or remembering when Macbeth became thane of glams or thane of cawdor and idk which was when but overall everything was strong.

Criterion B: 7- I felt as if I explored the literary devices well, I might not have address the affect on the reader as much as I should have.

Criterion C: 3- my structure was there but I had stray pieces of information that I threw in there that had no home, making it a little disorganized at times.

Criterion D: 3- I might have been a tad too causal in my tone and language and I needed to enhance my vocabulary used. I think now that I understand what it's like to have to talk for the ten minutes and what I need to talk about for those ten minutes I could talk in a more coherent and intelligent way next time.

total score: 19- not bad but could be a whole lot better

unCOVERing the truth

When examining all four covers, the largest similarity is the text present on the page. It is interesting to note which covers prioritize the author's name, evident by the size of the text and the location on the page. For example, one cover (with the internal organs outlined in wire) has Kazuo Ishiguro's name in relatively small text at the bottom, yet centrally located. This is very different from the cover with the yellow background, as it highlights the author's name, by making it the largest text on the page and placing it in the center of the cover. Text that is also present is the title, which varies greatly on every cover. Also, three out of the four covers have some sort of quote of praise on it. This probably is utilized to influence people to buy the book. In addition, these quotes come from accredited institutions, using ethos to further influence a potential reader.
 Visually, these covers have some similarities but mostly differences. Two of the covers showcase a girl, though one is a real picture and one appears to be painted. One of the other covers displays an empty landscape, of a dock on the water during either the unset or sunrise. The most different of the covers, my personal favorite, i the cover of a human body and organs outlined in barbed wire. It has cooler colors than the other covers, and a more intense mood.

The two covers I selected for further analysis are:
                                

When I first saw the cover of the book with the girl on it, it seemed to be a young girl playing or running, due to the blurriness. For me, this reflected a happy mood, Upon seeing the other book cover, I felt creeped out yet intrigued. If I had no knowledge of the book I would have no idea what that cover was representing. Now that I have read   bout half of the novel, this cover has a very deep meaning. First off, it shows wires outlining the human organs, which they take from children raised for this purpose. Secondly, barbed wire traces the outline of the body, as if to represent trying to keep someone out. The other cover has less of a direct correlation with the novel. Before reading the novel I might have thought it was about some girl falling in love, due to a combination of the image of the girl, the warm colors, the movement and the title.   Now I see vaguely how it relates. The story features a girl, running from her fate, or at least afraid of it. The cover could be interpreted as Kathy H. running from her organ donation, and it seems as if she is running away from the person looking at the cover. In this case, the POV could be from her society, her future, or a specific person, such as Madame. In the other cover, we could be looking from the POV of whoever came up with the idea to use clones as a source of organs. This is due to the fact that they see this person's body as purely organs inside a skin they have to somehow get through (barbed wire). The person displayed represents any of the clones, as they are seen as only organs to most people. This cover hits on one of the main themes of the book, such as the morality of taking organs from these clones. (I just realized I've been writing under the assumption that they are clones, though that's just an educated guess) This reflects on the society as valuing clones as less than people, due to the value of their organs being more important than the individual clone. The other cover could represent how they brainwash the clones into accepting their fate, and that leads them into a world of confusion when it comes to what is actually going to happen to them and why. The girl running through just a yellow background is a symbol of the confusion thee kids face. It would appear these two books were made by completely different people. The "feel" of them are different to me. The yellow background is very bright, though possibly frantic, also potential playful. It seems to be the cover of a wistful and emotional yet ultimately happy novel. The other cover as a very dark and twisted feel to it, due to the eerie feeling one gets when looking at a human with only the organs outlined, Also the colors and font work together to continue the really creepy feeling of the cover. For these reasons I feel these different cover would attract different readers, readers who like to read novels with the qualities I spoke of.
Don't judge a book by it's cover? More like analyze a book by it's cover.

Sound as an instrument of storytelling

https://www.ted.com/talks/tasos_frantzolas_everything_you_hear_on_film_is_a_lie

In this talk, the speaker makes the point that sound is a beautiful yet deceiving lie, and in that there is power. His talk pertains specifically to film, and throughout his talk he demonstrates multiple examples. His message is understood within the first three minutes, everything you hear in film is not that actual noise, such as a punch really being the audio of sticking a knife in vegetables. Another tool used to prove his point his talking about the technique of reverberation. During this he demonstrates to the audience how a sound changes in different sized areas and how a sound designer can manipulate their sounds to fit that expectation. Another powerful tool he addresses is silence, and then goes on to explain the inaccuracy of that term. He stresses how there is sound in any space, and that is reflected in films with ambient sound. In addition he talks about how sounds that seemingly would occur naturally are often linked in our minds with certain situations, such as the sound of glass breaking indicating the end of a relationship. Finally he describes the power of off screen sounds, in which the audience does not see the object/situation making the sound but only hears it. To prove the power of this point he played a video of a close up of a baby moving around, with multiple different sounds each time he replayed it. It went from the baby to appearing to be playing with a toy to the baby seeming to be playing ping pong. Overall he teaches the audience about multiple tools utilized in the film industry that are used to make sound.

To understand this TED talk it is important to analyze the speaker and what he utilizes to achieve his purpose. One important area to consider is how the speaker establishes ethos in his talk. He is best known as the founder of Soundsnap.com, a sound effects and music library and this appears to be the reason he is given this talk. Viewing it from an online standpoint created a lack of ethos in this way as he did not explicitly say this in his talk. I had to read his biography on a different page in order to find out this information, where as it can be assumed that the audience had received some sort of introduction to his background. Also in his talk he causally mentions "our library" which confused me due to my lack of knowledge at that point about his background. After acknowledging that problem, his ethos is strong. He proves this in his talk in subtle ways, such as having vast knowledge about the topic. This knowledge is proved throughout the talk, such as when he addressed the importance of reverberation in films and then played an example for the audience. Logos also has a strong presence in his talk. As previously discussed, he uses multiple examples to back up the claims he makes. This allows an avenue for people who are very unfamiliar with film to agree with him through his example choices. Also the frequency of evidence, being after every point he makes, allows for further establishment of ethos in his talk. To me, the strongest point of ethos he makes is towards the end when he addressed the power of off-screen sounds. After making his point, he went on the demonstrate eight examples and proving to the audience the statement he had made. Ethos does not make a strong appearance in this talk, as the subject matter would be weakened. Ethos does appear in his examples, using the sound to influence the audiences emotions, yet that is utilized only to further expand on his use of logos.

I first clicked on this TED talk because it was centered around film, one of my favorite classes (along with English of course). We had actually recently filmed a movie and just started post production, which included sound production (shout out to Rosie, our sound designer). In addition, I had a small amount of prior knowledge on the topic, so I figured it would be interesting to watch. As I watched and listened, a theme relating to topics we have discussed in class arose. The idea that things are not as they seem, moreover the idea that someone is putting on a façade. In the talk, it pertained to how sounds in films are deceiving, more often than not being a straight up lie. This also can be a connection to sense perception, and how senses can be easily tricked or persuaded with the right tools. This idea has been present in class through the concept of the duality of humans, and the maintaining of reputation. Often people put forth a lie about themselves in order to achieve a certain purpose or reputation.