Blogging hasn't been as bad as I expected. I surprisingly liked writing some of the blogs. My favorite blog was probably the letter to Ms. Wolff because it was the easiest to write and I want to help her to be "in the know." My least favorite blog was most definitely the one where we made our own ending for Edgar Allan Poe's story. I am left-brained and cannot create a story to save my life! Some blogs I put effort into when I enjoyed the topic, but many I just did the minimum. I think blogging was a learning experience because it expanded my knowledge on specific topics. I learned that I cannot write a story, different people's perspectives on controversial subjects, and that writing helps me feel better when dealing with stress. My top three stories were The Black Veil, The Yellow Wallpaper, and The Scarlet Letter.

Dear Mrs. Wolff:
 Welcome to Rockford Lutheran! I absolutely love going to school here and I am sure you will love teaching here as well! Some things that you should know about juniors are that 1) we are more immature than you think (especially the boys) 2) we don't just like to sit at our desks and discuss poetry, stories, etc. and 3) when talking about time, for example, don't say "You have until 12:35 to finish this assignment," instead use "Lutheran Time" and tell us "You have until the seven to finish this assignment." Therefore there will be no confusion on what you are trying to tell us. :) Now for some helpful advice when it comes to English class: When we read "Civil Disobedience" and other stories about civil rights, we watched part of the movie The Help.  I thought this movie was not only interesting but also very educational and helped me get a feel for what was going on during that era. However, we did not get to finish the movie in class, which is always a bummer. So if you do choose to let your students watch The Help, you should let them watch the whole thing instead of just a little bit of it. Another fun thing Ms. Williams does is the frog hopping contest. One of her students made a bunch of orgami frogs one year so when we read The Notorious Jumping Frog we had a contest and the winner got extra credit points. My favorite activity we have done this year was definitely The Great Gatsby day. Ms. Williams decorated the room so it was like a speakeasy and served fruit, juice, and cookies. Then we had two students teach us how to swing dance which was so much fun! If you choose to read The Great Gatsby  with your students, you NEED to have The Great Gatsby Day! :) I hope my suggestions helped! Good luck next year and I'm excited to see you in the hallways.

Alexa Piske

: The Prisoner's Song- Vernon Dalhart
       -This song reminds me of Myrtle because she feels like a prisoner because she is not married to a
        wealthy man, therefore she wants out of her marriage.
: Down Hearted Blues- Bessie Smith
       - This song makes me think of Mr. Wilson after his wife died. He was sad and felt betrayed
         and eventually ended up committing suicide he was so down-hearted.

: I've Found A New Baby- Ted Lewis & Ethel Walters
       - This song I think should be the theme song for The Great Gatsby because of Gatsby & Daisy' 
         affair and Tom & Myrtle's affair.

: Somebody Stole My Gal- Ted Weems
       - This song reminds me of Gatsby's feelings toward Tom. He and Daisy had been in love way
         before Tom was even in the picture and Gatsby wanted Daisy to be all his.

Mark Twain Quote

"It's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog."

        

I really like this quote because I believe it to be completely true.

It isn't how tough a person acts, but how tough he or she truly is.

For example, my mom, sister, and I didn't think we would be

strong and be able to endure such pain. However, we have proved

ourselves wrong. Yes, there are awful days when you just want to

sit in a corner and disappear, but overall I think we have done pretty

well with the tragedy placed before us. Another example that I think

about when I read this quote is when someone has cancer. You always

here about young children fighting and beating cancer. While I forty year

old man dies of it. Again it is not what you look like you can handle, it

is what you put your mind to that determines what you can handle.

The Vow

A movie I have enjoyed recently was The Vow. I am hopeless romantic and seeing a guy loving his wife so much in order to win her love back was so cute! It also helped that Channing Tatum was the main character. He is not that great of an actor, but his looks definitely make up for it. Rachel McAdams is also one of my favorite actresses. She not only is beautiful but she seems like a truly content and loving person. Plus she is an amazing actress. This movie was such a chick flick. Another reason I loved this movie was because The Vow was based on a true story, and those always seem to turn out to be better movies, rather than the chick flicks screenwriters make up. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It kept me on the edge of my seat and was perfect for a hopeless romantic like myself.

Clyde Kennard

Clyde Kennard was a Civil Rights pioneer and martyr. He attempted to enroll at Mississippi Southern College to complete his undergraduate degree he had started at University of Chicago. After many failed attempts to get into Mississippi Southern College, Kennard published a letter about integrated segregation. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission planned to have him arrested on false charges. He was convicted and sent to seven years at Parchman Penitentiary. Even though he had terminal cancer, the governor refused to release him from prison. However, he was released in January of 1963. Ten days later he died. This story kind of reminds me of the story of Malcolm X because Malcolm X died for what he believed in. Though Clyde Kennard’s cause of death was not a consequence of his beliefs he still spent the last years of his life standing up for what he believed in through being imprisoned.

Harlem

Florence Mills was a famous Harlem singer, and dancer. She was a lead player in "Shuffle Along" She then starred in "Blackbirds" at the Alhambra Theatre in Harlem. The Alhambra Theatre served only whites but had black people perform there. This is an example of what Bessie and Sadie were talking about when they said how outrageous they thought it was that blacks could be the entertainment but they could not be a guest a most of Harlems clubs and restaurants.

Having My Say

Though I have strong opinions about different controversial topics, something I feel very strong about at this point in time is when people make situations about themselves. This past weekend Brenda and Thalia passed away in a car accident. Ever since then people have been going all out to celebrate the lives of these two girls, which is absolutely wonderful. However, sometimes I feel that people are doing these things for the wrong reason to get attention. There have been numerous things that have bothered me this past week. On Monday during the prayer assembly we held at Lutheran, I saw a group of girls taking pictures of what they were wearing while we were praying and discussing what happened. I was appalled because they were wearing those clothes to honor Thalia and Brenda and not to just look cute, plus taking pictures during a prayer assembly is so disrespectful in any circumstance. Another thing that really bothered me was at the visitation there were many inappropriate things going on while we waited in line to pay our respects. I saw a couple making out, teenagers rolling around on the ground, someone throwing their McDonalds bag in the middle of the floor, and heard a plethora of swear words while walking through the visitation itself. I guess what I am trying to say is that I think people are forgetting how to be respectful especially in circumstances like this.

Expressions in Art



This painting shows the pain and suffering of an African American while dealing with not only slavery but being free yet still dealing with hardships such as the Ku Klux Klan. When I look at this picture it really upsets me because the artist potrayed the sadness this African American had very well. It also shows how much damage the Ku Klux Klan did to the African American race beacause the painter put it equal to slavery through depicting it into the other eye. This painting is extremely powerful and just makes you feel the sadness the African Americans had during this time.

Connections from Whitman

As I read this poem two things really stood out to me. The first line that stood out was “And the first object he look'd upon, that object he became.” When I was little I would always look up to my sister. If she was putting on makeup I would watch her and once she left the bathroom I would start putting some makeup on myself because I wanted to be beautiful like her. I remember one time she had this really awesome teal nail polish and I wanted her to paint my nails but she wouldn’t. So when she left to go hang out with friends I decided to paint my nails myself. Of course being six years old I wasn’t the most coordinated person and I ended up spilling the nail polish everywhere. I got in big trouble with my mom and Olivia was not happy with me to say the least.

The second like that also stood out was “His own parents, he that had father'd him and she that had conceiv'd him in her womb and birthed him; They gave this child more of themselves than that.” This line reminds me of how much of a mix I am of my mom and dad. I have my mom’s cleanliness and impatience. However, I also have my dad’s hardworking and positive attitude. Therefore my parents gave me attributes that are part of themselves.

Emily Dickinson Poem and Analysis

WITHIN A FLOWER.

I hide myself within my flower,
That wearing on your breast,
You, unsuspecting, wear me too --
And angels know the rest.

I hide myself within my flower,
That, fading from your vase,
You, unsuspecting, feel for me
Almost a loneliness.

I think the author is feeling insecure when she says “I hide myself within my flower” Maybe the flower that she is in is affecting her relationship with someone she cares about because she mentions “fading from your vase.” A vase gives protection and water a.k.a life to a flower, which she obviously relates to. So maybe she thinks she is not cherished or loved by this person anymore because of something she has done. In the last couple lines I think she is asking for sympathy and forgiveness from this loved one.

I

Something Good

Something good that has happened in the past few days was the Rockford Lutheran Book Drive for Andy's Books. We collected a total of 1,365 books. It was so amazing to see all of the students come together and collect all of the books. I was floored by the generosity of all who brought books. It was absolutely amazing!
One way I handle something positively that is not so good is with quotes and bible verses. When my dad passed away one of my best friends gave me a necklace that said "All of the strength you need is what inside of you." It is my favorite quote when I am feeling down. I wear it everyday.

The Truth About Nature

As a kid I used to go to my family’s lot (which is now where our house stands) with my dad and my grandpa. While they cut down trees and cleared a spot for our house to go, I would play in the woods. I would catch toads, collect bugs, and jump in the leave piles my dad would make. One day I was running back to the car to get my sack lunch I had packed for myself and I came face to face with this doe. I literally was less than two feet away from it. As I looked into its eyes, I could not only see but feel the fear it had. After a couple of minutes of staring deeply into this deer’s eyes, I ran away to go find my dad and tell him what had just happened.

       Nothing really happened as a result of this connection except whenever I see a deer I think of that moment when I stared into that deer’s eyes and how much fun I used to have with my dad and grandpa. Now whenever I see I deer I send a prayer up to heaven to tell my dad I miss him and love him.

P.S.: I am sorry Ms. Williams for all the blogs having to do with my dad. It’s just something that is constantly on my mind and it really helps just writing about him. I hope you don’t mind.

Team Hawthorne or Team Poe?

I have to say I am a bigger fan of Nathaniel Hawthorne because his stories are easier to understand than Edgar Allan Poe's. Hawthorne's symbolism is easier to find and understand whereas Poe's symbolism is very complex and hidden. I think that Hawthorne's stories have more interesting storylines than Poe's. Plus, Edgar Allan Poe's stories are much more dark and dreary than those of Hawthorne, and I am not a dark and dreary person. Bottomline, I believe that Nathaniel Hawthorne is a much better author than Edgar Allan Poe.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

1804-1864