More Presentation notes

Karen: Media Influence on our Ideas:

-Social media controls advertisements making girls self-conscious

-%80 of woman are insecure

-Big effect on people

-Negative effects

-Eating disorders lead to depression

-Low self esteem has negative effects

-1 in 4 7 year old girls think they're fat

-Parent's behavior also affects this

-%50 of women are dieting right now

-Obesity has increased

-Diet industry making us fat

Essay

                                                                                                                                     

Hogan 1

Satchel Hogan

Dr. Preston

American Literature

May 31, 2017

My Bildungsroman

  Throughout this school year, I've worked Hard to be treated as a colleague(a key focus of Open Source Learning) and not just a pupil. Whether it was going the extra mile on my blog or Participating in Socratic seminars, I honored the privilege to be in this class. In regards to my peers' evaluation, not all of them were honoring this privilege; I took notice of their constant chatter, how they distracted me from my work, or just plain pissing you off. In my opinion, these individuals that did not honor this gift should not deserve to be treated as colleagues. Even though our time is running short, I plan to continue to honor this course even after I have moved on.

  Some novels I felt especially connected to was Fahrenheit 451(Published by Ray Bradbury in October 1953) because I felt as though I was Montag and the Mechanical hound was like Social Peer Pressure to conform into society, Young Goodman Brown(A short story published in 1835) because like the main Character, I misinterpret situations and blow things out of proportion, and Ralph-Waldo Emerson's "On Self Reliance(A great story to live by)", as the quote "Ne Te Quaesiveris Extra" empowers me to be Self Reliant.

  The Burning desire to learn never left me, and it empowered me throughout this entire school year to be curious and try new things, to be determined and to learn from my mistakes. It will make me continue to study my masterpiece topic, "Upgrading Education", and to try and make school a more approachable concept to children and teens, and to Follow in the footsteps of my unofficial Mentor, Dr. Preston.

   One piece of literature we read this year that didn't necessarily make me laugh but more cringe in pain was Fahrenheit 451, where the Hound's needle pierced Montag's leg and his knee was shattered by an automobile traveling at 75 MPH. Looking back at it now, I can laugh because it was a great scene for sensory imagery, but it still makes me shutter.

   A Unifying theme I noticed was how self-revolving all of the Big Questions were, like Jason's steps to resell sneakers, Jaime's recipe for lasagna(I wasn't feeling well that morning so I turned down a piece), Isaiah's makeup tutorial, how Jay wants to become a mechanic, and Jocelyn's reasons for free tuition. There's nothing wrong with any of this, I just find it interesting that only a hand full of people-including myself-chose topics addressed to a wider audience. Was it the same in other classes?

   Am I a Hero? Not in the slightest. I didn't save the class from a boring, traditional test, nor did I take the role of unofficial leader of the class like I've done on several occasions(story about that later just ask it'll cure your insomnia). Sure, I answered the call of Adventure and helped a few people out here and there, but I did nothing even noteworthy of being a hero. I took on a new form of learning head on because I was used to a similar method, rolled with the punches, and found my "unofficial" Mentor, you, Dr. Preston. And did I come back enlightened? I sure as hell did!

Big Questions- Notes

Eilene- Ballet Folklorico:

-Traditional Mexican Dance

-Jalisco dances always thought of

-Many more

-Some about Trains or Revenge(I like the one about trains)

-Playing Hard to get

-Many rituals

-Every state or region has  a different type of dance



Emigdia- Tearing down Barriers:

-Want to take this way of learning to mexico

-Created by Dr. Preston

-Teacher in Mexico did something similar

-Juarez Correa

-Communication was key

-Gave tablets to kids in India

-Used internet to learn



Chris- How to do a Shadow Fade:

-Cuts hair

-Video still rendering

-Refreshing page doesn't help

-Show half of a haircut

-Time lapse

-Starting cutting hair 3-4 years ago

-Barbers do designs

-Machines always broke

-Fun

-Learn alot

-Most common type of Haircut

-Easy once you get used to it

-Hard, but did it because it was fun

Final Essay update

I didn't understand the MLA format, but that didn't stop me from at least attempting to write the Essay. It might be in the wrong format at the moment, but that will change tomorrow. I also typed it up on this sucker:

Presentations: Summaries, 5-16 to 5-30

Etzell was wondering about if she would ever be successful, and gave us ways to reach success.

Angel shed light on the differences between Video Game and Real police Brutality, and he had some ideas why police attack unarmed suspects.

Jose talked about Racism, a very real topic with our new President.

Luis gave tips on successful thrifting and ways to find good clothes.

Jay explained the steps on becoming a mechanic, and it's more work than I expected.

Jason presented us on the subject of sneakers, who knew they were like cars!

Jaime made some killer Lasagna for the class, I didn't feel well so I turned it down.

Adrian also gave us great details on how to be successful.

Eli taught us how to turn noting into something, touched topic on "Little Babies".

Richard explained how music impacted us in different ways, and how there's different types of music.

Ofelia wanted to know why people fought, and it ties in with Jose's topic on racism.

Robert was thinking ahead about life after High School, how it's scary, and how we need to think about it know.

Jocelyn informed us on Free Tuition for College, how there's so many reasons that Free College would benefit the US.

Victor caused us to ponder on which religion is the true one of God, in my opinion no religion is the religion of god, he doesn't exist.

Alex educated the class on how to launch a successful clothing line, and the do's and don't's of starting a line.

Isaias transformed our way of thinking with the Power of Makeup, and stunned us all with his skills.

Maria taught us on how to be a vet, and how long it takes to become one.

Elizabeth changed our way of thinking by asking us if we were smarter due to the internet, apparently yes.

Vivian was very animated during her explanation of whether or not animals react differently to situations than humans, and they do; They also Copy us.

Katie taught us on the different learning styles, turns out there's more than Three.

Nicole was also wondering about racism, and there are many factors that impact the feeling of Prejudice.

Someone wanted to be a tattoo artist, I didn't catch his name, but there are many ways to learn how to be a tattoo artist, suh=ch as practicing on dead pig skin or grapefruits.

Kleiff was hot headed on the important topic of Global Warming, Methane is an important player in the cause of the increase in Temperature. If we don't combat this issue by 2035, the temperature will have changed 0.3 to 0.7 degrees Celsius!

Carlos was driving the discussion of if New Cars are worth purchasing, turns out no, for the reasons of depreciation and the possibility of your car being hacked.

What I'm doing this period:

I'm spending the class period preparing my notes for more presentations, and thinking about how to write this narrative essay. I'm also going to do some research on possible reasons why my new Atari "Heavy Sixer" is having Color Problems, and only after one use. So far, my possible suspects are the TV doesn't like the system, I screwed up the connection, or worse case scenario the TIA Chip is about to fail.

Masterpiece Topic

Montessori 2.0- Upgrade to an Open source learning style method of teaching to better improve the quality of Education in the US.


The reason I'm covering this topic is because many of you may not know I come from a Montessori School, a school that uses a specific style of teaching like Hands-on activities and group-based activities to educate students. Sound Familiar?


Using Dr. Preston's Open-Source learning and the Method of learning I knew for most of my life, we can "Upgrade" Education to better suit the 21st century.


By using Electronics Most of the time the amount of Deforestation currently happening in the world would be reduced, mainly focus on Group-based learning to train students to have Cooperative skills in the workplace, and all around improve the quality of Education that is so Outdated.


With the combination of these two methods, students won't feel so stressed with being forced to use the same strengths as everyone else as they do in normal education. Instead, teachers would encourage students to solve problems using their individual strengths in a team to determine the correct answer, instead of everyone using the exact same method. This would be determined by a clear representation of each group member's strength, which they would apply to a certain portion of a problem, and at the end, the answers would be shared and combined to come to a unified response.

MGOM

  This week in class I'm refining my "Upgrading Education" Topic to involve the concept of the education style I'm most experienced with, Montessori method.

  I'm currently trying to figure out a way to involve "Montessori 2.0" into this topic, which requires additional in-depth studying of the concept. I've currently presented my Idea to the Class, Dr. Preston, and My Parents, yet I only have 2 of the required 10 followers for the Blog Posts. I plan to present this concept by Changing the Desk arrangement to a Theater-style set up, and attempting to teach the class in a Blend of Open-source and Montessori Learning Methods, which involves Group-oriented activities, and hands-on lessons. This style of teaching is still in the concept phase and may require several modifications to get the projected method.

We eat Social media for Breakfast

  I was always taught that the internet was not the place to look for answers, and that's true--most of the time. Sure, there's unreliable sources that can come back to bite you in the butt, but there's also great resources online that can hep you learn.

  My first example comes from tools like Nearpod or other programs that are specifically designed to work for education in the 21st century. Teachers can get multiple responses at one time via the internet program and see which is correct more quickly than the traditional quiz.

   My second example comes from programs like Blogger, which unlike Nearpod, benefit not only the teacher but the class as a whole. When we were covering our masterpiece topics, I was able to browse through my peer's blogs and evaluate what they were covering, further helping me understand my own topic of Upgrading Education.

   In regards to the use of social media to learn, I use Gmail to stay in contact with family from around the country, and sometimes more than family. In 2012 we discovered via Ancestry.com that we were direct decedents of the Dutch Explorer Peter Minuit. It just so happened that a careless comment on a YouTube video led me to meet someone from the Netherlands who just so happened to be writing a book on Peter Minuit. We never really shared much information because my Aunt was worried about my safety from Strangers on the Internet, which I appreciate but not everyone are predators.

   All and all, whilst the Internet and other social media platforms continue to be labeled as "Distracting Toys", they can often be useful in certain applications to education.

Where I stand on the Digital Divide

I'm standing in the middle of the stance on DD, I like to keep an open mind and stay neutral on the subject. It's somewhat helping me achieve my goals, but it's mostly a distraction. My data that I want public is public, anything I don't want public is stored on a 3.5" Floppy Disk and on my 1987 Macintosh SE. If I know the goddamn codes to the ICBM silos at Vandenberg, I don't want the NSA to know that, I'll store them on a computer that is unhackable, because it's older than the internet. I don't know the codes, by the way. Why would I?

Ignite talks notes

-Adrian: "Actions speak louder than words"

-NFL players injured

-Don't talk, do


-Elias: "How to turn nothing into something"

-Try to go beyond the limits of limitations

-Motivation, don't stop something if you love it


-Kleiff: "Global Warming"

-Serious threat

-Research on internet, sea levels rising


-Ofelia: "Why do people fight?"

-Why do people fight

-Research why this is


-Nicole: "Why is there alot of racism"

-About my life

-Reduce racism


-Jocelyn: "Free Tuition"

-Looked up resources

-Arguments pro/con


-Jason: "How to become a barber"

-Got a haircut

-Need a license


-Marcos: "How to be a tattoo artist"

-Draw a lot

-Kept drawing over SB


-Giovanni: "What makes creativity"

-Learn from mistakes

-Everyone is creative


-Isaias: "How can we feed everyone without animal cruelty"

-Researched how to be vegan from PETA

-Attempt to be vegan


-Christian: "Barber"

-Barbering program

-Try cutting hair


-Jose: "Why can't everyone get along"

-Racism

-Great Gatsby


-Angel: "Police Force"

-Talk to uncle

-Study criminal justice


-Jaime: "Joining Military"

-What does it take

-Overcome obstacles


-Etzel: "Will I ever get to success"

-Passion for singing

-Ignore ignorant people


-Carlos: "Why do people go to school so much"

-I can't be good at school

-Next steps: No clue


-Maria: "Is time real?"

-Who made time?

-We're not in real time


-Victor: "What is the true Religion?"

-Everyone always talking about god

-Which is the true religion, Christianity, Judaism, or Islam?


-Katie: "Different learning types"

-Intro to ed inspired her

-Notes on Learning styles


-Vivian: "Animal behavior"

-Research on Pig for County Fair

-Animals react to facial expressions


-Allign: "Professional Folklorico dancer"

-Ballet Folklorico de Mexico

-Many requirements


-Emily: "Open Source Learning"

-Introduce in Mexico

-Take more advantage than in the US


-Brian: "Best route to be an officer"

-Talk to cousin

-Have to be 18 to attend academy


-"Finding vintage clothing"

-Cheap prices

-Go to bigger cities


-Alex: "Start own clothing brand"

-Research other clothing brands started

-Learn how they grow


-Richard: "Why does music have an effect on people"

-Always had a connection with music

-Strip down songs and analyze


-Elvis: "Why school counselors don't help"

-Go to teachers or friends

-Pull up your grades


-"Mechanical engineer"

-4 year edu.

-Talk to racers


-Brian: "?"

-Not ready

-Students do work and shit


-Elizabeth: "Are children smarter because of the internet?"

-Many kids are online

-We're always on our blogs


-Karen: "Why are women represented in a negative way?"

-Always half naked women on the internet

-Every woman is pretty

Ignite Talk

My topic is the Possibility of upgrading education to fit our current society. Over break, I thought about how the education system would be set up around a new style of learning, such as teaching methods, and the way classrooms should be built to make students the most productive. Also over the break, I learned that a change in education couldn't happen over night, but would take years to install. The connections between this topic and this class are the fact that this topic was inspired by Dr. Preston's style of teaching. What I'm doing next is continue further research into the standard needed to have this style of education become the new standard.

If you have any question, comments, or ideas, please respond to this post.

Blogs

  I checked several blogs to review the posts, the majority of them had the most recent post from November or February. I was impressed with the ones who did post, although it wasn't bare minimum.

Upgrading Education- Teaching

  I've never enjoyed having to sit in a desk for an hour and listen to an Adult spew facts at me. The traditional teaching method is obsolete and ineffective, and with the envisioned reform of the education style, Traditional teaching would be replaced by Open-Source learning style and Hands on Activities for tactile learners.

 vs  

Upgrading Education- Scoring

  The way students are scored is also due for an update; it's time to kick the report card out and find a more reasonable way to understand where students need to improve.

  We've traditionally had Report Cards, and we're punished for having poor grades. This is unfair to students as the report card is to show where students need improvement, not as a punishment. In my idea of an Upgraded Education system, a T chart would replace the traditional report card with "Areas of Strength" and "Areas of Struggle"

  vs  

Upgrading Education- Layout

  We all agree that the classroom layout we all know is due for a change, and I have several ideas on how we can change a classroom layout to be more productive.


1. The Layout itself should change from Rows and columns to a Seminar(Socratic) style layout:
 vs 

2. The Building we learn in need to be Long-term, not these crap portables. I feel like I actually want to learn in a Long term building, not a run-down portable:

 

   vs



3. The lighting actually Plays a role in how I learn, I feel motivated with natural light, unlike Artificial, flickering Florescent lights:



vs



4. Finally, Studies have shown Students are more productive when they have landscaped Campuses, not Blocky Cement Prisons(No offense, PV):



  vs

"Upgrading Education"

                            "Upgrading Education"

Topic: Education is due to be revamped in a way where it works in teams and with our peers instead of individually.

What's Possible: Add more elements of Open-Source learning and the Montessori method beginning in Pre-school so that students are used to this way instead of having to learn it later in life.

5 Resources: -An individual like Dr. Preston who's familiar with Open Source learning and knows how to make it work for everyone

                      -A school that would be willing to do a trial method with the Open-source/Montessori Style teaching.

                      -Educators willing to teach using the two methods.

                     
                      -Students willing to be the Test subjects

                      -A way to compare/contrast the Theorized method and standard education


Network: -Dr. Preston

               -Anyone from any of his classes that will be willing to follow this and input their thoughts.

My new "Toy"

This sucker is a 1924 Underwood No.5 typewriter, Fully operational-and at the moment-my favorite thing to type on.

Why should I bother writing a pointless title that nobody's going to care about; are titles even important?

   Ray Bradbury's predictions throughout the book of the society Montag lives in is a bleak and hopeless one--not to mention is aligns perfectly with the description of our own current Society.

   From the way the occupants of this Depressingly dismal distopia to the way even Mildred ODs on sleeping pills damn near killing herself or the "Seashell Radios" in every god damned ear, Bradbury was spot on with how he felt we would live our lives 50-60 years from when he was hunched over a typewriter like Quasimodo in Notre Dame.

   In regards to how Mildred could give two less fucks about what was going on in the world, how she only wanted to watch a screen, and how Kids are so entranced with their Phones and other Electronic distractions(such as right now, nobody cares enough to contribute to our Socratic seminar and I'm doing the majority of the talking).

   When the Hound is on the chase for Montag, and they resort to killing an innocent civilian when he throws it off his trail, it parallels how even our own Police Department lied about an arrest they made for an entire year before it was uncovered. It also parallels with "Operation Northwoods", a False-Flag Cuban terror operation against US civilians to gain support for the invasion/occupation of Cuba, to overthrow Fidel Castro's Communist regime.

   Finally, the Violence in Montag's society seems to parallel our current world, with Clarrisse stating something along the lines of "two of my friends were killed this just past month, everyone's so violent these days, killing each other for fun..." This oddly enough brings to mind the school shootings and the violence in Pop Culture, for example games like Grand Theft Auto V or Call of Duty you kill other players in very realistic ways, which may have ties to the violence previously stated.

   Taking into account all of my previous claims and the provided evidence, one can come to the assumption that there are many parallels in Fahrenheit 451 and today's society.

Journal-4/7/17

One thing authors, songwriters, and (now that I'm thinking about it) just about everyone hates is having their words twisted into something the didn't intend. Describe a time you thought you communicated clearly and someone else didn't agree.

Last semester when I was a sophmore, I was sitting on a shelf in my History class when it broke. I didn't get up in time for it NOT to break, and luckily I didn't get in trouble. What my Teacher thought happened was since I had a Big Army Pack that had a metal frame and it was heavy, she thought it had broken the shelf. I found out the next day I was not to bring that bag back because she was concerned that "If it's heavy enough to break a shelf, it's heavy enough to break your back." I appreciated the concern, but I several times over told her I was the one who broke the shelf an that I was sorry. To this day I have a crappy backpack that I can hardly open and the zipper's always getting screwed up.

Journal Topic-4/6/17

Explain your favorite Meal in Mouth-Watering Detail. By the time I finish I should be Hungry and Jealous.

My favorite Meal has to be My Grandmother's Home-made Meatloaf. She makes it with Oatmeal, Hamburger meat, and a blend of spices. We always have it the way her Mother made it, we get home-made mashed potatoes with them as well, not the instant kind, she mashes them by hand and then uses a mixer to make them softer. There's nothing like the Warm salty butter running down the side of the clump of starch that warms you from the inside. We usually also put Heinz Ketchup on the Meatloaf as well, the sweet taste of the blend of Vinegar and Tomato paste goes very well with the salt, pepper, and other exotic spices she tenderly sprinkles on before baking.

F451 Wrap-Up Questions:

1. They laughed because they themselves are books, all memorized so there is no reason to Judge the book by its cover.

2. Montag still cares about Mildred because he still has hope that she might understand his passion for literature

3. Hands represent each character's personality, while Granger's Grandfather might be creative and passionate, Mildred could give two less fucks and just wants to watch TV.

4. It's because of the things that he did, not who he was, like the stories that books tell, not the books themselves.

5. Because all of time is infinite, yet that three seconds between the drop and the blast are the only seconds that matter.

6. The Pheonix is immortal, it will burst into flames but be reborn out of the ashes, like the ideas in books after burning.

7. He's gone from an individual who hides his passion to one who proudly displays it.

Journal Topic: 4/5/17

Topic: Sometimes when Olympians win a Medal, they cry. Olympians are stereotypically tough humans, and crying is a sign of weakness. How do you explain this?

They are tough physically, but must be so over-loaded with emotion they break down and cry with joy. Wouldn't you?

Journal- April 4, 2017

Describe a time you finished a book. How did the experience make you feel? Proud to have finished it? Sad to say goodbye to the Characters? Irritated with the plot resolution? Please explain.

The summer between 8th and 9th grade, I finished reading Les Miserables, a heavy book of over 1,000 pages of French and Old English combined. It felt so accomplishing to finally finish it, considering I'd been hacking away at it forever. It was a challenging book for me to read at 14, but I got it done.

Journal: 4/3/17

Why are you tested so much? What are Adults trying to figure out? Why can't they do it another way?

We're tested so often because it's a way for Instructors to figure out who understands what. Ask every individual what they need help on and work with them until they understand it.

The Chase is On.

1. Beatty had sent the Hound after Montag, which is why it attacked him.

2. Montag defended himself by shooting the Hound with the Flamethrower.

3. Montag realized that Beatty had wanted to Die.

4. Montag is on his Way to Faber's House.

5. Montag was nearly hit by a Beetle Car, as he thought it was the police and He would be killed when hit.

Run Montag, Run.

I see two possible outcomes of F451:

ONE: Montag joins forces with Faber and a group of other Literary outlaws to bring the knowledge of literature to light.

TWO: Montag is so distraught and cannot cope over his decision to Murder Beatty that he Burns himself like the Old lady in the House in the Beginning of the book.

Journal Topic-3/29/17

When Beatty confronts him in front of his house, Montag resorts to violence and torches Beatty with the Flamethrower. Why is this solution, which would never be a first choice in life, viable in fiction? How does it serve the story? What do you think it will do for the plot-- what's next for Montag?

It's in the future, and it presents a sense of urgency and makes us feel like Montag was justified in his actions. It's a part of the rising action, and it's a direct factor in the Outcome of the story. It will force Montag to go into hiding, and he will continue to read and learn and become self aware to the point where he learns that he's just the Government's puppet.

Montag Kills

Why did Montag Kill Beatty? Beatty had been pushing Montag to his limit, and Clarisse and Faber had made Montag really think fo himself, to which his passion for literature drove him to kill.

Journal-3/28/17

Topic: At the End of Part II, why do you think the firemen are at Montag's house? What do you think will happen next?

I presume Mildred spilled the beans and filled out a report. He would've hidden the books in the bushes, so they will think that it was a false alarm.

Questions-

1. Their reactions are as follows:

Montag: Much more interested

Mildred: Much less interested


2. The effect of the bombers are to symbolize a feeling of extreme emotion, to describe sensory imagery.


3. Professor Faber is an english professor.


4. Montag's reaction is he gets up and begins to shout.


5. The case Faber makes for books is they were the only type of receptable that they stored a lot if things they were afraid they might forget.


6. The Small Green Metal Object is a Seashell Radio.


7. The White Clown makes me believe that television in this society is incredibly disturbing and violent, persuading viewers to follow their example.


8. Mrs. Phelps does not know why she is crying.


9. Montag's destination is the firehouse because he's carrying out faber's plan.

Journal- 3/16/17

Think about your day yesterday. Did your words and actions support your idea of who you want to be and what you want to accomplish? How can you do better today?


Somewhat, I had issues with the Permission slip going missing and considering my luck I'm screwed. My only option is to roll with the punches and accept that there's no chance now of me being able to attend the Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Solvang tomorrow. How I can do better today is to calmly inform all my teachers of the issue so that they're aware I'll probably still come to class tomorrow even after they all signed the slip saying it was perfectly fine for me to attend. Well, I'm certainly never attending another field trip at this shool ever again, as it never seems to work out for me.

F451 Questions pt. 2

13. Beatty's visit is to ensure the firemen are properly disposing of literature.

14. Sadly, yes. No, never.

15. He cannot fit into his suit like he used to.

F451 Questions

1. He's drawing the reader in and explaining why Montag is this way, it's in the future where reading books is banned.

2. Their ashes flutter in the wind, like birds.


3. Montag follows what is taught by the Government, while Clarisse takes time to observe.


4. It compares to us as we have wireless headphones so we don't distract others, which makes us Anti-social. This weakens Montag's relationship with mildred because he can't talk to her.

5. It's to introduce a robust character and a conflict within the story.


6. To show us how Different the two are in comparison.


7. Because of people who still harbor books, it's easier to burn the books in the house, and because of that, houses are fire-proof.


8. She over-doses on Sleeping pills. Two service men who pump her stomach.


9. The mechanical hound is a robotic Dalmatian who can produce morphine or other agents for the Firemen.


10. She's terrified of children her own age, and prefers to keep to herself.


11. To represent the flames that will soon engulf her Books.


12. Their relationship is tricky, Mildred always has her "Seashells" in her ears and Montag is always working late, the don't know each other well.

F451 Guiding Questions:

1) The society in which Guy Montag Resides in is a future under the rule of a Government that has banned Books, of all things, and his job as a fireman is to Burn all books that remain, to start fires instead of putting them out.

2) Clarisse is more observant than other people in society,  and is more curious about the time when Firemen put out fires and you could read without prosecution than the avergae citizen, which make Montag suspicious.

3) The mechanical Hound is Programmed to react to Montag Because his wife's companionship is not enough to make him fell whole, similar to how Gatsby didn't feel whole, so he threw parties.

About that Short Story

   In that short story, I took a break from the whole Plot outline thing, there was no rising action, no conflict, no resolution, just a story. I tried to use sensory imagery most of all, and maybe one simile. Not much literary application, but It's long enough to cover the basics, but short enough to keep it interesting.

Short Story

Strawberry Fields Forever-

   Yet another Brisk and Chilly Morning was signaled by a sunrise comprised of Dark Blues, Oranges with Pinks, and plenty of clouds to reflect off of, same as any other on the Central Coast. As Normal, I dragged my lazy ass out of bed, took a quick shower, fed the rabbits, and since it was a Saturday, I decided to ride the Bus to Guadalupe to try and catch the little Shortline do its daily switching in the Union pacific Interchange yard.


   On the bus, I stared out the window, fighting the urge to doze off(which I've done on the Breeze from Lompoc, poor Bus driver had to wake me up). I watched the Bleak Tan buildings of Main street give way to fields-and lots of 'em. I started to think about the Farm Workers, toiling in the hot sun every day, trying to provide a better life for their Kids then they had when they were my age. I felt bad, never taking the time to recognize the hard work these parents go through, and furious they weren't celebrated more in the community for their contributions to our economy.


   When I got to Guad, I headed to the Amtrak station with my battered-yet reliable-iPhone3GS to watch the little engines whir away, shunting cars, smoking and huffing, "Put-Put-Put, Whir, screech, Put-Put" all the while billowing smoke like dragons(Keep in mind, these are Diesels built between 1950 and 1959, not the most "Environmentally Friendly" diesels, but they are old...), blasting their raspy Horns as they headed for Home Base with a line of around 60 uncooperative cars, expressing their annoyance with screeching breaks loud enough to make a Banshee's ears bleed.


   After a relatively eventful hour, including an impatient driver who decided to express their dis-pleasement with the Railroad's Daily Operations by a blast of their horn at the Passing engine and a less than impatient Operator who decided to stop on the crossing and sit there for 20 minutes allowing traffic to build up only to remind the driver who's in charge, quite the site. Heading back to the bus stop, I found myself thinking about those fields yet again.


   After waiting too long for the bus, I was fed up with the SMAT service and chose to walk the nine miles home, it'd be faster than waiting for that damned bus anyways. Walking back to Santa Maria, I ran across a fruit stand selling fresh strawberries. Being a good member of society, and a huge fan of Strawberries, I took the Five dollar bill out of my pocket that I had brought for lunch and bought a basket full for a snack on the way back.


   Before walking off, I noticed how tired the man at the stand looked, his eyes were sunken, weighed down by the ripples under his eyes, his dirty hands from picking the berries for Eight hours straight, and his arched back from bending over for those eight hours in the hot sun. If his back wasn't slouched, he'd be a good 5'10", but his hunch dropped him a good 5 or more inches.


   Using the Spanish I'd learned, I asked him "Habla Ingles?" "Minimal" he replied. "I just wanted to say, these strawberries look delicious, and, thank you for your hard work, I really admire what you do every day and I know I would never have the strength to do what you do every day, you all deserve more recognition in the community," I told him. He cracked a toothy smile, and replied "Thank You, Gracias." "Es mi Pleasure, no problemo" I replied him, and continued on my walk.

What I see in literature:

Gatsby:

-Foreshadowing-"The Green Light at the End of the dock of East Egg"-Shows us Gatsby moved to West Egg for a reason

-Allusion(Movie)Myrtle's Dress with the Emerald reflecting the light in the room-References the Dock Light of Daisy and Tom's Estate

-Sensory Imagery-"The pool of Crimson slowly churning down the drain"-Gives us an image of how Gatsby was murdered

Prufrock:

-Personification"The Yellow fog arched it's back, leaped from windows, and rubbed against the legs of unsuspecting pedestrians"-To provide us with a descriptive action in regards to the smoke

-Repetition-"...And for a hundred indecisions, and for a hundred visions and revisions..." show us the connection between the two stanzas and their importance in regards to the Narrator's decisions.

-Onomatopoeia"Insidious"-to give us an Idea of how malicious or evil something is that might threaten the narrator's decision making process.

Can we watch the movie?

How we watch a movie sometimes gives us a visual understanding of the book it's based upon, it might clarify some things for us or completely surprise us about how we imagine an individual.

Gatsby Test

1- D

2- B

3- D

4- C

5- B

6- D

7- B

8- A

9- C

10- B

11- C

12- C

13-

Final Gatsby Notes

Denouement- Resolution

Pasquinade- Sattire

Gatsby's father discovers that his son was murdered

"If he'd of lived he'd of been a great man"

Nobody shows up to Gatsby's funeral

Journal Topic: 2/23/17

Topic: What is it about death? Why do so many characters die by the end of the book, or play, or movie? What do we care, anyways?

Response: It's seen as the End, no more life, nothing's left. It's supposed to line up with the ending of the story, our hero dies, and so does their story. We're supposed to feel sympathetic for them.

Chapter 8 notes of Great Gatsby

Foghorn-metaphor

Nick only likes Gatsby

Gatsby Felt 'married' to Daisy

Gatsby was a captain

Tom took Daisy from Gatsby

Past tense, sense of finality

stupid with liquor

Chapter 7 Notes

Gatsby's Career as Trimalchio

Personification- Cars Sulkily drove away

Designs=Want to steal

The Master's Body dying, Hallucination

Daisy made out with Gatsby

Genially=Friendly

"Her voice is full of money"

Tom realizes Daisy has a Thing for Gatsby

External conflict- Tom v. Gatsby

Climax- Tom v. Gatsby: Gatsby says "Your wife doesn't love you, she's never loved you. She loves me."

Gatsby's a Bootlegger

Shitgibbon

Shitgibbon- A decade's old term recently used to insult Donald Trump. It is believed to be a Scottish origin after his Visit to the Rough n' ready isle, but even earlier documentation alludes to early British Punk rock.

Journal Topic- Valentine's day, 2-14-17

Why Valentine's Day? Why inflated flower and restaurant prices and momentary declarations of love, when really if we love someone there are 365 perfectly good daily opportunities to show it every year? Do "Hallmark Holidays" such as Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Valentine's Day add anything to the experience of being appreciated, or is it just another opportunity to guilt us into spending more for Roses?

It all dates back to the early days of 269 AD, where the whole thing started. St. Valentine was a Christian Bishop and February 14 is used to celebrate his Christian Martyrs. It was just a celebration of religious shit then those Corporate people did the true American thing, and capitalized on it. It is just a way to make more money, the actual day has no rhyme of reason but to make other people rich at YOUR expense.  

Gatsby Chapter V notes

Gatsby's acting similar to Flanders in the Simpsons, constantly coming over and trying to get Nick to participate in an activity with him.

Nick pokes fun at Daisy's Chauffeur, asking if the Gasoline affects his nose.

Daisy and Gatsby know each other.

"I keep it always full of interesting people, night and day. People who do interesting things. Celebrated people."

Mr. Dan Cody- Dead

Journal Topic: 2/9/17

Topic: How does "The Great Gatsby" address women in our culture? How does it address Class and Race? Are rich "White" people better? How much/little do you think American Culture has changed since this book was published nearly 100 years ago?

Response: At the time when the book was published, Women were still considered property. As for Class and Race, the Richest individuals are depicted as uppity white people who live in grand estates and trample those who they consider "lesser." In the book, Rich "White" People are shown as these high class 'I'm better than all of you!' residents in this fancy-ass neighborhood in fancy-ass New York City, and American culture hasn't changed the slightest in 100 years.

GATSBY TEST: Who's been paying attention?

Chapter I:

What are the main differences between East and West Egg?

Which "Egg" does Nick live on?


Chapter II:

How is Nick related to Daisy?

Who is it that continuously calls the Buchanan household throughout dinner?


Chapter III:

Who does Nick meet at the Party?

How do we learn that Nick and Gatsby have met before?


Chapter IV:

Where were Tom and Daisy getting Married?

True or False: Nick came into Daisy's room to discover her Drunk, claiming she didn't want to get Married.

 

Journal-2-08-17

Topic: How does it feel to seize this Opportunity to learn independently?

It feels great. I can finally get shit done without Jocelyn's constant chatter(I now know the pass code to her phone in case you ever want to use it against here, Dr. Preston). I feel like I work better right now working by myself without having to explain every single thing to Jocelyn who immediately continues talking to someone across the room after she asks me "What is ____ about?" It's obnoxious, and it doesn't even seem like she's working, just socializing, same goes for most of the class. Oh well, if your team doesn't want to work, just work by yourself, that's how I see it.

Gatsby notes- Chapter four.

Juxtaposition---> Juxtaposed-Adjacent


Tom Buchanan meets Mr. Gatsby


Santa Barbara/Ventura Mentioned, Interest in book extinguished


Daisy didn't want to get married.


Daisy is two years older than nick.


Racist term regarding an African American male used, not N-----.

Gatsby Chapter 3

In Chapter 3, our fearless narrator at last is greeted by the elusive Mr. Gatsby. A friendship blossoms as we are given information about both Nick and Gatsby's time in the War. The party is busy plenty of bodies swarm the heavenly acres of Mr. Gatsby's estate, and after all this excitement, Nick appears to be developing a "Tender Fondness" for Miss Jordan Baker.

(all images found from Google and mixed in Power Point, I do not claim ownership to these photos)

Gatsby Notes, Chapter three-II

Nick meets Gatsby

'Owl Eyes' gets into an accident

Out of all the faces at the party, how Did Gatsby immediately recognize Nick?

Nick has a "Tender Curiosity" for Jordan Baker

Nick has also been writing her letters every week

The lonely crowd-David Reeceman-"If you're walking on a city street like Manhattan, nobody says hello, but two people passing without greeting is considered rude."

Nick is curious about Gatsby

End of Chapter III

Gatsby Chapter III notes

Fiction is the lie that tells the truth

Displacement-Character out of place

Anachronism-Character out of time

Quotations- Can also mean Sarcasm or Irony.


What would it like to be at that party? Overwhelming, lots of booze, plenty of valuable things to break, but amazing, rubbing elbows with the wealthy elite.

Gatsby Quiz

1. A

2. D

3. C

4. D

5. A

6. A

7. C

8. D?

9. C

10. D

Gatsby Chapter II-Notes part I

Tom makes it known he has a mistress, and his wife has a baby

Tom's Drunk

Contiguous main street

Nick is in "fly over country"

Stranger on the Streets selling puppies on the street looks like John D. Rockefeller

Myrtle is the Mistress

Wilson, the husband, is unaware of the affair.

typical small apartment, even for a woman cheating with a millionaire

Cashier at Rite Aid, late 40s, tattooed blue eyebrows, reminds me of Myrtle's sister.

Neither Tom nor Myrtle can stand the Person they're married to.

Myrtle calls Tom a "Kyke"

Gatsby-Chapter II part I

In Chapter two we have been introduced to the bleak and dismal "Valley of Ashes." It's a depressing factor in the midst of the Industrial revolution. It is here that we are about to be introduced to Tom's mistress as more about The Great Gatsby unfolds...

Great Gatsby Remix I

   We're first introduced to the Narrator, Frank, who's earliest memories are of his father's advice: "Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all people haven't had the advantages that you've had." As the chapter progresses, we learn more about our narrator. He's learning Bonds, and moves to the Less Fashionable New York neighborhood of West Egg, where he lives in a battered old shack, between million dollar mansions fit for a luxury hotel. This is where he learns of his reclusive neighbor, Mr. Gatsby, whom he seldom saw.

   We next are introduced to Frank's cousin, Daisy, and her Brutish husband, Tom, in the more fashionable East Egg. We are treated to a variety of descriptive writing(sunken Italian Gardens, a snub-nosed motor boat, etc.) as we learn about the wealth Daisy and Tom retain, and how unhappy Daisy is, how her Husband is racist, and how he has a "Woman in New York." As the Chapter draws to a close, we get to finally meet Mr. Gatsby; He's posing on his Balcony observing the Salt and Pepper night sky, wondering what belongs to him in the heavens.

Great Gatsby Notes II

Why does Tom act this way?


How did the Buchanan couple gain their wealth?


Divan- Couch/Sophisticated from a certain time


Why is Daisy unsatisfied?


'The Rise of the Coloured Empires'


Tom is racist


Silver Polisher-What is that? What does it have to do with the story?


Indirect Characterization


Tom's cheating on Daisy


 "It'll show you how I've gotten to feel abut things. Well, she was less than an hour old and Tom was God knows where. I woke up out of the Ether with an utterly abandoned feeling and asked the nurse whether it was a boy or a girl. She told me it was a girl, and so I turned my head away and wept. 'All Right,' I said, 'I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool-that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."


Single Green Light, minute and far away.

Great Gatsby Notes

"What little I've accomplished has been the most laborious and uphill of work"


Read for Pleasure


Share what we think and learn from each other


EPI Graph- Quote that gives us a clue at the beginning of the chapter to give the reader a clue of what the chapter or book is about


Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in the world haven't had the advantages that you've had."


West Egg Village-important


Midas, Morgan, Maecenas


West Egg, Land formation


Two old friends whom I scarcely knew at all.

Remix Post-Realism

American Realism became popular during the early days of the 20th century, it's found in literature, art, music, and many other forms.


Earlier this week(Yesterday), I came up with a question, "Could American Realism resurge as a way to combat discrimination towards minorities?"

If you're not familiar with Realism, in literature, it's a way to write about people as the really are, to write about people as people.


So, could Realism resurge because of the racial violence? Well, if you haven't noticed, it already has in the past few years(Stronger than ever because of President Trump) made its way back into the mainstream, and not just in literature, it's found in songs, art, photography, etc.

Allow me to explain how realism would be used as a way to combat discrimination, there are multiple groups of individuals who have certain views about certain people. There are people like me who see Latinos as Hard Working members of society, working towards the same goal as everyone else, to achieve the american dream, to provide a better life for the next generation. Then there are individuals who are on the exact opposite of the spectrum, who see Latinos as "Dangerous Illegals who steal our jobs" and need to be sent back to their home country. There are individuals like me who view people of Islam as members of our diverse community, exercising the Freedom of Religion as guaranteed in the Constitution(First amendment, enacted 1789 and Revised in the Early 1990s during the George H.W. Bush  Administration). Then there are the other individuals who view the Islamic Followers as "Dangerous Terrorists set out to destroy America."


Now, on to the really exciting stuff. How to we combat this discrimination? Well, we fight, verbally, of course. Through words and wisdom, through peace and acceptance of all races, religions, sexuality, and gender, through art and music, through writing and many other ways. Some excellent examples include the famous Novel The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, stories about the life of Migrant workers during the Great Depression and how they were treated, the Circuit and other stories by Dr. Francisco Jimenez, stories about a young Mexican Immigrant's experience growing up during a very prejudice time in history when he arrived in a Farming community where the Dominant ethnicity was White, Farewell to Manzanar by James D. Houston and Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston, stories of a young Japanese-American living years in an Internment camp, when he family had left Japan years before the Second World War, and through leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr's speech "I have a dream," to push for equality in the segregated south, to push for acceptance of integration at a time where racism was still dominating the country. We can all fight discrimination in any way, shape, or form we choose; Whether it's art or music, to writing a string of mindless paragraphs like I'm doing now, American Realism is making a comeback, whether you've noticed it or not.

Examples of American Realism:

Naturalism, Realism, and Modernism

Naturalism- "People don't want to work as machines," deterministic of the individualistic ethos, life is bigger than the individual's point of view


Realism- Post-WWI, early modern values, Write about people's lives as they are


Modernism- Life is new and confusing all the time, No god




(only a few notes legible from my shit handwriting)

Remix Video Notes

Everything is a Remix

Remix- Hay day of Hip-Hop

Technology has made Remixing a Folk art.

The Arrangement and Transformation of Samples

Myths of Creativity:

-Stories, humans are too meager to create anything divine.

-Light Bulb is the most popular metaphor for creativity


How do we create?

-Domain Knowledge: Learn the language

-Copying: Emulation

Gonzo Journalism

-Transformation- Create variations of existing things

Video Notes

Sarah's video:
-Points out our difference between Shakespeare's writing vs. Today.

-'To be or not to be' Hamlet feels that his situation is hopeless, options: Take arms against his uncle, or accept it.

-What is the afterlife?

Bodkin- Blunt needle

Fardle- Run away from home sack

 TED Remix:

-Every country on Earth is reforming Education, Economic or other reasons.

-How do we educate our children to have a cultural identity?

-Raise standards of Education

-Education system is incredibly obsolete

-Based on social structure

Economic/Intellectual-havoc

ADHD is not an Epidemic, we are being forced to pay attention to boring things and losing interest.

The Arts are Victims of Anesthetic epidemic.

Education is modeled in an industrial manor.

Divergent Thinking- Essential capacity for Creativity

We are all Divergent Thinkers, and we lose it as we get older.

Great learning happens in groups

Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDZFcDGpL4U

Response to a quote.

Dr. Preston brought up Robert Burns' quote "The Best laid laid plans of Mice and Men Often go astray." I actually feel as if we can all relate to this quote.

Now, another quote I agree with is from the film "V for Vendetta," and V states:

'Behind this mask there is more than flesh, behind this mask is an idea, and ideas are Bulletproof..."

Music as Literature

Can we consider music as literature? In my opinion, yes. If you haven't noticed, every song tells a story, whether it's Johnny Cash spinning a yarn abut a ghostly band of Outlaws to Queen singing about how they grew up in the shadow of the Attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan(Hammer to fall, Lyrics: Growing up in the shadow of the Mushroom cloud).

Songs can deliver a message to everyone who listens to it, it can bring them together or drive them apart. What do you think?

What's the difference between a Novel, a poem, a rap, a song, an opera, and a symphony? A novel is a collection of stories, a poem is a short story, a rap is a story with rhythm, an opera is a story sung for several hours, and a symphony is a story that you must create the words to. They're all stories, just presented in a different fashion.