Song of the Day #19

The song of the day is called Back Then by The Holdup :) I needed some relaxing music to get through the huge homework load I had tonight, so check it out if you have time.

Literary Analysis #4

Period 3

A.P English

Literature Analysis:

Title: The Kite Runner

Author: Khaled Hosseini

1. Summary: 

This piece of literature is honestly one of best books I’ve ever read. The book begins with Amir’s childhood in Kabul where he lived with his father and their servants. The servants names were Ali and Hassan, who were father and son. Amir and Hassan are best friends, so the boys are extremely close. Both boys don’t have a mother since Amir’s mom died due to childbirth while Hassan’s mom just ran off. Despite their difference in social status due to their ethnicity, Ali and Hassan are still able to be close. Now, Amir is constantly trying to gain the approval of his father since he feels like he is a disgrace or disappointment to him due to the fact that Amir is unlike most boys in their town. Most of the boys are interested in sports and fighting while Amir adores literature and is sensitive. In addition to feeling neglected, Amir becomes envious of Hassan since Baba (Amir’s father) sometimes pays more attention to Hassan than him. In hopes to win the love and approval of his father, Amir feels like he must win the annual kite-flighting tournament, which is a huge deal in Afghanistan. The two boys enter the contest and end up winning, but their kite is flown somewhere random, so Hassan (the kite runner) runs to retrieve the kite. Hassan finds it, but is faced by Assef and a few other bullies in town. In order to show Hassan a lesson, Assef rapes him while Amir doesn’t stand up for his friend and runs. That particular scene was absolutely terrible to read because you felt the Hassan’s pain, which made me want to jump into the pages of the book to save him from that victimization. After, Hassan pretends as if it never happened, but the guilt begins to eat Amir alive. To escape his guilt, Amir gets Ali and Hassan to leave by saying that Hassan stole some of his stuff, which leaves Baba in sadness. Later on, war starts to boil within Afghanistan. Amir and Baba are forced to leave their home since they are in danger, so they escape to California. Amir and Baba’s lives are extremely different in America and are struggling to survive. Baba’s wealth disappeared due to the war, so he works himself to the bone in order to earn money. Sadly, Baba gets cancer and dies, but was able to stay alive long enough to see Amir get married to Soraya. As the story continues, Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan, who was a close friend of Baba. Rahim Khan and Amir meet up in which Khan tells Amir that Hassan and his wife, Farzana, were executed in the middle of the street while their son, Sohrab, watched. Khan wants Amir to go save Sohrab, but Amir originally declines the offer, but accepts as soon as he finds out that Hassan was his half-brother. Honestly, Amir accepts his quest in order to make up for the mistakes he did to both Baba and Hassan. In order to get Sohrab back, Amir must face off against a Talib official, who turns out to be Assef (Hassan’s rapist). They get into a fight, but Amir is saved when Sohrab shots Assef in the eye with his slingshot. An issue arises with the adoption of Sohrab since his parent’s don’t have death certificates, so he must put Sohrab in a temporary orphanage in order to legally adopt him. Sohrab hears this and tries to kill himself because Amir promised he would take him back to America. Luckily, Sohrab survives, but doesn’t trust or forgive Amir. The book ends positively though since Sohrab and Amir win a kite-fighting contest, which brings them closer through their love for Hassan. 

2. There is a way to be good again...” The largest theme presented in The Kite Runner was the idea of redemption. Amir feels like he must redeem himself and his father from the events that happened in their past. For example, the search for Sohrab was originally just a way for Amir to make amends to his mistakes such as leaving Hassan when he needed him to stand up against Assef. As the quest continues, Amir’s feelings toward Sohrab change, but the intent was for himself not for the well being of Sohrab.  

3.  “It always hurts more to have and lose than to not have in the first place.” The books is written in first-person, so the tone often changes depending on Amir’s mood. The audience is able to feel his emotions and reactions from his point of view, which elicits pathos. “Some stories don't need telling”. In addition, this causes the audience to have a deeper connection with the characters. “Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything”.  Honestly, I cried a few times while reading this book because I felt the emotions of each character. 

4. Quotes:

-“I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer night and dissolve somewhere far, over the hills. But I am here, my legs blocks of concrete, my lungs empty of air, my throat burning. There will be no floating away.” 

-Imagery: The usage of imagery provides the audience with images in which the readers can create within their minds.

-“People say that eyes are windows to the soul.” 

-Metaphor: This metaphor provides an interesting comparison that allows the audience to see how people can put on a cover, but sometimes it’s impossible to lie about your emotions. 

-“Time can be a greedy thing-sometimes it steals the details for itself. 
-Personification:  Personification connected with the flashbacks, which also connected the tones at that particular time in the book. Personally, this usage of personification allowed me to better understand the concept of time within this particular piece of literature.

-“Life is a train, get on board.”  

-Cliche: This is a classic cliche about how life continues and moves on even if you aren’t ready for it, so sometimes we must take a leap of faith and hop on for the ride.

-“Attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun.” 

-Simile: The usage of a simile was absolutely amazing due to the fact that it provided the images with the mind of the reader, which in time allowed the reader to make personal connections with the events taking place.

-“Sad stories make good books” 

-Oxymoron: Sad isn’t thought of as good, so the idea that sad stories make good books is an oxymoron. 

-“Panic. You open your mouth. Open it so wide your jaws creak. You order your lungs to draw air, NOW, you need air, need it NOW. But your airways ignore you. They collapse, tighten, squeeze, and suddenly you're breathing through a drinking straw. Your mouth closes and your lips purse and all you can manage is a croak. Your hands wriggle and shake. Somewhere a dam has cracked open and a flood of cold sweat spills, drenches your body. You want to scream. You would if you could. Cut you have to breathe to scream. Panic.” 

-Evocative: This quote brings strong images, memories, and feelings, which elicits pathos and strengthens the narrator’s tone at that particular time.

-“Sometimes, Soraya Sleeping next to me, I lay in bed and listened to the screen door swinging open and shut with the breeze, to the crickets chirping in the yard. And I could almost feel the emptiness in Soraya's womb, like it was a living, breathing thing. It had seeped into our marriage, that emptiness, into our laughs, and our love-making. And late at night, in the darkness of our room, I'd feel it rising from Soraya and setting between us. Sleeping between us. Like a newborn child. ”

-Allusion: This quote alludes to Amir’s feelings and emotions toward wanting a child, which was a huge deal to Amir, his wife, his family, and his culture.

-“It wasn't meant to be, or, maybe, it was meant not to be.” 

Paradox: A paradox is a situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities. This quote struggles with these two contradictory ideals, which alludes to the idea of how sometimes we must accept that somethings just aren’t worth hoping for.

-“December 2001

I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the 

winter of 1975. I remember the precise moment, crouching behind a crumbling mud 

wall, peeking into the alley near the frozen creek. That was a long time ago, 

but it’s wrong what they say about the past, I’ve learned, about how you can 

bury it. Because the past claws its way out. Looking back now, I realize I have 

been peeking into that deserted alley for the last twenty-six years.” 

-Flashback: This piece of literature has various examples of flashbacks, which connects the audience to both the present and past sides of the characters within the book. In addition, it provides depth in characterization and details to the plot of the story.

Characterization:

1.  -Direct characterization is when the author makes statements about a character's personality directly to the reader. 

-Indirect characterization is when the author reveals the character's personality through that character's thoughts, words, or interactions with others.

Examples of direct characterization:

-“In a British accent, he tells me his name is Dr.Nawaz, and suddenly I want to be away from this man, because I don't think I can bear what he has come to tell me.”

-“Never mind that to me, the face of Afghanistan is that of a boy with a thin-boned frame, a shaved head, and low-set ears, a boy with a Chinese doll face perpetually lit by a harelipped smile.”

Examples of indirect characterization:

-“When you kill a man, You steal a life. You steal his wife's right to a husband, Rob his children of a father.” 
-“I laughed. Partly at the joke, partly at how Afghan humor never changed. Wars were waged, the Internet was invented, and a robot had rolled on the surface of Mars, and in Afghanistan we were still telling Mullah Nasruddin jokes.”

2. Personally, the author’s main focus is on the characters within this piece of literature, so his syntax and diction changes depending on which character he is talking about. He uses the characters as gateways to change the emotions of his audience. For example, the failed suicide attempt rips at the soul of the audience (I cried when I read that part).

3. The protagonist, Amir, is a dynamic and round characters because by the end of the story he has developed into a better version of himself. He has accepted his mistakes and instead of beating himself up about them, he is able to live life.

4. “He says the boy had cut himself deeply and had lost a great deal of blood and my mouth begins to mutter that prayer again: 

La illaha ila Allah, Muhammad u rasul ullah.

They had to transfuse several units of red cells─

How will I tell Soraya?

Twice, they had to revive him─

I will do namaz, I will do zakat. 

They would have lost him if his heart hadn't been young and strong─ 

I will fast.

He is alive.” 

After reading this book, I felt like I had known those characters for years. Like I said, I cried quite a few times while reading this book. I was emotionally connected to the characters and their feelings.

Song of the Day #18

The song of the day is Ships In the Night by Mat Kearney.

Song of the Day #17

The song of the day is Older by The Holdup. Great song with various meanings. Check it out :) 

A Tale of Two Cities Lecture Notes

Tales of Two Cities Lecture Notes

My adobe flash isn't working, so I was unable to watch the video, but I will watch it tomorrow in my TA period since The Career Center has computers. I will the post my notes ASAP :)

Song of the Day #12-16

I'm so sorry for not posting recently! I was on the East Coast visiting my university, which was absolutely amazing! I got to meet/play with my future teammates and it made me even more excited to play volleyball next year. I fell absolutely in love with it!

Here are the songs:
- Thursday: La La La by Naughty Boy ft. Sam Smith (it's not what you would expect!)
- Friday: The City by The 1975 (This European has a cool, alternative vibe.)
- Saturday: Dance All Night ft. Matisyahu by The Dirty Heads.
- Sunday: Working Man by Imagine Dragons.
- Monday: Midnight City by M83.

What's the Story?

              Why did Charles Dickens write the novel you're reading/reviewing? What in your analysis of literary techniques led you to this conclusion? (Make sure to include textual support illustrating Dickens' use of at least three techniques we've studied/discussed this year.)

              “Death may beget life, but oppression can beget nothing other than itself.” Charles Dickens wrote "The Tale of Two Cities" due to his terrible nightmares of his memories in which haunted him. He was haunted by being forced to work in the debtors prison and losing his sister whom he idolized and not being able to marry the women he loved. He used this book as a way to describe the disgusting nature of the feudal system. He wanted the people to change and create the laws instead of being pushed around by the king.  We see this first by his opening line, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”, which is also an example of  juxtaposition.“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.” This usage of imagery, figurative language, and symbolism show his hatred for the feudal system. 

Literary Terms #4

interior monologue: also known as inner voice, internal speech, or verbal stream of consciousness is thinking in words.  
example: Shakespeare contains various interior monologues to provide the audience with a deeper understanding.
inversion: a change in the position, order, or relationship of things so that they are the opposite of what they had been.
example: The Princess Diaries changed a normal teenage girl to a princess, which is quite an inversion.
juxtaposition: the act or an instance of placing two or more things side by side.
example: Charles Dickens uses the technique of juxtaposition in the opening line of his novel "A Tale of Two Cities".
lyric: a poem that expresses deep personal feelings in a way that is like a song. 
example: "Girl, the moon and the stars don't shine like you do."
magic(al) realism: painting in a meticulously realistic style of imaginary or fantastic scenes or images.example:  "House of the Spirits" is when a girl with green hair floats away into the clouds because she is so pure. 

metaphor (extended, controlling, & mixed): a word or phrase for one thing that is used to refer to another thing in order to show or suggest that they are similar.
example: The ocean was clear as crystal.
metonymy: is a figure of speech in which a thing or concept is called not by its own name but rather by the name of something associated in meaning with that thing or concept.
example: "The pen is mightier than the sword"
modernism: is characterized by a self-conscious break with traditional styles of poetry and verse. 
example: Ezra Pound's literature is within the modernism genre.monologue: a long speech by one actor in a play or movie, or as part of a theatrical or broadcast program.
example: O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!
Did ever dragon keep so fair a cave?
Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!
Dove-feather'd raven! wolvish-ravening lamb!
Despised substance of divinest show!
Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st,
A damned saint, an honourable villain!
O nature, what hadst thou to do in hell,
When thou didst bower the spirit of a fiend
In moral paradise of such sweet flesh?
Was ever book containing such vile matter 
So fairly bound? O that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace!
mood: a temporary state of mind or feeling.
example: The climax changed the mood of the entire story.motif: a distinctive feature or dominant idea in an artistic or literary composition.
example:  In Charles Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities”, the main plot revolves around a few basic themes: the ever-present possibility of resurrection and the necessity of sacrifice to bring about a revolution.
myth: a traditional story, esp. one concerning the early history of a people or explaining some natural or social phenomenon, and typically involving supernatural beings or events.
example: Greek and Roman myths are a core part of their culture.narrative: a spoken or written account of connected events; a story.
example: "The Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens is a narrative.narrator: a person who narrates something, esp. a character who recounts the events of a novel or narrative poem.
example: Katniss is the narrator in The Hunger Games.naturalism: was a literary movement or tendency from the 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character.
example: Jan van Eyck was an artist of the naturalism genre.
novelette/novella: is a written, fictional, prose narrative normally longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. 
example: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is an example of a novella.
omniscient point of view: means that the reader is all seeing and all knowing. 
example: The omniscient point of view provides the audience with a deeper point of view.onomatopoeia: the formation of a word from a sound associated with what is named.
example: BOOM! POW!oxymoron: a figure of speech in which apparently contradictory terms appear in conjunction.
example:  Faith unfaithful kept him falsely true.
pacing: walk at a steady and consistent speed, esp. back and forth and as an expression of one's anxiety or annoyance.
example: I was pacing before my important exam.parable: a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson.
example: "Siddharta" is a parable in which illustrates the journey to enlightenment.paradox: a statement or proposition that, despite sound (or apparently sound) reasoning from acceptable premises, leads to a conclusion that seems senseless, logically unacceptable, or self-contradictory.
example: You can save money by spending it.

Literary Terms #3

I apologize for the delay, but I've been on the east coast since Thursday afternoon, so I wasn't near a computer once so ever! I was visiting my university in New Hampshire for my official visit, which I will make a different blog post to talk about.

Anyway, here is the list for #3:

exposition: the act of explaining something; clear explanation.
example: Some books contain an exposition in order to clarify terms or topics within the piece of literature.
expressionism: a theory or practice in art of seeking to depict the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse in the artist:
example: Vincent van Gogh is an expressionist artist during the late 1800's.
fable: a short story that usually is about animals and that is intended to teach a lesson.
example: Native American cultures have ancient fables that have been pasted down from generation to generation.
fallacy: a wrong belief; a false or mistaken idea.
example: Various people purchased this album, so it MUST be excellent. 
falling action: The events that occur after or following the climax.
example: Each climax causes falling action, which leads the reader to the resolution.
farce: stuff.
example: The book was farces with valuable information that was extremely helpful.
figurative language: language that contains or uses figures of speech, especially metaphors.
example: The poorest man is the richest, and the rich are poor.
flashback: a part of a story or movie that describes or shows something that happened in the past.
example: The Kite Runner contains many examples of flashbacks from various times in his life.
foil: to prevent from attaining an end; defeat.
example: He would have gotten away with his evil pan, but his plan was foiled by a few vigilantes.
folk tale: contains legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, and traditions of a culture.
example: Fables and fairy tales care folk tales.
foreshadowing: to show or indicate beforehand; prefigure.
example: The dramatic music in scary movies foreshadows bad events in the future.
free verse: verse that does not follow a fixed metrical pattern.
example:
The fog comes
on little cat feet.
It sits looking
over harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.
genre: a class or category of literature, music, art, etc.
example: Romanticism is a genre in literature.
gothic tale: is a genre or mode of literature that combines fiction, horror, and Romanticism.
example: Melmoth the Wanderer (1820) by Charles Maturin is an example of a gothic tale.
hyperbole: is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech.
example: I'm so hungry I could eat a horse.
imagery: the use of vivid or figurative language to represent objects, actions, or ideas.
example: The ocean was crystal clear with hints of sea foam green and pure turquoise. 
implication: the conclusion that can be drawn from something, although it is not explicitly stated.
example: Sailing off into the sunset implied that everything was ok in the end.
incongruity: the state of being incongruous or out of keeping.
example: The tree house was in a state of incongruity.
inference: a conclusion reached on the basis of evidence and reasoning.
example: The detectives inferred that the killer was going to strike again.
irony: the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning. 
example: She said, "How nice!" when I said I had to work all weekend.

Song of the Day #10 and #11

The past few days have been crazy, so sorry for the delay, but the songs are XO by Beyonce and The Man by Aloe Blacc! These two songs are amazing and extremely well written! I absolutely love the song by Aloe Blacc. The Man makes me feel happier and hopeful. Hope you guys like both songs :).

Links:
XO
The Man

Song of the Day #8 and #9

I accidentally forgot to post yesterday, but I'll make up for it today! The two songs for both today and yesterday are She by Tyler The Creator ft. Frank Ocean and Ms. Jackson by Outkast. I was in a hip-hop kinda mood, so hope you guys like it!

Here are the links to the original, explicit versions:
She by Tyler the Creator ft. Frank Ocean
Ms. Jackson by Outkast

Song of the Day #7

The song of the day is called Burning Bridges by OneRepublic. Personally, I think the acoustic version is way better than the original, but both are amazing. 

Here is a link for the acoustic version! 

Song of the Day #6

The song of the day is....drumroll please..... Banana Pancakes by Jack Johnson! My class wanted to listen to this song during our journal write today, but sadly we didn't get the chance. So, here it is! Plus banana pancakes are just delicious.

Here is a link!

Song of the Day #5

The song for today is In Too Deep by Sum 41. I picked this song for quite a few reasons actually. First of all, I love this song and band (With Me and Fat Lip are some other awesome Sum 41 songs if you are interested). Lastly, I feel like I'm being crushed by homework this week thus making me feel like I'm "in too deep". Hope you guys like it!

Here's a link! Check it out.

Lit. Terms Remix 1-5

Honestly, I'm not sure how to "remix" these terms since we didn't discuss this assignment in class due to the speeches, but I'm just going to remix them my own way.

Here are the definitions for the first 5 terms:

circumlocution: the use of many words to say something that could be said more clearly and directly by using fewer words.
classicism: the ideas and styles that are common in the literature, art, etc.
cliche: a trite phrase or expression.
climax: the most exciting and important part of a story, play, etc.
colloquialism: a word or phrase that is used mostly in informal speech.

My remix is to figure out which term goes with each example. 

1. The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
2. What's up?
3. Greek and Roman literature.
4. Big fight scene in the last Harry Potter movie.
5. The water looked as if it were made of glass as the sun shined down upon it.

The definitions above are extremely helpful and clear. Now, I would recommend trying it without using the definitions. It's more of challenge, but it helps with memorizing and understanding each of the terms.

Answer Key:
1. cliche.
2. colloquialism.
3. classicism.
4. climax.
5. circumlocution.

Song of the Day #4

The song for today is Sunshine by Matisyahu! This song makes me feel happier and also helps me regain my focus, which is something that I need right now. Here's the link!

Examples for Literary Terms:

Examples:

circumlocution: The water looked as if it were made of glass as the sun shined down upon it.
classicism: Greek and Roman literature.
cliche: The grass isn't always greener on the other side.
climax: The climax of the last Harry Potter movie was the big fight scene.
colloquialism: What's up?
comedy: Anchorman.
conflict: Arguments and fight scenes within movies and pieces of literature.
connotation: You need to be pushy when you are trying to find a job.
contrast: Orange and blue are contrasting colors.
denotation: Pushy in the example for connotation doesn't actually mean to push someone or something.
denouement: Ending scene.
dialect: The African tribes each have their own dialect.
dialectics: plural version of the definition above.
dichotomy: Dead or Alive.
diction: The author's diction in Siddhartha can be quite confusing.
didactic: Themes are meant to teach the audience something within books, movies, etc.
dogmatic: Gale in the Hunger Games.
elegy: "walk the face of earth once more,
a mindless puppet, my strings are torn.
the creaky bones, the bad eyesight,
yet the chance to turn wrong to right.
wars-a-waging, old mans ......…."
epic: The Odyssey.
epigram: Don't worry when you could do something about it.
epitaph: Scripture on tombstones.
epithet: adjectives.
euphemism: Sadly, He passed away due to an illness.
evocative: Imagery!

Absent...

Today, I was absent from class due to a terrible headache. Ugh. It's still hard to concentrate now, but I wanted to make a blog post about which book I will be reading for my next literature analysis. I'm stuck between Catch-22, The Giver, and The Color Purple. Each of these books seem to be great, so it's not like I have a bad choice here.

Song of the Day #3

Originally, I was only going to do one song, but I decided to do three instead! The songs are The Moon And The Stars by The Holdup, Counting Stars by OneRepublic, and Living Louder by The Cab because while I was stressing out about memorizing the speech, I went outside and looked at the stars for a little while. It made the speech seem like in was nothing compared to the world outside. Often times, we get sucked into our own personal problems that we go internal and forget about our surroundings. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and take a deep breath.

Here are the links:
The Moon And The Stars
Counting Stars
Living Louder

Literary Terms #2

Literary Terms:
Examples will be posted later on due to the fact that I want to work on memorization.

circumlocution: the use of many words to say something that could be said more clearly and directly by using fewer words.
classicism: the ideas and styles that are common in the literature, art, etc.
cliche: a trite phrase or expression.
climax: the most exciting and important part of a story, play, etc.
colloquialism: a word or phrase that is used mostly in informal speech.
comedy: things are done to make people laugh.
conflict: a struggle for power, property, etc.
connotation: an idea or quality that a word makes you think about in addition to its meaning.
contrast: to be different especially in a way that is very obvious.
denotation: the meaning of a word or phrase.
denouement: the final part of something.
dialect: a form of a language that is spoken in a particular area and that uses some of its own words, grammar, and pronunciations.
dialectics: plural version of the definition above.
dichotomy: a difference between two opposite things.
diction: the clearness of a person's speech.
didactic: designed or intended to teach people something.
dogmatic: expressing personal opinions or beliefs as if they are certainly correct and cannot be doubted.
elegy: a sad poem or song.
epic: telling a story about a hero or about exciting events or adventures.
epigram: a short and clever poem or saying.
epitaph: something written or said in memory of a dead person.
epithet: a word or phrase that describes a person or thing.
euphemism: a mild or pleasant word or  phrase that is used instead of one that is unpleasant or offensive.
evocative: bringing thoughts, memories, or feelings into the mind.

Song of the Day #2

The song for today is Santeria by Sublime since I just love the song. Here's a link!

Literary Terms #1

Literary Terms:

allegory: a story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation.
alliteration: the use of words that begin with the same sound near one another.
allusion: a statement that refers to something without mentioning it directly.
ambiguity: something that does not have a single clear meaning.
anachronism: something that is mistakenly placed in a time where it does not belong in a story, movie, etc.
analogy: a comparison of two things based on their being alike in some way.
analysis: a careful study of something to learn about its parts, what they do, and how they are related to each other.
anaphora: repetition of a word or expression at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, sentences, or verses especially for rhetorical or poetic effect.
anecdote: a short story about an interesting or funny event or occurrence.
antagonist: a person who opposes another person.
antithesis: the exact opposite of something or someone.
aphorism: a short phrase that expresses a true or wise idea.
apologia: a defense especially of one's opinions, position, or actions.
apostrophe: the addressing of a usually absent person or a usual personified thing rhetorically.
argument: a statement or series of statements for or against something.
assumption: assuming that something is true or factual. 
audience: a group of people who watch, read, or listen to something.
characterization: the act of describing the character or qualities of someone or something.
chiasmus: an inverted relationship between the syntactic elements of parallel phrases.

Song of the day #1

So, I was looking at a few blogs from last year and a few of them had quotes of the day, which means that they would post a quote each day. Some would be explained from their point of view while other times it was up for the reader to interpret. This influenced me to create an idea called songs of the day. Music is a part of our lives each and every day, so why not post about it? Now, I'm going to be posting all different types of music, so hopefully there is a little something for everyone.

Today, I picked a song called I Lived by OneRepublic on their new album, Native, which is an awesome album. This song influences me to find the positive within the negative situations that have happened or are happening within my life and to live life to the fullest.

Here's a link to the song on youtube with lyrics!

AP PREP POST 1: SIDDHARTHA

AP QUESTIONS:
-What purpose does self-denial serve in Siddhartha? What about self-indulgence?URL: http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html-Within the book, Semana taught Siddhartha to lose all emotions in order to reach enlightenment.
-What does enlightenment look like in Siddhartha? Is it a feeling? An attitude?
URL: http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html- Personally, I believe it is both a feeling and an attitude. Enlightenment is about discovering the truth about just living.
-If you were the river, would you be enlightenment or would you know enlightenment? In other words, what’s up with the river? What is it’s relation to enlightenment?URL: http://www.shmoop.com/siddhartha/questions.html-"Everything was a lie, everything stank, everything stank of lies, everything feigned meaning and happiness and beauty, and yet everything was decaying while  nobody acknowledged the fact.  The world tasted bitter; life was agony." This is a quote was said when Siddhartha tried to commit suicide before reaching a state of enlightenment. The river is not enlightenment, but it knows enlightenment, which allows Siddhartha to learn from the river. -Explain which person has the greatest influence on Siddhartha?
URL: http://www.gradesaver.com/siddhartha/q-and-a/explain-which-person-has-the-greatest-influence-on-siddhartha-and-why-94151/-From what I can remember, Semana has the greatest influence on Siddhartha within the book.
-According to Siddhartha how will gotama find enlightenment?
URL: http://www.enotes.com/homework-help/according-siddartha-how-will-gotama-find-10313-Enlightenment can only be found within oneself and the nature that surrounds them.
The questions above show me that I need to not only focus on the the plot and characterization, but also themes and tones that are presented within the book. Often times, I put all my focus on the facts rather than the feelings that are shown when I'm reading for school assignments due to the fact that I'm trying to be efficient. This assignment showed me the importance of taking your time instead of rushing through it. 

Hacking My Education

My computer is acting up so I'm typing this off my phone so it is difficult to make it detailed, but I will add more to this post once my computer is working. 

What do I want to know?

-I want to learn more about the business realm since I want to major in business nest year.

What skills do I want to demonstrate?

-I would like to improve my literature as well as vocabulary.

What experience do I want to have?

-I would love to talk with various business professionals and maybe get an internship.

What's In This For Me?

My goal for this upcoming semester is to keep pushing myself academically and to pass each of my AP exams in order to build a strong foundation for my future. Since I will be playing a college sport, I want to be prepared and ready for anything. In addition, the units from the AP exams will allow me to graduate sooner from college, so I can get straight to work on finding a career that I love.

2014

This upcoming year is a new dawn, a fresh start, and a clean slate. This year will open new doors and pathways at which determine who we were, who we are, and who we will be. To be honest, I have no idea what the future has for me. So much has happened this past year and I have no idea what will happen in the future, but if there is one thing I have learned this year is to just take each day one at a time. I over-analyze and over-think most situations in my life because I was to make sure I do the right thing which causes me to stress and lose my sanity at times, but this year has taught me that mistakes are ok. It’s ok to be a complete mess, It’s ok to not know what will happen, It’s ok to not have a plan, It’s ok to release your emotions, It’s ok as long as you focus on what could help you rather than hurt you. Instead of focusing on the past, which can’t be changed, focus on the present and future because each day we are faced with new opportunities and challenges that we must get through. Live for the now not the past. I've learned to live life with no regrets. Have I made mistakes? Hell yes, but what good will it do for me now to regret the choices that I made in the past. My mistakes are lessons in which I use on a daily basis to grow and make better choices for the future. Never regret a choice you made in the past because in that moment you did what you felt was best and so what! It was a bad choice, but you didn’t know any better or you followed your gut. Take that bad choice or bad experience and turn it into something positive. It's not an easy task to do, but it will bring a little more happiness into your life and in my personal opinion, happiness is the ultimate goal to life. Now, 2014 is going to be a year filled with both positive and negative aspects, but I look forward to what it has to offer.