Song of the Day!

The song of the day is….. *drum roll* …..

Rise Up by Kevin Miso!

In addition, I will be posting my literature analysis tomorrow since I realized that I forgot to save and publish it yesterday to my blog, so I'm going to have to rewrite it. I apologize for the delay!

Songs of the Weekend

Saturday: I Won't Let You Go by Snow Patrol
Sunday: I Need You by M83

These two songs are from the soundtrack for Divergent, which is why I picked them! The movie was absolutely amazing and I really enjoyed it especially since I've read the books. I would recommend seeing it! Well anyways, hope everyone had an awesome weekend! :)

Song of the Day!

Yesterday: Oh Sherrie by Steve Perry (He was the original lead singer of Journey!)
Today: Not a Bad Thing by Justin Timberlake (This song is absolutely adorable!)

Masterpiece Resource of the Day

My resource of the day is a book called Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg. Now, I have read this book in the past, but I decided to re-read it in order to go more in depth since it is a helpful tool for preparing myself for Jerry's Retreat presentation.

MY MACBETH RESOURCES

1. http://www.shakespeare-online.com/plays/macbeth/macbethresources.html. (This website has various links that contain a great deal of information and help.)
2. http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/chrissandy1/camacbeth.htm. (This is an in depth character summary of Macbeth.)
3. http://www.shmoop.com/macbeth/ (This was created by a group of students from Stanford, Berkley, and Harvard.)
4. http://shakespeare.mit.edu/macbeth/full.html (This is the full unedited text from MIT!)
5.http://www.shakespeareswords.com/Macbeth (This website is easy to read and overall enjoyable to look at while providing useful information about Macbeth.)

This is not a test….

I actually posted this a few days ago, but it didn't save…. Luckily, I have no problem writing this up again, so in class we were asked to write a test that connects to our masterpiece. My masterpiece is connected with conquering fears and being the best individual you can be. I will be presenting at Jerry's retreat, which is both exciting and scary. It was my choice to do this because I knew that it was something that would open so many opportunities and enrich my connection network. In addition, I have the chance to meet and learn from a very talented group of people. So, my test is to do something that scares you if it is something that will benefit you or those around you! This may sounds cliche, but you only live once, so make it worth it!

SONG OF THE DAY!

This song was just too amazing not to share…. It has been on repeat on my iPod for a few days now! Hope you love it as much as I do!

Beating Heart by Ellie Goulding

Here's a link to the song :)!

IS THERE AN EXPERT IN THE HOUSE?

“There is no perfect fit when you're looking for the next big thing to do. You have to take opportunities and make an opportunity fit for you, rather than the other way around. The ability to learn is the most important quality a leader can have.” 

My expert and role model is Sheryl Sandberg, who is a successful leader and business woman. She is absolutely phenomenal and I would love the opportunity to talk to her. Her book, Lean In, continues to inspire me each and every day even though I read it months ago. I made the quote, "What would you do if you weren't afraid?", my senior quote because it's a new mantra of mine due to Sheryl Sandberg's influence. Honestly, there are so many more reasons why she is my perfect expert, but I'll just keep it short and sweet…. Sheryl Sandberg is an extremely talented and intelligent woman, who I aspire to be like. 

FEAR.

"What are you afraid of? You've got a chance to change everything. TAKE IT. This is about choices you make in life. This is about finding that one thing that sets you free. You need to believe in yourself or none of this matters."

I am just one of the many new incoming freshman next year, but that still doesn't make it any easier to leave those that I love and the familiar places in which I associate with home. The idea of college is scary…. it's a monumental change that will shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Every time I think about it, I get both a feeling of excitement and fear. I will be going to a university thousands of miles away all by myself. Now, this won't stop me from achieving my goals in which I have set for myself. I will strive to be the best I can be; I will impact those around me; I will continue to learn; I will be the change that I fear; I will be me.

Song of the Day

Here are a few songs to catch up for missing a few days!

Sunday: Can't Tell Me Nothing by Kanye West
Monday: Open Arms by Journey
Today: Let It Go by Idina Menzel

Brave New World Essay

ABSENT: BRAVE NEW WORLD ESSAY 

“I am I, and I wish I weren't.” Each individual within society is in a constant battle with being moral or immoral, which is shown in our actions and points of views. John the Savage in “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley has all of the necessary skills to be a part of the futuristic society presented by the new world, but yet he still doesn’t fit in. He is looked down upon those living within the “World State” , which causes them to alienate John without even realizing that he is just as qualified as they are. This elicits pathos and sympathy from the audience since Huxley developed John as a character who is relatable and understandable through the struggles and cliches that he must go through such as fitting in and finding out what your true morals are compared to society’s ideals.

“If one's different, one's bound to be lonely.” Huxley immediately provides the audience with sympathetic feelings toward John the Savage through his name. The usage of the word savage causes the audience to feel bad for him since he is being called something that he is not. He is being called that due to the fact that he stands up for what he believes in even if it’s against society’s morals and shares his faults openly. The explicit imagery of his mother being beaten to a pulp tears through the emotions of the audience and causes John to be portrayed as a mistreated individual dealing with incredibly difficult issues, which elicits compassion and sympathy. In addition to his flashbacks, John the Savage is extremely passionate and that is shown within his actions. The death of his mother is a perfect example of how he isn’t afraid to express how he feels unlike those around him since that isn’t socially acceptable due to the fact that the “World State” doesn’t believe in the concept of family. His emotions pour out of him uncontrollably and leave him in an emotional vulnerable state in which causes him to act irrationally. His emotions take over his logical thoughts and that is why he ends up killing himself since he is unable to deal with the pain and grief. His suicide leaves the audience in that similar vulnerable state since they were able to relate with his emotions on a deep level, leaving the audience with the urge to save him, but weren’t able to in time. 

“I'd rather be myself," he said. "Myself and nasty. Not somebody else, however jolly.”  The characterization of John the Savage created by Aldous Huxley in “Brave New World” develops sympathy and various other emotions through literary techniques such as imagery, allusion, and synesthesia. He may have been called a “savage”, but he was not considered one from the audience’s point of view.

   

Song of the Day

I've been so busy with school and volleyball that I wasn't able to post yesterday (sorry!), but no worries I will just post it today! :)

Here are the songs!

Friday: Cough Syrup by Young the Giant
Today: Invincible by MGK

Song of the Day

The song of the day is…. How's It Gonna Be by The Holdup.

HUXLEY'S BRAVE NEW WORLD

            Due to being absent the past few days…. I have not been able to write my essay, but I am going to as soon as possible! I would like to write about his interview because I thought it was quite interesting. Often times, interviews can be boring and uneventful. They usually always ask the same lame questions such as how is the family or how do you feel about this issue, but this interview was quite different (in a good way). I was able to really see and understand both Huxley's POV now and then. Now, I do not believe that we are a part of the Brave New World at this current moment, but we could be evolving into it. Social media and technology are extremely influential aspects of our society. Each of us is constantly using technology such as our cell phones or televisions, so Huxley is correct in the idea that these influences can affect our emotions, actions, and morals. In addition to the media, drugs could be another influence. Huxley mentioned the concept of drugs in his interview, which was that drugs can change our choices. Drugs could become a gateway in which others use to control an individual’s freedom or ideals. This could lead to the world described in Brave New World, so personally I agree with Huxley about preparing for the future ahead of us instead of being blindsided.

Song of the Day

Well I just realized that I forgot to post yesterday! Sorry about that, but I'll just post it today :)!

The songs are:

Tuesday: Donald Trump by Mac Miller

Wednesday: XO by Beyonce 

Song of the Day

The song of the day is….. Gravity by John Mayer! :)

Dreams...

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one. I hope someday you'll join us. And the world will live as one." -John Lennon

Thank You!

I would like to say thanks to Daniel Rucker and Maddison Hill for commenting to the blog post on the course blog about Randy's email! I greatly appreciate it! This will be extremely helpful when developing my presentation for Jerry's Retreat! :)

By the way, I would recommend checking out their blogs because they are absolutely awesome! Rebecca Aldrich and Rachel Shedd's blogs are amazing as well! :)

Songs for Dayssss

Wednesday: All the Small Things by Blink-182 (Their greatest hits album is absolutely amazing!)
Thursday: No Air by Jordan Sparks ft. Chris Brown (This song was a classic jam in the awkward junior high school years.)
Friday: Classic by MKTO (Super catchy!)
Saturday: Summer Nights by Iration (All of this hot weather makes me wish for summer to come faster, so I thought this was a perfect summer song.)
Sunday: Still I Rise by Sammy Adams (I love Sammy Adams, so I would definitely recommend checking out his music.)

Song of the Day

In honor of our guest speaker, Terry Lawless, today….. the song of the day is Mysterious Ways by U2! This is one of my all time favorite songs, so I hope you guys like it! :)

Song of the Day

The song of the day is…..Closer to the Edge by Thirty Seconds to Mars! The lead singer of the band is Jared Leto, who won an oscar a few nights ago for best supporting actor, so he is ridiculously talented. In addition, their new album is absolutely amazing and I would check it out if you liked the song above. Plus it's on sale! :)

10 QUESTIONS

Here are my 10 questions to Sheryl Sandberg, who is a role model of mine and just an overall amazing individual (Her book, Lean in, is FANTASTIC).

These questions are based on my major within the business realm. 

1. In your book, you talk about the idea of fear…. What are some of the things that you feared, but had to conquer in order to accomplish? 

2. How has success changed your point of view?

3. Do you enjoy being apart of the business world?

4. What's your biggest accomplishment?

5. What are some of your future goals?

6. Do regret any of the business choices you have made?

7. How were you able to incorporate your passions with work?

8. Who was one of your biggest influences?

9. I hope to be presenting at Jerry's Retreat and I was wondering if you could give me few key pointers that will help my presentation be the best it can possibly be. 

10. What's the most important aspect of education to you?

Songs for Days

My internet was down at my house for the past few days, but luckily it's back!

Thursday: Stand Tall by The Dirty Heads
Friday: Turn Down For What by DJ Snake & Lil Jon
Saturday: The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars
Sunday: Another Night by Mac Miller

Benchmark Project

                 I will be majoring in Sales and Marketing, which is within the business realm. Connections are monumental in the business world and this course has allowed me to make ones that I would have never been able to. For example, I will soon be presenting at Jerry's Retreat in front of a large group of influential leaders about my views and experience with education, which is still mind blowing to me. At this point in time, I have started working on my presentation with the research I've collected. Some of my resources are posted below, but that's just a few! I will be working with Dr. Preston on this project since he will be presenting with me, so there is still a lot of work to be done. In addition, I have a logo drawn up for Open Source Learning and I just need to make the finishing touches. 

                I would also like to help create a scholarship in memory of Lisa's mom. This isn't for a project though because I don't want it to be "for a grade". This is to support someone, who is absolutely one of the sweetest people I know. 

LEARNING [in a] BRAVE NEW WORLD

Today, our discussion was based on the ending of the book. Most of us were ahead, so we started discussing the ending of Brave New World. In addition, we talked about literary terms within the book in order to get a better understanding since our mid-term is coming up. Honestly, the part that helped me the most was the discussions about literary terms because it allowed me to memorize them and to make connections with our in-class conversations.

Resources for Days!

My project is in the works at this point in time. I'm actually developing my powerpoint right now! This will definitely take some time since it's about open source learning/business education, which is quite a broad subject. Here's a few of my resources that I've been using…

Definition:

I found this by googling Open Source Learning, which was pretty cool!

Open Source Learning is an emerging education practice that allows students to capitalize on the scope and power of the Internet to create and manage their own learning experiences, ultimately producing interactive material that is available online to everyone.

The term “Open Source Learning” was coined for this context in 2009 by David Preston, a teacher who developed the Open Source Learning principles, tools, and techniques that are being used in a growing number of K-12 schools and colleges.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Source_Learning

Videos:

This was awesome to watch because it shows that we aren't the only ones wanting to expand our education system!

http://www.ted.com/talks/richard_baraniuk_on_open_source_learning

Rice University professor Richard Baraniuk explains the vision behind Connexions, his open-source, online education system. It cuts out the textbook, allowing teachers to share and modify course materials freely, anywhere in the world.

Song of the Day

Here's the song of the day…... Stop and Stare by OneRepublic :)

Song of the Day

Young Forever ft. Mr. Hudson by Jay-Z :)

Song of the Day

Good Morning! 

Here's the song for the day!

Don't Talk Serious by The Holdup

Literature Analysis #5

Literature Analysis #5:

Book: Heart of Darkness

Author: Joseph Conrad

Summary: 

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad is based on the journey of a sailor named Marlow, who is traveling up the Congo River. Marlow is trying to meet up with a man named Kurtz, which is why he is on this journey. He joins the Company and becomes a riverboat captain. While being a part of the Company, Marlow sees absolute terrible events such as the kidnapping of natives to use them as workers and various other forms of cruelty. He visits Central Station in which he finds out that his ship was sunk, but this makes him more obsessive of meeting Kurtz. Kurtz is thought to be ill, so Marlow works as hard as he possibly can to fix the ship quickly. Once they finally finish the ship, the crew continues his journey. Finally, they run into a hut with piles of firewood, but the ship is soon attacked by natives after the fog cleared. Marlow is luckily able to scare the native by blowing the ship’s whistle. Not long after, Marlow and his crew meets a Russian trader, who is mentally crazy, but he says that Kurtz has enlarged his mind and can’t be surrounded by normal moral judgements. Kurtz is now thought of a God to the natives. Soon, Kurtz is brought out by the manager onto the steamer and later disappears into the night. Marlow follows him and convinces him to come back on the ship. On their way back, Kurtz tells Marlow about various documents that say the “savages” must be exterminated. The steamer has issues causing it to stop. Sadly, Kurtz dies and Marlow is able to survive even with his terrible illness. Kurtz’s last words were “The horror! The horror!”, but Marlow tells Kurtz’s intended fiancee that his last word was her name.

A theme within the book is the exploration of ambiguity, moral confusion, and what is considered to be evil. Marlow is stuck at an impasse between two choices that both have negative aspects to them, so he must decide what is right and if it’s worth the sacrifice.

 The tone changes throughout the book due to the different events happening, so it’s difficult to pin point an exact tone. 

“We live as we dream--alone....” 

“His face was like the autumn sky, overcast one moment and bright the next.” 

These are examples of  similes since they compare two concepts with either the word like or as.

“The horror! The horror!”

“I have been very happy—very fortunate—very proud,' she went on. 'Too fortunate. Too happy for a little while. And now I am unhappy for—for life.” 

This author uses these repetitions to connect with his audience and to make a lasting impression on those reading the book.

“It echoed loudly within him because he was hollow at the core.”

This is an example of personification because he is compared to as a tree, which connects to the environment.

“The vision seemed to enter the house with me—the stretcher, the phantom-bearers, the wild crowd of obedient worshippers, the gloom of the forests, the glitter of the reach between the murky bends, the beat of the drum, regular and muffled like the beating of a heart—the heart of a conquering darkness.” 

This is an example of imagery and provided vivid images for the audience to create within their minds. In addition, this quote directly relates to the title of the book.

“For a time I would feel I belonged still to a world of straightforward facts; but the feeling would not last long. Something would turn up to scare it away.” 

This is an example of foreshadowing and portrays a turn in events, so the audience are able to predict what could happen next. 

“Perhaps on some quiet night the tremor of far-off drums, sinking, swelling, a tremor vast, faint; a sound weird, appealing, suggestive and wild - and perhaps with as profound a meaning as the sound of bells in a Christian country.” 

This quote brings strong images, memories, and feelings, which elicits pathos and strengthens the narrator’s tone at that particular time, so this is an example evocative. “ --so full of stupid importance.” 

This is an example of oxymoron and provides a deeper level of understanding.

“Often far away there I thought of these two, guarding the door of Darkness, knitting black wool as for a warm pall, one introducing, introducing continuously to the unknown, the other scrutinizing the cheery and foolish faces with unconcerned old eyes. Ave! Old knitter of black wool. Morituri te salutant. Not many of those she looked at ever saw her again--not half, by a long way.” 

This is an example of allusion due to the fact that it is alluding to the door of Darkness, but it also places images within the mind of the reader, which will cause personal connections to be made.

“I found myself back in the sepulchral city resenting the sight of people hurrying through the streets to filch a little money from each other, to devour their infamous cookery, to gulp their unwholesome beer, to dream their insignificant and silly dreams. They trespassed upon my thoughts.”

This an example of a flashback and gives the audience information about past events within a character’s life, which enriches their characterization.

“The fascination of the abomination.” 

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.

Characterization:

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.

Direct:

“I think the knowledge came to him at last — only at the very last. But the wilderness had found him out early, and had taken on him a terrible vengeance for the fantastic invasion. I think it had whispered to him things about himself which he did not know, things of which he had no conception till he took counsel with this great solitude — and the whisper had proved irresistibly fascinating. Anything approaching the change that came over his features I have never seen before, and hope never to see again. Oh, I wasn’t touched. I was fascinated. It was as though a veil had been rent. I saw on that ivory face the expression of somber pride, of ruthless power, of craven terror — of an intense and hopeless despair. Did he live his life again in every detail of desire, temptation, and surrender during that supreme moment of complete knowledge? He cried in a whisper at some image, at some vision, — he cried out twice, a cry that was no more than a breath — ‘The horror! The horror!” 

“And from right to left along the lighted shore moved a wild and gorgeous apparition of a woman. She walked with measured steps, draped in striped and fringed cloths, treading the earth proudly, with a slight jingle and flash of barbarous ornaments. She carried her head high; her hair was done in the shape of a helmet; she had brass leggings to the knee, brass wire gauntlets to the elbow, a crimson spot on her tawny cheek, innumerable necklaces of glass beads on her neck; bizarre things, charms, gifts of witchmen, that hung about her, glittered and trembled at every step. She must have had the value of several elephant tusks upon her. She was savage and superb, wild-eyed and magnificent; there was something ominous and stately in her deliberate progress. And in the hush that had fallen suddenly upon the whole sorrowful land, the immense wilderness, the colossal body of the fecund and mysterious life seemed to look at her, pensive, as though it had been looking at the image of its own tenebrous and passionate soul. Her face had a tragic and fierce aspect of wild sorrow and of dumb pain mingled with the fear of some struggling, halt-shaped resolve. She stood looking at us without a stir, and like the wilderness itself, with an air of brooding over an inscoutable purpose. A whole minute passed, and then she made a step forward. There was a low jingle, a glint of yellow metal, a sway of fringed draperies, and she stopped as if her heart had failed her. She looked at us all as if her life had depended upon the unswerving steadiness of her glance” 

Indirect:

“I saw him open his mouth wide. . . as though he had wanted to swallow all the air, all the earth, all the men before him.” 

“He was there below me, and, upon my word, to look at him was as edifying as seeing a dog in a parody of breeches and a featherhat, walking on his hind legs.” 

“All that mysterious life of the wilderness that stirs in the forest, in the jungles, in the hearts of wild men.” The author’s diction does change because he reacts to the different aspects of each character.

Marlow is a dynamic, round character because he changes as the story goes along. He is stuck between two evils and it drives him to make choice he wouldn’t have before the journey.

“You know I hate, detest, and can't bear a lie, not because I am straighter than the rest of us, but simply because it appals me. There is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies -which is exactly what I hate and detest in the world -what I want to forget. It makes me miserable and sick, like biting something rotten would do. Temperament, I suppose.” 

Honestly, I felt like I had met each of characters. I understood their emotions and reasoning, which made this book quite enjoyable to read!

Songs of the Weekend!

Here they are! I got a bunch of new songs on my iTunes, so I've got a bunch of great songs coming up. Hope you guys like them! :)

Saturday Bad Habits by Mike Stud.
Sunday:  How's It Gonna Be by The Holdup.

LAUNCH

So, my masterpiece is a presentation about open source learning at Jerry's Retreat, but I would like to do something else even if it has nothing to do with this masterpiece. One of classmates is going through a rough time in her life. She is one of the sweetest people I know and is willing to help anyone in need. Her positive attitude and extremely intelligent thoughts enrich not only this course, but also those around her. Honestly, she is an absolute sweetheart and will achieve so much in her life, which doesn't surprise me that she was voted most likely to succeed by our senior class. I have and will never doubt her abilities. I would like to collaborate with various people and organizations to help create a scholarship in her mother's name, so that her legacy lives on. I don't want this to be a part of my "masterpiece" because this isn't about a grade….. This is for her and her family.

SUPER 5

Five people that could serve as role models that could help and endorse my work would be……

- Jerry Michalski.
- Sheryl Sandberg.
- Angela Ahrendts.
- Dick Costolo.
- Kat Cole.

My Team

My group and I focused more on our Launch theories and ideas, which was extremely helpful since they gave me ideas for an open source learning logo! Woo hoo! I'm still working on it, but I feel like its almost ready to show!

I, Jury

Reading some of the essays helped me realize the importance of a strong thesis and supporting evidence. Personally, I always know to include that, but what I noticed was that mine could be stronger. By providing strength to those aspects, my essays will improve drastically.

Brave New World Essay

I accidentally forgot to post this essay, so here it is! This essay prompt is from Allyson's blog, which is an awesome blog!

        The world we live in is connected in every single way. Each and every action we take affects not only ours lives, but also the world around us. The world around us can affect the individuals living within it in either positive or negative ways. This concept is shown in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley through a character named Lenina. Lenina embodies her futuristic society in which shows how Huxley takes advantage of the setting by using it to enrich his characters.

        
        Lenina is a perfect example of the society in which was created by the new state. She lacks any originality and individuality. Lenina is just another puzzle piece within their futuristic society. She enjoys the life she lives and doesn't question those who programmed her. This shows how on'e environment can jade their senses and manipulate them in such a way that they loose themselves. If Lenina wasn't raised in this environment, she would have not be the same as she is now. Huxley plays with this theme of how the environment has become their mind, which means the idea of individuality is gone. The people living within in this society look to the government to make their choices instead of making their own. This means that the government can mold the entire society with ease, which shows how malleable the human mind can be.

        

        The human mind is extremely powerful and can absorb massive amounts of information, but what is right and what is wrong? Aldous Huxley's Brave New World  takes this idea and twists in it a way that shows how what we learn isn't always right. Characters such as Lenina shows this concept due to the fact that she was molded to be her society. What she believes in right or acceptable is what others have told her not her own personal thoughts. The new state has created and is continuing to live through the manipulation of every individual living there.