Poetry Out Loud

Part One:
1.Keeping Things Whole
2.To Helen
3. Abandoned Farmhouse
4. Battlefield & Alone

Part Two:
1: I liked To Helen by Edgar Allan Poe a lot because its really sad and I really like Edgar Allan Poe. I didn't like Abandoned Farmhouse because all it talked about was a farmer and his land. I would like to do Alone by Edgar Allan Poe  because I really like Edgar Allan Poe.  I connected with this because its a very sad poem and I love sad poems.

Part Three:
1. Evidence of Understanding and Level of Difficulty are the two criteria that will be easily awarded for me, as
I am a critical thinker and I often see the deeper meaning of poems and books that others don't see. The two hardest criteria for me will be Physical Presence and Voice and Articulation because I often stumble when presenting in front of the class.

Part Four:
1. I watched the one by Jackson Hille and it was very good. He kept the audience with him and his emotion was very appropriate.
2. Stanley Andrew Jackson was also a very good recitation. He was very confident and his voice was very clear and audible

Part Five: To conclude this post I would like to say i'm very excited to start reciting my poem and present it to the class. It will be a challengePublish Post for me to meet the Physical Presence and Voice Articulation criteria but its something I will practice and master before its time to present. I think the competition will be a challenge but I always like a challenge so it will be fun for me. Im not sure yet what poem I will recite yet, but i'll decide withing the week.

Extra Credit Blog

I think the most important skill I've learned in English class is how to set up rough draft using the "Gilman" pre draft method. That pink packet helped me a lot in writing my essay about the Crucible. I usually don't write drafts for my essays I just write an essay and edit it from there and make my final. Rough drafts are usually just a waste of time for me because I sit there and try and do all the stupid graphic organizers and what not. It helps me a lot more to just write my heart out like a free write and organize and edit my thoughts from that point. Thanks to the help of Ms. Gilman  I can now do pre-drafts with ease.

Self-Reliance vs. Nature

After reading both "Nature" and "Self-Reliance" by Ralph Emerson, I concluded that I could relate to "Self-Reliance" more than I could to "Nature". This is because I have been taught by my parents to be independent and self motivated all of my life.Nobody has ever given me anything for free, I have always had to work for what want. Ever since I was very young my dad has told me that nobody will ever give me anything in life, that I have to earn it for myself if I want it. I think this is a fundamental insight on life that all should consider.

Today I believe that too many people are not reliant on themselves as much as they should be. Things like welfare checks and free government healthcare are signs of this kind of mindset. Nobody wants to work for the things they want or need anymore. Everyone thinks they are "entitled" to anything and everything they need. I believe this a very bad thing for America. I think the countries that are most successful are the ones in which the majority of the people are self-dependent or reliant. Countries like China where the people work their tails off to get things we take advantage of like education. I believe the key to success is being self-reliant like Ralph Emerson states because in this world everyone is looking out for themselves, and if you don't watch your on back nobody will.

Unfair Court Case

I recently read about a man who worked for the Casper, Wyoming  police department most of his life and found that he had depression after a few years. He asked for medical leave from the department so he could see a psychiatrist  and set his life straight. After five months of treatment, Michael returned to the Casper police department. He continued to work there for 8 more years, still dealing with depression and sleep insomnia. In 1996 Michael was transferred the Capitol police department where he was asked for prior medical problems and background. Michael disclosed his depression history to the department and was examined by a doctor to see if he could complete the job. The doctor declared that he was good to go. Years later he was reviewed by another doctor who declared he wasn't "medically qualified" and so the department fired Michael. Michael took his case to court where he claimed that  it was illegal to fire him because of the ADA and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The court declared that depression didn't qualify as a "disability".


To me this case is absurd. The court was presented with solid evidence of discrimination, and the court ignored it.The definition of a disability is a restricted capability to perform particular activities. Depression meets these standards, and the court should have sided with Michael. This relates to the Crucible by Arthur Miller because during the trials, the judge is presented with evidence that the girls are fraud and the judge just throws the accusation away. He listens to the accuser, but not the 30 people who are accused. Unfair Court cases are unconstitutional and should be stopped.

What does being American mean to me?

Being American to me means that I have the power of choice. I can choose how to live my daily life, and choose my future. Often times in other countries, no matter how much potential you and how hard you strive to reach a certain goal it is impossible because of the way the government runs that country. For example, in communist countries your life and career are chosen by the government. In America you have all the choice in the world on what career you wish to pursue, and the life you live. 

I myself have no clue on what career I will have in the future, but being American my choices are very broad. As long as I maintain a good GPA and attend college, my options will be open. I believe that college is a very important in American society. Going to college shows that you have the willingness to improve yourself in the future, and that you have worked to get the status you have today. Going to college opens the options you have in regards to a career. Most jobs in American society require some  form of college degree in order for you to work in their establishment. 

I don't think not knowing what career I want in the future is out of the ordinary for my generation, most of my friends are in the same position as me. We all want good jobs that we enjoy and want to keep for the rest of our lives, but we have absolutely no idea what career would suit us best. My plan is to go straight to college after high school, do all my prerequisite classes and see what areas are most enjoyable in those classes for me. If I can get a ballpark understanding of what kind of career I want before I start specializing in a certain degree, I should be well off.