senior year

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“Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road.”

Jack Kerouac

Brave New World

Wow! What an interesting book. I really didn’t think I’d like it, but the more I read the more intrigued I was. It’s weird to think about being controlled like that, but they don’t know anything else. They have nothing to compare their lives to, unlike John. He proves that being blindly loyal to someone or something is dumb.

I’ve never really experienced anything on my own, without my parents guidance, so it’s hard to think about what I’m going to do to make sure I question things. Of course I’ll always go to my parents and family for advice but at the end of the day I believe I would go with my gut about important things. If I’m ever feeling bad about something in the world, I hope I would think about the consequences and make the best decision for myself. It’s hard to be your own person sometimes with so many outside influences but doing what is best for yourself is the most important thing to me.

Peace Out

From the entire year I think the assignment I enjoyed the most was the satire project. Although it didn’t turn out how anyone had hoped, the alternative assignment was so much fun for me. I made it such a family event and it gave us all something to do during the “quarantine”. I also weirdly liked the Hamlet unit. I had fun reading in a funny accent and really getting into the play. I also feel like I retained the most information from that unit, probably not the most helpful information to keep a hold of. When I was finishing Brave New World I saw a reference to Hamlet and got so excited that I knew what it was from, so that was cool. My least favorite thing about class was reading. EW!! I’m sorry, I don’t understand how people can just sit down and read a book…. for fun. I wish I was someone who enjoyed that, but I’m more of a visual person so doing the track your reading sheets was a chore.

A good piece of advice I could give to seniors is ENJOY IT! Everyone says high school goes by so quickly and you never believe them until it’s your last year, so make the best of it. Go to all the games, dress up during hoco, show school spirit and most importantly get out of your comfort zone. You’re not going to remember all the nights you stayed home in your bed, you’ll remember cheering on the football team as they get absolutely demolished on senior night or driving around town with your friends listening to good music and sharing stories. Grades are important, so keep up on those, but also give yourself freedom. Don’t put so much pressure on being perfect and doing everything right. Pay attention in class and your workload won’t be as bad, meaning more time to live your life!

Satire Project

From this project I learned that satires are absolutely everywhere. We don’t even realize that we are watching or reading a satire most of them time. And to be completely honest I didn’t even know what a satire was before this project, so I learned lots of new things. Lately I’ve been watching a lot of netflix and finding types of satires in what I watch so that’s pretty cool.

The different types of satires are horatian, juvenalian, exaggeration, incongruity, parody, and reversal.

• An example of horatian satire is the Echo commercial because it was pointing out how the elderly population needs a different version of the echo because they don’t understand
• An example or juvenalian satire is the CPR episode from The Office because Michael was pointing out that a person with no arms or legs isn’t worth saving
• An example of exxageration satire was the Lip Sync Battle from SNL because both Paul and Jimmy exaggerate each performance to help them win and make it funny
• An example of incongruity satire is the Cowbell skit from SNL because compared to all the other instruments, the cowbell and its sound is out of place when played that much
• An example of parody satire is the Cowbell skit from SNL because the original song had the cowbell noise but it was nowhere near that much so they are making fun of the actual song by adding so much cowbell
• An example of reversal satire is the Fire drill episode from The Office because starting an actual fire to have a fire drill is the exact opposite of what people normally do

I chose to film my sister and I having a Frozen lip sync battle which was so much fun. My little sister is obsessed with Elsa so playing the role was no challenge for her. She was so excited to put on her Elsa dress and go sing in the snow. I, on the other hand, struggled so hard while singing my song. I couldn’t take myself seriously and laughed throughout the entire performance. Chevelle definitely won the battle, and I’m not even mad about it. Filming it was such a family event, my dad filmed and my mom played the music for was and warmed Chev up when she started to freeze outside. I really enjoyed this project.

Hamlet vs “The Lion King”

After reading Hamlet and watching “The Lion King”, I can clearly see that they have similar storylines. Obviously one is more kid-friendly, but you can see the plot of Hamlet throughout the movie. One similarity that really stood out to me was Mufasa talking to Simba about the circle of life. Mufasa said that once they die they become the grass the animals, they once hunted, eat the grass which made me think of Hamlet giving his worm speech. Another thing I noticed was the reverse psychology both Scar and King Claudius used to on Hamlet/Simba. Scar “accidentally” mentioned the elephant graveyard and told Simba to stay away from it at all costs. Claudius did the same thing when he begged Hamlet not to go to England.

The movie also had so many differences, like the obvious fact that the characters are lions in “The Lion King”. It goes deeper than just names and species though. In Hamlet, Ophelia dies because no one was there, which is opposite from “The Lion King” when Simba saves Nala in the graveyard. Another big difference is the timeline. The story of Hamlet happens in only four months, while “The Lion King” is stretched over the span of years. Another obvious contrast between the two was the ending. Everyone dies in Hamlet, leaving Fortinbras the king unlike the happy ending in “The Lion King” when all living things prosper under the rule of Simba.

I’m surprised by the fact that Hamlet and “The Lion King” are even based on the same story. You would never guess that Simba is living Hamlet’s life unless you really analyzed it, like we had to in class. I never realized that Mufasa coming back to speak to Simba would be like the King coming to Hamlet and warning him.

Career Day/Senior Shadow

I am shadowing a personal trainer at Anytime fitness and I am so excited to learn about what goes into training people. I never thought to put personal training into my research paper because I never really gave it much thought, but the more I think about it, it seems like a perfect fit.

I didn’t research the career I shadowed which seems dumb, now that I think about it, but it was still very beneficial. I have been going to the gym for a couple years now and my passion for fitness has only grown. Becoming a personal trainer makes so much sense for me and it has always been in the back of my mind. I never thought it was something I could do until I did this job shadow. I am so excited to learn more about what goes into personal training. I know it only takes a certificate but it’s so much more than that. You build relationships with people and help them become the best versions of themselves.

Hamlet Reflection

After reading Hamlet I learned to take action. I learned to be my own person and never let a man control me. I learned to mind my own business and not be so nosy. I learned to think before I act and not jump to conclusions.I have also relearned that greed is the root of all evil. Everything I have learned from this chapter has been because of each characters mistakes.

If Hamlet took action instead of acting mad, he might not have lost everyone he loved. He might have lived. If Gertrude listened to Hamlet and stuck up for herself Hamlet might have survived. If Polonius kept his nose where it belonged he wouldn’t have died and Ophelia wouldn’t have killed herself. If Laertes didn’t act so harshly he might have gotten to comfort Ophelia in her time of need. And if Claudius wasn’t so greedy for power, Old Hamlet would be alive. All the death and heartache could’ve been avoided.

A favorite quote of mine is “If my thoughts aren’t violent, consider them worthless”, it shows how low Hamlet got. He was in such a dark place after his father died and him saying that really just proves how much people go through when someone important dies. It also proves how different people act in the same situation. Hamlet was enraged but Gertrude was married to his brother right after.

A song that represents a scene from act three is Man Down by Rihanna. Hamlet didn’t know that he was killing Polonius, he thought he was stabbing Claudius. This mistake is also felt by Rihanna. In the song she says “I didn’t mean to end his life, I know it wasn’t right”. 

APA Paper Reflection

After writing the APA paper, I learned that I hate APA. I’m kidding, mostly. I had a very hard time not using the words “I” and “you”. I never realized how much I used them until I couldn’t. I used them when I didn’t even realize I was. That was the most frustrating part. With that being said, I love the idea of having the topics and subtopics. It made everything so organized and neat. It was very new and different but I loved it.

I plan on going to college and I know APA is used in college so this was good practice. I need to know what words I shouldn’t put into a research paper. I need to know how to properly format an APA paper. I need to know how to correctly cite my sources. This paper sucked to write, but I know it will be good for my future education.

Myers – Briggs Reflection

According to NERIS Analytics Limited (2011-2020) my personality is an adventurer. When I first saw that I was an adventurer it didn’t make sense but the more I read about what it actually meant, the more I started to see it. I would say it is pretty accurate because I am very introverted but also like to do adventurous things. Most of the strengths and weaknesses fit perfectly without me even realizing it. I don’t like to plan things, I’m a very spontaneous person so I think this personality fits me.

 “Adventurers can escalate small things into intense competitions, turning down long-term success in their search for glory in the moment, and are unhappy when they lose” (NERIS Analytics Limited, 2011-2020). I never really thought I was that competitive until I sat down to think about it. I always have to win in board games, kahoot, jeopardy, sports, and even schoolwork. I can never let myself get second best or else I get upset or disappointed.     

NERIS Analytics Limited (2011-2020) says that most adventurers are artistic, which couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am not a writer, painter, or songwriter. I don’t express my emotions through art, I prefer to speak about how I feel.

Morte D’Arthur Reflection

The Medieval Romance Qualities are shown in Morte D’Arthur and “A Knight’s Tale”. In Morte D’Arthur, Sir Bedivere shows his loyalty to King Arthur by staying by his side until the very end of his life. Arthur did a memorable deed by waiting to attack Mordred, in the end that deed immortalized him. A magical setting in Morte D’Arthur, was the fact that The Lady of the Lake could only be seen by King Arthur and Excalibur was given to him by The Lady of the Lake. In “A Knight’s Tale”, Sir William had to overcome the fact that he was lowborn and wasn’t a real knight. He was determined to make something of himself and he didn’t stop until then. William was also intent on defeating Count Adhemar in the joust. He pushed threw many trials in order to knock Adhemar on his back. At the end of the battle in Morte D’Arthur, only 3 men survived, Sir Lucan, Sir Bedivere and King Arthur.

In “Brave”, Merida only saw the wisps when she was going through a trial and it only appeared for her. An example of repetition of 3 in modern films is the movie “The Three Stooges”. Another example of a Medieval Romance quality in today’s movies is when Ariel from “The Little Mermaid”, made a deal with Ursula so she could go live on the land with the prince. She sacrificed a part of her self on a quest for love.

Sir Gawain and the Greek Knight Reflection

After reading stories form this time period I have learned a lot about the knights and the virtues they live by. Becoming a knight means upholding certain standards but, for most knights, that wasn’t always the first thing on their minds. Knights like Sir Gawain used their knight status as a way to feel and superior towards others. He might have seemed like a good knight, but when no one was watching he made questionable actions.

I think the point of this story was to bring awareness to knights like Sir Gawain. The legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight is a look into the problems with people in authority. These issues carry into the Middle Ages and Chaucer wrote about them in Canterbury Tales and The Pardoner’s Tale. I could also argue that it still happens today, the President is currently being impeached for abuse of power. There is no end to this cycle, it just reveals itself in different forms.