Thankful

 My English teacher told me to write a blog post of someone i am thankful for. So here it goes. I am thankful for my classmate Fred. He is always responsible and a dependable friend for English class. He is always able to help me with responses and finding good evidence to support them. Plus, I can count on Fred when editing my papers, he corrects my grammatical errors well and gets his point across during the discussion to make sure i make my paper better. He is also one of the funniest people i know and always manages to make me laugh. Fred was in my gym class last year and although he may not be the most athletic guy out there, he is very intelligent, funny, and trustworthy. I am grateful to have Fred as a friend to depend on for English class.

Then He is Dead

     After reading Macbeth I've reached the conclusion that his acts were not worth it even in the long run of being king. In my opinion the riches made him poor. Although he achieved the goal of being king and having everything he desired he was in a constant psychological labyrinth. Once he had started committing evil deeds for his own interest, there was no way out. To him it was easier to dig deeper into the black hole instead of going back. Due to this, he had to be watching his back in fear and torment that the same thing could happen to him as his actions of being killed. He also lost his wife due to the stress and guilt as it overpowered her leading her to commit suicide. Macbeth reached the ultimate consequence of death for his actions. I don't think that any of onself's actions is worth dying over. It also caused Macbeth a great deal of mental destruction. This was demonstrated when he saw the ghost of Banqo at the dinner party after he had killed him. The greatest weight was on his conscious of killing several other people just to keep his position. There was no need to go through this struggle since Macbeth was already promoted and known. The witches predictions pressured him into believing he was going to become a prophecy but it was not worth going through the lies, secrets, crimes, and utter discomfort.

No Tale to Tell

The pardoner’s tale is a type of story to emphasize the moral point of trust. The Pardoner shows the effects of greed as he believes that greed is the root of all evil. In this story three young men go out to kill death and are told that he is located under a certain tree. To their surprise, when they arrive they find a sac of gold. They decide that it would be too suspicious and people would think badly of them if they just show up in the town with all the money. They created a plan that two would stay under the tree while the other would go buy some wine. One of the two who stayed under the tree convinced the other to plot the third person’s death. This way the two would get more money when split instead of three people splitting the gold. Meanwhile, the one who went to go buy wine secretly placed poison in the wine, so the other two would die and he would take possession of all the gold. The two men who waited under the tree did follow through with their plan and killed the third man. They decided to celebrate their new riches with the poisoned wine. The two then died as well.

I found it ironic when one rioter told another rioter, "Trust me, you needn't doubt my word. I won't betray you. I'll be true."The rioter is telling another rioter to trust him and that he wouldn't betray his friends, yet he is plotting the death of the third rioter who he pledged to treat as a brother. Another part of this story that shows irony is when the third rioter tells the apothecary that he has some rats to kill. Literally, rats are creature that humans despise and don’t want but he is referring to other two rioters waiting for him under the tree. All the rioters trusted one another but ultimately they were provoked by the gold. They all got their consequences for their actions of greed. I think the whole tale is ironic as well. In the prologue the pardoner says that greed is the root of all evil. However, he only preaches to convince people to buy his pardons for his personal needs.

Word Count: 381

Modern Grendel

Modern Grendel:

When I thought of modern Grendel, I instantly thought of the military. I think that in some perspectives the soldiers fighting in war are both seen and feel like a Grendel to an extent. Grendel is seen as this bad monster that kills people for no apparent reason, and everyone fears him, desires his death, his presence unwanted. Grendel however claims to kill people for the better since he kills people that kill many others for the wrong reasons. To the countries you are fighting against, their citizens see you as the bad person who wants to take over. They fear of possible attacks. They only see you as the killer. However the country you are for glorifies you, looks up to you filling you with pride. Then at night time after killing others, nightmares attack you. Soldiers have inner conflict. They know they killed fathers leaving children without that parental figure. They know they leave many women without their husbands. They know they kill hard workers, loving men, and innocent people. Those thoughts taunt soldiers like they taunt Grendel. Even though they think they’re killing for the better, is it really justifiable? Similar to Grendel, they believe that after killing enough people, a difference for the better will be made.      

Truth

TRUTH

An infinite range of emotion was evoked in Grendel by a single song.  The shaper in this novel, in my opinion, is one of the most important characters. The shaper directs the hearts of people and paints this image in their minds of pride and victory.  Grendel calls the shaper’s stories lies and tricks. However, at first Grendel enjoys the stories, as if he wants to believe the shaper but ultimately knows the truth. After speaking with the dragon, Grendel realizes that the truth is more dooming and brutal than we are willing to admit. The so called reality sung by the shaper is something we choose to believe. The songs and stories is just an illusion, but the remolding of the past won’t bring a brighter future, which is what Grendel comes to learn. As Grendel says when conflicted, “did we kill each other more gently because in the woods sweet songbirds sang?” Grendel shows that even though humans claim to be more intelligent than creatures, when our hearts our influenced by what we want to believe is real, it overrides logical thought.  It’s as if our heart demands comfort and hope, which Grendel discovers in the shaper’s stories.  He surrenders these hopes after his encounter the dragon, he’s sees the people for who they really are and how pointless it is to gloss their lives with the belief of dignity. Grendel is the one who witnesses the lies of the shaper and discovers the consequences of truth. 

Brit Lit Blog - Modern Day Beowulf

I believe the modern day Beowulf in everyone’s eyes is different but all goes back to the same word, mom.  Beowulf was characterized as a fearless warrior as a youth and transitions into a more mature perfect hero. When being a fearless warrior he was confident and strong describing the traits of one’s mom at the beginning. As Beowulf grows he becomes wiser and wants to keep people safe also demonstrating as a mother grows. A mother wants to keep their child safe and away from harm. She wants them to be proud of her. A mother also shows confidence in knowing what she does. A mother doesn’t want to demonstrate fear, just strength. A mother, like Beowulf is a hero in every child’s eyes. A mother takes care of you when sick, when injured, when in need of help. The view on your mother as Beowulf changes as you grow however. When one is young a mother seems indestructible and as you grow you begin to see some weaknesses. Once you’re even older you begin to see that your mom was wise and strong and overall protected you your whole life. A mother has only good intentions for their children. One looks up to their mother as always being there for them, a true hero, just like Beowulf.  

Word Count: 220

Brit Lit Blog -Me

My name is Ashley and I was born on December 12^th, 1996. For elementary school I went to CICS Bucktown. I was there from kindergarten to eighth grade. From fifth to eighth grade I attended the accelerated program taking algebra in 6^th grade and geometry in 7^th grade and learning a year higher in all other subjects. In 5^th grade I was on our schools track and field team and then joined running mates in 7^th and eighth grade. Along with running mates I was also on our schools softball team and student council. One of my favorite field trips in that school was when our class went to Springfield. We were able to visit important memorial sites and even saw the statue of Abraham Lincoln. Everyone rubbed his nose for good luck, which looked really silly. Another fun trip that I had was ice skating. I first learned how to ice skate in that field trip. My cousin pulled me into the middle and told me to skate my way back and then left. Even though I fell, it was an effective way to learn to ice skate.  CICS Bucktown was like a second home to me and will remain as a great memory.

Word count: 205

Malcolm X

Malcolm Little was born in Nebraska but moves to Michigan where he experiences violence. The Klux Klux Klan murder Malcolm’s father and force his mother into a mental hospital. After living in a Michigan detention home and completing the eighth grade, Malcolm moves to Boston, to live with his half-sister, Ella. He passes for being much older than he is, with the type of clothes, gambling, drinking, doing drugs, and dating. He then moves to New York, where he begins working as a hustler in Harlem and commits robberies. Inspired by the faith, Malcolm stops using drugs he reads, prays, studies English and Latin, and joins the prison debate team. The prison releases Malcolm on parole and Malcolm moves in with his brother Wilfred. Malcolm receives permission to drop his last name, which a white slave owner gave to one of his ancestors. He adopts “X” as his last name, using the letter to represent the lost name of his African ancestors. Malcolm X soon meets the Nation of Islam’s leader, Elijah Muhammad, and rises quickly from the rank of temple assistant to the Nation’s first national minister. Thus far I am amazed at how Malcolm has changed throughout the story. I think that it all ties back to the idea that your past and experiences shapes your thoughts and who you are as a person. When Malcolm joined the religion he thought of all the white people in his past and realized he had a bad experience with all of them. Malcolm had a rough childhood leading him to act tough, and although he did drugs and committed robberies he was never violent, and kept his morals high.

(271) 

Hiding the Reservation

There is always the internal conflict between fitting in and standing out. In the novel The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, Junior does both. At Reardan he wants to be accepted, and in doing so he tries to fit in. In order to fit in he has to be like them leading him to hide where he is from. He isn't judged nor stereotyped in doing so of hiding his background. On the rez he stands out by doing what most Indians don’t, and doing more than what is expected of him. This is why he hides his background because Indians aren't expected to have long term goals. Fitting in at Reardan meant proving he wasn't just another Indian which led to hiding what was an Indian. When attending Whitney Young most don’t do what Junior had to do. Since there are many ethnic backgrounds, culturally most don’t hide anything. In fact, it is even interesting to hear of different cultures and traditions. In some way there are some people who hide their “rez,” or their past so to speak. When attending a new school, it’s a fresh start. People don’t know who you are until you tell and show them. Some people hide their past from their old school, or even pretend to have been something else. The reason for this I believe is neither to be accepted, nor to stand out but more to not have their history be their present again. It isn't the “culture” of Whitney Young but more an idea of starting again, getting another opportunity to become a better version of yourself without people knowing who you were. This is similar to junior’s case of not being like the other Indians and being a better version of himself, and giving himself higher expectations because whether one thinks they can or can’t one is always right. 

Jr at Whitney Young

When junior goes to Reardan he immediately is looked at as an outcast. Junior is the only Indian kid in this all white school and in an attempt to fit in he punches a classmate. Junior does this thinking of the rez and how Indians behave to be accepted. In Reardan though, the culture is different and Junior isn't socially accepted at first. Junior is different from his classmates, economically and what he is used to socially. Whitney Young is not like Reardan, it is very diverse where people come from different social statuses, economic statuses, ethnic backgrounds, and we all have different interests. At Whitney Young junior wouldn't be judged like he was at Reardan. Junior would fit in because he would find people that share similar interests. He wouldn't have to hide anything in fear of being judged. At Reardan he had to because everyone was the same and to be accepted he had to pretend to be something he wasn't  At Whitney Young there is wide variety of clubs and classes offered. This is how Junior would start to find people with similar interests and mindsets. Since he is into drawing cartoons he might join a drawing or writing club, he might spend his time creating art projects in the bridge and blue house, or he might even try out for the basketball team. When walking into the school he wouldn't be an outcast due to the diversity of the school and slowly he would gradually become friends with a certain group of people. For lunch, he might not be able to afford to go off campus and buy food but it would be nothing to be ashamed of. He would have free lunch and just enjoy time with his friends. At Whitney Young Junior would have an easier time finding someone to talk to, and not feel alienated or isolated due to the diversity in interests. Junior would be more comfortable in attending Whitney Young than how his experiences were at Reardan.

The Great Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun

The American dream is a key theme in both the novels "The Great Gatsby" and in "A Raisin in the Sun." In both of these novels the American dream is perceived by their achievements and personal success, and expressed through the characters' experiences. In the Great Gatsby the American dream revolved around doing your best to be accepted into wealth and high class, their dream was more materialistic. On the other hand, in A Raisin in the Sun, the characters also want to be accepted into wealth and high class but their dream was focused more around pride in the family. The only one who didn’t agree to begin with was Walter Lee. Walter Lee was stubborn about becoming rich off of a liquor store, and didn’t mind investing all his and his sister's money. Once Walter Lee lost all the money, he finally realized his true riches and the importance of family. This is shown when he rejects Lindner's offer of not moving into the neighborhood. The move was a resemblance of their success and being able to beat society's expectations of them, and also being able to achieve and surpass their ancestor's levels of success. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby portrays the American dream with wealth as being success. He is influenced by Dan Cody, and believes that Dan Cody is living the American dream by being wealthy and having luxuries. Gatsby is soon willing to do whatever it takes to gain status, wealth and love which define his success in the American dream. Despite Gatsby's luxurious parties and crowds of "friends" he is missing a little piece of his American dream, Daisy. Represented by the green light, Gatsby is reaching for what he can’t have, what completes his American dream, his true love. The American dream in A Raisin in the Sun is demonstrated with family values and moral standards. Meanwhile, in the Great Gatsby the American dream revolves around wealth and false realities. In both novels, people are trying to achieve the American dream by gaining success but in the Great Gatsby it is more materialistic and superficial. In the beginning characters in A Raisin in the Sun were following Gatsby's footsteps but soon learned that money is not everything and that family comes first. Gatsby believes that money can solve anything and that it defines success. However he soon learns that no matter how many England t-shirts he could own, his true love could never be his. Both novels begin with a similar approach and soon learn what is really important in trying to conquer the American dream. Not only do both the novel's characters fantasize about what they want but they are also very persistent. Once Gatsby decided he wanted to be wealthy, there was nothing to get in his way. He did anything in his power to get what he wanted but this blinded him from what he actually wanted which was Daisy. Gatsby couldn’t let go of his past and grasped it like it was his present. He achieved his American dream in becoming a well to do man but didn’t gain his love back. As for mama, she is also very persistent. Once she knew what she wanted for her family she was not going to back down which was a safe and nice neighborhood; a neighborhood in which her children and grandchildren could enjoy and experience what she wasn’t able to as a child. In the end, he dream was achieved as well as they became the first African Americans to move into an all white neighborhood.

word count: 598

Protest Song - Say it loud ( I'm black and I'm proud)

This song is addressing the social injustice of racism. James Brown took and approach to this song as encouragement for African Americans. In this song, he says to say “I’m black, and I’m proud” encouraging African Americans to be proud of who they are and where they come from. Brown then continues the song with everything they have gone through. Here he is continuing to encourage them in the sense they have gone through so much that they have to keep trying until they get what they want.  This was demonstrated in the line saying “but I say we won't quit moving until we get what we deserve.”  Brown then describes how they have been treated due to racism and how they are referred to as “just bones.” He also mentions in the song that they have been working hard, but only for another man. This song coming out during the time of racism gave encouragement and confidence. Another issue during this time period was voting rights, which leads to the symbolism he has in his song. The line "we'd rather die on our feet, than be living on our knees," refers to a new realization that voting rights alone wouldn't create true equality when so many African Americans would continues to live in poverty. Another interpretation is that they would rather die standing, as in strong than die working for someone else. I say this because when he says we would rather die on our feet I interpret it as we would rather die when they’re still standing, meaning healthy. When he continues to say “than be living on our knees” I see it as in living miserably, and having to be on their knees begging. This suggests for African Americans to become more economically self sufficient. I chose this song because it is such a strong and big issue in America. Racism continues to exist to a certain extent. It is not as obvious anymore in America but it still exists, for example, stereotypes. One assumes many things based on a person’s race, when in reality a person is very different on this inside that what they may seem on the outside, racism continues affecting many in America today.

word count: 371

Proposal

I live in the neighborhood of Belmont Cragin and after researching the neighborhood's details I was able to see some basic demographics. For racial demographics, the neighborhood is mostly composed of Hispanics and whites. There are more house owners than renters. There are also more female residents than male and the total population is 77,557 people. For my project I am going to interview two neighbors and one family member. The racial backgrounds of the two neighbors are Mexican and white. The man who is Mexican is Manuel. He has lived here for over 10 years and works in the school across the street. The woman who is white is not in the neighborhood as much as Manuel is, since her job is in the suburbs  She usually leaves around 8 and doesn't get home until 9 from Monday to Friday. As for my relative i will be interviewing my sister who has lived in this neighborhood for about 8 years but has recently moved to the same block I live on. I think the american dream in this neighborhood is going to be not about the hard work but the reason for their hard work, their family. I think the american dream for my interviewees will be living happily with their family and doing what they can for the best of their children. For Manuel, he works where his grandchildren go to school and where one of his daughters attended school. For my other neighbor even though she isn't as much with her family, she works hard to make sure they are never in need of something they don't have. I think the constant idea that will continue in the american dream of Belmont Cragin is family and doing what they can to give the best to their children and family.

American Dream

From homeless shelter to elite science fair

“It will be an adventure to my next adventure,” Lane Gunderman states as he is about to aboard an airplane for the first time. Lane Gunderman was born into poverty and his family was able to scrape by until 2006 when they lost their apartment. After staying at a relative’s house and a divorce between the parents, the father abandoned them leaving them to stay at homeless shelters for over a year. Lane went to a public school in which he excelled and got admitted with a full scholarship into U of C Lab High School where he was accepted in the Summer Link Science Research Program. He came up with a project, created a computer stimulation with an in depth analysis and submitted it to Intel. Out of 1,700 applicants he was able to make the 40 finalists in which he will go to Washington DC to compete and possibly win 100,000 dollars. He is living the dream, the “American dream” some may say. What really is the American dream? I believe it’s expressed as a form of success. It suggests that anyone can conquer in life what they want as long as they work hard and stay committed. Many have expanded and redefined the idea with money, freedom, and fulfillment. Others say the concept is an idealistic goal that can’t be completely achieved due to society. The American dream is prosperity, in which ever way you may see it. This article relates to the American dream by not being affected by his past. Despite his poverty and struggle, he stayed dedicated to what he loved. His American dream was to improve upon the past by his desire to live a better life, even after not having a secure place to spend the night. Everyone has different point of views on success. The American dream is not a white picket fence, but it revolves around it. Do you walk past the fence and look for opportunities as your success dream, or do you stay in and define your success dream as being average, having a family, avoiding poverty and loneliness. Lane decided there was more out there, and his dream, or success story is achieved by working hard no matter the obstacles that come in his way. The American dream isn’t defined by wealth but it’s changing into expectations and owning things, when in reality it is your ambition, and hard work leading to a better life in which you desire to pursue happiness. The American dream isn’t defined by gadgets, it’s defined by one.

Word Count:215

Scary Movie Review

In the Lovely Bones  it tells the story of a fourteen year old girl who was murdered, and wasn’t the first victim of this killer. Although dead, Suzie continues to observe her family on Earth. Throughout the story she witnesses the impact of her loss on her family. As her family doesn’t lose hope in finding the killer, Suzie shows them clues. Suzie not only watches her family on Earth but also the killer who is planning his next murder. This movie is intriguing yet mysterious. Although it was a tragic death, a rape and murder the story is not depressing. The movie begins with Suzie alive demonstrating the life in her, her personality, her daily routine and how many lives were changed by the loss of hers. In this movie as well it shows the emotional struggle of a parent as the father is desperate to reveal his daughter’s killer. He cries at the sight of her room, at the boats they built together, etcetera. The mother however divorces the father for continuing on trying to solve the mystery. The mom just wants to move one and forget about it. It throws the watcher off as one would think the mother would be distraught. The lovely bones is one of my favorite scary movies. The overall plot is not scary but there is a rush feeling when trying to see if Suzie will be able to run away, figure out the killer, seeing if the dad will ultimately find out. I also like how there are many twists and surprises to this movie, especially when Suzie is in purgatory speaking to another victim of the same killer.  I did not enjoy the ending however, I expected there to be more. As the killer runs away from the police I expected him to be caught, but that wasn't the case. The killer is able to get away but as he is talking to a possible next victim he falls off a mountain and dies. The lovely bones had a surprising and unexpected ending but it wasn't interesting. The rest of the movie though is great as you see struggles of the dead watching their family alive and the struggles of the family alive wishing they could see their daughter alive again. The movie is a serial-killer mystery, a teenage melodrama, a domestic tragedy and a candy-hued ghost story.

Word Count: 399