FINAL REFLECTION FOR AMERICAN LITERATURE 2019-2020

Dr. Prestons AP American Literatur class was different from any other English I've taken. On the very first day of school, he was already letting the class take control of the class. He exited the classroom and let us decide between open-source learning or a normal way.  He was willing to teach any way his class chose would be best for them.
The most meaningful thing I learn from his class was that writing is supposed to be a fun liberating way to get your point across. Not a forceful writing structure with a teacher who's not giving clear feedback.
This year I'm most proud of learning how to write a resume. I will be able to use this throughout my career and maybe help others with what I learned.
In the beginning, I wish I didn't slack off as much. I thought it would be something easy to get used to, but I was very wrong. The course only gets easier when you give yourself a routine that helps you be the best you.
In this course, I learned how to interview. Dr. Prestons final interviews definitely allowed me to learn some skills that I will use in the future. Plus he gives us the important do's and don'ts when it comes to an interview.
For this semester I'm choosing the letter grade option. I think I earned my A in this course because even though school was canceled I still kept up with the assignments for this class and I participated in the class meetings on Zoom.

a nonfiction essay/reflection, OR in a fiction story

Describe what happens when an SMHS student goes to sleep on March 12 wishing for no more school this year. And gets her wish, in the form of a pandemic.

Chel a straight-A student who hates failure. She puts her best efforts in everything she does but has a bad habit of bringing herself down when things turn out the way she hoped. Her life is just about school. She's very shy but works extremely hard to prevent that from holding her back.

Junior year in high school became the hardest year for her. She really doubted herself. Her study skills were put to the test. She began to drop grades in classes that before were easy for her even though they were honors. Chel quickly became stressed at the beginning of Junior year.

 She was aware that science wasn't her strong suit but for the past two years study and good note-taking got her to pass science both years with an A+. That totally changed Junior year. No matter how long she studied or practiced she couldn't get good grades on her tests. This really made Chel doubt herself. Soon math started to become a problem. The first two years of high school math was pretty easy for her. Passing math with A's or A+'s. Math that year was just not making sense.

Junior year became hard for her to handle. Even though she kept a good schedule it wasn't enough to get her where she wanted to be. Her at-home problems also didn't help. Leaving stressful school to go to a stressful home became her daily routine sadly. She also didn't let herself take a break. She was always on top of her school activities and community services. It took her family awhile to notice her change in attitude and lack of happiness.

 Chel was at the breaking point at the beginning of March 2020. The person she loved the most was leaving her, school wasn't enjoyable and she couldn't recognize herself anymore. Then the night of March 12 2020 Chel went to bed wishing school would end.
Who knew that her wish would become true, but not in the way she hoped.

The next morning was a regular Friday. Same old boring routine for Chel. The day went by as normal. When Chel got home she decided to finally give herself a break. She watched tv for the first time in months. Everything on tv was about a virus that was going around killing people. Schools, businesses, and sporting events were closing down that day immediately. Soon the house phone rang and Chel's mom gave her the news that her school was closed as well.

Chel soon realized that wish did come true, but in a terrible way.
Everyone was put in quarantine and social distancing was placed. People had to wear a mask when going out in public for essentials. Life became total isolation for months all around the world. Months soon began to pass, but life as before was never the same. Chel's only good outcome was spending time with her grandma during her last days. Now Chel had to learn to survive a pandemic without the person who gave her strength.

Today I took my AP TEST :/

I began preparing for the exam the night before. I turned off my phone around 11pm and set my alarms. I couldn't fall ASLEEP. I tossed and turned for a good couple of hours. I remember looking at the clock on last time at 2am before I finally actually fell asleep. I woke up at 8am and went to my doctor's appointment at 9. I got home on time to eat some breakfast and login to my AP exam at 10:30. Everything was going fine until I opened my word document to write my essay. Well, my computer said error :/ and it restarted. It took up 10 minutes. When I finally got in I had like 35 minutes. I was panicking at this point. I did my best and basically wrote like a maniac. Once the timer hit five minutes I began to save the file. When I went to look for the file I had a hard time finding it. It wasn't saving properly or not in the area I saved it. I was panicking. I kept looking at the clock and it looked like it was moving faster. I thank god that I was able to turn it in. I turned it in with 30 seconds to spare and shed a small tear of relief once it was over. 

FAHRENHEIT 451 ESSAY

    Fahrenheit 451 is a novel that really opened mind my and got me thinking. The main character Montag is a fireman who starts fires and lives in a society filled with what looks like unhappy people. He seems to be surrounded by people who decided to conform to whatever everyone considers normal. From the beginning of the book to the end you can see Montag search for happiness and peace of mind.
    The characterization used for Montag's character really helps us see the type of person he is. Early on in the book Montag appears to be like everyone else around him. He appears to have no emotion or empathy. Then came along a young girl named Clarisse who really made Montag question himself if he was happy. Then there was the house he burned down with an old woman inside it. Those two moments in the book are what caused Montag to really question his happiness with the life he was living. We really saw Montag show his emotions for the first time. Montag then went on a run for his life when he decided to find some type of happiness for himself.
    Bradbury used metaphors as a form of figurative language in his book. One metaphor that stood out to me the most was when Montag told Mildred "Maybe the books can get us half out of the cave". Montag knows the rules and still decides to break them. He decides to open the book and read out loud. Montage knew that his life felt like a cave that he couldn't escape and at some point, it was just gonna collapse on him if he didn't do something about it. He was trying to find peace of mind in books after he came to reality with the society he lives in.
    The plot development of the story also helps to see how Montag went in search of his happiness and peace of mind. From the start, we knew that Montag wasn't happy, but he didn't. His marriage, to begin with, wasn't even a marriage. His wife practically avoided him at all costs and did leave after all. Then it was when he didn't want to go to work anymore because he understood that job was wrong. He then went to search for someone who can really tell him the knowledge of the books he begins to admire. This is when Montage meets Faber an English Professor. Faber is the person who really opened Montag's eyes to what society is for them. Montag then begins to run for is life when the mechanical hound is sent to finish him. This leads him to a group that he kinda wants to relate to. The group of people appears to have knowledge of what Montag is looking for. In the end, Montag seems to happy with what he has done.
    Characterization, figurative language, and plot development are the techniques Bradbury used to help us understand the theme throughout the story. Finding happiness and peace of mind doesn't come easy when it really shouldn't be something we have to look for. Maybe we need people who are open-minded to help us show us the way sometimes.
 

Journal Topic- April 27 2020

Do you crack your knuckles? I started in the sixth grade. It's a weird habit. Why does anyone do this?

Yes, I do crack my knuckles. I feel like people do this as a form of stress relief. Some even do it as a distraction when in an awkward situation.

April 28 Journal Topic

If you were going to write a book about life during the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, what would you title? Why?

I would title it " Natural Selection at its Finest".

Some people are taking this situation seriously and some people aren't. People should be doing their research and not believe everything they see on the internet. I feel like the people who take this seriously and protect themselves and others will are the ones who come out of this pandemic strong.

April 16 2020-- My choice of Journal

To was actually very hard. I experienced my first loss. I sadly lost my grandma to cancer. She was my second mother and I own everything I am to her.

April 15 2020 Journal

Question?
What do you think is easier-- doing something well or teaching someone else to do it? Why?
I think its easier to do something well yourself. Teaching someone takes more patience and they might make mistakes. You can be a very good teacher but have a student who just doesn't put in the effort to do it well. You doing it creates room for fewer mistakes and more efficient.

AP PRACTICE PROMPT

My childhood revolved around this large empty room in my house. It belonged to my uncle before he moved. I was lucky enough to grow up with a sister and a cousin around my age to let our imaginations run wild in this room. We created the biggest messes there and to this day were some of the best memories I have of my childhood. 

The room was turned upside to be like a hotel. The room is the master bedroom in my home. It has a large walk-in closet, a his and her bathroom, and a large bed area. The bed area was to resemble a lobby. The actual bed was the second floor. The bathroom became the third floor and finally, the closet was the fourth floor. Me, sister, and my cousin would take turns playing different roles. We would alternate between hotel guests, receptionist or hotel staff. 

We took this very seriously. We used actual props. Our outfits would match the role we were playing. We would use real luggage sometimes. When the “ guest” called for room service we would actually prepare the food. Fake money was also created to make this more fun. The room’s being occupied on each floor were decorated somehow. That's really the only thing I can’t remember. I remember the role that we all fought over was the receptionist because it was the easiest one. Our imagination could’ve kept going, but at some point, we grew up and stopped.

Just because I got older doesn't mean I stopped being creative. My childhood imagination defiantly fueled my love for fashion and design when I got older. Now when projects are given to me, I definitely find myself going overboard. I also rearrange and change everything around me once I get bored. Sometimes I even annoy myself when I can’t make up my mind because I don’t like to settle for the basics.

SOMETIMES YOU NEED A PROFESSOR

In the novel Fahrenheit 451 Montag gets in touch with a man named Faber. Montag has stolen books and wants someone to tell him what they mean. He tries to get as much information as he can before Beatty gets to his stash of books. Faber is an old English professor who tries to avoid any contact with the fireman but makes an exception for Montag when he shows up to his house with the bible in his hands.

WHAT ARE WE LEARNING NOW

If we let ourselves be controlled we will never know what to believe. As an individual, we should be allowed to be fully informed about whatever is going on and make a decision based on what we have learned. Having others control what you see and hear makes for a very dysfunctional society. We become puppets to a puppet master. Society will be lead by people's greed and personal ambitions.

WHY I WORK

Why do you care about enough to work for? A relationship? A project? A principle?
 A care enough about my mental health and goals to work for them. I know if I keep a positive mindset I can accomplish many things. Putting effort into something you love or passionate about makes the results feel amazing.

451 QUESTIONS, 20 ANSWERS

1. “The Hearth and the Salamander” seems an odd choice for a chapter title. Why do you suppose Bradbury chose it? What connections did he want to create? (hint: in mythology, the salamander is a fire lizard, said to be capable of starting and putting out fires) . I suppose Bradbury choose the salamander to show imagery. He wanted to create a connection with the main character Montag maybe.
2. The lines, “It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed” (1) tell the reader a great deal about the protagonist, Guy Montag. What assumptions can the reader make? We can assume that the protagonist is a firefighter who enjoys their job.
3. Bradbury’s use of metaphor and animal imagery begins on page one of the novel. He writes, “With the brass nozzle in his fists, with this great python spitting its venomous kerosene upon the world, the blood pounded in his head...” (1). Why would he have chosen to characterize a fire hose as a “great python?” Is the imagery positive or negative? He chooses to characterize the hose as a great python be it shoots venom that destroys and the hose doesn't shoot water it shoots kerosene. The imagery here is negative.
4. Also on the first page, we learn that Montag’s fire-helmet is inscribed with the number 451. What is the symbolic importance of this number?  The number 451 is the temperature in which paper burns. The firemen in this novel cause fires instead of preventing them.
5. Explain how Clarisse McClellan is first described. What is it about her that immediately strikes Montag? Clarisse McClellan is first described as a young fierce girl. Montage is immediately struck by her unusual opinions and interests.
6. The names “Clarisse” and “Guy” are significant. How? The names Clarisse and guy are significant because even though she only appeared at the beginning of the novel, Clarisse symbolizes everything the guy is not.
7. Clarisse questions Montag about his way of life. How does she question him, and how does he react to
   her questions? Clarisse questions if Montage is happy and if he really enjoys what he does for a living. Montag reacts very quick in an offended manner.
8. During the first conversation between Clarisse and Montag, the reader discovers several odd things about the society in which these two characters live. Describe at least three odd things we learn. Fireman cause fires, society is very depressing, people don't stop to take a good look anymore.
9. Montag employs two similes in thinking of Clarisse. What comparisons does he make and why? He compares her to other people her age and how she's very outspoken.  Everyone during this time is very kept to themselves.
10. What does Montag realize about himself after Clarisse leaves him the first time? Montag realizes that he's not happy.
11. What are “Seashells” and how does Montag’s wife, Mildred/Millie, use them? The seashells are earphones. Montag's wife uses them when Montag is speaking to her.
12. There is a stark difference between Bradbury’s first description of Clarisse and his first description of
    Mildred. What does the reference to her face (11) signify and how does it contribute to our
    understanding of both her character and the marriage between Montag and Mildred? The marriage between Montag and Mildred is very happy. They sleep in separate beds and they don't even have proper conversations. 
13. Describe the machine used on Mildred. Explain the symbolism. The machine has a tube that first slides down her throat and the other machine sucks all the blood out and replaces it with new blood. The machine used on Mildred is described as a snake.
14. Montag’s comment that “Nobody knows anyone” (14) is telling. What is the epiphany he has? That no one talks to each other anymore. Everyone is basically like a robot and doesn't pay attention to actual life.
15. Unthinkingly, Montage finds himself drawn to the window of the McClellan household. Explain the
    contrast between his house and this one. What does the contrast tell the reader about society at large? In the McClellan house, the lights are on. Their people inside have conversations and look alive. This tells the reader that society is in a way dead.
16. Montag’s confused statement, “‘I don’t know anything anymore’” (15) signifies a pivotal moment in the
    text. Explain. He doesn't know who he really is. He now is aware of his unhappiness. He doesn't know why he chooses the job he does. 
17. When Mildred wakes up from her near-death experience, she does not seem to remember what
    happened. Describe her mood at this point. Why has Bradbury characterized her this way? What does
    Millie’s conversation with Montag reveal about her? Her mood is very calm and unaware of what just happened. She does wake up hungry. Bradbury describes her as a forgetful uncaring person. The conversation with Montag reveals that she's selfish.
18. Why does Clarisse visit the psychiatrist? Clarisse visits the psychiatrist to keep people from thinking she is crazy.
19. What is “the Hound” and what is its function? Why is Montag bothered by the Hound? The hound is a mutant robot dog. The hound is used to search for books. Montag is bothered by the hound because is always growls at him.
20. Why does the woman want to stay-- and burn, and die--with her books, rather than surrender to the fireman and leave the books and her home to burn? Her life revolves around books. Without them she feels dead. She rather leave with them, then to feel alone.

ACADMENY OF ONE

During this time of isolation, I've been pretty calm. It wasn't much of a routine difference for me (perks of having strick parents). I really do just miss seeing my friends. Even though I talked to them every day through the phone, it's not the same. The only thing driving me kinda nuts is having my siblings around full time. It was kinda nice having my parents both home for once in a very long time. We haven't eaten at the dinner table all together since probably Thanksgiving. Now I'm kinda over them being both around because it drives me nuts having two strick parents breathing down my neck 24/7. I'm very grateful that I got to spend time with my grandparents during this time. My grandma has a severe pancreatic cancer, so it was especially nice to cook her meals and just spend time without worry about the time. I've got back into baking. I was a pro at this during Jr High and haven't done it since freshman year. I had time to practice my instrument and it was a refreshing hobby to do once again. I also had fun with makeup. I even order a highlight palette that I've wanted since Jr High and just a couple days ago they brought it back. That was probably the highlight of all this. I especially enjoy online gaming with my friends. My best friend and I  are on our 12 season of PUBG mobile. We both became addicted to this game during freshman year and now it is a rewarding distraction after all school work is completed. Cleaning the house was also a major part of isolation (LOL). I've got so bored on a day I began cleaning the walls. I sadly did mess up my sleeping schedule, but it was bound to happen at some point. During this time of isolation, I learned that I'm not a person to panick.

Cue Theme Music

I think the central message of The Great Gatsby is that no matter how much you pursue something it doesn't always end up how you wanted it. It's simply a possibility.

I think this because

• Gatsby became a man with money to impress Daisy.
• He through the enormous party's to attract Daisy to him. 
• Gatsby die and all his efforts went to waste because Daisy didn't even choose him.

Preview Of Great Gatsby Essay

  
Topic

Is Gatsby’s desire for success—however we define it—evidence of the American dream, obsession, a personal sense of honor, or something else? Does Gatsby symbolize our culture and even our own desires, or is he an outlier?



The American dream is something everyone tries to accomplish. Having a home with a husband or wife and kids. Maybe with the occasional pet dog. Gatsby's desire for success is evidence of the American Dream. His obsession with a woman that was already out of his reach, cost him his life at the end. Just like in our culture we sometimes work ourselves to death to achieve what we want.

Everything Gatsby did was to impress Daisy. Hoping that she would leave her husband for him. Gatsby bought himself a large mansion across the water from where Dasiy lived. He would through enormous party's, in the hope of one day to attract Daisy. Throwing large party's and moving close to women whose's already taken for small the hope she will willing come back to you seems pretty obsessive.

Gatsby even got close to Nick whose Daisy's cousin. He was able to convince Nick to invite Daisy over for tea at Nicks's place. This was the beginning of Gatsby's obsession. This later led Nick and Gatsby to go over to Daisy's place. Gatsby created a friendship with Nick to get what he wanted, which was Daisy. His plan almost worked, but Daisy decided to be indecisive. She admitted loving both Tom and Gatsby. You would think this would show Gatsby that Daisy was a waste of his time, but that wasn't enough for Gatsby to end his obsession with Daisy.

I feel like Gatsby's actions from the novel do symbolize our culture. We still now do everything in our power to get what we want. Sometimes our selfishness gets in our way, but humans do make mistakes. Sometimes when we try and fix our mistakes we hurt others in the process. 

Whats So Great About Gatsby

1. Is Gatsby great?  Is he even good?  Why/ why not?
2. Nick opens the book by complimenting himself for his honesty.  Is Nick honest with himself?  Why does he constantly hang out with dishonest people?  Why does he respect them and seek out relationships with them?
I feel like Gatsby is a little great, but more on the selfish side as well. I find it amusing that he put all that work in for a woman who doesn't know what she wants. Gatsby was foolish to change himself for a person who doesn't give him respect. Gatsby's efforts to get Daisy was selfish because his actions harm others in the way. I feel like Nick is no longer honest with himself. He knows what Gatsby's intentions with Daisy are and yet he still follows along. Maybe Nick hangs out with dishonest people to make himself feel better about himself or needed. Nick respects the people he surrounds himself with because he was taught not to judge others.

3. Fitzgerald describes Daisy and Tom this way: “They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.”  What does this mean?  Do you agree?
It means that their people who act when it benefits them, but when it doesn't go as the plan they let others suffer their consequences. I agree with Fitzgerald. Daisy never tells Tom she's the one that killed Murtle and Tom knew that Mr. Wilson plans to kill Gatsby. They both keep quit and watch others get hurt.

4. Do you understand Daisy's behavior?  Do you agree with her choices?  Is she a person you would let your brother/son/friend date?
I don't understand Daisy's behavior. She has what they call the American dream. I don't agree with her choices. She leads Gatsby on and gets his hopes up only for her to lock her self up and let him suffer. Daisy is not the type of person I would let my brother, son or friend date. 

5. The last line of the book: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."  What does this mean?  How does it relate to the theme/s of the book?
This means we try very hard to change the past because we didn't like the outcome of it in the future. This relates to the theme of the story by showing greed. Instead of moving on from what has happened we let our greed make chooses to try and change what is already done because it didn't turn out how we wanted it.

Gatsby Chapter 9 Notes and Thoughts

• Madman- George Wilson was living in a moment of pain that no one can understand.
• Wilson shot Gatsby in cold blood.
• Gatsby was shot in his pool and the Wilson shot himself.
• Catherine, Daisy's sister lies about her and Gatsby's relations and about Toms's affairs.
• Catherine that Daisy was happy with her husband and her sister was in no mischief.
• Nick finds out that the people around Gatsby don't care about him after his death.
• No one wants to be around for Gatsby's funeral.
• The postman is one of the only people who showed up at the funeral.
• Nick is reflecting on his life, where he's been, the past, and where he is now.
• Nick is feeling like and fish out of the water and now knows he has to go home. A home where things will be normal.

Gatsby Chapter 8 Notes and Thoughts/ Pgs.-154-170 158

1. What does Gatsby tell Nick about his night when Nick shows up early in the morning?  What does Gatsby say about what happened between Tom and Daisy?
Gatsby tells Nick "that nothing happened" and " I waited, and about four o'clock she came to the window and stood there for a minute and then turned out the light".Gatsby tells Nick that Tom and Daisy made love to each other.
2. What does Nick suggest that Gatsby does?  Why does Gatsby reject Nick's suggestion?
Nick suggests Gatsby to forget about Daisy and leave Long Island. Gatsby rejects Nick's suggestion because he hopes that Daisy will still leave Tom.
3. What does Gatsby say about the way he and Daisy left each other the first time when he went to war?
Gatsby says that he felt married to Daisy.
4. The gardener interrupts to tell Gatsby he wants to drain the pool.  Why, in the middle of all of this drama, do you think the author interrupts the tense relationship dialogue with a secondary character and mention of the pool?  Why do you think it's important that Gatsby wants to swim at least once in his own pool?
I feel like the author interrupts all this drama to bring suspicion to the readers. I feel like its important because its Gatsby's first time taking a breather for himself. Throughout the whole book, he was just chasing after Daisy.

• Redolent- means aromatic
• Daisy wasn't looking for Mr.Right she was looking for Mr. Right Now.
• Cheap Sharper-Conartist
• "It was just personal"- Gatsby is in pain but doesn't want to show it.
• God is always watching.
• George shot Gatsby and then George shot himself.

How To Versus Want To Versus Get To

What's the difference between agreeing to complete work for each other, being told what to do for homework, and exploring what you want to in your own way? 

Agreeing to do work for each other means you both have an agreement to get your work done without pressure. It becomes more of a mutual agreement.
While being told what to do puts pressure to get things done immediately at the other persons will.