Writing profile blog 11

Culminating Writers Profile
1. My writings have become better because I learned how to analyze pieces of writings and construct a well developed essay.
2. My strength in writing would have to be writing about personal perspectives and answering prompts. I have reinforced them by reading examples of good essays and writings.
3. Timed writes would have to be my weakest area. I have practiced multiple timed writes to try and  get better.

Evaluating your writing process
1. I would strengthen the concrete details and the intro paragraph to make a better essay.
2. The structure of sentences and grammar errors were easy to correct after peer feedbacks and revision.
3. Creating a better introduction and relating the facts to the thesis was the problem during the revision.

Evaluating your Successes
1. The most successful revision would have to be fixing the conclusion. At first my conclusion made no sense and had no insight, but after the revision it made sense. However I still need to work on my conclusion
2. Using descriptive, narrative, and illustrative writing in my essay did not go so well. I made to much narrative comments rather than facts and that messed up my essay.
3. I believe I did succeed in writing to the audience. I took note that they knowledgeable and expect sophisticated and logical writing.

Being Honest with Self
1. Writing about a single concept intimidated me a lot. I tried to prepare myself by researching the definition of education.
2. Reading about how the word "nigger" was used in the text we read gave me ideas of how the definition of a word can be argued and explored in an essay.
3. I didn't really take ideas from others, but i took some words so my words would not be as repetitive.
4. I learned to organize my essay structure and plan good before writing.
5. I see myself as an average writer right now. I hope to become better at writing essays similar to this one.

Cowboy blog 15

Through movies and posters, society has portrayed cowboys as macho, tough, and disrespectful. The tales of ruthless lives and exciting gun fights deceive others to believe cowboys are savages. Ehrlich disagrees with society, she believes cowboys are, compassionate, and hard-working. Ehrlich tone is warm and confident when she describes the cowboys. They are kind towards animals and even more polite to people. Her tone tries to persuade others to have good perspectives towards cowboys because she believes that they are misunderstood in society.

Secrecy Blog 14

Sante uses mulitple examples of secrecy to explore ways secrets are used and why they are kept. He uses the Soviet Union as an example because this describes secrets used to protect a nations intent and plan, a more large scale and important secret. He also uses secrets revealed through the internet.Thus explaining that secrets have less security and  that advancement in technology pressures secrets. He also relates to the confessional culture and the media where secrets in modern society have taken a less important role as society has devloped.

The internet is the nemesis of secrets because the widespread use and ease to use it. The advancement of technology has made it so information can reach others within seconds. Compared to the past, where information takes longer to travel, internet has created an insecurity with secrets.

What your kid should be learning 13

I believe the school has the absolute responsibility in teaching ethics and personal values to their students. Students spend a big part of their time and effort into school and this develops them as a character. Subjects such as sex, drugs, money, should be confronted to teach people what is right and what is wrong. These subjects are part of life and need to be debated. Subjects relating to homosexuality or handicapped should not be discussed in school as these terms are personal and should be recognized within the society. Sex, drugs, and money, can be classified as natural occurrences in life while homosexuality or handicapped subjects can be classified as non-relative occurrences in life.

Movie time 12

Drama: Coach Carter, Remember the Titans

Comedy: White Chicks, Jackass

Action: Die Hard, 300

The making of a great movie of course would have a good and appealing plot. Some other factors could be budget, because cheap movies usually don't have as high tech effects or camera angles. The actors could also be a big part of a great movie because people generally want to see the glamored and socially admired characters.

The two best movies I have watched would have to be, Coach Carter and 300. In my opinion, these two movies are great because they appealed to my interests and had somewhat a value or lesson that relates to life. Coach Carter would be categorized as a drama because it follows the life a high school basketball team. The movie appealed mainly to teenagers and basketball players, but I believe that the overall message made this movie great. The movie stressed on putting the student before athlete in sports and most people could relate to that lesson. 300 was all about the action and fighting. The movie appealed mostly to men, but the graphics, acting, and story made this movie great.

A nobody 10

The concept of nobodiness can have multiple meanings depending on the perspectives and context it is used in. One example of feeling like a "nobody" can be when someone physically has no one to talk to or relate to. Whether it is because they are shy or the circumstances they are in compel them from socializing, they are nobody in a sense that others do not appreciate or know the existence of this person. Another example of "nobodiness" could be the emotional state of feeling that depresses oneself. It could be that the person can't achieve a goal that others can and thus feels like a nobody when compared to people in a society. I believe the feeling of being a nobody can only be created by those who don't believe in themselves or give in to what their peers say.

Life Lesson 9

In Tuesdays with Morrie, Albom makes great points on the materialistic nature of people. Most people in modern society today, are born and raised into materialism. The first time you used a computer or cellphone, watched television, and even used the microwave contributed to the instinct of wanting luxory. It is a fact that advancement in technology makes it impossible to not spoil yourself with gifts, money, and not needed objects. However Morrie explains to Mitch that the most important things in life are family, friends and self pride rather than striving to achieve others appreciation. Through Tuesdays with Morrie, I've soaked in that life is extremely short and things you do should have impacts to others and yourself in a positive ways otherwise your life would have no meaning, which is what Morrie is trying to explain with the concept of death.

denotation and connotation Blog 8

     The word overweight often has a negative connotation that can hurt someones feelings. The word is looked down upon with the generalizations of someone eating too much or having laziness. Being labeled as overweight is a major controversy in todays society because it implies that you are not normal or good enough. However if someone judges himself as healthy and fine, but another labels overweight will you conclude he is skinny or fat? With a world that has many different shapes, sizes, and color of people there is no ideal standard of a human being and therefore the idea of overweight is incorrectly used.

     The word overweight emphasizes the generalization of being lazy or eating too much. From my personal observations, the word overweight is almost always incorrectly used. When my brother was playing wii fit, the game said he was overweight at 160 pounds. When the video game said that I was confused because my brother does not look flabby at all. It is strange how the game labeled him overweight, but in reality he is healthy and fit. Even if the game takes account of height my brother is 5'10 and was concluded to be healthy by a doctor. The game used the word overweight incorrectly because it labeled my brother over the normal weight thus concluding he is lazy or eats too much, which is not the case.

     The negative connotation of overweight only has meaning to those who talk about or label others as overweight.The meaning of overweight, in reality, does not exist to those who chose not to sulk about their weight while giving in to others ideas. The discouraging word overweight has meaning only to those who choose to accept its meaning.

The Great Gatsby Blog 7

One of the books I read over the summer was The Great Gatsby. In the novel Fitzgerald revolved around the main symbolic idea of deception in a society. I believe the author is arguing about the general effects of deception  among people because he uses his characters to show an overview of a typical corrupt society. Gatsby is desperate for his true love, while his true love seeks attention and security. In coalescence, this creates a web of lies that conclude the death of Gatsby. Fitzgerald argues to convince his readers that the deceit of others will return misfortune.

irony Blog 6

Most people look at being overweight in a negative way. However, is that the case with all overweight people, do they look at themselves in a negative way and feel empty inside? Becoming overweight is a matter of eating too much, but would someone be so miserable as skipping multiple meals or eating salads all day to meet the quota for the ideal weight. It only matters if you feel good about yourself and not wasting time counting calories or throwing up. Being overweight should not always be looked at in a negative way.

Blog 5

Modern day teenagers are continuously seeking for attention. This hunt for attention can most relate to teenagers in high school. If your friends are listening to certain genres of music you will try your best to copy them to "fit in".  The society of people in high school go to great lengths to be apart of this normal community. However, some high school teenagers believe in the exact opposite of "fitting in". Other people try hard to stand out by making statements that go against what people believe the society should be. Whether someone tries hard to fit in or stand out, I believe one should do whatever he pleases to feel good about themselves.

Blog Entry 4

Most will conclude that a parrot and a human are two completely different things. Parrots live in a cage, eat seeds, and lay eggs. While humans are the conquerors of the world, the most intellectual beings ever to exist. However I question that statement, humans are indeed quite similar to parrots. Have you ever noticed that parrots can mimic words said by a human. I believe that concept also mainly relates to humans. We learned how to talk by mimicking our parents and in a sense our lifestyle is based off of what we see or hear. As humans we tend to copy someone else in some way shape or form, ironically we are like parrots.

Blog Entry 3

The Great Gatsby- A good book with minor twists and an uninteresting plot.

       The novel takes place in the year of 1922 and begins with Nick, a young male who is naive, reckless, but has a kind heart, moving to the town of West Egg where he seeks out work and a life. Nick served in the army during the war and one would expect him to be intelligent and strong. However, in the novel it shows him as a weak character that does nothing but narrate the story. When Nick meets Gatsby, the main character who is mysterious and extremely wealthy, Nick tries to find out his past and motives for moving to west egg. Daisy, who is Nick's cousin, is hunted by Gatsby for her love, but she is already married to the wealthy Tom. The story unravels the mysterious past and mind of Gatsby as the main themes of deception and greed are portrayed throughout the plot.

Overall I think the book is a good read, but not great. The plot is boring at first and takes a long time to get interested, but if you stick with it, the book is good.

Blog Entry 2

1.Drive: The Story of my Life by Larry Bird

2. Steel Tiger

3. Breaking In

Drive by Larry Bird was a great book where it describes Birds climb to the peak of his NBA career. I remember reading about the disputes of Racism and how a white guy like Larry was one of the best players out there. Larry would just stay focused no matter how much trash thrown or talked. This book had a powerful message of dedication and hard work. After reading the book i had a better understanding of putting in work and effort to everything you do.

Blog Entry 1

Hello fellow classmates! My name is James Molina and I am in the 11th grade. When I'm not doing school work, I love to play basketball with my brothers or anyone that wants to play. I also have a Maltese poodle that I named Kobe after the Basketball player Kobe Bryant. Walking my dog is extremely fun and worthwhile.