This portfolio really shows how I have made huge process in my writing through out the year. The viewer should be able to get to know a little about me from reading  some of these pieces of work such as my all about me magazine and memoir notebook projects.

 

My weakness in writing would have to  be my spelling and grammar. My strength is the way I follow directions and is able give the teacher what they are looking for. I will continue to work on my grammar.

 

By writing this portfolio it was like a way to see how I have truly made progress as a writer. For example it shows how writing 2 page reports at 12 times font as became easier to do.

 

I am most proud of my Book Review on “The Beast”. I’m most proud of it because it was one of my best papers grammar and spelling wise and also had great organization. Also I’m proud that it is my highest grade work of the year.

The next benchmark we were given was the memoir vignette unit. This benchmark seemed like more of a challenge then the first one. We had to take a moment from our life and basically write a paper on it, this sounds easier then what it actually is. In this paper had to be literary elements included, and we had to mark where they were. This to me was the most difficult thing about this benchmark. I did not believe that I was capable of making this work; but it did. This benchmark taught me that I am stronger then what I actually previously thought.

         “Back to Hell”

 

“If God had wanted me otherwise, He would have created me otherwise.” – Johann von Goethe. (Opener)

Growing up my family moved a lot. Up to the age I am now we have lived in 5 or 6 houses.  In the beginning of second grade I found out we were moving to Georgia. I felt like it was the worst possible news. There were too many friends and family up here for me to be okay with this. The only people we knew who lived do in Georgia were my aunt and her two daughters. My parents told my two brothers and I we were moving to Powder Springs, a suburb about 20 minutes away from Atlanta. I’d never heard of this place and couldn’t point it out on a map.

The next couple months it consisted of packing up rooms and throwing away old dolls that had one eye and half of her outfit (imagery). The biggest reason for my resentment of moving; our house was humongous. It had a basement, plus 3 floors. I thought no house could get better than that.

The car ride down there even though I didn’t show it, I was the saddest girl in the world. It was around a twelve-hour ride down there. In the car I would look over at the farms that we passed as we were entering the South. All I could think is what did we get ourselves into. There were papers that had to be signed and the real estate agent had to give us the keys to the house so the first couple of nights were spent in a hotel.

The day we moved in was scary for me. We pulled into a subdivision called “Taylor Farms”. I found it a little humorous that it had my name; as though it was telling me I belonged there (personification). When we drove into the subdivision I looked in amazement. There were mansion looking houses with perfect gardens and lawns. Kids’ played with each other in the street, and adult were engaging in conversation. Everyone seemed happy. We pulled up to a house that had a moving truck in the driveway and I knew it was ours. Suddenly my whole mood changed. It looked like 3 times of what our old house was. There was no chipped paint on the house, no driveway we had to share, and no loud noises around (magic three). In fact it was the most peaceful place I had ever been. My glass quickly became halfway full.

As soon as we moved in we were greeted with neighbors and open arms. They presented to be a little too nice, like they were the Stepford wives or something (simile). They brought by cakes and pies and went on and on about how excited they were to have new neighbors. A week went by and I simply loved it. My room was twice what it was before. There were three gigantic bathrooms, which meant not waiting for someone else to come out.  For the 5 of us it was heaven.

We started school about a week and a half after moving. I ended up at Baggett Elementary School. I quickly made friends with girls named Ayanna, Jillian, Taylor, and Danahja. Danahja was from Chester, PA and had just moved down there to live with her grandmother. I had lucked out, I found somebody who just like me was in a new environment and afraid. Ayanna lived in the same subdivision as me, she lived around the corner so she and I spent most of our time together. Almost every weekend I was staying at her house since all the people our age lived on her street and the creek was there. In movies they always show how kids in the suburbs have a hangout spot, well ours was the creek.

In fact life down there seemed like a movie. It was almost to good to be true. There hadn’t been not one fight to my knowledge. The whole time I was down there I only saw the police once. When my neighbors recently got a divorce and they were debating about who was going to get the dog. Our next-door neighbor Mr. Miles and his son were from Philadelphia also. So that was nice to have someone close who was from the same area. My aunt and cousins lived 15 minutes away, and surprisingly they were the only family I wanted and needed down there.

For two years my life consisted of watching Disney Channel, sleepovers every weekend, and birthday parties at a store called Lulu. (Magic three) Friday night seeing my older brother play basketball, going swimming in my back yard, and having barbeques. (Magic three) For two years my life consisted of nothing but pure happiness, but that was sure to change.

My father was having a hard trouble getting a good job down there. In Philadelphia he had a job that paid very well. So our only option was moving back to Philadelphia. One afternoon my parents called all of us in the living room for a “talk”. They both had sad looks on their faces as though someone had just died. My mom announced that there wasn’t enough money being brought in so we had to move back. I quickly burst out in tears. I felt as thought she had taken away my sanity. For two years I had been the happiest girl you had ever seen and in that second all of that was snatched from me.

Moving back meant living in a house that was squeezed tightly on a street with other houses. It meant every night instead if going to sleep hearing sounds of trees blowing I would go to bed hearing police sirens and people arguing. It meant moving back to the last place I wanted to be. Why would my parents put us through moving again? I hated Philadelphia and everything about it.

Why would we leave a place where the nicest people lived, to a place where rudeness stands on every corner? Trade a place where the most I got to do was go outside and play double-dutch for a place where I could ride my bike and go for a walk. Why would they trade Heaven for Hell? (Repetition for effect) Moving just didn’t mean trading my front lawn for nothing more than a porch; it meant changing my way of thinking. Moving back to Philadelphia meant whenever ever I go out I would have to put on a facade instead of my real personality.

My Pop Pop always would tell me to remember; when I die no matter how much I have or haven’t accomplished in my life was always born Taylor Jane Ximines. No matter what my environment or situation was I would always be me. The problem wasn’t me moving into a new place, but letting a new place move into me. Everyone feels like they have to transform but in reality if anything we’re find just the way we are. It doesn’t matter if I live in Philadelphia or Georgia, as long as I know who I am everything will be ok. Whether I’m in heaven or back in hell. 

9th Grade English Portfolio is in wiki please Click Here

Macbeth was the first benchmark project I ever did at SLA. It was one of the scariest things I had to do (no I am not exaggerating). I was unsure how to get through it. The project had so much that had to be included in it and the time I had to complete it was not what I was use to. I was one nervous rack! For the Macbeth project we had to choose a character (Macbeth or Lady Macbeth) and show how they changed during the book. I chose to do Macbeth. I felt as though his character showed the most change during the

play.

Macbeth’s Character Analysis - Benchmark

 

 

Thesis statement: Macbeth’s character has drastically changed in the play from a courageous, kind-hearted soldier; to a cold blooded killer.

 

In Act 1 scene 2, Macbeth is on the battlefield killing enemies, and his superiors are proud of him. He is ruthlessly killing soldiers for the honor of his country. Captain tells King Duncan and Malcolm about how Macbeth is doing on the battlefield. He states,” For brave Macbeth – well he deserves that name. (Act 1, scene 2, line 16) It shows that Macbeth is a courageous soldier. Without any question he is on the frontline for his people. Everyone is proud of him and how he is doing.

 

When Act 1 scene 3 is taking place, Macbeth has just been told of a prophecy where eventually he will become the king. Banquo and him were both told a prophecy and some of Macbeth’s has already come true. While he is aside he says that if he is meant to be king then everything will fall in place. In lines 145-146 he says,” If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me.” This shows that Macbeth is aware that he might become king, but is in no rush to make it come true. He has just been crowned Thane of Cawdor so now he is wondering about what will be. Macbeth’s character is showing that he is not going to dwell on the prophecy that much. This also shows that Macbeth is kind-hearted.

 

In Act 1 scene 7 Lady Macbeth has decided that King Duncan needs to be killed so Macbeth can become king, but Macbeth is saying that he’s not sure because Duncan is one of his closest friends and if they do he wants to get it over with. He is alone in a room speaking and he says, “First, as I am his kinsman and his subject, Strong both against the deed; then, as his host, who should against his murderer shut the door.”(Lines 13-16) Macbeth is second guessing about killing Duncan because he is suppose to be there to protect him, and that Macbeth really doesn’t want to murder him for the fact that he’s his friend. Macbeth’s conscience is making him think it over. Macbeth is showing that he has a heart. This soon changes though.

 

The ending of Act 2 scene, Macbeth has just killed Duncan. He and is paranoid and is hearing/seeing things because of what he has done. Duncan was suppose to be one of his best friends and he murdered him. And he is upset, while Lady Macbeth is telling him to stop being so nervous and scared. She states,“ My hands are of your color, but I shame to wear a heart so white.”(Lines 67-68). This shows that Macbeth’s character has feelings and his heart is troubled because of what he has done. Because Duncan was his friend and he killed him, now he is feeling the guilt. Lady Macbeth is trying to get him to calm down; this shows that Macbeth’s character is still not in a role where he is in.

 

In the beginning of Act 3 scene 1, Macbeth is now saying that Banquo is standing in his way of getting the position of king. And now he is ready to have him murdered to get him out of the way. Macbeth is starting to become greedy when it comes to him wanting power he says, “ Whose being I do fear; and under him, my genius is rebuked, as it is said, Mark Antony’s was by Caesar. He chid the sisters, when first they put the name of king upon me.” (Lines 55-58) Macbeth is now becoming power greedy. Banquo is supposed to be a very close friend to him, and now he is plotting to murder him. This begins to show what is to soon become of the new Macbeth.

 

In Act 3 scene 2, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth are talking about killing Banquo and Fleance. She feels as though it is unnecessary to murder them. She feels as though it serves no purpose, but he is insisting that they be murdered, and he assures her he will take care of it. He tells her, “Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, till thou applaud the deed. Come, seeling night, Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day, And with thy bloody, and invisible hand.” (Lines 46-49) This shows that Macbeth’s character has changed, before now he felt unsure when killing Duncan. Now it seems as though him and Lady Macbeth have emotionally traded places. He is ready to kill Banquo with no question, while she is wondering whether to do it. This is showing how he has changed from the beginning of the book.

 

When Act 4 scene 1 emerges, Macbeth has heard that Macduff has fled to England. And even though there is no real reason to kill anybody besides Macduff, he has decided that anybody who is in his castle will be killed. Macbeth is furious and wants everybody dead. He tells Lennox, “The castle of Macduff I will surprise, Seize upon Fife, give to Th’ edge o’ th’ sword, His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.” (Lines 172-175) This shows that Macbeth has turned into a heartless murderer who is just killing people now for the sake of it. It is becoming more evident that now he is just ruthless.

 

In Act 4 scene 3, Macduff and Malcolm are talking to each other about Macbeth. They are about to form an alliance against him, and Macduff is telling Malcolm that they don’t get any worst than Macbeth. They are ready to fight back against him and get Scotland back. Macduff Tells Malcolm,“ Not in the legions, of horrid hell can come a devil more damned, in evil to top Macbeth.” (Lines 56-58) This shows that everyone is aware of who Macbeth has become. That he is not the same. The character has now turned into an evil, cold hearted, greedy murderer. Malcolm and Macduff once thought of him as a noble man, now they are ready to kill him.

 

In Act 5 scene 2, the alliance against Macbeth is formed. Everyone is aware of the crimes he has committed. There is no turning back now, the once courageous soldier, is now a power stealing greedy King, and they are ready to fight back. Angus tells them, “His secret murders sticking on his hands. Now minutely revolts upbraid his faith breach. Those he commands, move only in command, nothing in love. Now does he feel his title hang loose about him, like a giant’s robe? Upon a dwarfish thief.” (Lines 17-22) Macbeth’s character and title is about to downfall. The fact that he is now wrongly king is coming back to him. His title is about to get taken from him. Because he was so impatient and was power hungry he made a lot of mistakes. Now he is about to pay for them.        

 

At the end of this book in Act 5 scene 8, Macduff and Macbeth are fighting; Macduff informs Macbeth that because he was born by from his mothers womb untimely ripped (C-section) that he is able to kill him. Basically he is telling him to surrender because there is nothing left to loose. It is all over for Macbeth at this point. So Macduff tells him, “ Then yield thee coward, And live to be the show and gaze o’ th’ time. We’ll have thee, as our rarer monster are, painted upon a pole, and under wit.”(Lines 23-26) Macbeth at the end of the book is a coward. He is in a position where he knows he is about to be killed. His title that was wrongfully given to him is about to be ripped away. It is nothing left that he can do. All hope is gone at this point.

 

In conclusion, Macbeth in the beginning of this book was a well-respected, decent man. By the time the book is over he is an evil murderer who everyone wants to be dead. He let the fact that he was told he would be king, be the cause of his downfall. These quotes have shown how Macbeth let his greed for power loose everything he had. Nothing positive came from his decisions. Shakespeare’s message to us was that you should always be happy with where you are, and never try to rush anything. This lesson can still be used today, as long as you apply it to your situation.

As a 9th grade student, my writing portfolio shows a growth in me. This growth doesn’t affect me in terms of height, weight or anything like that, but as a person. As you progress through all three benchmarks and all the projects in order, there is a change in how I write. They go from immature to an understandable young adult with his opinions. Of course there are those childish moments but can you blame me? No matter how much we grow up, our inner child is clawing to get out. Don't be mistaken, all these writing pieces still expresses who I am and who I have become, but each one shows a different side of me. 

            With growth, there come strengths and weaknesses. As of right now, some strengths that I have as a writer is the ability to imagine and be creative. So naturally, writing formal essays and papers that require a serious tone is difficult. However, as I continue to grow throughout my years, perfecting the art of writing a serious and very important writing piece of my goal here at SLA. No one has ever got a professional job by being funny and making up stories that are untrue, none that I know of anyways.  

            Producing this portfolio was no easy feat. The most problematic part of constructing this portfolio was making the projects that are contained in this portfolio. Each one had it's own problems and issues. I can't remember a majority of them because I choose not to. All I really know, and can really advise, is to never procrastinate. It will be the end of good quality work and sleep, as you know it. As I am reflecting on each individual piece, some of the problems might come back to me and be listed. Lets get started!

 

The first ever benchmark of my freshman year. In this benchmark the student has to pick a character out of the play "MacBeth" and write about how (s)he changes throughout the story. Also, ten quotes are needed to help aid the reader in seeing this change. I personally choose Macbeth because I thought he was the easiest but I was horribly wrong. Did this benchmark lacking in confidence. This was simply because it was “The” benchmark, killer of sleep, destroyer of fun. This was also because we were taking on Macbeth. First book of the year and we have to read Macbeth? But I got through somehow and that feeling of success made my confidence skyrocket. Take a look at my shaky start in English.

 

(Q1 Benchmark)

Henry Poeng

 

Thesis: Macbeth change of heart at the beginning of the play cost him his life.

 

The Three Weird sisters in Act One, Scene 3, approach Macbeth and Banquo.  They hail Macbeth first as Thane of Glamis, then Thane of Cawdor, and finally King.  Macbeth and Banquo are mesmerized in many more ways than one. Macbeth then says “The Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in barrowed robes.”  This line shows how Macbeth feels about being addressed as the Than of Cawdor. Shortly after the question is asked, the witches vanish without answering anything.  Macbeth and Banquo are left to interpret what the meaning is.  Macbeth sees the witches prophesy as good news and is very happy but also very confused at the same time.  Macbeth just does not know in what way he will claim these titles.

King Duncan officially proclaims in Act One, Scene 4 Macbeth Thane of Cawdor.  At that same time King Duncan proclaims his son, Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland or in other words his successor.  Macbeth, who is very surprised when hearing this, goes aside and starts speaking to him self.  “Stars hide your fire; let not the lights see my black and deep desires” was one of his lines.  This line that Macbeth said translates to, Heaven, please don’t let anyone see my deep and dark desires.  This specific lines shows that Macbeth is shocked to hear that Malcolm was going to be king instead of him self and there fore he is going to do something about it.  Then Macbeth’s ambitions start to show. He was going to be king one way or another even if he has to kill someone for it.

In Act One, Scene 7 Lady Macbeth confronts Macbeth and tells him of her plans to kill King Duncan.  Macbeth goes aside and weighs out the consequences of these actions. After some seducing performed by Lady Macbeth, Macbeth changes his mind and goes with the plan.  At the end of the scene Macbeth says, “False face must hide what false heart doth know.”  This line means to be a flower on the outside and be a serpent underneath.  In other words, look nice and innocent but conceal your feelings from the public.  At this point Macbeth becomes hesitant about what he’s getting himself into but his ambitions start to take over.

In Act Two, Scene 2 Macbeth has killed Duncan.  He and Lady Macbeth are flooded with guilt.  Macbeth says that he heard voices shortly after he killed King Duncan.  The voices said,  “Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall not sleep”.  In direct translation it pretty much means that Macbeth killed someone who was sleeping, therefore he doesn’t get to sleep as a price to pay.  At this point Macbeth is starting to go a little bit crazy, as well as Lady Macbeth.  The guilt is going to impact everything from this point on.

In Act Three, Scene 2 Macbeth has hatched a plan to kill Banquo.  He indirectly tells Lady Macbeth who doesn’t really understand.  While telling Lady Macbeth, Macbeth says, “O, full of scorpions is my mind dear wife.” This quote explains just hwa tkinds of things are going on in Macbeth’s head. This indicates the type of thoughts that are going on inside of Macbeth’s head.  Evil scheming thoughts that plan to destroy all his enemies.  At this point in the play, Macbeth is planning to kill anyone in his way without hesitation.

In Act Three, Scene 4 Macbeth has killed Banquo.  After slaying Banquo, Macbeth is not guilty and doesn’t really regret what he has done.  Macbeth killed Banquo because Banquo has a gut feeling that Macbeth was attaining all this power by unfair means. Macbeth says this after the deed is done.  He says that he is, “Stepped in so far that, I can wade no more.”  In direct translation, this means that Macbeth has gone so far into his evil deeds that he can’t turn back so he just going to keep on going.  At this point in the play Macbeth has become pure evil and nothing can stop him, not even him self.

In Act four, Scene 2 Macbeth is talking to his subjects, who are of course working for him out of fear and not love, when he realizes something that the Weird Sisters had done to make him be in this situation.  So he says “Time thou anticipates my dreaded exploits.” In the quote he says “anticipates”, which means predict, “Dreaded exploits,” which means evil deeds.  This means that time or another thing has predicted his evil deeds. Therefore he accepts his that this is “fate” and continues to go forth with his plans.

In Act four, Scene 3 MacDuff and Malcolm are ranting off about Macbeth in England where they have fled off to live.  They are venting their anger towards each other. This anger would have never started if Macbeth didn’t betray them. With all this ranting MacDuff says,“ No one in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils top Macbeth.”  This quote means that, no one sent from hell can be more evil than Macbeth.  This quote shows what other people think of Macbeth.

In Act Five, Scene 3 the 10,000 men from England are approaching.  Macbeth is mad at all the servants that keep coming to warn him.  In an attempt to shut them up and maybe bring courage upon himself, Macbeth says, “I’ll fight till from my bones my fleshed be hacked” This line means that Macbeth will fight to the death no matter what.  He has nothing to lose and is blinded by his ambitions to realize what he’s getting into.

In Act Five, Scene 8 Macbeth is fighting Macduff in a final attempt to protect this throne.  After some intense fighting Macduff is on the verge of winning. Realizing he’s going to die on the spot, he says, “I throw my warlike shield.”  This means he’s going to sacrifice him self and die here and now instead of facing the consequences and bowing down to Malcolm. In a final attempt at attacking Macduff, Macbeth is slain.  At this point in the play, Macbeth is dead. This just proves that since Macbeth is so stubborn and naive, he threw away everything he had for everything he wanted but ultimately failed in the end.

In conclusion, Macbeth had a very dramatic change of heart that widely influences the whole play.  Just one act and all his inner ambitions are arisen. Throughout each act, his cold-heartedness grows.  Towards the end, his thoughts are clouded with evil, and he has nothing to lose.  Therefore, Macbeth has the meatiest change throughout the whole play. As a secret message towards any potential readers, Shakespeare show how taking all the wrong turns to get what you want will bring failure upon your life.

 

(Q2 Benchmark)

This was a fun project to write. In this project, students had to compose a memoir vignette (snapshot of their life) that changed them in some type of way. I chose to write about an experience that was like none I ever had before. It was about violence, but not that punch-kick violence. This violence involved shooting and killing. It was a coincidence that this happen, because when I first heard that we were getting this project, I was struggling to find that snapshot of my life. The second I heard that we were doing a vignette, I was all over it. I remembered a majority of every detail that happen that day with relative ease. Making a story out of it was just amazing. I felt like I was soaring in imagination with this one, even though it was 100% real. Check out the creative process at work.

Henry Poeng

Orange Stream

 

An Ordinary Day In The Neighborhood

 

            “Uncle, are you okay?” My dad’s response tone to this question showed both surprise and shock. “Yeah I’m fine” he said reassuringly. “What wrong?” then asked. “I just had this horrible dream… there was a shooting in front of your store and someone died. I couldn’t really make out who the person was but he was important.” My dad’s face went grim. “Alright calm down, we are all fine here. Chill out and get some sleep okay?” Click. My cousin had hung up and my dad put the phone down.

 

            December 30^th, 2010. 12: 47 am. Everyone in the family except for me was ready for some sleep. (opener) It was tiring just like any other day. My dad just got out the shower, when he got a phone call. It was my cousin, who was planning to visit soon from Connecticut. His voice was heavy, he was breathing deep, and he seemed shaken. He explained to my dad that he just experienced a nightmare. In the nightmare, people were shooting each other in front of our store. My dad was surprised to hear this but laughed it off nevertheless. My dad comforted him and told him to go back to sleep assuring him that everything was fine. My cousin warned my dad to be careful. I was in my room starting a recently assigned English benchmark project. (Foreshadowing)

December 31^th, 2010. Not much was expected on this New Years Eve. It was just another boring day of hard work and some extreme grumpiness. The previous night, I didn’t get enough sleep, but that didn’t stop the customers from flooding in like there was no tomorrow.  Just what you would expect on a party night, right? Little did they know. (Foreshadowing)

It was around 7:45 pm when the most unexpected thing happened.  I was taking care of a customer and brooding(vocab) about how to get out of work, all at the same time. Work being: selling customers whole cases of beer, candy, cigarette, soda, etc. I live in a beer store so this is an everyday thing.  All this brooding left me bemused and started an awkward situation. The customer I was serving got angry and started to become insolent(Vocab) towards me., which was perfectly fine until it got way out of hand. He kept going on and on, screaming, cursing, and trying to escalate the tension. (Magic 3)   Being very adept(Vocab) at conflicts like this, I just ignored him and went about finishing the transaction. Then, just outside the front of the store, BAM! (Onomatopoeia) Sirens blared, breaking the awkward silence that followed.

            Everything was dropped. “Holy Shit!” (dialogue) screamed a good majority of people. My mom and I went to peek out the window to see what was going on. It wasn’t the most pleasant sight. A green dodge mini-van looked like it was going down the wrong way on Walnut St. and went into a sudden halt not far off from the intersection of Walnut St. and Frasier. Strange thing is, a patrol vehicle looked like it caused the crash. Imagine this, a Green dodge minivan pointed towards Jehovah’s Witness, which is directly left of my store, at a 90-degree angle, a good size dent in it with a police car perpendicular to the vehicle.  (Imagery) The first thing that came to my mind is, “This is not good.” (Dialogue) So I walk back to attend to the waiting customers.

            Fireworks went off, or at least that’s what I thought it was. Running back to my mom I asked “What’s going on out there?!” The response blind-sided me in the face like somebody was running and just tripped into a wall. (Simile)  The driver of the green Dodge mini-van gunned down two cops! My mom and I ran to the back of the establishment and notified my dad and my brother of the situation. My brother looked at me like he just watched a good show of SNL and said, (Simile)

 

“Please… it was only fireworks don’t get so worked up” (Dialogue)

“But, Richard! Come look!” (Dialogue)

 

With some proper begging he came and took a glance.  Turns out, the scene changed, and there was way more then just one police car out there. Around 25 + vehicles, Officers out, and guns pointed. It looked like a lustrous (Vocab) clump of red and blue in the night, which was very appropriate for New Years. (Imagery) Then they open fired, emptying about a magazine into the suspect’s car, at least that’s what the news said. POP! POP!  POP! POP! POP! (Onomatopoeia/ Rep 4 Effect). I was scared out of my mind. It looked like an old western movie. A standoff was happening right in front of my house! I was in shock and awe. So many things raced through my mind. Will we get out of this alive? What happened to the cops who got gunned down? Are they okay? This is exciting! I’m hungry, so tired… sleepy, sleepy… and so forth.  (Rep 4 Effect)­

The fun part is how stupid we all acted. My dad, who arrived rather late, ran outside and looked into the car, as did about 15 other bystanders, my-self included. Dumb move, I know. Difference was, I was about a quarter-block away from the car. The cops started yelling and shooed us all away from the danger zone.

Everyone pretty much piled up in the store. A good majority of them were very irritated because they were disrupted from their holiday festivities. The customers pretty much notified their family, sat around, or tried to make a quick transaction so they can get out. (Magic 3) Just goes to show you that even in crisis some people are still extremely selfish. My dad, who did not want to close shop just yet, decided to play along with the selfish customers and go sell them ice. This involved him going back outside again. Bad mistake. He was held outside behind a wall in safety. My dad called shortly after we noticed that he was missing. He told us to be wary (Vocab) of the situation and to lower the bulwark (Vocab) that is the front gate. Daring not to disobey, we evacuated the store and lowered the gates.

A mere five minutes later, my dad called on the phone. He told my brother and I to grab a case of beer so we can sell it to a customer who was buying it the “back-door” way. We thought he was joking, until we saw our dad approaching the back yard with a customer in tow. After making the transaction, we all went back inside. Around this time a copper chopper arrived to the scene rather low.Using the mounted spotlight, it circled around the suspect’s vehicle and made light of the situation. (Pun Intended/Humor)

Naturally, in situations like these, you want to feel safe right? You know that feeling when you want to grab something sharp and deadly, or just go hide somewhere to feel safe? That’s exactly what I did. Upon re-entering the house, I ran to my room and totally missed the light switch. Groping (vocab) around in the dark, I grabbed my metal softball bat and a metal baseball bat. I know it seems stupid, but it made me feel secure. Others didn’t think so. A cop noticed me with the bats and told me “What are you going to do with those bats?  Going to hit a bullet out the park? You can’t even swing with one hand!” (Dialogue/Humor) That comment made me feel stupid, but I felt safe so it was okay. Putting the bats away, I went to go watch what else was unfolding.

When I arrived back at the place of entertainment, anyone who was viewing the little show had a face that could make even the most secure in mind cry. Amassing (Vocab) some courage I peeked over the window, heart racing. The scene had changed. With the spotlight illuminating the car, some of the higher ranked cops gathered in a circle at the intersection of Frasier and Walnut St. They appeared to be scheming on how to handle the rest of the situation. Out of nowhere, down the dark alleyway of Frasier St. was a heavily armed officer, otherwise known as a S.W.A.T (special weapons and tactics) operator. Walking down slow mo, or at least that’s how I saw it. He looked extremely intimidating. This man was dressed in all black with armor and bullet proof pads spread across evenly all over his body, thick helmet on his head, attached with a helmet visor. In his right hand, a riot shield, in his left, an assault rifle. I can only guess that it was a M416, but that’s just from background gaming knowledge, which made it even more exciting. (Imagery)  His face was made of stone. (Metaphor)

They call him the crisis negotiator, negotiator for short. His job was to approach the suspect and cause a diversion for a S.W.A.T team to arrive, or talk the suspect into surrendering, or both. From my perspective, it seemed like both. I can only assume that being a negotiator, you needed to be shrewd (Vocab) andconscientious (Vocab) of the suspect in critical situations.

My dad, my brother and I took this given opportunity of peace to talk to my dad’s friend who happened to be an officer at the scene and likes to visit the store when he’s off duty. My dad was at the door speaking to his cop friend, who coincidently had his patrol vehicle right in front of the store entrance. My dad was chatting away with his friend, while I was talking to my brother, who was just as excited. He told me to go and listen in. Being his younger brother, I had to comply.

While I listened in, my brother was broadcasting what was going on to my other brother who was in Florida at the time. I found this superfluous, but what the heck, it was exciting.  Apparently, the showdown on Walnut was being shown live in Florida, which I found extremely strange. My dad was talking to his friend. We got the gist of the situation. Apparently, the cops were waiting for S.W.A.T. to arrive, there were 200+ personal surrounding the perimeter and all branches of law enforcement were deployed. This was the first event in Philadelphia law enforcement history of its caliber. All of a sudden, the radio exploded with a sharp command that was lost in a sudden burst of confusion. We ran back inside. “Don’t panic, don’t panic, don’t panic!” I constantly told my self. (Rep 4 Effect/Dialouge)

After a quick break, we all resumed our position in front of the window and stared at the scene. Nothing interesting happened just yet so I went to back to getting some work done. Unable to keep myself away I ran back just in time to get blinded by a burst of flares. The flash looked like a firework that had gone wrong. It looked like an extremely bright light with flares coming out the sides with a loud pop that is redundant now and days.  This special item causes disorientation of anyone unfortunate enough to witness it. Good thing I was behind the window.  I just witnessed a flash bang. (Imagery) I peeked back up to examine the next set of events. Assuming that the suspect was disoriented, S.W.A.T moved towards the car and took out the suspect. He was dead and covered in blood. It looks like someone missed a paint ball gun filled with red paint balls horribly. (Imagery) One can only guess how much anguish (Vocab) he suffered in that one-hour period, barricaded in his car.  The scene at the time was surreal because so much was happening at once. I was inept (Vocab) when it came to things like this, but this has only made my mentally stronger. After the dramatic event over, all the bystanders went back to what they were doing, including me.

Refreshing the page on a news site for 10 minutes straight wasn’t the smartest thing, but it was worth it, just to see what was going on from the news reporter’s perspective.  The reports say that the two officers that got shot were in good condition and had been released from the hospital. A sigh of relief went around the crowd that was around the computer. (Imagery). All the excitement left me tremendously enervated. Crawling to bed, I took the time to reflect on what was just witnessed.

With this reflection came inner thoughts. What you do will follow you for life, but how you repent for it is what makes the difference. Shooting cops will be the end for you. Be prepared for the unexpected because this is the type of world we live in. Think of the possible consequences before doing anything. As I slowly drifted to sleep, I whispered to myself “This is just another ordinary day in the neighborhood.” (Dialogue) and dozed off.

III

III
III

III

\/

Down here!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is just for kicks: :D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now this is the story all about how
some guy got flipped, turned upside down
and I'd like to take a minute just sit right there
I'll tell you how I almost pulled out all of my hair.

In West Philadelphia born and raised
In a beer store is where I spend most of my days.
Selling, taxin, relaxing all cool

And enjoying this day off from school.
When this one guy, who was up to no good
Starting causing trouble in my neighborhood.
He robbed one gas station and the cops got scared.
They said “get out the car with your hands in the air”

The cops called for some back up, when it came near
The crazy driver shot the two cops with a frightening sneer.

If anything, I could say this scene was super rare
but I thought oh heck no, it’s safer in there.

Then back up pulled up round seven or 8.
came out and said “yo dawg get the tazer.”

Hey Look at that! S.W.A.T is finally here.
Extracting the body with guns in the air.

(Over exaggerated)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying to this project was an adventure by it self. This was probably from reading the confusing Odyssey, to watching a confusing movie. But I took on the challenge and made it through. Of course with some bumps and bruises here and there (If you catch my drift). Anyways, the third quarter benchmark consist of the comparison between Odysseus and Everett from the movie “O Brother Where Art Thou”. This is done by using comparison and evidence from both the movie and the books to compare and contrast these two characters. The two characters didn’t have to be between these too, but I was having a huge writers block so finding a good match came to late. Take a look at writer’s block!

 

 

(Q3 Benchmark)

3/7/11

Henry Poeng

 

            Odysseus: Great teller of tales, Trojan War hero, and main character of The Odyssey. Everett: Master Tactician, Leader of the Soggy Bottom Boys, George Clooney and main character of O Brother Where Art Thou. Odysseus and Ulysses are both selfish at times, and overcome their conflicts in the same manner. But, it’s how they are assisted on their journeys that make the difference.  Although these two are very similar in their personalities, they have a different approach to their respective journeys.            

Everett and Odysseus show similarities in their selfishness during several points of their adventures. In the movie O Brother Where Art Thou, Everett risks the life of his crewmates in a vain attempt try and persuade Delmar and Pete to go and get his hair gel from the back of a burning car. Everett shows that he’s going to put himself first instead of considering the life of his loyal crewmembers. This had to potential to get all three of them killed. In The Odyssey, Odysseus said “Cyclops- if any man in the face of the earth should ask you who blinded you, shamed you so—say Odysseus, raider of cites, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’ son who makes his home in Ithaca!” (Book 9, Lines 558-562).  Unlike Everett, Odysseus actually puts his crewmates in grave danger. As a result, he got them all killed in the end. But, this also shows how they are like in their thinking, and how selfish they both can be. 

            O Brother Where Art Thou  is heavily based off of The Odyssey. There are several hints that show this in the movie. One would be the prophet, who tells Everett how to get home, much like in The Odyssey.  However, they are actually different. The Odyssey Odysseus was thrown off course so many times that it is hard to keep count. It is believed that the main source of all his interludes was, for the most part, the Greek gods. Poseidon, earth shaker and king of the seas had a deep grudge on Odysseus for blinding Polyphemus, his son, and being associated with Athena. As you may know, Athena and Poseidon HATE each other very much. Using everything in his power that didn’t involve direct interaction between him and Odysseus, Poseidon further delayed his return trip home via storms, monsters, etc. Athena on the other hand was on Odysseus’ side, protecting him and only him throughout a huge chunk of the epic. If you think carefully, do you see this happening at all in O Brother Where Art Thou? Nope. In O Brother Where Art Thou there aren’t any gods, or some supernatural other worldly power to veer Everett and companions off course, or further then along for that matter. He got home all by himself without the need of the Gods.

            In The Odyssey, Odysseus overcame his challenges by first, thinking of some well thought out plan, then eventually needing Athena’s help towards the end of executing the plan. For example “Naked threats- and Athena hit new heights of race, she lashed out at Odysseus now with blazing accusation: “Where’s it gone, Odysseus- your power, your fighting heart? The great solder who fought for famous white-armed Helen, battling Trojans nine longs years- nonstop, no mercy, mowing their armies down in grueling battle- you who seized the broad streets of Troy with your fine strategic strokes! How can you- now you’ve returned to your own house, your own wealth- bewail the loss of your combat strength in war with suitors? Come, old friend, stand by me! You’ll see action now, see how Mentor the son of Alcimus, that brace fighter, kill your enemies, pays you back for service!” (Book 22, Line 234-246). As long as this quote might be, it has a huge significance. Without Athena, who knows where Odysseus might be right now. Some might argue, that without the Gods, Odysseus might have not gotten home at all or vice-versa. This may be true, but we haven’t really seen the famed Odysseus “Master of tactics, Great teller of tales” in action without the help or intervention of the Gods. In O Brother Where Art Thou, Everett gets through all his challenges by himself. From escaping the chain gang, to making “old timey” music and sort of getting his wife back. He did it all himself that is what someone should be respected for. That is a huge difference in terms of showing character traits and applying it.

In conclusion, Odysseus and Everett might share the same qualities with each other, but the manners in which they achieve their goals are quite different. Sure you might think, “Oh, well if Odysseus didn’t have Athena, he would have never got home.” or, “ Oh, well if Poseidon wasn’t messing with him so much then we would have gotten home safe and sound.” which could be very true. My point is, if your going to talk about someone else’s abilities and what they are doing, then talk about it right, not with some sort of handicap. That to me is just plain unfair. It’s just like saying “Yeah! I totally made this turbine with the help of my twenty friends so appreciate me more because I want more credit!” It’s the same deal with Odysseus, but must admit that he is insanely smart and strong. Although these two are very similar in their personalities, they have a different approach to their respective journeys.             

The creative Macbeth piece was probably my second most favorite project as a 9^th grade freshman in English. I basically went all out in both creativity and fun. For this project we had to make a character journey of a character of choice. It could be creative. I chose to do a keynote that was very entertaining, to me anyways. From music to a clever rhyme scheme, and getting everyone intrigued at how I produced such a wonderful project. Alas, I cannot show the keynote, but if you are interested please email me. This wasn’t much difficulty in making this project. It simply flowed in my brain until the project was done. What you are about to read is the poem part of my project.

 

(Creative Piece)

Macbeth and Banquo are marching back as heroes, embarrassing everyone: making them zeros. On the way back there was a surprising mental attack. They meet three weird sisters, full of warts and blisters. They hailed Macbeth as thane of Glamis, Cawdor and King here after. So Banquo is confused. He asked the weird sisters to state his news. They declare him the fountain of kings. It was strange for Macbeth and Banquo to hear these things. The weird sisters soon after leave, making Macbeth and Banquo puzzled on what to believe. Ross  and Angus enter the scene, upon their face was great amounts of gleam. Bringing them with news of his promotion, Macbeth says “The Thane of Cawdor lives, why do you dress me in barrowed robes.” Macbeth declares that he will later probe.  So continues the story, turn to the next slide to read of Macbeth’s rise to glory.

 

Macbeth and Banquo return to the castle where King Duncan waited with no type of hassle. Macbeth was proclaimed Thane of Cawdor, a title the traitor had, not long before. This proclamation had Macbeth convinced. Soon after Malcolm was made the newest prince. A successor to the throne, someone who has worthy shown. Macbeth goes incognito, off the side, planning something evil. “Stars hide your fire; let not the lights see my black and deep desires” . He has plans for these infrequent criers. Macbeth’s ambitions start to show, something that will be explained in the next slide, so come on, lets GO!

Lady Macbeth shows warm welcome to Duncan and his subjects. Behind her face: Ambition. With one goal in mind, with one mission. To get rid of King Duncan and Malcolm, his son. She and Macbeth are planning to declare their lives done. “False face must hide what false heart doth know.”  Macbeth and his wife must hide what their heart shows.  Late in the night, when all is retired, Macbeth and his spouse continue with the plan they have conspired. Silence.... a hoot is heard. The deed is done. The guilt has begun. Macbeth comes in with bloody hands, Duncan is dead, by his wife’s command. Then they both go crazy, their minds a little hazy. “Glamis hath murdered sleep, therefore Cawdor shall not sleep”. Macbeth has stole Duncan’s life, like a thief. Therefore he shall pay, with lack sleep of during the absence of day. Now, lets continue this story. It’s going to get kind of gory.

 

Macbeth has become king by unfair means. How do you become King when it has not been past down through your genes? Banquo is very suspicious. He is about to come across something meaty and delicious. Macbeth finds out and becomes rather vicious. Macbeth starts to plan and scheme. How do you get rid of someone that was once on your team? With murderers that have stealthy skill. They will dispose of Banquo and Fleance with a silent kill. “O, full of scorpions is my mind dear wife.” Macbeth is going to kill Banquo without thinking twice.

Banquo is no more. Covered from head to toe in fresh slimy gore. Looking more disoriented than ever before. Fleance has ‘scaped! Running in the wind, looking back as he swore. The murderer's make their return to Macbeth’s castle door. They enter the party that was held on the ground floor. The news given to Macbeth was both great and poor. He was happy to the very core, but also mad that the assassins' had done only half their chore.

These two acts we will remember for our lives.  Macbeth is alone, sitting and thinking at his throne. “Time thou anticipates my dreaded exploits.” Many evil deeds were committed, a dark aura is emitted. Many miles far far away, are two people that Macbeth has betrayed. MacDuff and Malcolm talk about many tragic deaths. So much so that MacDuff says “ No one in the legions of horrid hell can come a devil more damned in evils top Macbeth.” Back at the castle, a war is waged. His majesty is enraged. “I’ll fight till from my bones my fleshed be hacked”   Little does he know, that he will never be backed. Ten Thousand men march, revenge burning in some.  They are here to get rid of this tyrant scum. Let the battle begin and on the next side we will see who wins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Independent Reading Review Project)

 

In our English class, we were given two independent reading projects. The one that I am presenting is first of the two. This basically consists of an introduction to the book, a paragraph or two about the book, a personal connection, some conflicts, an opinion about the book, and a recommendation of the book. This was particularly hard on me, because I never really like doing book reports or reviews. I struggled but manage to pull through somehow and get a good grade.  Read on to take a look at a New York Times best seller.

 

 

Henry Poeng

Orange Stream

 

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

By: Stieg Larssona

 In an epic show down between the past and the present, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is challenged to solve it all. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is indeed a movie. It was released 2009. Not only that, but it got a lot of buzz from news sites like Yahoo, CNN, etc. That’s what tempted me to read it. Also, it has an interesting title name. From what I’ve read in the reports, it said that it was a suspenseful, crime theme, which is something that I don’t normally read. So I decided to take a chance and change my genre.

 

 

The book, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a mysterious crime story, which takes place in Sweden.

 

Summary:

Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, publisher, and co-creator of Millennium magazine, published an article against Swedish billionaire, Hans-Erik Wennerström. After a libel case against Hans-Erik, Blomkvist is sentenced to three months in prison. Facing professional disgrace, Blomkivist quits his job at Millennium magazine. Approached by a lawyer shortly after leaving the court house, he is offered a freelance job, assigned by Henrik Vanger. Henrik is the former CEO of Vanger Enterprises, which is a massive company in Sweden. A few days before the encounter, Henrik Vanger hires a young girl in her twenties by the name of Lizbeth Slander, to dig into Blomkvist’s life history. She is a genius hacker, with a photographic memory, and just scary in general.

Blomkvist goes to the Vanger estate, located in Hedeby island, several hours away from Stockholm, which is Blomkvist place of residence. Arriving at the Vanger estate, Henrik explains the assignment to Blomkvist. Blomkivist was to write a book on the Vanger family history, but also to find a serial killer that killed Harriet Vanger, Henrik’s niece. Henrik promised a hefty reward with juicy details that could bring down Hans-Erik Wennerström. Reluctantly, Blomkvist agreed to the offer, seeing no other choice. Blomkvist accepted what could be the scariest assignment of his life. Together with Lizbeth Slanders, they will hunt down a serial killer from the past.

 

Some conflicts?

-Blomkvist vs. the media (Person vs. society) The media is making a huge deal out of the libel case and how badly he failed.

-Slanders vs. herself. (person vs. self) Slanders appears to be trying to find her self.

-Blomkvist/Slanders vs. Serial killer (person vs. person) Blomkvist and Slanders are out on a hunt for a Serial killer that have been murdering several females by using lines from the bible.

 

 

-My favorite character in this book is Mikael Blomkvist.

He is to my hero because of his courage and how professional he is. I could learn from this guy, excluding his sex crave of course. You will learn about that as you read the book. By courage, I mean he is brave, intelligent, and very wise. By professional, I mean he is intelligent, handles himself well, and has good management skills. You can learn a lot from this guy.

 

-I believe that readers should take into the account that the book is trying to say, be fair to women. If you read carefully, the whole story is about women being abused and killed all the time. For a theme, I would say “Everybody should be treated equal. No matter what”

 

My relationship to the story and the people in it?:

None. What Lizbeth and Mikael went through just makes my life seem boring. If I recall correctly, I haven’t been raped, attacked by strangers, put in political shame, solve cold-cases, or a computer genius. I haven’t experience the thrill of traveling from place to place looking for a serial killer, writing a biography about a wealthy family, or experience three months in jail. If anything, would like to relate most of their lives. But that’s just not happening.

 

-Opinion?

I think it’s an excellent book that will keep you coming back for more. Even though it’s rather lengthy, and it uses a lot of big words. Overall, a well written crime story with a great story line. Now personally, if I could change something in the book it would be how the frame stories are integrated. It get confusing sometimes trying to keep up with past and present.

 

-Recommendations?

I would recommend this book to anyone that can handle good amounts of suspense, drama, action, sex scenes, and plain weird stuff. Also, lets not forget lots and lots of detail! Plus, it would make the book even more amazing if you have a great imagination. That just makes the book an even better experience to read since it is filled with so much detail.

 

            

 

 

 

 

 

(Journals)

 

Considering how I don’t really remember the prompts, I’m going to go try and explain each one as best I can. The first prompt was just to talk about how our Thanksgiving break was. The second one was to explain what you think an adult is. The third one was to explain how winter break went. Last but not least, the fourth one was explaining what criteria do you think a person needs to be a “Hero”. Some of the answers that I wrote were short because I didn’t know what to write. But I did the best I could in that current moment.

 

11/29/10

 

The Thanksgiving break was “okay”. On Thanksgiving I had to work and serve the customers and their needs. Friday was my birthday. Not the most interesting day of the year. Pretty much work, work, eat, party, sugar rush, sleep, fat. Saturday was confusing. I don’t even remember what happened or care to remember for that matter. Sunday however, was fun. The family got together and had a Thanksgiving feast. A well deserved feast at that. Soo much food, just loads and loads of food.  It was amazingly fun too. It was great playing ping-pong and pool with the people I barely see. Overall, the break started real slow but then picked up like a rocket taking off.

 

1/24/11

 

Too me, an adult is someone who has past 21 years of age. An adult is someone that is mature and accepts hit or her responsibilities. Someone that is proactive and not reactive. An adult is someone that can balance out life and fun. In a general sense, an adult is someone who is seasoned at life.

 

1/3/11

 

My break was okay I guess. Same deal. Wake-up, text, shower, work, text, sleep. Boring right? 100%. The holidays are the worst for me. Wake-up early, work until 12 am, and then drop. But it’s for a good cause I guess. One day, something broke the cycle. On the 31^st of December something crazy happened. My mom and I were manning the fort. MY dad and brother were in the back. Then all of the sudden, we hear a lot of sirens outside. MY mom and I looked out the window. WE saw a dodge mini-van pointed towards the church next to my house. Two officers were walking towards it. It was a strangely ominous scene. Then all of the sudden, the driver-side window cracked. A gun was fired off. Both the officers went down, guns blazing. It seems that the assailant was struck. My mom went to go tell my dad in a frenzy. I went to go tell my brother. I sat there in shock and awe. Hopefully I can turn this story into a project.

 

2/2/11

 

A hero to me is someone that is special. A hero is someone that sets a good example for someone good or bad. Someone that gives others hope and meaning in their life. You don’t have to fly or have super powers to be a hero. All you need is a sense of hope and the will to go on. That’s what I think a hero is.

 

 

 

 

 The Myth project was given when the students were done reading the Odyessy. In the Myth project, you are supposed to pick a Greek god and explain what he or she is. What they represent in Greek culture, and what they mean today. Also, you have to research myths about them and write about it. I picked Poseidon because he seems so cool. I know it’s not a legitimate reason but it’s my reason. Take a look about Poseidon God of the Seas.

 

 

(Myth Project)

 

Henry Poeng

Orange Stream

 

Greek God: Poseidon

Symbols: Trident, Horses, and Dolphins

Qualities: God Of The Sea, Earth-Shaker, and Rapist.

Family:

            Parents: Cronos (Father) and Rhea (Mother)

            Brothers: Zeus, Hades.

            Sisters: Hera, Demeter, and Hestia.

            Lover of: Any Female he can get his hands on.

Enemies:  Athena and Odysseus.

Where are they from?:

Athena is the Brainchild of Zeus literally. She was popped right out from his brain when he had a headache, but that’s a whole other myth. She is the enemy of Poseidon because she was given the city of Athens instead of Poseidon in which Zeus promised him. Also it would appear that Athena has a polar personality compared to Poseidon. Poseidon being hot-headed and

Odysseus is a Greek hero that fought in the Trojan War for Achaeans. He is responsible for the Trojan-Horse that ended the 10 year war. The reason he is the enemy of Poseidon is because he blinded one of Poseidon’s many sons, named Polyphemus, who’s mother is Medusa.

 

Earth-Shaker, Creator of Horses, God of the Seas, these are just a few epithets that describe Poseidon. Quick to anger, and quick to love Poseidon is. Some say his short temper is the cause of earthquakes, horrible storms, and droughts. He is known to hold long grudges against those who anger him.

            Before the god’s there were Titans, known as the “elder gods”. Cronus, son of Uranus and Gaea overthrew his own father. After dethroning Uranus, his mother Gaea made a prophecy. The prophecy stated that his own children would overthrow Cronus. Living in fear Cronus ate his own children as they were being born. All but one was consumed. Rhea, Cronus’s sister wife hid the last born, and fed Cronus a rock covered in a blanket. When he became an adult, Zeus made a plan to take revenge on his father. By making Cronus vomit out all of the children he consumed, Zeus would rally them and overthrow Cronus.

            In the previous events, six children were born in this order: Hestia, Hades, Demeter, Poseidon, Hera and Zeus.  Out of the six, three were males: Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus. While having no active leader to rule, a lottery was held between the three brothers to decide who rules what. Hades, eldest of the three, became God of the Underworld. Poseidon became God of the Sea. Zeus became god of the Sky and Supreme ruler the gods. Hades got the shorter end of the stick.

            During the Trojan War, some of the Olympian gods were split.  Siding the Greeks was: Poseidon, Athena, Hera, Hermes and Hephaestus. Sided with the Trojans were: Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis and Ares. I like to call them the A team. Poseidon was sided with the Greeks because of a broken promise.  Poseidon helped build the epic walls that surrounded the great city of troy while on punishment from Zeus. The King did not pay Poseidon, who was disguised as a mortal while building the walls, for his hard manual labor. As punishment, Poseidon sent a sea monster to attack troy, only to be thwarted by Hercules.

            In the midst of battle the Trojans killed Poseidon grandson. This only infuriated Poseidon even more. As result he joined the battle disguised as a mortal seeking his revenge disobeying Zeus’s strict orders not to interfere. Hera, was in the middle of seducing Zeus when he heard the battle cries of Poseidon, he realized that he was being tricked. Containing his rage, he sent Iris, a messenger god to warn Poseidon. Poseidon disobeyed at first, but then eventually backed-off, not because of fear, but because of respect of Zeus.

           

 

 

This year has had ups and downs as far as my work goes.. I put effort into a lot of my assignments but didn’t always follow up on the next one. I know I can do better, ad I will do better. Sophomore year is going to be a year a trials and tribulation, but also a time of great success. Freshman Year of English has showed me a lot about SLA and the work ethnic level here. I will have to put all of my attention into my work and worry about videogames later. I still did pretty well this year.

I made a serious mistake on this assignment. I uploaded the wrong file. I had two of them. One of then was a draft that needed a ton of work. And the other was one that was nearly perfect. That was my final draft and I got them mixed up. Then I didn’t realize it until almost a week later. By them it was to late and Ms. Dunn had already graded the assignment. I think that even though I uploaded the wrong file I did a good job on this assignment. In my improvements, I have the right file in this reflection portfolio I also looked at the file based off of what the feed back I got from the unfinished version.

            Lady Macbeth has a lot of character change in “The Tragedy of Macbeth”. In the beginning she is greedy and ruthless although she didn’t think everything through and did not know the full consequences of her crimes (physically and mentally). Lady Macbeth is greedy and ruthless but has a vast and intriguing conscience.

            Lady Macbeth has just read the letter that Macbeth has sent to he. In Act 1, 4 lines 15-18, Lady Macbeth says, “Yet do I fear thy nature is to full o’ th’ milk of human kindness.” Lady Macbeth thinks that Macbeth does not have the mental strength to kill Duncan. There is no way for her and Macbeth to obtain their ultimate goal. She wants nothing, but to achieve the ultimate goal and will help Macbeth accomplish this.

            In Act 1, 7 Macbeth has second thoughts about killing Duncan. Lady Macbeth wants him to stand up and act like he is a man. Then in lines 59-61 Lady Macbeth says, “But screw your courage to the sticking place”. If she wants Macbeth to get his courage to a greater level so that he will have the strength to kill King Duncan after he tells her that he is scared. She knows that the only way they will ever get to the throne is to kill King Duncan; she has a whole new plan in mind.

            In Act 2, 1 Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have just committed murder and Macbeth is sad and ashamed and can’t even look at his own hands with out showing signs of disgust. Then on line 19, Lady Macbeth says, “A foolish thought to say a sorry sight.” When she says this she refers to when Macbeth says, “A sorry sight” The blood on his hands made him thinks to say this. When Lady Macbeth says her line she means that you had know reason to say that and it’s not important. She finds it unimportant and decides to stay focused on her one goal of becoming queen.

In Act 2, 2 Macbeth ahs just killed Duncan and has the bloody daggers in his hand. He is so shook up that he can’t even put them back at the scene of the crime. Lady Macbeth needs him to focus or they will get caught. In lines 45-52, Lady Macbeth says, “…infirm of purpose! Give me the daggers, the sleeping and the dead are but as pictures.” She says this when Macbeth brings back the daggers from his killing of King Duncan. She believes that he is not focused and needs to stay focused if they are to succeed and not get caught in their scheme.

            In, Act 5, 1 Lady Macbeth is raving and has fits where she begins to act in her sleep. She also begins to give away secrets that Macbeth wanted to keep. In lines 36-40, Lady Macbeth says, “Out damned spot, out I say!” Lady Macbeth is driven mad. She continually seen images of blood on her hands that was washed off days ago. She thinks it is still there because she has been compromised by her conscience. She now has broken down now that she has become queen. Her conscience caught up with her.

            In Act 1, 6 Lady Macbeth is thinking more what is going to become of this prophecy, she realizes that the only way for Macbeth to become king (and more specifically, her as queen) she needs to have a stronger mind in order to do what she believes should be done for them to become the royal family. In lines 38-43 Lady Macbeth says, “Come you spirits that tend on mortal thoughts. Unsex me here.” Lady Macbeth needs to, not be a weak female, but act as that of a strong man and so she wishes that a supernatural force will allow her to become this. She needs this strength to help Macbeth get them into the royal family.

            In Act 1, 7 Macbeth has just had Banquo killed and does not take it well. He is about to break down over the matter. Lady Macbeth tries to continually persuade him on page 2, she says, “Wouldst thou have that which thou esteem’st the ornament of life, Letting ‘I dare not’ wait upon ‘I would.” Lady Macbeth is saying that he needs to not pull back and go forward with everything that was planed and not pull back because of weakness. Lady Macbeth knows that if Macbeth does not kill Duncan than this chance will never come again and they will never get to earn the crown.

            In Act 2, 2 Lady Macbeth goes to lay the daggers on the guards to frame them of the crime. Lady Macbeth feels stronger now and says, “That which have made them death have made me bold.” She is referring to the drunken guards; which have passed out because of an overdose of wine. With them knocked out, Lady Macbeth has a lot more courage. She only became strong because she can easily accomplish her goal now with the help of Macbeth.

            Near the end of the play in Act 5, 2 Lady Macbeth has just had another fit. She also gave away here secrets about how they got in the throne. After Lady Macbeth leaves in lines 70-71 the doctor says, “Foul whisp’rings are abroad. Unnatural deeds do breed unnatural troubles.” The doctor knows that only these fits made her reveal these deeds and that she revealed these deeds because her conscience plagued her to do so. Lady Macbeth has broken down completely now because she already has exactly what she wants and has nothing other to think about.

            Lady Macbeth has gone from mean and greedy to soft. In the beginning of the play Lady Macbeth wants nothing but to get into the throne; but by the end of the play she wants nothing but to be rid of the guilt. Thesis: Lady Macbeth is greedy and ruthless but has a vast and intriguing conscience.

            This benchmark was a bit of a difficulty for me and in the beginning I was having trouble finding a topic. Once I found my topic, I wasn’t sure how I would go fourth with it. Once I was positive of where I was going to take this benchmark, I started to lose focus of my topic. I think that over all though, once I got past all of the complications, I turned in a product that didn’t need a ton of improvement. I did very well on this assignment. I had a solid opener and I included points of humor and sarcasm, important dialogue and vocabulary. My benchmark was also of proper length and didn’t run over. As part of my improvements, I improved the second paragraph by clarifying on some things that seemed a little abstract.

What a coincidence?

             I prayed to God one day last year (Opener).  I had just started to search for high schools, and I discovered Science Leadership Academy. I probably wouldn’t have found it, if I hadn’t looked through the entire high school book for 2010. I wouldn’t have looked through the entire book if my mom hadn’t told me to. Coincidence? I don’t think so! This happened for a reason. I am not at SLA because of a chance incident. Life is not full of things that just happen to happen until the height of your life. A greater force plans life out. Life just isn’t supposed to be for something spectacular to happen, but for something meaningful to occur.

           

If you followed that entire first paragraph then I am proud of you (humor). See most people don’t see things that way. A lot of people don’t want it to seem like someone is messing with their life and screwing things up for them to show them a truth they don’t want to see. Take one day in my science class in my 7^th grade year. I was planning today to ask my science teacher to write a letter for a recommendation for me. I am well behaved in her class and since science is my favorite subject and I thought it would be a good idea to get her recommendation because she is a science teacher and could help me get into a science based school (sarcasm); but “what a coincidence”. I got into trouble for telling the student next to me the agenda because he couldn’t see it. I guess it just wasn’t a good day for her. So I waited until the end of class for her to cool down then I gave her the envelope and she smirked and said, “After how you acted today? You come and ask me for a recommendation?” I stared at her then said, “Yes” (dialogue) She laughed and acted like the entire recommendation will be based off of one day. So I asked her with a shrewd (vocabulary) look on my face, “What is so funny? I know that with your level of intelligence that you will not base the entire recommendation off of one day.”

She stopped laughing.

            “Have a good day Ms. Peddle,” I told her then walked away.

            By doing that not only did I increase the positive things that she would put it into the recommendation, but I also helped change her conscientious (vocabulary) view of the rest of the class. All of this occurred because I changed her point of view. For the rest of the year, things were a lot easier to deal with in her class as far as relationships with students and teachers in that class.

Now I’m not going to get real deep by telling you that there are some mystical forces out there. It’s pretty simple actually. Life has been planned out. Not every detail but small goals and plots that are here specifically to show you something meaningful that you may never have known otherwise. All you have to do is fulfill it. It teaches many people valuable lessons. It will help you to grow and mature inot an adult, and even after that.

So it is near the end of 7^th grade year and we are all ready to leave. We have about 6 days left and some people decided that it would be smart to bring some knives to school and sell them between classes. They got busted before lunch.

They apparently wanted to try their luck and decided to show off the knives while we were walking up the steps to our next class. They didn’t act very wary (vocabulary) about it either. All three of them were suspended and later afterwards two of them were expelled. What’s the point; that had a sad ending? Now one of them is at SLA with me and is even in my advisory class. The other goes to a private school called LaSalle. They both made off better by leaving Overbrook Educational Center (OEC) for a year. Another coincidence? Yeah right! They both have told me that if they hadn’t done that that they would have never been where they are today. All of this is because of a mistake they decided to make. Coincidence? I don’t think so! It happened for a reason.

Life may not have an ultimate plan but there is always cause and effect. There is always some small plot to teach a lesson. In fact I would not be telling you my story if I didn’t have this assignment. I wouldn’t have had this assignment if I hadn’t gotten into this school; and I wouldn’t have gotten into this school if I hadn’t seen it listed in my search. That wouldn’t have happened if my mom hadn’t told me about this school. So thanks mom for allowing me to tell this story.

            This is probably my best work of the year. I put the most effort possible into this assignment. I worked on it even after I was already done and enriched it multiple times. In this assignment I had to compare The Odyssey to some thing modern. I compared it to some thing that used to be one of my obsessions. Star Wars! I loved watching Star Wars reading and listening to it. When we got this assignment it came easy and I did a ton of work on it. The problem was, I did too much work on it. I had too much information and my thesis wasn’t very focused. I actually felt kind of upset over this assignment. I believe that I did a good job on this assignment. I decided that I would mainly focus on focusing my thesis and narrowing it down. That was my goal in my improvements.

“The Star Wars Saga” (By George Lucas) and “The Odyssey” (By Homer) are both great stories to be told. They both have interesting plots that show a lot of determination. The stories of “The Odyssey” and “Star Wars Saga” are very similar; they are built off of each other. They have different plots that are meant to get specific ideas across. Obi-Wan and Athena both act as mentors but also have some differences. Anakin and Odysseus both have similar goals to accomplish, but have limits to how far they will go to accomplish them. Luke and Telemachus are confused about their very existence and who their father is, but want different things out of their life.

 

Obi-Wan and Athena both act as mentors to Anakin Skywalker, Luke Skywalker, Odysseus and Telemachus. When Odysseus was getting through the war, he had assistance from Athena that helped him plan battle after battle. When Anakin Skywalker was using bad judgment on battle strategies to take down the Separatists Leaders, Obi-Wan showed him the errors of his ways and guided him in making the right decisions. Obi-Wan guided Anakin even after Anakin betrayed him, he helped his son, (Luke Skywalker) later to help bring Anakin back from the dark side after he had already died and then figured out a way to come back. In the Odyssey, Athena helped Odysseus win many battles over his enemies even when he began to lie and think dishonest thoughts. She also helped Telemachus bring his father back home and get him prepared for when it was time to rid the house of the suitors, without him even knowing that she was there. Where Obi-Wan was a good friend and Master to Anakin Skywalker, and also a positive mentor to Luke S., Athena was a mentor to Odysseus when he struggled in battle and then Telemachus when he didn’t know what to do with his life.

Now even though Obi-Wan and Athena are a lot alike, they still have many differences. Obi-Wan had his life threatened by Anakin and was only able to return from the netherworld for short periods of time, whereas Athena is immortal and cannot die. Athena also never actually fought along side Odysseus because she would get to involved with mortals whereas Obi-Wan battled along side Anakin many times and even saved each other’s lives. When it came to life and death situations, Athena only gave Odysseus hints instead of just bluntly doing it for him. Obi-Wan also had his life saved by Anakin many times and Athena rarely asked for assistance from Odysseus. Athena and Obi-Wan are both wise and powerful characters that play a great role in the Star Wars Saga and The Odyssey.

 

While Anakin Skywalker and Odysseus are extremely similar in their conquests for power and justice and also their cockiness, they also have differences that make each of them unique. Every mission Anakin went on, he took unnecessary risks to prove a point to himself. In II, Anakin flew straight threw a set of power couplings, (which could kill anyone connected to machinery if they were to get hit. When Odysseus defeated the Great Cyclops Polyphemus, he risked his entire group and his own life just so that he could get glory and feel good inside. Almost immediately after him and his crew left the island Odysseus yelled back in triumph, “If anyone asks you who gouged out your eye, which stripped you of sight, it was I, Odysseus, Raider of Cities, who did it.” There is no real reason for Odysseus to do this; he was simply being cocky and dangerous. Anakin also has many great interests in obtaining as much power as possible. In II Anakin stated that, “I will become the most powerful Jedi ever… I will even be able to keep people from dying.” Anakin was so power hungry that he wanted to do the impermissible. A while before he had said this he had slaughtered an entire tribe of SandPeople. He was mad because a few of them had just killed his mother. In the Odyssey, Odysseus slaughtered everyone in the house because he had been away from his family for so long.

While these two characters are very similar, they are also very different. Anakin killed his wife because he believed that she was working with his enemies. Odysseus would never kill his wife no matter what. Anakin had also gone so far into his evil that he eventually joined “The Dark-Side.” Prophecies were made about both Anakin Skywalker and Odysseus. Anakin was “The Chosen One” and was supposed to bring balance to the Force by ridding the galaxy of “The Sith.” Odysseus had several prophecies made about him. There was one where Ithaca would not be able to destroy Troy without his assistance. Another prophecy stated that he would not be able to return home except for under specific circumstances. Anakin and Odysseus did many great works and in the end they both lived for what is right.

 

Luke Skywalker and Telemachus are both cunning characters who want justice and to (in Luke’s case) avenge their father, or (in Telemachus’ case) to find their father. Both of these characters are very skilled in many different things. Luke can build or fix almost anything. Telemachus was a great warrior. They both were relentless in finding or avenging their father that they never knew. While Luke and Telemachus are both good at many things they were also clouded from information that meant a lot to them. Luke fought his father (IV) unknowingly and at the end of the battle Luke still wouldn’t believe. It wasn’t until later when Obi-Wan showed him the truth did he believes.  Telemachus was housing his father-in-disguise in his own house and didn’t know.

While Luke and Telemachus are very much alike, they also have some differences. Luke wanted to kill his own father even after he realized whom it was he was battling. Telemachus would help his Father to the very end. Luke is more careful than Telemachus. When Luke first realized that his father was Darth Vader he wouldn’t believe it, and it took a lot more time for him to trust what his father had said. Telemachus believed that a homeless guy in rags was his father without a second thought. Telemachus and Luke both have many skills that often come in handy.

 In conclusion, the plots of Star Wars and The Odyssey are similar in plot and also were built off of each other. The stories are not exactly alike but the stories seem to be a slightly distorted reflection of each other. Anakin was brought back from the dark side despite what he believed just like Odysseus was able to get back home. Luke wanted more than anything to avenge his father just as Telemachus wanted nothing more than to find the father he never knew.

            This assignment worked out pretty well for me. I explained Lady Macbeth well and had an interesting way of showing it. When we did this assignment I wasn’t keen on grading other peoples work. I personally believe that I deserved a better grade than what I got. I graded people on the effort it looked like it took then to do the assignment. I think that I was graded on if they liked it or not. I also think that it may have been repetitive. Part of my improvements have been to put a little more rhythm into the song and also to use less repeats so that the song fades out at the end.

            The book I read for this assignment was awesome. When I wrote this assignment I knew what I was going to say and exactly how I would say it. I pulled threw with a large amount of effort and I think I got a great grade on the assignment even though I didn’t see what I got for the assignment yet. In my improvements I elaborated on some points I made that were unclear.

            The second book in a new series by Rick Riordan “The Throne of Fire”  is a fast paced book based off of Egyptian Mythology. Two children have the blood of the Pharaoh within them. This makes them extremely powerful and also extremely dangerous. These children control the fate of the world.

            A couple millennia ago, The Egyptian Gods would come to earth from a place called the Duat. The Duat is where the gods could roam freely. It is also the place where mortal souls go after they die. Two kids named Sadie Kane and Carter Kane. Two gods of Egyptian Mythology once possessed them. Isis, a goddess of magic possessed Sadie Kane and gave her awesome powers that no other magician could do. Horus, the Falcon Warrior god, possessed Carter. Carter was able to be anyone with his combat magic. Towards the end of the first book they gave up the power of gods and now have to train a lot harder to do the simplest spells. Later, they sent out a beacon of magic to help other magicians find them and get help.

            Now they are back in Book #2. Carter and Sadie want to summon an ancient diet of Egyptian Mythology. They want to summon Ra, God of the Sun. According to ancient Egyptian Mythology, Ra went up into the heavens permanently after Isis used Ra’s secret name (which is like a magical social security card number) and forced him into doing what she wanted. They wish to re-summon Ra so that he can become King of the Gods once again. They have to go on a quest threw the Duat and find all three parts of him.  In the morning, he is Khepri, god of the rising sun to symbolize birth and creation. In the middle of the day he is Ra. Then at the end of the day he is Atum, God of the sunset. Carter and Sadie also have some opposition. The House of Magic (Egyptian’s underground society) doesn’t think they are doing a good thing. They try and stop them multiple times. Carter almost died at least twice. Sadie was about be suffer from a curse that would leave her with out a will of her own. Eventually they get all three parts of Ra, but he isn’t exactly himself. Ra acts like someone who is 6 years old. He is brainwashed and doesn’t remember a thing. The Head of the House of Magic also has been killed in the efforts to stop them from awaking Ra. Their uncle Amos Kane now takes over the job since he is the most powerful magician in the world.

Horus believes that Carter is a fool for putting Ra back on the throne. Many of the other Gods agree that it might have been a mistake. Now Carter and Sadie have sent out another magical signal for more people to come. They want to become strong and take down the Lord of Chaos, Apophis. They will still need Ra’s help. But how can they when he barely understands the simplest things.

            Sadie and Carter are also both experiencing mixed feelings about other people. Sadie is stuck between Anubis (God of Funerals) and a guy named Walt who is suffering from the disease that killed King Tut. Carter found the girl of his dreams then found out she wasn’t really there with them. Now he has found her again and she isn’t sure if she likes him like he like her.

I can’t wait until the third book comes out. “The Throne of Fire” and “The Red Pyramid” have been great books and I love the level of action that hey present. The suspense is killing me though. I want to know if Ra gets better and if Zia (who Carter has a crush on) begins to remember the past that Carter and her shared when Zia was a Shabti. Rick Riordan, a great book writer of mythology and action. He has a great imagination.

The journal entrees are simple assignments that we do every once in a while to clear our head. The topics are very simple things even though they are extremely important things, some of them. The four I chose were “Fitting In”, “Expectations”, “Adulthood” and “Heroes”

​It is important not to fit in, but to feel accepted. The term, “fitting in” has a loose definition. It pretty much means that others like you. Some people think that fitting in means that you go with the popular group. It is only popular if everyone around lets it be popular. I personally would prefer that I was liked by people instead of hated or disliked. I wouldn’t go extremely far to do it though, because if you have to change too much to make people like you then they don’t like the true you. I am positive that people who change too much just so that they are liked end up not knowing who they are themselves. Then that could lead to depression or worst. Just be yourself, don’t try to change for others and don’t try to “fit in”. Fitting in doesn’t really exist. It just means being part of something that you believe is cool.

Heroes

A hero is someone who simply did the right thing. They didn’t go with what people around them said and they have a large sense of what justice is. Heroes can be the most hated people in the world sometimes. Some people just don’t have a good sense of what justice is, so they antagonize those of us who do. I think that any one who does the right thing against what is known to be wrong. Of course there are other definitions of a hero for me. I believe that fire fighters and police officers are heroes because they do things that show acts of courage. I am not against them, but all they do is step outside of their comfort zone. Anyone who has the courage to go way outside their comfort zone is courageous to me and therefore is a hero in my book.

 Adulthood

An adult is when you reach a level of maturity that makes the world seem different. A “child” sees the world as a place to have fun and be carefree. An adult sees it as an opportunity to prosper. I personally believe that an adult can be any age. Legally though, adults are 18 and until then you are not allowed special previleges.

People expected me to go to college at 15. I was expected to keep watch over my sisters and help my parents in their old age. I am also expected to have a ton of kids. This is because I am the only Spencer male left. Every one of my family members who live on the West Coast expect me to do something great because I am the only Spencer left of my generation that is male. I think that it is natural for people to expect things of you. Even though none of it is guaranteed. I have also made expectations of myself. I have always expected my self to run a company call “SpencerTech” Industries. I think that when you set expectations for yourself that you tend to find them easier to fulfill. No one should know you better then you unless they are stalking you and recording your every movement, which would be weird. If you set the expectation for yourself then it shouldn’t be really difficult unless you want to challenge yourself. When other people set expectations for you, it is usually what they want, and not you.

This assignment was rushed for me because my character didn't have a lot of information in it. I was about to change when links finally started to come up. I choose this character because he was powerful and the single biggest threat that the Olympian Gods ever faced. By the way, I drew that depiction Porphyrion myself.

                                                             Short Reflection On The Year

Through out Freshman year I have improve tremendously. When I mean tremendously I mean tremendously. When I first came to English class in September I thought that it was going to be a nightmere. I thought that I would do so bad because I thought that my  english teacher Mrs. Dunn was going to be very very stict. In the begining of the year she had told the class that she was a writer for vogue magazine, and that scared me because I assumed she would be so strict knowing that she is such an awesome reader and writer.  Later on in the year I noticed that she wasn’t that bad. 

She was very layed back and she aloud you to have do fun things but you had to make sure that you did your work. However there were many challenging things for me in english class this year. It took me a while to adjust to the teaching of the new teacher and environment. I thought that this was the most challenging thing of all. Till this day I have to adjust to certain things knowing that this is my first year of high school. I’m not yet familiar with alot of things yet but I do know that I have accomplished many things that I needed to accomplish. 

I know that I have alot of things that I need to get better at but I also know that not everyone is perfect. However I will work harder next year in english class to accomplish what ever I didn’t accomplish in this years english class. There were also some relatively easy parts that I had accomplished in english class this year. This year I had did a better job with communication skills and I asked for help when ever I needed it. I got very good grades in english this year and I am really proud of that. I am truly blessed to have been apart of englsih 1 this year and I will truly miss the class itself and my teacher Mrs. Dunn.

I thought that she did a great job teaching us the english material and also putting her best foot forward in helping the students better understand english related stuff. The one thing I learned about this class other than english is that students should never beat themselves up and stress out about a letter grade. Always try your best in what ever you do and know that you are more than a conquerer through jesus christ. That’s all folks.                                                                                

                                                  Macbeth Character Analysis
For this project each student had to create a piece that demonstrated one characters developement and growth throughout Macbeth. We had to use quotes from the play to illustrate the transformation of Macbeth or Lady Macbeth. This project had to have a thesis statement, character quotes and a crafted conclusion that ties it all together. For this project I chose Macbeth. Below basically shows the whole process of the project and what it entailed. 

                                                                    

                                                                    Macbeth Character Analysis

                                                              Quarter 1

 

    Thesis:  At the start of the play, Macbeth is apprehensive about being aggressive to become King, but by the end, he turns into a strictly vile man. 

In (Act 1 scene 4), Macbeth say’s  “Star’s hide your fears; let not light see my black and deep desires.” Macbeth in this scene is very upset that Malcolm was named prince of Cumberland. Macbeth felt upset inside but he didn’t want to show anyone he was upset. So instead Macbeth dealt with it and he moved on.  

       

            In (Act 2 scene 1) Macbeth has just talked to Lady Macbeth about the witches prophecy.  Lady Macbeth tries to force Macbeth to kill the king but Macbeth doesn’t want to. Macbeth ask’s “Is this a dagger which I see before me, the handle toward my hand?” Macbeth meant that he see’s a dagger and he wants use it on something but he complains that he right know has fatal vision, so he is becomes a little demonic. 

           In (Act 2 scene 3)(p. 29) Macbeth say’s that “ I am afraid to think what I have done” . Macbeth is very upset about the fact that he had killed King Duncan because right before King Duncan was killed, King Duncan gave him a promotion to be the Thane of Glamis. His wife Lady Macbeth pressured him to kill Duncan. In this case, because of this, he was named the next King of Cawdor. In Macbeth’s mind he would have thought that he didn’t have to be picked to become the Thane of Glamis, but because of his and Lady Macbeth’s greed he tried his best to 

get everything he wanted and that was to kill King Duncan so that Macbeth could become king. 

        (Act 2 scene 3)(p.35) say’s “O, yet I do repent me of my furry that I did kill them”. This Quote mean’s that Macbeth regret’s and he is very afraid to admit that he killed those who were in the chamber. The guards were the victims who were killed and their hands and faces were covered with blood and so were the daggers. Lenox had brought the news that they were dead.  “We hear our bloody cousins are best owed in England and Ireland, not confessing 

parricide.” (Act 3 scene 1)(p. 40) Macbeth means that he hears the people in Ireland and England and talking about the parricide and what happening about the killing and how dreadful he is. 

         When the ghost of Banquo shows up at dinner and sit’s in Macbeth’s seat Macbeth say’s             

“ Blood hath been shed ere now, I” th” olden time, Ere humane statute purged the gentle 

weal.” (Act 3 scene 4)(p. 53). This means that, blood has been shed and now the compassion has 

gotten rid of his patient’s for this ghost. No one see’s this ghost but Macbeth. Macbeth wants 

to prove that he see’s the ghost. Macbeth then goes crazy because the ghost of Banquo is sitting 

at the dinner table and the people at the table thinks he’s lot’s his mind.

         In (Act 5 scene 1)(p.68) the quote states that Macbeth say’s “Infected be the air whereon they ride, and damned all those that trust them!” means that when the Macduff’s men travel to Birnam wood the air should be toxic and the men should die from the air, and for those who 

trust Macduff’s plans, be damned (cursed). Macduff is going to try and get Siward, the Earl of 

Northumberland’s 10 thousand men together so that they can defeat Macbeth together. 

Everyone’s hope’s are very high now because they really want Macbeth to be defeated so that 

there could be another king of Cawdor.  

In (Act 4 scene 1)(p. 68) say’s, “ The very Firstlings of my heart shall be the firstlings of my hand.” This means that Macbeth has a lot of thoughts about his title as king and let them come true. In this scene Macbeth say‘s “to crown my thoughts with acts, be it thought and done.           

           (Act 5 scene 3)(p.88)  say’s “Go prick thy fear, Thou lily-livered boy.” Macbeth meant to get over what ever you were thinking and talking about. Suck it up and take it like a man. Stop your sulking and get over your fears. The servant, Satin complained about the 10 thousand men who were coming and he had fears. Macbeth didn’t want him to talk about it because it would bring him down.  In (Act 5 scene 7)(p. 94) it say’s “But swords I smile at, weapons laugh to scorn, brandished by man that’s of a woman born.” This meant that Macbeth’s weapons used in battle made him feel elated because Macbeth truly believe’s in violence and the weapons are 

apart of violence. In this scene was during the war and how the weapons all motivated Macbeth 

to do better fighting.

In conclusion the quotes showed Macbeth’s aggression. Through out the play Macbeth became more and more angry because of the witches prophesy. These quote’s basically go along with the certain changes that Macbeth is going through. In the quotes they show how Macbeth start’s out being calm but when the witches prophecy’s kick’s in, he goes completely crazy. 

                                                                  
                                                 


                                                        


                                                        Memoir Vignette
For this project we had to craft a memoir vignette of our own and utilize stylistic devices to make our personal piece of non-fiction interesting for an audience. The writing process for our vignette had to have full in depth brainstorming, outlining, rough drafting, final drafting and peer review. This vignette had to be powerful, compact and makes an impact with stylistic devices and other interesting aspects of storytelling. Below basically shows the whole process of the project and what it entailed. 

                                                   -“Portland Covered Under The White Blanket”-

                                                                                   Quarter 2

          

“Hello Travelers I have very bad news, all Flights will be cancelled due to the snow storm, Thank you” (Dialogue). I spent 5 treacherous hours stuck at the busy airport of Minneapolis due to a snow storm (Opener). The end of December is always a bad time to travel to certain places. Flight Delays were every where. People were talking loudly, sleeping on the floors and devouring all the food they could possibly eat at the fast food restaurants. You would have thought that the world was coming to an end with a fleet of so many people screaming and panicking. Many swarms of airport security men patrolled the airport in search for unaccompanied minors. Rolling wheels of suite cases make the annoying roar sounds. 

          I felt like saying, THIS IS TORTURE, Beeee Quuiiet to all those crazy people!!!! My grandmother and I had to escape before the people ate us alive (Hyperbole).  We decided to go to the Mall of Americas, the worlds largest mall. As we cruised down the escalator to the metro train, the loudness became completely silent like when a person turns the volume dial slowly on a radio (Simile). We took the quiet, empty train to the Mall Of America’s so that we could kill at least a little bit of time before our next exhausting red eye flight to Portland Oregon.

         After boarding the narrow locomotive we sat down in the red fabric seats and went for a bumpy, uncomfortable ride to the mall. Finally, we got off the Metro and entered the gates of heaven (Metaphor). As I walked in the warm air hit my face. I was amazed at the large doors and the enormous mall.There was red carpet, expensive stores, an Aquarium, a mini Theme Park and a big fat man wearing red with a white beard called Santa Claus on a large poster (Humor). This was a place were I wanted to be. 

           I felt like I won 1 million dollars. The shoppers were so calm. There were no rolling wheels, no food devouring people and no people sleeping on the floors (Repetition For Effect).   This was a place to chill out and shop. Thank god!!! For five hours I went on a mini spending spree, visiting many of the stores. Nike Factory, Best buy, H&M and Hollister were all in the same walking distance. The walking distance was shorter than the yellow brick road itself (Metaphor). 

            Time had easily eluded from us and we needed to head back to the airport quick, fast and in a hurry . So we did. Sadly I had to say my farewells to my beloved shopping mall. After a short period of time we arrived at the Minneapolis airport and everyone was just so peaceful. That was because half of the travelers from earlier were all gone. Then there came a great noise. “All Passengers traveling to Portland, Oregon please board the plane at Gate C7 right know.” 

              Without hesitation my grandmother and I ran to the jetty so fast I thought I saw fire behind us. “ Excuse me mam and Sir, may I have your tickets (Dialogue). We kindly gave the man our tickets and boarded the aircraft. I searched high and low for seat 9 and found it. “Aaaahhh yes, right next to the window” I said (Dialogue). As soon as everyone was seated the airplane pushed off from the gate and went straight onto the runway.  

             5,4,3,2,1 we blasted into the dark cloudy sky. I tried to stay awake but really couldn’t. My eyes closed, opened, closed, opened and closed (Repetition For Effect) . I fell asleep. AAAHHH!!!!, I woke up to the loud announcement on the PA system. “We are landing at the Portland Airport in 3 minutes. Thank you for riding with us on US Airways.” Looking towards my left I saw the sweet twinkling city lights of Portland Oregon covered in a white blanket of snow. I then quietly whispered to myself, “I am so happy I finally got away from that disaster and I can finally call this place home for a few weeks.” 

                                    The Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay

For this project we had to craft an essay comparing a character or event in The Odyssey to another work of art. We had to examine how other artist can use and change the archetypes from The Odyssey to explain a human theme, feeling, or experience. The process of this project envolved brainstorming, collecting evidence (quotations), crafting a thesis, outlining, analyzing quotations, rough drafting, peer review and writing a final draft. For this project i chose Everett the main character in O Brother Were Art Thou. Below basically shows the whole process of the project and what it entailed. 

                                        “The Tales of Everett & Odysseus”

                                                            Quarter 3                   

              Although Everett and Odysseus loved their wives, one wife showed more compassion for her partner. The other wife had an interest in his money instead of their relationship. In the movie, Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Penny’s marriage is driven by Everett’s money. In order for her to get the money she must divorce him. All of Penny’s actions are driven by her lust for money. Penny needs the money to support their kids.

              Odysseus was an extremely strong, brave and courageous man when it came to handling big tasks. However, when his wife Penelope came near him he became more gentle and loving. On the other hand, Everett was a very silly and slick person when it came to getting his men out of trouble, but when his wife Penny was near him he showed a positive and serious connection to her. Penny didn’t show the positive connection to him.

             While suffering the long tragic trails Everett seemed to be determined to provide for his wife and children. He thought that he could get back with his wife and kids, but when he gets to his wife Penny, Penny denies him of being a true husband and father to his 6 young children. “ By saying, ”I don’t love you anymore Everett. I’m getting married to Vernon T. Waldrip”.  Even though Everett tries to become a better father and husband by changing the wrong things that he has done in his life and tries not to repeat the mistakes that he has done before; Penny’s anger and love for Vernon T. Waldrip overpowers the marriage. This shows that love can be a driving force in a relationship.

             When he visits his wife Penny, Everett tries to work his problems out but has a difficult time trying to make Penny forgive him. Everett say’s “Penny I don’t do the things I used to do anymore. Please forgive me for all of the things I have done. We can be a family.” So at the end of the movie Everett wants to get back with Penny and he says he would give Penny the ring from when they got married. Everett then noticed that the ring was 10,000 ft in the lake. Penny had said to Everett “ In order to marry me you must go and get that ring in the lake”.

           In, The Odyssey, Odysseus has trouble trying not to reminisce about his wife Penelope and his children. Knowing that he is separated from his family, Penelope has many doubt’s that Odysseus would come back to see her and the kids. Driven by love, Odysseus comes back to Ithaca and finds his wife but he comes back with a surprise. Penelope decides to set up targets in the hallway and she wants the suitors and Odysseus to shoot arrows at the targets. Who ever shot the arrows in the targets marries Penelope. The reason why Penelope did this was because she wanted to try to intimidate Odysseus and the suitors. She knew that Odysseus was a great shooter and that he would shoot all of the arrows.  While Odysseus was gone he really had to push himself to go back to the land of Ithica. He had to be there with his wife Penelope and his children. He couldn’t give up on his children and his wife. So that basically pushed Odysseus to come back to Ithica.

                   In Conclusion both couples get through their hardships, but different things motivate them. Penelope really loves Odysseus not just because of his material things but also because of his personality. However, Everett might struggle with his relationship because his wife Penny uses him to get his money and other material things. In both of these cases the main characters reveal that they have strong compassion for their partners and that they have different ways in which they handle their relationships. 

For the creative project we had to take all the information we learned about macbeth's aggression in the story and put it into a visual project. We had to include a thesis statement, quotes and a powerful conclusion. I chose to do a Slideshow for a visual. Below shows everything that the project entailed.
Macbeth Creative Project (Below)



For this project we had to do a brief project describing a book that we read on our own. This project had to include a summary and the books background information. You could have done this project on a slideshow, movie, podcast song or anything else creative. For this project I had chose to do a slideshow. Below shows everything that the project entailed.
Independent Reading Project (Below)

Four Top Journal Entries:

Define Hero and who is a hero in you life?

I believe a hero is a person who saves you from danger. I have many heros

in my life. One of my important hero's are my parents. My parents

demonstrate great parenting and also great success. They teach me

how to be a hard worker and when I get older and have children be

be a great provider for them. They show me how to handle my

different obstacles and they are teachers about life. Without them I

would not have any success in doing things. I am so thankful to have

a hero because I wouldn't know were I would be.

Was there a time when you wanted to switch your identity?

There are sometimes when I feel like changing my race to another.

Sometimes people discriminate againts black people and it is kind of

hard to take that in especially if you are black. Sometimes some black

people don't know how to act and they get in trouble and I some times

get upset because my race acts up. Seeing a lot of African Americans on

the news for murder is just so embarrassing. It seems as if some African

Americans don't care about their lives or the lives of others. We are known

to be lazy at times. Not all but I would say a hand full of them but I have to

say that I am very proud to be black because we are concuerers and we came

a long way. I believe that my ancestors were true hero's and i would want to

follow in there foot steps.

Does A Lot Of People Depend On You For Anything?
A lot of people depend on me for a lot of things because I am a very mature person and I have a lot of goals for my life. My parents have a lot of expectations for me because I am very organized and I have great communication skills. My parents know that I am going to be very successful in life because I have a lot of plans for my life and I am very serious about it. I have a lot of expectations for myself also. I am a very strict person and when I want something I would go out and get it. I am very hard on myself about school work and other things because I know that when you are hard on your self about things you get a lot of things done. You sometimes come out stronger. The expectations that I have for myself and the expectations other people have about me are very similar. However I believe that my expectations for myself are more harsher. However I believe that if you put your mind and soul towards things you will get it done.   

If You Really Knew Me?

If you really knew me, you would know that I am courages serious and faithful. If you really knew me, you would know that I am competitive and sociable. If you really knew me, you would know that I am old spirited and mature. One important thing you would know about me is that I am gods child.

                          

For this project each student had to pick a character from the book The Odyssey and had to research that person and pick quotes from that character. The student also had to include a powerful thesis statement. We had to make this project look visual. For this project I had picked Prometheus. Below shows what the project entailed.
Myth Project (Below)