Final Essay

Linda Inverso                                                                                                  Inverso 1

Dr. David Preston

English Language and Composition

1 June 2017

                Masterpiece Academy Question: How I have grown because of this course?

              

 “So your teacher is Preston? You’re doing what now!? Your homework is to post on a blog? No textbooks?! You decide on what to learn? Freedom? What the ..”, is how a normal conversation goes when people ask about the English course I’m taking. I tell them about open source learning, I know a bit about it because my dad’s a fan of that style of teaching, and how we have control over our own education. People just look at me with an odd expression on their face. There’s this stigma surrounding teenagers and how they can’t be trusted because they aren’t adults and therefore lack responsibility. So when people look at our class, they think we’re crazy because, to them, teenagers don’t deserve freedom or know what’s best for themselves. Our class isn’t crazy. I was very invested in this course. Every time I had an opinion of something we were doing in class, I looked forward to blogging about it and using the Internet as my resource to find out more about the topics. 

I felt that a lot of trust was placed upon my colleagues and I. I remember the first day of school when Dr. Preston left the classroom to leave us to get together to make a

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choice: should we totally abandon the rules and the traditional ways of education for this course or go old school and use a textbook? Using the Internet as our source for

information, teaching ourselves, and not being scolded for not turning in work on time sounded intriguing. We have never got that kind of freedom nor were we used to breaking away from the traditional ways of school. We’re so used to being talked at and getting bored to death. Then we stress about trying to get good grades, pass classes,

and doing loads of homework. I have done every assignment in this course and have posted for pleasure. I don’t believe in prioritizing because I aim to be successful in all my classes. As a class, we could have honored this trust even more because we were extremely quiet and put off work way too often. Emerson would frown upon us.

I read Fahrenheit 451 for the first time because of this course. I can really relate to Montag feeling like an outcast. I sometimes feel like everybody’s doing the same things in life and I just want something different. Society will kick you out if you think differently so it’s easier to conform. I have something called Social Anxiety. When I read Self Reliance, I couldn’t help but call Emerson’s bluff and think, “How am I supposed to be self reliant when I have this disorder about fear? Even if I just look at someone my body reacts in a weird way”. Then I thought about it more and I concluded with, I am only stopping myself from getting better by blaming other things. This inspired me to take steps to becoming more self reliant by looking for help and try not to let this fear get

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in the way of things I want to accomplish in life. Another thing from this course that I ponder almost every day is about the idea of remixing. Essentially, everything is a remix?! I have no idea why, but that idea blows my mind. As I’m typing, I’m remixing the alphabet. This concept makes me wonder, is anything truly original?

During this school year, I have reconnected with my passion for playing an instrument. I haven’t done so in five years! I’ve always loved playing an instrument but something has always gotten in the way. I stopped playing the clarinet because I switched schools. Then I stopped playing piano because the teacher moved away. I didn’t know how to teach myself. This passion has kept growing stronger and stronger. One thing this course has taught me is that you can teach yourself and the Internet is a huge resource! So I’m willing to continue taking guitar and even teach myself because I truly want to be better. In fact, all this Emerson talk inspired me to join choir next school year with my best friend. This course also had rekindled my love for reading. All throughout my life, if I ever had one second of free time, you would catch me with a book in my hand. And then I got to High School. I never had time, I always had to read books teachers made me, people convinced me that it “wasn’t cool”, and I would spend my free time watching hours of videos online. Reading just transports you into another world and I’m so happy I can return to it.

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When my colleagues and I took over the classroom, the current theme I found was that we all seemed to question the world and the things around us. Most people go about their lives with these questions but never bothered looking into them. As humans, we fear the unknown and it’s our nature to question things surrounding us. Kayleen questioned the school system and tried to find out why it is not as successful as it should be. Turns out we have been doing the same thing for 100 years! The video she showed mentioned that technology, society, and the ways of living life get renovated yet the school system has stayed the same. Jackie questioned human behavior. She asked the class to answer some riddles. Half of the class tried even when they knew the answer was wrong because they wanted to at least see if they got it right. The other half didn’t answer because the feared if they got it wrong, it would cause embarrassment. Why are we so fearful? Why do we let these fears hold us back instead of trying to see what the outcome is? Liliy questioned something that everyone experiences and see others experience. Death. She started off by telling the class a personal experience, which lead her to question about the real causes of death. Gabriel questioned our brain’s ability to memorize. How could we improve our own memories? Is it possible to do so? He gave us some tips and even made the whole class get up to stretch and close our eyes to meditate. Eldrin questioned something we all do, laugh. It’s part of the human experience, every one does it but why does this action exist? What I’m trying to say is, we all tried to decipher common things that go on in our daily lives and find out why they happen and if we can do anything else to improve ourselves.

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There were many pleasant memories of this course. Looking back, the first thing comes to mind when it comes to laughter was the first day of school. We were just finished making our decision about how we were going to run this course and we started to get to know Dr. Preston better. It was the first time he cussed in front of us. His diction surprised us all and resulted in laughter from everyone, including me. It brought us closer as a class and made us feel more comfortable. Kind of like a non-related family. Another funny thing I remember was the apple that believed in itself. That is truly inspiring.

                                                                                                                       

I’m still in the process of completing the hero’s journey, however, I can confirm that I have taken big leaps this year to start it. I’ve been bettering myself by watching what I eat, exercise, learn more about things I like, be with family, and read. I’ve been taking more risks like signing up for choir next school year knowing that I may have to perform. I have also been getting help for personal problems that hold me back from at least trying to chase my dreams. A challenge has been battling against my own mind. Another challenge this year was an extremely important family member passed away but I feel that made me a stronger person. I have just come to a realization that I’m never going to get what I want in life if I don’t take risks. It all ties into self-reliance. I’m still on this journey but I’m not giving up just yet.

I didn’t think this school year would go by fast but it did. This is so cliché but, I can remember the first day of this course like it was just yesterday. I want to Thank Dr.

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Preston and my colleagues for helping me learn new things and inspire me to make some changes to my life. I am truly going to miss this course and posting to the blog. Who knows, maybe I’ll start another blog someday. The learning will never stop.

Birthdays.Rambling to myself.

"Damn you're getting old," my sister said when greeting me in the morning. So here's something I've thought about: kids act like we're so experienced with life.. but that's because living through how many years we had, that's all we know. Later we grow older and we think to ourselves, "if only I can be that young again."

And for what?! Because I haven't been enjoying life recently. Because I've been stressed about school and scared about the future. How do I "have it good" now?! 

But maybe that's it....... I've been spending my life so worried about work and the future that I have forgotten how to, well, live. So I'm challenging myself at 17 to try new things and be more laid back. To enjoy life day by day. To not say, "TGIF" and wait for holidays to feel relieved. After all, I won't be 17 forever and I most certainly do not want to remember my teenage years as being so bland and dark. 

My Masterpiece Academy Lesson

Click this link to view my power point about my Big Question.
I learned a lot of things about this topic.. and other things kind of related to it somehow I guess haha(apparently music influences the milk production of cows).
Ever wonder how animals react to music designed for their own species?
These cats seemed pretty calm whilst listening to the music. https://youtu.be/YUhcY86ybi0
Choosing this topic helped me get even more interested in it.  It's so cool to think about what actually goes on when we listen to music. We never really think about it, but a lot of work goes into it! All of this happens in a matter of seconds.... okay I'm rambling now but I'm just so mind blownnnnnnn. hahah (:

#PrayForManchester

The world is a scary place. How can such a cruel thing happen in a place of joy and love? I cannot fathom the fact that people were trying to see someone who they adored and this happened. Concerts are magical. They bring people together to enjoy something they have in common. It's heartbreaking that such an experience ruined and that people died. My thoughts/prayers go to the people involved and Ari and her team. I just hope everyone there stays safe.

(adding a song because I truly hope violence stops)
Better Days- Victoria Monet ft. Ariana Grande

Gemini Season

It's finally Gemini season. It's typically  one of my favorite times of the year, not because it's my bday season but because we are well into Spring and it's about to be Summer! If you're into astrology, then you're most likely shocked that I'm a Gemini. (I'm also a Slytherin.. shocking to those who don't know me personally) Geminis are known for being extremely, witty  talkative, sociable, and outgoing. In public, I'm not any of those things so I can understand why people could be confused as to why I'm a Gemini. These traits are mine when I'm truly myself with people I'm comfortable with. I  pretty much have most traits that go with this sign. And no, Gemini's aren't "two faced."🙄

I will confirm that the twin thing is true. Most of the time the nice, quiet twin is out. Get us triggered and the other twin won't hesitate to come out and be up in your face. I've learned that there is more to astrology than just your sun sign.. but your sun sign is a big part of who you are. So to any of my fellow Gems, happy birthday!! Can't wait to read more about astrology in the summer and decipher what it means to be born in Gemini.

Summer

So close.... yet so far away! There's about 12 days of instruction left but it feels like I'm slowly crawling on my hands and knees to the finish line and boy, do I need some water. This race has truly been tiring. The sun has been pressuring me to get good grades and my mind doesn't let me stop to take a break. At this point, I don't care to win a medal. All I want to do is to cross this finish line and get some water. Even when I think that, my mind tells me that I need to try to win or else I'm going to be mad at myself and so will the sun. So with bruises, tiredness, and being drained, I carry on and try to win the race.

My masterpiece academy: A thought process

Big Question: Why does music sound good to humans?
My masterpiece academy project has been completed since last weekend. I can honestly say that I've learned many interesting things and I really hope everyone likes it. I originally had planned on finding an experiment that I could do that proves how we(humans) listen to sounds but as it says on the board  (by Robert Burns), "the best laid plans often go awry." I'm not a scientist (and have no interest in becoming one) so I don't have fancy equipment to do that kind of experiment or know where to begin. I do think the information on my presentation is fairly interesting but I hope that I don't let anxiety take over me whilst presenting. I apologize for being boring if that does happen.
I still want my presentation to have some pizzazz so throughout today's period, I found something else that I could do. Hint: it involves animals!! :D
I know my question is about humans but I feel that to understand what I'm trying to answer, we have to compare information to animals too. So hopefully my idea works out and isn't boring but I guess we'll find out.

Masterpiece Academy Day 1 & 2

Notes:
Presenter: Ale The question- Would it be better if people know their perfect match by birthmark?

• asked people and many said yes because they don't want to spend all their life with someone who ended up to not be their soulmate.
• the people who said no didn't want to be tied down to destiny.
• essentially, people would be born with a birthmark. To find your soulmate, you have to find a person with the same birthmark.

confirmation bias~when finding something online and you see evidence that confirms your hypothesis so you go with that.

Thoughts: I think the idea is brilliant and very creative. However, there's some things that can go wrong. Like what if a person just wanted to be single all their life? Do people who become priests and nuns get birthmarks too? What happens if a 14 year old gets matched with a 22 year old? Doesn't knowing who your soulmate take all the adventure out of it(love)? I personally wouldn't want a birthmark that matches me up with someone. I believe that future isn't set in stone and that we are the writers of our own story. I also think life's mysteries is what make life fun. Life's about going through experiences and learning from them so we can grow. I admit, it would be nice to know now......
but I love a good mystery. I feel that society is puts pressure on finding "their true love". For me, if I never had one, I'd be more than okay with it. I don't need a "soulmate" to complete me. Society just has its ideas....

IGNITE TALKS

1. Big Question/Master Topic: How does music connect to the mind and emotions? And what makes it sound good to humans?

2. What I've done was think about what fields I would need to research my big question. I think psychology and science can help me with research.

3. A thing I did over break was research on how we hear music. (So sound waves , the ear, and the brain)

4.  Maybe some people are attracted to some music because of the diction and syntax of the lyrics. For example, some lyrics are just so fun to say.

5. What I'm going to do next is investigate the psychology of the mind and how our brains process music.

WE EAT SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BREAKFAST

           When writing an essay, authors often consider using tools that will help get their readers engaged with their writing and try to persuade them to agree with their argument or theme. In the essay, "We Eat Social Media for Breakfast", the theme was how the internet is a belief system and connects people together. The author's use of diction, syntax, tone, and rhetorical devices make the readers feel welcomed by providing personal experiences as examples and uses language that makes the reader feel as if the writing was an actual conversation. All of those tools help the argument because the audience feels a connection with the writing.
           
           The author's diction is informal because it is meant to make the reader feel like they are in an actual conversation thus providing the reader with inviting and welcoming feelings. For example, at the end the author writes, "Thanks for reading" instead of "Thank you for reading". This makes the reader feel as if the writing came from a friend. The author's tone was also humorous, which provokes more emotion from the audience. When he writes, "I'm a wannabe millenial", I can't help but chuckle because I see those kinds of posts everywhere and can understand where the author is coming from. He also started off the essay with something personal he did, which was take pictures of his breakfast, which helps establish a connection with the readers.

            The author's syntax also helps give examples of his argument. He uses rhetorical questions to help prove his point. In the paragraph about finding the right tools for the job, he explains critical questions by asking, "What IS the job? And what do we want to accomplish by sharing information? And what tool to use?". A lot of sentences are short and declarative. That is effective for keeping the writing informal and proving a point at the same time. The author does this when he writes, "So, back to my breakfast. She didn't get my pictures." and "But there's more to this than meets the eye."

          The author also uses rhetorical devices like imagery to keep the reader engaged by helping them pain a picture in their minds. This works when he writes, "I wipped out my iPhone and started snapping pics of my breakfast." The reader can imagine this scenario happening and keeps them engaged. The author also uses anecdotes to help explain a point while creating an emotional response from the audience. When the author wrote about sending breakfast pics to someone he wished he could share it with, he explains his argument about how he uses technology to connect with people while the audience is in awe.

        So overall, the author's main argument was explained effectively by the tools he used because not only did the tools help explain his point, but they helped persuade the audience to agree with him. He uses the tools to explain how technology is "a belief system about how we interact and communicate" by sharing personal experiences and establishing a connection with the audience. I, myself, was persuaded by his argument especially because of the anecdotes, which evoked emotion and humor when making a point. This contributed to making the essay an even more enjoyable experience to read.

New Big Question.... (yup, again)

I came to a conclusion that I'm not really attached to my previous big questions. It went something like: Does luck exist? Are there more lucky people in the world than others?

I don't really care if luck exists or not. I kind of developed an answer to that myself anyway.
The reason to why I'm making this post is that I've been thinking about these questions recently:
Why does music sound good to humans? What is the connection to the mind or emotions?

These questions intrigue me because it's about a topic I love and I'm actually curious about learning about them. It's something that I actually can't wait to do research on.
Other stemming questions from those are: Why do certain humans like one type of music while others don't? Music is something we all hear and goes to our brain, so why do people disagree on different songs? Is there some kind of different frequency that people get when listening to music that makes them not like something?
I can really go all day thinking about new questions but for now, this is what I'm most intrigued by.

Reflecting on my essays

I'm not really confident and proud of the last three essays I did. I tried choosing topics that I thought I would struggle with and took different sides than I would normally would side with. I did this because I know on the exam that there is a big possibility of getting prompts that would be harder to tackle.  I also gave myself a time limit for each essay (including the pre-writes I did last week) and I felt that if I had more time I would have done better. Since I was worrying about beating the time, I kept repeating myself and not bringing up much new information. Even writing a pre-write is so pressuring because I kept thinking how I need to finish it fast so I can get on with the actual essay. I think I might look at the prompts and try a few more so I can get used to being timed. Overall, I'm not that happy about any of the essays I did.

Essay #3

           Recent college students have faced records of unemployment and students now ask themselves if college is really worth it. I'm a strong believer in you can learn something from everything. In any situation you're in, anyone you talk to, and anything you read you learn something new. If you can't benefit from that information now, you can later in life or at least have gained more knowledge because of it. There are so many things to learn and any information gained isn't a waste. So even if college doesn't guarantee a great job, it is definitely worth the cost.

           The information you learned whilst going to college may help you get a good job later in life. Some places may look at the fact that you went to college and hire you even though it may not be your dream job. Once you become more stable, you could always go back to college and try to get a different degree. For example, say you take some music production classes in college but you didn't get a job in that field, you could always go back to finish your education and try to get a different job. You don't have to go to college just once in your life. 

             College makes you a smarter person because you gained information that you wouldn't have if you had not gone. You can never stop learning new things. Even with  electives you gain some tips and knowledge about how to do somethings. Maybe you are good at reading music, cooking, taking pictures, or sewing. All of those skills are helpful and can use in your daily life.

           College can help you find a passion or even a hobby. Sure you didn't get a good job out of it but you found something interesting that you thought you would never like and can pursue that instead. For example, maybe you took a literature class and found that you love reading Gothic books from the Victorian Era and that can inspire you to write a book of poems in that style. Maybe you found that you love science and want to become a scientist. You could discover that composing music is something you enjoy. College can be a place where you find yourself. 

            Taking classes and being able to learn new things is never not worth it. Since when did learning more things about life not worth it? There is so much that we don't know. Wether it is about life's mysteries or getting to no yourself better, taking extra classes can always give you more knowledge. You can discover a lot about yourself and what your passions are there. That to me is definitely worth it.

Essay #2

          Many schools have a honor code which enforces no cheating and are meant to "cultivate integrity". However, anyone who has integrity don't cheat because they take pride in their work. People who don't care about honor cheat regardless of any set of rules because that's who they have become and most likely won't change. Therefore honor codes should be eliminated because cheaters are going to continue doing what they're doing because they already know it is wrong.

           People may think punishing cheaters will give them discipline. They have done it before and most likely will do it again. They already know it is wrong to plagiarize and  is why they try to keep it on the down low. Yes plagiarizing is wrong, but having an extremely strict honor code isn't going to be enough to change behavior. There shouldn't have to be rules to not cheat and especially when they know it is wrong to do so. Since cheaters don't care about learning something new and cheat to save time, they are only cheating themselves out of new information that they hadn't known before.

         Honor codes effect non-cheaters in a negative way as well. Encouraging students to report cheating gives the student unwanted stress. It is not their job to be a patrol and their peers can have tension with them. Non-cheaters' personalities usually value honor since they do not cheat and know cheating is out of the question. When they see someone who is cheating they feel pressured because they feel they need to report it because of the honor code but they don't want to because it can cause problems with their peers. Non-cheaters don't need any stress because they are already doing what they are supposed to do. They shouldn't get punished with stress for something someone else is doing wrong.

          Cheating is inevitable. There is so much information now with new technology that it is harder to catch plagiarizers. So how do you separate non-cheaters from the cheaters then? Now there are websites like EduBirdie were you can pay someone to write a paper for you. That's cheating but it is harder to catch since it is someone else's original work that they give to the student to pretend they did it themselves. There is so many loopholes created in honor codes because of this and is basically impossible to catch all the cheaters.
     
        Overall, honor codes should be eliminated because they don't do a good job at stopping people from cheating. They just create more work for people who are trying to grade assignments and put pressure on students who see their peers cheating. It is now nearly impossible to catch cheaters and make their behavior change.

Essay #1

          Anywhere from television, podcasts, magazines, and social media you can see public figures expressing their opinions on many different topics. Since people in the public eye are followed by many, they have an opportunity to get a message spread out. A lot of public figures use that opportunity for good and try to better the world with their opinion. Since they have a wide following, their message can go viral and will result in people talking about their opinion.
         
           Almost everyone has someone famous they look up to and admire. Public figures can influence a lot of people's opinions by using a variety of platforms. Some feel like it is important to take advantage of that and try to influence people to make a change and better themselves. Just from the passed election, almost anyone in the public eye were sharing their thoughts and urging people to vote. Even if they just state who they voted for, that is enough to make someone want to vote for that person. A lot of public figures are open about their lifestyles and try to encourage their following to be the healthiest version they can be. They make videos on YouTube on how to do some exercises and what they eat to be healthy. That can influence some people to try to be more healthy. With websites like Good Reads, Twitter, and YouTube, I've seen a lot of public figures influence people to read by recommending books and sharing what they have been reading. Reading is amazing because there is always something new you can learn that can better yourself. 

         Another way public figures use their platforms for good is to spread the word about movements and events that are occurring. A few months ago there were a lot of women's right protests in the U.S. Public figures used social media platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat to encourage people to go to the protests. Many people attended because they saw someone they admire go there. Everyone there hoped to get a message across and since it was all over the media, the message did get to were they wanted it to go to. Last summer people used their platforms to share their opinions on the Black Lives Matter movement. This got everyone talking and spreading their opinions. Some artists released music about the topic hoping it would get people to make a change. For example, "Better Days" by Victoria Monet and featuring Ariana Grande got everyone who follows both artists talking about the topic. This makes everything that is happening currently known to everyone and influences people to share their opinions too.

         Public figures are also good for helping their following form their own opinions. A lot of famous people may not attend to protests but still share their opinions by tweeting or blogging. Many people who may have different opinions can still contribute to the discussion and share what they think. This just creates a massive thread of ideas and thoughts that has great value. There is something new someone can learn when reading the thread and can even provoke another thought that they can contribute. Online discussions are great because it gets people involved in sharing opinions. Public figures create a place for learning and talking with new people.

         In conclusion, public figures using the opportunity to spread their opinions is good in many ways. They encourage people to better themselves by recommending lifestyles and books. They also spread the word on the things that are currently happening in the world and encourage others to keep the conversation growing. Without public figures using their voice, many things that are happening can go unnoticed and maybe not get a lot of change going on. People are influenced by the people they admire which is why using their voice is important. 

Pre-writes for AP prompts

Prompts I will be using:
1. From talk radio to television w, to popular magazines to Web blogs ordinary citizens, political figures, and entertainers express their opinions on a wide range of topics. Take a position on the value of such public statements of opinion.

2. Many high schools, colleges, and universities have honor codes or honor systems: sets of rules or principles that are intended to cultivate integrity. These rules or principles often take the form of written positions on practices like cheating, stealing, and plagiarizing as well as on the consequences of violating the established codes. Based on six sources, synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well-developed argument for your own position on whether your school should establish, maintain, revise, or eliminate an honor code or honor system.

3. Many recent college graduates have faced record levels of unemployment. This situation has led people to question what they value about higher education. Some high school students and their parents are wondering if a college education is worth the cost. Others, however, believe that a college education prepares students for more than just a job or career. Based on six sources concerning the value of a college education. Synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a coherent, well- developed essay that evaluates whether college is worth its cost.


1.  Thesis: People in the public eye are followed by many so they have an opportunity to get a message spread out. A lot of public figures use that opportunity for good and try to better the world with their opinion. Since they have a wide following, their message would be seen by many and will result in people talking about their opinion.

I. Public figures can influence a lot of people's opinions
politics (who to vote for, what should be enforced, environment, etc.) , views on morals, life styles (discipline, book recommendations, new ways of improving yr self)

II. They can spread the word/make things known
(woman's rights, news, events/movements)

III. Gets everyone forming their own opinions. Opens minds. Gets people involved.

2. Thesis: Many schools have a honor code which enforces no cheating and are meant to "cultivate integrity". However, anyone who has integrity don't cheat because they take pride in their work. People who don't care about honor cheat regardless of any set of rules because that's who they have become and most likely won't change. Therefore honor codes should be eliminated because cheaters are going to cheat anyways.

I.People may think punishing cheaters will give them discipline. They have done it before and most likely will do it again. They already know it is wrong to plagiarize. That is why the keep it on the dl. Yes plagiarizing is wrong, but having an extremely strict honor code isn't going to be enough to change behavior.

II. Honor codes effect non-cheaters in a negative way as well. Encouraging students to report cheating gives the student unwanted stress. It is not their job to be a patrol and their peers can have tension with them.

III. Cheating is inevitable. There is so much information now with new technology that it is harder to catch plagiarizers.

3. Thesis: I'm a strong believer in any situation you're in, anyone you talk to, and anything you read you learn something new. If you can't benefit from that information now, you can later in life. There is so much things to learn and any information gained isn't a waste. So even if college doesn't guarantee a great job, it is definitely worth the cost.

II. The info you learned whilst going to college may help you get a good job later in life. Can always go back when stable and get a higher degree.

II. Makes you a smarter person bc you gained information. You can never stop learning. Maybe tips on gardening or reading music. You wouldn't have learned all tht if it weren't fr college.

III. It can help you find a passion. Sure you didn't get a good job out of it but you found something interesting that you thought you would never like and can pursue that instead. (cooking, photography, pics, maybe even main subjects like science)

Fahrenheit 451 Essay

(Option 1)

               

             In the novel Fahrenheit 451, the characters Clarisse and Beatty both played a huge role of changing the main character's life. Each character served a different purpose. One character made the main character want to change his life and the other just got in the way. Ray Bradbury's tone towards Beatty is ironic, complex, and mysterious. Bradbury's tone towards Clarisse is understanding and unique. He does this to show that he sees himself in the character he created and to show that there is no one like her at all in the book. 

               

            Bradbury gave Beatty an ironic personality. Beatty gives Montag a speech about how books are bad and how they make people feel like they aren't intellectual. However, Beatty himself is secretly an intellectual and quotes literature, as seen in part three when Montag is about to burn him. This makes me wonder how Beatty knows so much about literature yet preaches that it has no place in society. Bradbury's tone of Beatty shows us that we don't know who Beatty actually is. Bradbury shows us that Beatty is complex when he writes, "Beatty had wanted to die. He just stood there not really trying to save himself, ... joking, needling,... yelling at people and making fun at them." This sounds to me that Beatty has always wanted to die and only acted the way he did towards anyone he meets his because he is hoping they would end his life for him. The purpose of Bradbury 's tone towards Beatty is to make the reader to wonder what kind of character Beatty actually is and why he did what he did.

          Bradbury's tone towards Clarisse is understanding and unique. The author's purpose of creating Clarisse is that she is there to make the main character undergo an epiphany. Clarisse is the only one in the society who has curiosity. Her asking Montag questions made him realize that he is unhappy and the only way to change his life is to be different. Bradbury made Clarisse an outcast. She is wise for her age, talks a lot, loves nature, and is aware of surroundings. The reason why I said Bradbury's tone is understanding is because he sees himself in that character. In Bradbury's short story, The Pedestrian, the main character gets in trouble for being a pedestrian. This is because he is the only one walking around town since everyone is at home getting distracted by technology. This actually happened to Bradbury and since he writes about how Clarisse is getting called a "time bomb" for doing the same things he does, he knows exactly what he's making her go through. 

         Overall, Bradbury's tone towards both characters is to show that they are two very important characters in the novel. Without either of them, nothing would have changed the main character's life. Bradbury's tone makes us wonder about Beatty and shows how special Clarisse is. His tone towards Clarisse is kind of like a warning. If we don't become more like Clarisse, then our society can end up the same as the one in the book. 

Socratic Seminar// F451 Thoughts

Whenever I hear something, I always have many thoughts/reactions towards the topic. Unfortunately, I let anxiety get the best of me so I don't say what I'm thinking. Anyways I'm just going to type down a few things that I got from today's' discussion and kind of give my two cents.

I agree with Liliy that Montag isn't a role model.Weather it was necessary for Montag to kill Beatty or not is a completely different question. Montag is very impulsive. It is true that he's self-reliant, but he can still be self reliant whilst thinking about the choices he's about to make. My point is impulsive people aren't good role models. Imagine saying something to someone and they got offended and they ended up punching you. That is not, at least in my opinion, being a good role model. He could have gotten Faber into major trouble. He shouldn't have been talking to Faber in front of Beatty. If he hadn't done that, then Montag wouldn't have let his hands pull the trigger. Being a role model is being able to do what you want and eliminating anything that gets in your way. One of the biggest reasons he got in trouble was because his impulsiveness got the best of him and he ended up reading to Mildred and her friends. I just think role models should think about what they're going to do and say before they put it out there. Maybe he is a role model for people who want to be self reliant or confident but I would definitely not look up to him other than that.

Did Montag have to kill Beatty? I totally feel that Montag would have to do that sooner or later because Beatty would have killed him. How else would Montag get Beatty to stop? I just wouldn't call Montag a role model for being triggered about the things Beatty was saying and killing him for that reason.

A STEP AHEAD OF THE HOUND

1. Montag hid the books he had in the kitchen of the Blacks' house.
2. Faber described the war as remote. While Montag and Faber have their problems, the world has a bigger problem going on.
3. Fabers lifted up a frame for a picture and a TV came up. It was the size of a postal card.
4. While Montag was on the run, the TV showed helicopters and a new mechanical hound looking for him.
5. Montag was running for the river so he can put on Faber's old clothes and float away.

THE CHASE IS ON

1. The Hound attacked Montag because he is wanted for keeping books and now is wanted for the murder of Beatty.
2. Montag defended himself by pulling the trigger on the flame thrower and burned the hound.
3. Montag realized that Beatty wanted to die. Beatty didn't try to save himself. Instead, he just stood there with a big grin on his face and tried to make Montag mad.
4. Montag ran in the far end of the alley and decided he should go see Faber.
5.When walking across the street, Montag was trying to get away from the beetle and kids from 12-16 that almost killed him. He even wondered if those kids where the people who killed Clarisse.

Music in F451?

So I was just thinking about how the government in the book kind of controls society to not think for themselves thus banning books and establishing a different way to teach at schools. They also have shows on TV that would normally entertain a child and they don't have much intellectual value. Mildred, like others in that society, constantly have their "seashells" (aka headphones) in their ears and would distract themselves with music as well. So my question is, do those kind of societies filter or control the music the people listen to? A lot of songs have meaning and can tell stories so I was just wondering do the people in the book listen to only what the government puts out? Did they destroy all of the songs that had meaning when they started destroying books? Or can they listen to anything and it won't matter because they can't think for themselves anyway? Can people, like how Mildred does with her parlors, spontaneously step in a recording studio and try to make a song or can being a musician still be a profession? Just some things I was wondering.

Part 3 F451

I actually left off in the middle of part 3. Maybe because I'm a fast reader or I was just really curious or both but all I have to say is WOAH. I know I read this yesterday, but I'm not over the fact what just happened. There's so much to think about. I now have no idea where the book is going to end or what's going to happen next. A few questions I had where: Why do the kids kill each other? You would think they would be distracted by technology as well, but instead they attack whoever gets in their way. Is the whole country like this? I mean does every town in the country have firemen and fire station that burns books and have a society who is so against them? If that's the case, where is Montag going to go? If the whole country is like that, he's basically screwed. At the same time, how can he be screwed? There's so much of the book left over. I'm just going to put this out there: I don't care what happens to Mildred. I hate her with a passion. Will Montag find Clarisse? Will he try to get Faber to escape with him? Is the war going to become a bigger part in this book? Will the war stop these kinds of societies or is everything going to stay the same?
I really can't wait to find out what's going on.(:

Answers to Part Two Questions

1. Montag's reaction to books was that he was fascinated by them. He thinks they could have the answers to all the questions he has. For example, what happened to Clarisse and maybe even why there is a war.
Mildred, on the other hand, is far more interested in TV programs than reading books. She doesn't like to use her imagination to envision people and things because she rather have other people do that thinking for her. She is also afraid that Captain Beatty might find out and burn the house and most importantly to her, their "investments"(aka the parlor).

2. The effects of the bombs flying over show that there is an outside conflict too: war. Montag first realized this when he started to question is happiness and now when he's confessing to Mildred that he is not happy. It proves that everyone in the country is so busy being distracted and finding happiness in technology that they don't even realize that their country is at war. In section two, it motivates Montag to look for answers about why there might be a war in books.

3. Professor Faber used to be an English Professor but stopped after the college shut down due to the lack of people applying. Montag decides to pay him a visit because he wants to understand what he's reading.

4. Montag's reaction in the subway is him having a fight with himself mentally and deciding on weather he should continue his life in that dull society, which means forgetting about books, or read books and break the rules so that maybe he can find some answers (maybe even happiness).

5. Faber's argument is that the things that you learn from books could be applied to your life. He first says that books have quality and make you reflect on your life. Then he says books need people to take their time when reading them and interpret what they read(make meaning out of it). The last thing he tells Montag about books is that people need to apply what they have learned from books in their own life.

6. The small green object is an invention that Faber created. I like to think of it as walkie talkie. It's basically just a two way radio that he made to look like seashells( which is Bradbury's version of headphones) so no one would be suspicious.

7. Well clowns are usually associated with the amusement of little children and since grown adults in this society find them entertaining as well, this leads me to think that they aren't very (how do I put this in a nice way?🤔)...very educated or mature,

8. Mrs. Phelps cries when Montag read "Dover Beach" because just as their society, Mrs.Phelps had nothing to make her think for herself and as she interpreted what Montag was reading, she was reflecting on her own life.

9. Montag returns to the fire station because he thinks he is a real risk taker but Beatty had happened to find out he had books.

Aren't we all kids?

Saw Beauty and The Beast today and it was AMAZING! It's exactly like the animated one. And as a huge Emma Watson fan, I was excited to see her performance in this film. 10/10 I recommend.

Rant:My sister went in the group chat I have with my cousin, who saw the movie too, and mentioned how she was "reliving her childhood." My sister is only twelve so my cousin responded with, "But Jackie, you're still a kid." I chimed in with, "everyone in this chat are kids." That's when an argument sprouted. "I'm eighteen so technically I'm an adult," said one of my cousins. Well legally she is an adult but I would still consider her as a kid. Her only evidence was "now I can say back in my day". Literally everyone can reflect on their life's experiences and say that! I go on to say that her life's just beginning and that's when she got mad. Plus, my main point was I don't think anyone truly grows up. Aren't we all kids at heart? I'd say it's a pretty boring life to expect yourself for acting like a full grown up at that age. I just wanted to say "enjoy being young and have fun! You won't be young forever." but of course she said, "I have a right to my opinion" and ignored me. I hate how that sentence ends the search for truth.

Anyways felt like ranting about something but I had no one to rant to haha. Cx Also wanted to share my love for this movie. Find your inner child. x

15 answers to the questions about F451

1. The book starts off with Montag burning books because that's the time were he is happy and feels like is doing something productive for society. I think it is pleasurable for him because books are viewed as dangerous to all of society and his job is sort of saving society from that danger. Since he is doing that, he has a sense of purpose for helping the lives of many and he gets to be the destroyer of something bad.
2. I think books are compared to as birds in the opening scene is because birds are living beings that can feel pain and torture. Montag feels like he is torturing the books for being dangerous and that sort of gives him pleasure.
3. Clarisse is very talkative and curious about everything which is why she likes to ask a lot of questions. She does things outside the norm to the society she lives in. She doesn't go to school but stays home and enjoys nature. She comes home and has fun talking to her loving family while there is no technology in sight. She lives a very colorful life.
    Montag is the complete opposite of Clarisse. Montag goes to work and doesn't question anything.      He comes home to his wife who ignores him and didn't question if he loved her until after he met        Clarisse. He rarely talks to anyone due to the fact everyone he knows is distracted by technology.
   He lives a very dull life.
4. Technology has negatively impacted the lives of Montag and Mildred. Due to Mildred being obsessed with television\"the plays" and the seashells, she's being distracted and doesn't pay attention to anything or anyone around her. This affects her marriage with Montag because they don't have proper conversations with each other and she is looking for happiness in distraction.
5. The author choose to introduce us to Montag when he meets Clarisse because Clarisse's different personality opened the eyes of Montag and made him realize that he isn't happy with himself, he isn't in love, and things don't have to be the way they are. Bradbury is showing us how Clarisse influenced Montag to make some changes to his life. The reason why he shows us Mildred's overdose is because he is showing us what the society in the book is like. They look for happiness in the wrong things but still expect to find it. When they don't find it, they overdose.
6. Clarisse is introduced first because he first shows us how good a connection Clarisse can make with people. The he shows us Mildred, who is the complete opposite and is like everyone else in that society.
7. All the houses are fire proof because if firemen find books in a house they'll burn it, it'll burn for a few days and then the house will look like brand new.
8. Mildred requires emergency service because she overdosed on sleeping pills and she could barley breath when Montag found her. The service provided weren't doctors but technicians. They use a thing called a "special snake" to pump the stomachs of people who overdose.
9. The mechanical hound is a robot that has form\look like a dog and is programmed to stick a needle and kill whomever is breaking the law.
10. The society consider Clarisse as "antisocial" because she does not conform to what society wants her to be. She doesn't use technology, loves to interact with people, and likes to explore nature. She is the opposite of everyone else.
11. The woman lights the match because she is willing to die with her books however, Montag is nagging her to not to and the captain didn't think she'd do it. She believed in what she did.
12. Montag and Mildred's relationship is very rocky. Montag doesn't love Mildred. Mildred uses Montag as a wallet. They don't have proper conversations because Mildred doesn't like to be bothered when using technology(so all the time). It's like two strangers are living in the same house.
13. Beatty visits Montag because he can sense that Montag is starting to question his job and the "dangers" of books. (I put quotes around dangers because to me, it seems like that society sees books as something dangerous or evil.)
14. Beatty thinks school is useless if they don't teach people how to have fun and basic skills to sustain their lives. Teaching them academic stuff makes people "unhappy". The majority would just rather be entertained than learn. So basically Beatty thinks teaching kids academics causes people to feel discomfort and can make people feel like they're not smart.
I agree with Beatty on the part where he thinks regular school, like this high school, can give discomfort. Only because we are so focused on getting good grades and if we don't get them, we feel like maybe we aren't intellectual. However, I disagree with him on how school should be. School isn't for being entertained. Yes, school can be entertaining and you can still have fun but only if it all relates to learning about important things. Beatty doesn't want much learning to happen in schools.
15. Montag "feels fat" because of  his guilt of hiding books and starting to have different views the society has is weighing him down. Montag's conflicting thoughts on society's norms are piling up on top of each other and making him feel like he is gaining weight mentally.

Thinking Out Loud: Pg.52 of F451

*contains spoilers*
I'm currently on page 52 and it is so tempting to go finish the book. There are a few things that make me curious like, why do firemen start fires and why is it their job to burn places that have books? Why is the government lying to them about the history of firemen?
And the most important question..... WHY ARE BOOKS ILLEGAL?! Will people find out Montag has books? Does Clarisse have books?
I absolutely love Clarisse's personality. I admire her child like character, as Emerson would say, she isn't afraid to ask questions and doesn't conform to what everyone else is doing. She likes to run around and be free. Her peers are dull due to obsession with technology and apparently "kill each other"?
So does Clarisse really get run over by a car or did her and her family disappear because they are different than everyone else? Clarisse is perfectly normal and so is her family yet she has a psychiatrist. Maybe the government took a look at this city and saw how everyone was doing what they want them to do..... except for one family. Now they're gone. Just how in The Pedestrian, Leonard Mead was forced to go in the police car because he was doing something that wasn't the norm.
Clarisse:

The Pedestrians

My dad got home from work and I felt like going for a walk to get fresh air. Observation: We probably saw two people outside on our walk around the neighborhood. I also asked my dad if he read Fahrenheit 45, knowing he would he has because one of the classes he taught before was English. He said that it's an amazing book and he liked the style of how Ray Bradbury wrote. Plus he offered me to borrow a copy of the book if I needed it. I then asked him if he had read The Pedestrian. He didn't. Long story short: I summarized The Pedestrian whilst being Pedestrians. haha (:

Reflection of today's discussion about Fahrenheit 451

What I learned(may contain spoilers because I love reading ahead.. ooooppps😅):
 Montag wears a smile on his face when burning things down because that is what makes him happy. However, he cannot start fires all day so he had gotten used to coming home only to be ignored by his wife who has ear buds on all the time and by everyone else in town who are huddled around TV screens and technology(Clarisse and her family being the only exception). Everyone is distracted by technology and Montag didn't even realize it until after he met Clarisse. He notices her family actually talks to each other and are happy because of the loving connection they have and he really wants to be apart of it. They have a sense of belonging. So when he comes home after that walk with Clarisse, he already acknowledges how unhappy he is only to find his wife on the floor of the bedroom because she overdosed. The reason why she does this is because she was looking for happiness by getting distracted with technology. She doesn't know what she really needs is human interaction and it gets me frustrated how the conversation she had with her husband after the sleeping pill incident was that she wanted a new television..... A NEW TELEVISION!!!!!! That's what got her in this mess in the first place! How is she going to find happiness by being distracted? No wonder why Montag took a sleeping tablet.... Now I'm wondering if Montag actually loves or even likes his wife. Does Clarisse coming into his life change everything? It already seemed to have made him realize something with that million dollar question which was, "Are you happy"?


Or maybe Montag is not happy because he burns down all the happiness and magicalness books bring.

Explaining my attempt at writing a modernist poem

After spending a lot of time looking up what modernism was, I still wasn't satisfied enough to write a short story. I absolutely love poetry and saw that there was pretty good modernist poems out there. I really enjoy Edgar Allan Poe's poetry and through today's research, I found he was a modernist. That inspired me to give a try at writing a poem instead of a poem.
So what I found about modernism:
Modernists write self-consciously or from the inner self. Since they were writing from a stream of consciousness, they would use symbols and imagery to represent what they felt. Instead of seeing progress in the world, modernist saw no change or even it getting worse.
For example, in the Great Gatsby the author used the eyes as a symbol of God looking down upon American society and how things have only gone worse.
Another example is in The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock, where he begins with an epilogue of him being in hell and how he feels like his life on Earth is hell. Or him wanting to be a pear of ragged claws in an empty sea so he can feel like no one is judging him.

So when I sat to write my poem, I wrote from a stream of consciousness. Whatever feelings I had built up and passed through my mind, I wrote down.
As imagery, I wrote that there were no colors in the world. I feel like that made everything dark and gloomy. Kind of a down feeling, but that's what I was striving for.
The dark clouds where a symbol for negative thoughts that are impossible to get rid of and feeling cold/numb all the time.
I choose the character to be a butterfly because butterflies are already weak as it is so having to fly in the rain is kind of making her weaker.
Time yelling at her ear is the feeling of wanting to do something before time runs out but not being able to do it because the dark clouds are weighing her down.
Lastly the predator and prey bit was about how the butterfly thought every living being that laid eyes on her were predators who wish to prey on her because she is so weak. This means that she feels constantly judged, no matter how much she tries not to feel that way because the dark clouds are pouring water down, thus making her weaker and forcing her to not know what to do.