I AM HERE

The semester started off pretty rough for me. It was a big change between fall semester and spring semester, and then we had a huge break in between so the adjustment into the rigor of the spring semester was tough. I struggled at first to keep up with the fast pace, eventually catching up after a few exhausting nights. But as of right now I am very happy where I am  and content with the progress I have made.

I have a very clear idea of what I want to do for my senior project and am excited to launch and begin working on it already (although I've technically been working on it since earlier this year already). I'm very excited for all the opportunities to come and I'm excited to challenge and push myself to see how far I can go. I'm so full of ideas and ready to exploit them and see how far I can go. One thing I do need to revisit is my big question. I haven't been spending much time with it because I have so many other pressing matters to take care of. But I want to try to incorporate it more into the work that I do for this class and my other classes.

I also have a few scholarships that need completing, so I'm going to try to designate more time for that because college is right around the corner.

Overall, I'm so excited to make the most of this last semester in my K-12 education!

WHATS THE STORY?

Charles Dickens wrote Great Expectations as a sort of social criticism. The way he associates the wealthy characters with negative personalities through characterization offers the biggest clue towards my conclusion. Dickens associates money with evil, and poor with innocence and good. At the time Victorian England was rampant with injustice towards the lower and working classes and through Great Expectations, Charles Dickens brought attention to this issue in a very entertaining way. 

One interesting thing that offers clues as to why he wrote this book is the way Dickens plays with names; specifically as it applies to Miss Havisham. Miss Havisham was one of the main antagonists of the novel and she was also quite wealthy. We can see how her name when pronounced out loud sounds a lot like "have a sham" or "have a shame", which offers ridicule and criticism towards the wealthy. We also see how the characterization of Miss Havisham offers even more ridicule towards the wealthy, as Dickens describes her to look like a witch (associating her again with evil in the process).

Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham in Mike Newell's 2012 film adaptation of Great Expectations. 

We can see her witchly appearance portrayed. Does this wealthy lady look good or evil? Charles Dickens felt strongly about the wealthy. 

AP PREP POST 1: SIDDHARTHA

a) AP level questions on Siddhartha and link to the source from which I got them

• If you were the river, would you be enlightenment or would you know enlightenment? In other words, whats up with the river? What is its relationship to enlightenment? 
• Analyze the novella as a bildungsroman and through Jungian/Archetypal critical lens.
• How does Hesse use figurative, poetic, structural and rhetoric devices to convey the effects of Siddhartha's experiences? 
• Discuss this quote: "Meaning and reality were not hidden somewhere behind things, they were in them, in all of them."
• What is the meaning of knowledge? How does it differ from wisdom?

b) attempted answers to questions 1-5

• I have not read enough of the book to know about a river and its significance. However I wrote this question down because it intrigued me. I have noticed that rivers are very often used in literature to represent everything from life to death.
• I am not familiar with the Jungian/Archetypal critical lens. This novella is a bildungsroman because it chronicles the journey of Siddhartha as he reaches new knowledge and realizations. In the passage we read it would be that he discovers how alone he really is and he finds this need within to reinvent himself as a result of his new-found wisdom. 
• In this particular section of the novella that we read there was a very interesting structural element that had a strong influence on telling the experiences and realizations that Siddhartha was coming to in a way that the reader was able to experience vividly. The narrator would give long explanations, followed by short and powerful sentences like "Nobody was as alone as he." The short and powerful sentences impacted the reader. Regarding figurative, poetic and rhetoric language, Hesse almost exclusively writes his book using either one of those three at any given time. The whole theme of the book is this journey and awakening, which is further emphasized by his use of inspiring figurative, poetic and rhetoric language. Essentially they help support the theme and structure that has has going on with the novella.
• This quote simply means that there is meaning behind everything and that things aren't hiding their meaning, they're simply waiting for someone to come along and discover it.
• Knowledge is skills and information we gather through experience or education.Wisdom is essentially the next step in knowledge. Wisdom refers to using the knowledge we gather in an intelligent way. In other words, you can have knowledge but not be wise because you're not using your knowledge in an effective way that benefits you and the world in a positive physical and spiritual way.

c) After answering those questions I realize that AP level questions are tough and they require more than being able to read a book. You need to have the ability to process what you read, analyze it and give it meaning that goes beyond the literal text. AP level questions also require you to have information apart from what is being asked so you can better answer the questions. Essentially we need to be intelligent critical thinkers to answer these AP questions effectively.

Hacking My Education

1) What do I want to know in June that I don't know today?
Going back to my previous post, I want to know how to allocate time efficiently. In June I will be just about ready to go to college and I want to be as prepared as possible. I want to be able to go in and not struggle with time. I want all the struggling to be done now so when I'm in college I have most things figured out.

2) What skills do I want to be able to demonstrate through my blog or other online media?
I've always thought of myself as a person who is a good critical thinker. I want to demonstrate my understanding and my ability to analyze things effectively. I want to show my seriousness and academic abilities.

3) What experiences do I want to have as a result?
I know I'm not an A+ student because frankly I've never cared much about what I get in a class, as long as I am able to take something valuable from it. Through my blog I am able to do that freely. I can be in charge of my education completely. I can chose what I want to learn and do and what I don't. At first that seemed like a scary thought, but during the Fall semester I got to experience it and though it was tricky at first, I got the hang of it and now I wouldn't want to do things any other way. This blog has helped me to be more independent with my academic experience.

What's in it for me?

As I am sure we have all become aware of in this past semester, time is passing ridiculously fast. Time can either be a valuable ally to us or a strong foe. This semester I want to be able to allocate my time more efficiently. I have a lot of time from the time I get home to the time I usually get to bed. I want to be able to spend those hours wisely and be balanced. I don't want to spend excessive amounts of time on one thing. I want to be able to be more balanced in the time allocation.

I want to get rid of this procrastination I've been wrestling with since Freshmen year. It isn't as bad now because I actually get stuff done regardless of the time, but I hate how I waste so much time when I get home from school and then I'm up until like 2am doing school work or college applications/scholarships.

I also need to invest more time in scholarships. Last semester was all about college applications. I want this semester more focused on scholarships because I'm getting a little nervous about money and how I'm supposed to pay the college tuition and hidden costs. I want to be doing at least three scholarships per week and a total of about twenty per month.

After the Holiday's

The Holiday's have just passed and I am sure we all were left with a great feeling of satisfaction. Not only are most college applications in, but we are done with our first semester of our high school senior year. The hectic holiday season is also over (with New Years being the only "holiday" left) and for the first time in months we are able to breathe and relax.

That's all great but we are not 100% worry free...there are still scholarships to think about and those final Common Application deadlines and the tedious AP winter break homework. I just wanted to take a break and for a few minutes express my gratitude. I am grateful for having an amazing family who I was able to spend Christmas with. I am grateful for the lovely presents I received. I am thankful for being able to be awaiting a new year with my family and friends. I am thankful for all the great friends I have, who have been supportive and a breath of fresh air every time I spend time with them. I am thankful for all the great teachers I have had that have inspired in me academic curiosity. I am thankful for all the adults and counselors who assisted me during the university application season.

Specifically I'd like to thank my mother. My mother, who is probably the person who closest understands me. Her strength, courage and patience never failed to encourage me. Thanks to her I was able to make it through those all nighters. Seeing how hard she works every day and her incredible resilience have provided me with the best example of how to be a successful and productive woman in this country. Thank you mother for teaching me and helping me so much. I love you.

LIFE AFTER THIS BLOG POST

I wrote myself a letter here that I will get in about a year. I don't know what the future holds for me but I am definitely excited. In about a year I will be exploring my new college campus (hopefully) and adjusting to the college life, with all its perks and downfalls.

Writing a letter to a future me is something that I have done before. I remember doing it for Mrs. Byrne's Honors English 2 class. At the time I saw no value whatsoever in it and did it only because I had no choice. I received the email towards the end of my Junior year and it was quite an impact. I felt so emotional to hear from past me and read all that nonsense I said to myself. It's a good reminder of how unpredictable the future is because at the time I wrote the letter my life was going in a direction that had completely changed by the time I received it a year later. I'm excited to receive this new letter and see what new 360 degree changes my life takes.