Salem: Reflection

When I heard the name, I thought of witches,hanging and The Crucible. I was right, in some regards, as the premise of the play dealt with the themes that were prevelant in The Crucible. Those themes consisting of segregation, hate, lies, etc. The fact that the setting was that of a common day high school put an interesting spin on these concepts. It brought about a sense of relation to the characters as they represented the many different stereotypes that are present in a high schooler's everyday life. With this in mind, the play did a really good job of explaining the many kinds of actions that take place between the people of a high school and how they handle these events. As an overall encompassing aspect of the play, discrimination kept reoccuring throughout the play in subtle ways that kept alluding back to the story of The Crucible and the Salem witch trials. Although it may not have been obvious, this play conveyed a message that lent itself primarily to the fact that the discrimination and segregation of others because of their differences is ultimately unethical, as it could cause a significantly evil outcome to be thrust upon those who practice it and/or are affected by it.

Short Story Unit: Reflection

Well, it is over. Short stories are said and done with. I have learned the basics about these simple, yet intruiging works of literature. At first, similar to the beginning of one of these stories, I looked at this unit as a group of commercial and ultimately reader-friendly set of works. Turns out, my assumptions were caught completely of gaurd. From the get go, my preconcieved notions about these short stories were broken down through the deep analysis and the thinking that went along with them. In fact, I had never thought about english class in this way before. I was actually thinking for once about what I was reading. I have hated and loved this aspect of the unit. Although it made my brain hurt to think about these completely abstract ideas, it also taught me to go about learning about this kind of work in an abstract sort of way. In the future, I hope to apply this skill in order to solve those complex and brain-manipulating problems that previously seemed too complex to comprehend. This, in turn, will allow me to express my ideas through speaking or writing in a way that is truly genuine and comprehensive. With that said, I can say I enjoyed what the short story unit taught me to do. It taught me to think.

The Common App pt.2 - The Essay

COMMON APP - PERSONAL ESSAY      

            I'm a southern boy - Kentucky born and raised. Yes, Kentucky is a part of the South. Does that conjure up a picture in your mind?  For most people it looks like this - a preppy guy who wears Ray Ban sunglasses with a croakie, hanging just below a striped bow tie.  A cookie cutter guy who considers sneaking a beer or two into a home football game a great accomplishment.  A guy whose family is more concerned about a bad call than the upcoming election.  A guy who thinks going to Disney World means he's been places.  A guy whose comfort zone is just getting by and whose college choice may well depend on how many national championship trophies line its hallways.

      At first glance, that guy is me. Therein lies my dilemma  - ethical, personal or whatever you want to call it - who should I be?

      Let's think this through again. I have plenty of bow ties in my closet and I love a good SEC football game but I'm fascinated by more than Mickey Mouse.  I get just as excited about a 1,000 year old ruin as I do a ride on Rockin' Roller Coaster. Figuring out how to get around Vienna using the subway or trying a whole new cuisine is just as rewarding as hosting the most enviable tailgate party.  Seeing a Van Gogh up close is life changing.  As far as getting by is concerned - my typical day starts at 5:00 a.m. with swim practice and ends when I figure out the last problem in my AP calculus homework.

     I have been challenged at every juncture in my life to think - to think beyond what my immediate world tells me; to consider all viewpoints equally and to integrate every lesson learned into the package that is me. My parents, grandparents and all of my cousins are college graduates. My grandfather, born and raised in a poor Kentucky county was one of eight siblings who all had, not just college but graduate degrees. I have always been surrounded by wise and genuine people.

     Can I live comfortably in both worlds? I am that southern stereotype but so much more. Perhaps the best way to handle things is to wear my Ray Bans into the game but take them off when I step into St. Peter's. Think you know me? Should you travel my way, stop by - we'll go to Keeneland  for an afternoon at the races, watch the horses run and have a great conversation. Bow tie optional but strongly recommended.

The Common App

Applying to colleges is awesome. Writing all of the application? Not so awesome. I just recently finished up my Common Application essay. This is the essay that will be added to each and every college that I apply to. It wasnt easy but I think I did a pretty good job. The prompt for my essay came in the form of describing a certain dilemma or problem that has faced me sometime in the past and how I was able to resolve that problem. I had many ideas but ultimately narrowed it down. After writing my first draft, I honestly thought I had written a masterpiece. It wasnt until I actually read it thoroughly that I decided to completely scratch it and start over. The reason for this decision was simple. I wanted to write about something that was entirely different from the usual, "How I won the game", or, "The greatest spring break trip ever." I ultimatley figured to write about something that spoke to me. In doing this, I also noticed how the material I had learned in class about writing essays started to come through. The importance of the structure of this kind of essay really shone through in my thought process as I edited my work.

(I will post my essay in my next blog.)

How I Feel About Blogs

I am blogging about blogging. Here is a blog about blogs. I never used to think about blogging before this year. Honestly, I thought it was kind of a time-consuming and ultimately boring task. I never really found it interesting to share my thoughts through online posts. In other words, I would have rather simply talked about them. I have figured out, however, that these are different. Ever since we have started these blogs, I have noticed an improvement in my English expereience. Although I may not want to blog all the time about English, I have found this tool to be quite helpful. Not only does it keep me on my toes about assignment deadlines, but it also extends what I learn during class. I now find myself naturally writing these posts instead of searching for words to write. This has helped me to start thinking more about simply writing about a certain topic instead of trying to make it look like a masterpiece. I think that in the future, these blogs will help me to refelct more on what I have learned. This will allow me to incorporate my knowledge more as I move into the future and higher-level learning.

Reflection: The Drunkard

Although Mullins was not here to explain the details of this story, I still found it very interesting. Upon first reading it, I didnt really see anything but a concise and clearly humorous short story. It wasnt until I took the quiz that I realized how irony and humor actually played a role in this story. When asked to identify the irony from the story, I suddenly noticed that it contained a considerable amount. The most notable of which being when Larry, after the funeral, proceeded to drink his father's pint of beer without his apporval or knowledge of it happening. With the fact that Larry is a child, we did not expect this kind of thing to happen. In addition, his actions actually caused a whole new aspect of irony to be thrown into this story. We know from the beginning of the story that Larry's father is a recent and/or recovering alcoholic. With this in mind, the end of the story becomes ironic in the fact that he ends up not reverting back to his old ways. Instead, his son counteracts his lurking addiction by making a scene of himself after drinking the beer. This is ironic because Larry has saved his father from excessive drinking by drinking excessively. This concept causes the story to take on both a ironic and yet humorous aire.