Weekly Blog #9 (Weekend)

This Friday was Adam Clausen's birthday party. We played indoor soccer for two hours, and  I forgot how fast I was. I think that exercising has helped, but I was shooting really well and running faster than I ever have in my life. Christian Hebert is the fastest person on the team and I outran him one time going for a ball. Maybe he was not trying but I do not know. The two hours of indoor exhausted everyone, and we went to Adam's house afterwards. Everyone showered and then we went to go see Act of Valor. This was the best movie I have ever seen in my life. There is no movie I can think about the even comes close to Act of Valor. Best movie ever. After that, we went to Buffalo Wild Wings and ordered 250 wings and ate them. While we ate, we played a mass trivia game on their TV's and I won a round. Good Friday, but the whole time I was thinking about the AP history paper that I needed to write. 

I rode home with Erol and Tamer after Buffalo Wild Wings because  I did service hours at Race for the Cure Saturday morning with them. I got three service hours for that, and then we went home. I was expecting my parents to pick me up immediately because they usually do not want me to over-stay my invitation to people's houses. But they did not! They did not even try to contact me until the afternoon, but by then we were already going to see another movie. My dad came by and dropped off money. We went to go see Project X and got kicked out the first time. The second time we got in. There was about twenty Episcopal people at Perkins Rowe. That movie was the second best movie of all time. My dad picked us up from the movies and I came home. 

Sunday, something hit me. I have homework. A ten page AP history paper, English blog, and an AP Calculus test. I started the paper around 1:00, but procrastinated. I even fell asleep from 4:00-7:00. I finished the paper at 10:30, and printed it out with a smile. I am almost done with this blog, and then I will look over my information on the math test tomorrow. 

This weekend was fun, but I definitely should have taken advantage of the three day weekend. If I would have started earlier, I would not be up this late and tomorrow would not be a Miserable Monday. 

Weekly Blog #8 (APUSH Paper)

At the beginning of the year, lots of sophomores were in AP US History. Now that I think about it, I probably should not be in it because I have no interest in history, and it is only making things harder. I still like the class nonetheless. We were told that we had to write a ten page paper that was due about six months later, so no one cared at the moment and of course everyone, including myself, put it off for later. It was so easy to put off because of Biology Honors last year. Mostly every sophomore in AP US History was in Biology Honors last year, where we had to write about a twenty five page paper. This ten page paper was surely going to only pose the slightest of challenges.
Here we are, the weekend before the paper is due, and everyone is getting nervous. I can hardly deal with the stress. I cannot find any good sources, and the one that I do have is not very good. Starting early definitely would have been a good idea. A major obstacle that sets this paper apart from the biology paper is the format.  Chicago style format is new to everyone, and it just makes the whole process more difficult and irritating. MLA, which we are familiar with, is easier than Chicago with the footnotes and whatnot.
The APUSH rough draft thesis paper is due the Monday we return from the three-day weekend, and I have to lay down the law over myself and absolutely focus without procrastination or distractions.

Third Quarter Final Essay

Lance LaMotte

Mr. McElveen

American Literature

2 March 2012        

“Desert Places”: Terrifying or Not?

            As Lionel Trilling stated, Robert Frost is truly a terrifying poet. To be terrifying, in the poetic spectrum, is to consistently present readers with descriptions of fear, hopelessness, and solitude in environments with a relatively high degree of danger or desertion. Consistently providing these elements in their poetry builds a reputation of having works with terrifying content. Frost, in his poem “Desert Places”, establishes his identity as a terrifying poet through meeting these criteria.

            Part of Robert Frost being a terrifying poet is because of his evocation of personal emotion. While reading, there was an actual person in a realistic situation, making the reader imagine, in his or her mind, about how they would conduct themselves in a situation as presented in the poem. The most fearsome part of this poem is the reality. For example, a poem fixed around a plot of fantasy type activities is not realistic, and in no way evokes emotion or thought from the reader. They cannot be in a situation relative to the one in the story they are reading, because it is not real and cannot happen. “Desert Places”, being a snowy field at night with trees surrounding it, is a situation that some individuals may have experienced already on a ski trip or whatever the occasion may be. Thus, part of Frost being a terrifying poet reigns in his ability to instill realistic fear in the readers and ignite thoughtful emotions.

            The setting is a major role in this poem in terms of making Frost “terrifying”. The speaker says that the character is alone, in a snowy field, with night falling quickly. He is alone, and woods surround the large, snowy field. The animals in the woods are not out, but are hiding, smothered in their lairs. From this observation it can be claimed that the conditions of the environment were too dangerous, even for animals that live in nature and experience weather like this on a regular basis. The title, “Desert Places”, presents that feeling of desertion and isolation. Not only alone, but also alone in a snowy field in the winter with “but a few weeds and stubble showing last” (Line 4). Winter represents death, and the few weeds sprouting out from under the thick layers of snow symbolize life, but moreover how death reigns over life in this situation. Fear is dominant through the setting Frost has provided the poem with.

            The second stanza starts to dig deep and unearth more concepts of fear. “The woods around have it—it is theirs” provides that this place belongs to nature and is not fitting for a human being (Line 5). Survival is not guaranteed in the environment where no individual should set foot, such as in this place where nature is thriving with no mercy nor concern for any human beings that wish to wander about. “The loneliness includes me unawares” portrays how the isolation rendered the speaker oblivious to the surroundings, unable to respond in the natural manner (Line 8). Another possible interpretation of this line is that nature is unaware of the speaker. Unaware of the presence of the human, the loneliness continues as it has for ages, with the speaker making no difference to nature.

            The third stanza is completely about feeling deserted. “Lonely” appears in different forms throughout this stanza five times. Being completely about isolation and completely about lack of expression instills fear of being alone. The road ahead of the speaker is described as being “…no expression, nothing to express” (Line 12). Just snow, a pinch of life, nightfall, and trees surrounding him appear expressionless to the speaker. All of the descriptions develop the idea of being lonely, another connection the reader can make because isolation and desertion are terrible feelings individuals are often burdened with.

            The last stanza turns the tables. “They cannot scare me with their empty spaces” shows that whatever process he is involved in, whether it be punishment or a disastrous adventure, is not the source of his fear (Line 13).  The fear is coming from his own creation of his own places of isolation, coming from the mind. The mind is the most dangerous place for a person. Plots are developed, emotions are hidden, and feelings are restrained all in the mind, with the ability to show none of these effects on the physical appearance of the person. The speaker’s own problems are the source of his discomfort and fear, not the dark, snowy environment with relatively no signs of life. From the descriptions, the speaker may be gradually becoming insane, or losing his mental stability at the least. The mind fosters the growth of good and bad ideas.

            Robert Frost has successfully asserted himself as a terrifying poet in “Desert Places”. The setting has a significant role in providing the fearsome atmosphere of snow, dark, and isolation. Because of how realistic the situation is, the reader can draw connections and place himself or herself in the position of the speaker. The chance of survival for a human in conditions as harsh as the ones described is negligible, and this is where fear is instilled in the readers, making the poem terrifying. Isolation and hopelessness prevail, and fear is eminent. Because of the conditions that Frost provided of danger and desertion in a place where life is but a mere consideration, resembled by a few weeds sprouting through the thickened layers of snow, he is a terrifying poet.

The Tea Cake and Tea Cake Analysis

The first observation I made about the tea cake was its light, inviting nature. It looked like more of a cookie than an actual cake. The more you ate, the more you wanted. This was evident when I asked if Mr. McElveen had extra. Even after I had more, I wanted more. The cake starts off sweet and delicious, but as I continued to eat I noticed a slight crunch, a faint bitterness.
The tea cake and Tea Cake have identical personalities. Tea Cake starts off very nice, and seems to finally be the genuine man that Janie has been hoping for. His peaceful nature was inviting, and Janie fell right into it. They showed their affect in public many times. A specific occasion was when Tea Cake taught Janie about chess in "He set it up and began to show her and she found herself glowing inside" (95-96). However, the sweet, inviting nature faded off into that slight crunch and that faint bitterness. Tea Cake went insane and rabid "She saw him coming from the outhouse with a queer loping gait, swinging his head from side to side and his jaws clenched in a funny way" (182-183). Finally, his cruel nature was directed at Janie."The fiend in him must kill and Janie was the only living thing he saw" (184).
Tea Cake started off nice and peaceful, but in the end turned rabid. Janie had to kill him out of self-defense.

Lesson 7 Wordly Wise Assignment

Robert Enke's life story should make us pause before we castigate.

àRobert Enke, a genuine, kind soccer goalkeeper who mysteriously died and shocked the soccer nation should make us pause before we castigate.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/

If, however, you’re writing a formal essay, avoid colloquialisms entirely.

àColloquialisms should be avoided while writing a formal essay because they are characterized by informal language, such as slang.

http://kimberlychapman.com/

Epitaphs are not usually written by the person in the grave, but rather by those who buried the person.

àEpitaphs are made to memorialize the person, so a person would not write one for himself or herself, but let a loved one do it to pay some respect and kind words.

http://www.holmdel.k12.nj.us/

We began with the Bible as our only guide and blueprint for locating places connected with the exodus.

àThe only way to find exact evidence and facts about places connected with the Exodus would be in the Bible, where no lies are told and there is no social influence.

http://www.bible.ca/

The War Relocation Authority's 1943 publication "Relocation of Japanese Americans" should also be read to understand what the general American public was told about the internment camps.                                                                      à”Relocation of Japanese Americans” should also be read to unearth hidden information about the internment camps, since there is relocation and we may have been told a different version than the truth about the camps. 
http://www.sfmuseum.org/

A chain saw cut through a boot and lacerated the top of an operator's left foot above the ankle.

àLacerations are cuts and wounds, and a chain cutting through a boot and into the top of the foot would be extremely painful and cause lots of blood loss.

http://www.timberlinemag.com/

Davos Elite’s largesse fails to appease critics.

àCritics would see straight through any candidate’s largesse, because it is often used as a type of bait for support and their job is to criticize.

www.wallstreetandtech.com

At the end of the obituary, you should note the date, time and place of the memorial or funeral service.

àObituaries offer a summary of the person’s life, and sometimes an invitation to the funeral with the location and time follow up at the end for those who want to pay their respects.

http://ezinearticles.com/

Some examples of omnivorous animals are pig and bear, both of which will eat a remarkably wide range of plant and animal products.

àPigs and bears could get through most survival situations because of their omnivorous nature that allows them to eat anything from another animal to grass.
http://science.jrank.org/

But black residents in Jena said issues of race permeate their town, 230 miles northwest of New Orleans.

àEven today, as the case in Jena, racial issues permeate various places, and there are still attitudes of racism everywhere.

http://www.diclib.com/

While America may seem less surprised by new renditions of the national anthem, it still considers the song's performance a litmus test for patriotism.

àVarious renditions of the national anthem are a great test of patriotism because it shows whether or not it is sang that original way or in a new, personal way.

http://www.infoplease.com/

The Ku Klux Klan does not appear to be having a resurgence in Colorado, despite a report by a Durango newspaper, but the Klan has a long history in the Centennial.

àThe Ku Klux Klan is still active in many places, with an exception being the false resurgence in Colorado, with the only difference from present-day and past Klan members is that they wear suits instead of hats.

http://www.thegrio.com/

The idea is that a stereotype is a mental connection between a group- for example, blacks- and a trait- for example, criminal.

àStereotypes are the judgments made about a group by an outside source based on collective behavior instead of individuality.

http://news.illinois.edu/

The amount of these monthly stipends can vary greatly with students in Mansfield, Ohio receiving $801, for example, while New York City GI Bill students qualify for $2,751.

àStipends, though given regularly, can vary in amount, sometimes depending on the expenses required.

http://www.gibill.com/

Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz said there were “probably” truths to claims that the courts were subservient to politicians back when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed was prime minister.

àDatuk Seri Nazri Aziz offers that courts gave in to Tun Dr Mahathur Mohamed in a subservient manner, and since he was prime minister there could be truth in saying he influenced their actions.

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/

Good/Bad Examples of Arguable Claims

 Claim: Why does Janie marry three different guys, but at the end doesn’t try to find another guy to marry?

Response: This is not a good example of an arguable claim at all. First of all, a claim is a statement; a generalization. They are supposed to provide the clear stance of the writer on a topic, but still be open for argument. This "claim" is a question, and can only be answered at the most. It cannot be really argued. 

Claim: All marriage during this time period always had some sort of abuse.

Response: This is an example of an arguable claim. It clearly shows what this person is thinking and their opinion on marriage in the time period. It is most certainly arguable, because I know that there are marriages in that time period that went well. You cannot look at one person and assume that all marriages are like that. Easily arguable, but arguable nonetheless. Clearly showing a stance and open for both sides of discussion.

Claim: Janie doesn’t find true happiness until she escapes the control of others.

Response: Very good claim. First of all it is a statement. It easily arguable because someone can provide instances in which Janie was happy during her marriages, but there are still strong points for support that can be provided for this claim. The claim is general, including the whole book and is not just a summary. It is obvious that the whole book was considered in this claim and that it is open for discussion.