So it goes.

So it goes…

So today Mr. Kunkle was talking about how Vonnegut writes so casually when talking about such serious things, and how it is significant. I think he was right when he was saying that he was trying to make a point about what society views as bad. We allow children to watch things like “Saw” and other shows of violent nature, yet it is horrible to have a naked woman on the TV. One thing that he said really hit me hard. Which is worse, saying motherfucker or killing thousands of people? You decide. People were very against this book when it first came out, but not because of what it said about war, but rather its views on god and the bad language used. I think sometimes people get so caught up in something they fail to see the bigger picture. I think this book is a really good example of how a lot of people worry about the wrong things.

Have a good break!

Aware of my Race.

Hello.
First of all we only have 1 1/2 days of school left before winter break (and we will probably have a snow day) so I hope everyone has a good break! and now for the whole class related blog thing...

Well, it's no secret that mcfarland has mostly caucasian students, I would venture to say about 97%. So clearly I am used to living in a culture that is not very diverse. When Mr. Kunkle asked about a time we became aware of our race/gender I immediately thought of when I went to spain to visit my sister. Her host family was having a birthday party for their youngest daughter so I went with Mallory. I had taken a few spanish classes, but I definately couldn't understand what they were saying. I felt completely out of place, because even though they were nice and smiled at me, I couldn't communicate with them at all (and I felt really stupid when I tried). The little spanish I did know didn't help me either, since they had such thick accents. Oh Well...

Pimps and Prostitutes

Haha! Ohhh dear lord, I loved reading "speaking in tongues".


At first I was pretty skeptical, and I still don't really understand the whole "speaking in tongues" part, but this was probably my favorite story we have read so far. For the first time I really wanted to know what happened and I was wondering why Tia was doing the things she was. Seriously, that girl didnt really know any better, but anyone could have guessed that Dezi was super sketchy. Especially when he hinted that he was following her. CREEPER! It was all okay though, cause marie the prostitute gathered up all the other prostitutes and saved her in the end.

And now I just found out that speaking in tongues really does exist in religions! I had never heard of it before, and I thought they were just making it up to make the story better. Wow, that really intense. It must have been hard for Tia, she didn't really fit in at home, but once she left she ran into all kinds of trouble.

One thing I did notice, was that even though her religion had taught her that the outside world was evil, she still found good in people. For example, when all of the people on the bus were cheering that one guy on, or when the prostitutes helped her run. hmmm. well thats all for today, because study hall is over...so main point...I LOVED IT =]

Avant Garde.

"Avant Garde refers to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics." ... According to wikepedia, and lets face it, wikipedia is awesome :)

I think that some of the best things are those that are controversial. If people always stuck to the same old same old, then life would be BORING. I think when people are brave enough to step out of the norm and try something new than it should be appreciated, not criticized. It may not be your idea of beautiful, but thats not always the point.

Sure, you can look at a painting of a flower all day, and don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's beautiful, but sometimes I want something a little more interesting. So when it comes to modernism I think it's great. Sure, some of the stuff is a little bit weird for me, but at least it makes me think.

Changes.

Okay, so I didnt exactly write about this for my metamorphosis paper, but whatever. Its still related...well, kind of...

Have you ever noticed how quickly a person can change? Especially in high school. I feel like sometimes you think you know someone and then you blink, and its like your talking to a completely different person. I don't know. Sometimes its for the good, sometimes for the bad, but it seems to me that change is always surrounding us.

I couldn't exactly relate to Gregor's change in metamorphosis, but what did make sense was him being outcasted. Sometimes the people you should be able to rely on let you down, and I think it sucks that it happened to Gregor...even if he was a giant bug. Even though it was an odd read, I think that one thing everyone can relate to is feeling out of place.

My War.

So I have honestly had a lifelong war with my sister Mallory. It all started before I can even remember but this is the story I've heard:

Mallory had a doll named Jenny that she was obsessed with (I remember that part), and I was obsessed with stealing it. I wanted to know why it was so special. So one day I took it. Well, Mallory wasn't too happy about that to say the least. She took a scissors and cut my knee with it. (I still have a scar). Clearly this would anger anyone, so I bit her in the highest place I could reach, her stomach. I think I definately won that war (her scar is bigger).

Though most the violence ended after that day, my sister and I still have our wars. Most the time they are about stupid things like clothes, but they are my personal wars nonetheless.

The Weird.

So I loved the screaming/yelling "poem of the day" that we watched.

I thought it was absolutely hilarious. I basically want to find it online so I can watch and get a good laugh in every morning. The guy on the end (the one who slobbered) was definitely key.

I can't really decide if I view it as a poem or not. At first, I would have just flat out said no. But really, who am I to decide? If they want it to be a poem, then I say it's a poem. In some way or another they are expressing themselves, and it clearly must have taken a while to get that entire thing right. If I spent that much time on somthing it would probably make me mad if someone tried to tell me what it was.

I think the best part was they had a sheet in front of them. I mean honestly, what would that say?

Ha.

Time.

Hi.


So I really wasn't looking forward to doing the close reading assignment for class, but I ended up doing lyrics from the song Good Day by Angels and Airwaves because I happened to be listening to the song at the time and it seemed like it might work.

It surprised me to find that once I started reading the lyrics over and over, they almost took on a new meaning. I came up with this idea of not having enough time to enjoy things and even if I was way off with my interpretation of the song, it still really made me think of the concept.

It happens to me all the time, where I look back and just think, how did that go by so fast? Sometimes it seems like everything is just a blur. People are always going, going, going, but it's almost sad we can't stand back for a second and think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Esh266BUMCA&feature=related

I hadn't watched the video before coming up with my theory, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that I may have been somewhat right :)

Regaining Unconsciousness

Hello everyone...welcome to my very first blog :)

I believe that everyone brings something to the table. Looking past all the cliques and judgements of high school, I think that people can usually find some common ground. Though the world is extremely diverse, I tend to view it as one of its best attributes. I think that the way to have progress is by looking at many different ideas from different people. Just because someone is not the same as you doesnt mean their thoughts and beliefs aren't valid. Thinking outside the box is what challenges people and causes good ideas to become better. In the end I think that despite the many differences throughout the world, people are just people and everyone matters.

After writing my "This I believe" statement for class, It got me thinking about an episode of One Tree Hill I had seen. Now if you don't watch the show you may get lost, but if you do think back about Anna. In an episode where it is revealed that she is bisexual, she is extremely scared of the people in her high school finding out because she is afraid they will judge her. Then Peyton reads a quote (from the lyrics regaining unconsciousness) that really made me think.

"First they put away the dealers, then they put away the prostitutes, then they shooed away the bums, and beat and bash the queers. They turned away the asylum seekers, fed us suspicions and fears. We didnt raise our voice, we didnt make a fuss; its funny, there was no one left to notice when they came for us."