"I Believe Speech"

I believe that love can fix anything. It's a bond that can help out a person no matter the situation. My family has always made sure that I feel loved no matter what, I've always felt that emotional attachment between us.

          There was a moment in my life where so much pressure was on me. I had to deal with school, sports, a placement test, and outside of school activities all at the same time. I felt like I wouldn't be able to get anything done. My family began to notice that I was stressed out, so they decided to help me out. They helped me with some of my homework and they helped me relax. 

           I realized how love can really change a person. My family loved me and wanted to help me out. To be honest, it made me feel much better. 

          If I didn't have that love from my family, I probably would've had to deal with all that pressure myself. Love can really fix anything and without it we are nothing. As Morrie Schwartz once said, "Without love, we are birds with broken wings."

End Of The Year Reflection Blog

1. What are the three most important things you learned this year?

           The three most important things I learned this year is the importance of living life, the holocaust, and having empathy for others. The book Tuesday's With Morrie taught me that you have to live life to the fullest because you never know when your time will come and then you won't be able to live anymore. I learned the importance of the holocaust this year. At the beginning I didn't really know anything about it besides the fact that it had to deal with Germans and Jews. I learned how the Jews were so mistreated by the Jews and all the different ways the Germans killed them (hanging them, shooting them, the gas chambers, etc). This class taught me to have empathy towards others. You always have to see things from people's point of view to understand them better.

2. What is something we did this year that you think you will remember for the rest of your life?
          Something that I will remember for the rest of my life is the class itself. We are all nice to each other and we have all had some nice memories in this class. We might get off topic a lot but the class can be pretty fun sometimes. Like when we have one of those class parties and everyone is enjoying it. Everyone seems to get along with each other so I'm really going to miss all these people.

3. What was the nicest thing someone in our class did for you this year?

            The nicest thing someone in this class did for me is helping me out with the homework. Everyday that I missed school my classmate's helped me catch up on all the work I missed on. Yareli is one of the student's whose helped me out this year. She's been so nice to me this year. She's helped me out on the homework when I don't understand it or when I'm absent she helps me out. She's one of the nicest people I know. Thank you so much Yareli!

4. What is something you taught your teacher or classmates this year?

          Something I taught my classmates this year is to do their work on time. Our class really struggles when it comes to doing our work on time. I've taught some of them that it's better when we all do our work on time and with quality because what's the point of not doing it when you already know what to expect? It's better to do your homework earlier so you don't have to worry about doing it later, be organized and use your time wisely. If you don't you'll just end up behind the whole class and you'll have to make up even more work.

5. In what area do you feel you made your biggest improvements? What is something you accomplished this year that you are proud of?

          In an area that I think I've made biggest improvement is probably grammar. I used to write fragments thinking that they were sentenced. Those mini lessons we had on grammar really helped me out. The commas lesson we had helped me out a lot too. It made me realized that I put too many commas in the wrong places. It also gave me a reminder on FANBOYS and how to use them. My writing has really improved from the beginning of the year up to now. In the beginning I used to be really shaky on my writing since I didn't really remember much from last year. Though, the TIQA format and the grammar lessons we had really helped me. I think I really improved on my grammar and writing. 

6. What was the most challenging part of this year for you?

           The most challenging part of this year for me was probably the argumentative essay. It was probably the hardest thing for me because I'm really used to writing from first person point of view. It was complicated not using the words "you" and "I". I had to work on having my essay not sounding bias. Though, the lessons Mrs. Larson gave us really helped out because it gave me ideas on how to make my essay better than before. Though, I really improved and now I think I'm a better m writer than last year. 

7. What was the best piece of writing that you did this year? Why do you think it is your best?
          The best piece of writing I did this year was probably my speech. I think this because it's a piece of writing where I really get to express myself and use my own style of writing. I really get to express myself and say what I value in life but the time restriction we have really blows it off because I don't get to say everything I want too. My speech is pretty short because of the time restriction but if their wasn't one then it would be way longer. I think this is probably one of the best pieces of writing I've done this whole year. 

8. Of the books you read this year, which was your favorite? Why?

          Out of all the books we read this year Tuesday's with Morrie is my favorite. I really enjoyed reading this book because of all the things it teaches you. I would really recommend this book. It taught me a lot about life and society. It taught me to enjoy life at it's very best because you never know when you'll time will come and by then it will be too late. It also showed me how lucky I am to have this life and be this healthy because their some people out there who aren't able to enjoy life like me. It could be because they have some certain disability or are very sick. It showed me that not everyone has the opportunity to live life fully and the ones who do just take it for granted. I would really recommend this book to anyone. It's such a great book!

9. What advice would you give students who will be in this class next year?

           Some advice I have for the students who will soon be in this class is to be organized and manage your time wisely. Always have some kind of notebook where you can write your assignments down because if you don't you'll just forget all the homework you had and fall behind. If you keep forgetting your homework you're just going to create a bigger hole for yourself which will be harder for you to get out of. Just be an organized person. Keep all your work for each class in an specific folder. Don't mix all of your papers in just one folder because then it will be harder to find your homework and your assignments. You might end up thinking that you didn't finish an assignment when you just mixed it with your other work. Also, manage your time wisely. Don't spend too much on an assignment when you could've finish two during that same time. Put your phone away and focus on your homework. Manage your time wisely and don't get distracted too much.

          

Morrie's Aphorisms - Final Project 5/9/16

Prompt:

1- Explain the aphorism in detail. what was Morrie's main message?

2-     Relate the aphorism to a movie, song, historical event, current event, personal experience, etc. and explain in detail how the example you have chosen relates to the aphorism.

3-     Evaluate the aphorism by explaining why you agree/disagree with it. Give specific reasons for your position and specific evidence from the text to support your position.

4-     Take a picture of your aphorism to use as your graphic.
5- Include your own aphorism regarding life.

"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves . And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."

          The message Morrie was trying to give us with this aphorism is that our culture will always judge us and try to make us be all the same, but you have to be strong enough to avoid everything they say and be different. Our culture has a thing of always judging people on their looks, decisions, etc. and nothing will ever stop them from doing it. It's just how our culture works. They will judge you in every aspect they can but you have to be really strong to say stand up for yourself and ignore all of their comments, be proud of yourself and ignore what other people think about you. It doesn't matter what they think, you are perfect the way you are. Our culture wants everyone to be the same an will judge you for being different but that's not how it works. You don't have to be like the rest. Everyone is different and that's okay.

           I can relate to this to a personal experience I've had, other people can probably relate to this too. There was a point in my life where I used to get judged by people, though it wasn't bullying. It was just that they made comments on the things I did and wore. I won't say who they were but you could say they were sort of judging me. They were always making negative comments on the things I did and that really put me down. Then one day I thought to myself, "What if I stop caring about what they say about me? They aren't me, they don't tell me what to do." That's when I began to stop caring about what other people said about me because they don't know who I am and they don't tell me what to do. Everyone is different and no one should feel bad for being themselves. 

            I agree with this aphorism. I agree with it because it really shows how our culture wants us all to be the same and will judge us if we try to be different or be an out stander. Not everyone has to be the same and it's okay. No one should feel bad for not following the crowd and making their own path. On page 42, right before the aphorism it's talking about the O. J. Simpson trial. The book says, "They didn't know O. J. Simpson... Yet they gave up days and weeks of their lives, addicted to someone else's drama." This quote really demonstrates how a lot of people wasted their lives by watching the O. J. Simpson trial. They didn't even know who it was, yet, they wasted their life by watching the trial every time it was on only because the rest of the world was doing it. You don't have to follow the crowd just be yourself.

My own aphorism: "You can't live a positive life with a negative mind."

Socratic Seminar Reflection Blog 5/5/16

Prompt: Explain how the past four Socratic Seminars have influenced your thinking about Tuesdays with Morrie and life in general.

What trends did you notice with yourself and your personal goals for each seminar? How did your personal goal(s) change and what did you actively do to change throughout our last four discussions?

What trends did you notice with the class for each seminar? What did you notice that helped or hindered a specific seminar?


          The past four Socratic Seminars have really influenced my thinking about Tuesday's with Morrie because it made me realize tiny details that happened during the book that I hadn't really catched. They changed my point of view on some parts of the book. In the second Socratic Seminar we touched point on the topic about family and, it made me realize how much Morrie would have been different if his family wasn't there for him. His disease would have been much worse because he wouldn't have the love and support from his family. He really depended on his family, and without that support his disease would have been more difficult for him since he would just be alone. He wouldn't have made it this far with the disease without his family. The Socratic seminar really helped me realize how Morrie's life could have been much different.

            A trend that I noticed with myself is that at first I wouldn't really talk and then I slowly began to comment more and more. I'm not much of a talkative person so in the beginning I would just sit down and watch everyone else do the talking, but then I realized that I had some things to comment on so that's when I began to talk. I realized that I needed to put my opinion in too so I began to comment. My goals went from talking more during the seminar to bringing in more people to the conversation. I think I made a big improvement on participation.

          A trend that I noticed with the class during each seminar was the participation. At first no one really wanted to participate and we had many of those awkward silent moments. As we had more of these seminars we all began to talk more and get more into the discussion. In the first Socratic seminar we had many silent awkward moments where no one said anything and we all just stared at each other. Then during the third Socratic seminar we got so into the conversation that we weren't even talking about the book anymore. We were talking about real life situations such as no one standing up for each other. I think that really shows our progression as a class with the participation.

Tuesday's with Morrie - What 'Tuesday' Has Inspired You? Blog 4/28/16

Prompt: Based on the 6 Tuesdays you have read about in Tuesdays with Morrie, choose which topic (The World, Feeling Sorry For Yourself, Regrets, Death, Family, or Emotions) that has had the most impact on you or inspired you. On your blog discuss the importance of this topic with your own opinions, including textual evidence (direct quotes) from the book.

          The Tuesday that has had the most impact on me is the Fifth Tuesday, which talks about family. It has really had an impact on me because it really shows how important family is to a person. It made me think how much my life would be different if I didn't have my family. All of my support would be gone because they are the one's who support me the most. They have always been there for me when I'm down and they help me move on with life. My family has taught me so much throughout my life and honestly I don't know what I would do without them. Even when they aren't around me sometimes I know that they will always support me. My family is really a big part of my life. 

  

          Morrie made me realize how important my family really is to me because there are some people out there in the world who have lost all of their family members or their family is getting separated. It's made me realize how lucky I really am to have such a loving family because without them I would be nothing. On page 91, Morrie said,"If you don't have the support and love and caring and concern you get from a family, you don't have much at all." I agree with this quote a lot because if you have the support and love from a family then you really don't have anything at all. Money will never buy you the support and love a family will. I really find this important because some people put money before love and family, and I honestly think that's a huge mistake.

           Another thing that Morrie made me realize is how I have that "spiritual security" from my family. Even when my family isn't around me I know that I will always have their love and support no matter what. On page 92, Morrie says,"This is part of what a family is about, not just love, but letting others know there's someone who is watching out for them... what I call 'spiritual security'- knowing that your family will be there watching out for you." I can really connect with this quote because as I've said it before I feel that "spiritual security" between me and my family. I think it is really important for everyone to have that because it will help you know that there will always be someone looking out for you and willing to help you out. Everyone should have that "spiritual security" with their families so that they never feel alone when they aren't with their families. 

Tuesday's with Morrie - Bucket List Blog 4/20/16

Prompt: What are your initial reactions to what you have read in Tuesdays with Morrie thus far? One of the main themes developing in Tuesdays with Morrie is not to take your life for granted. Based on this premise, what is on your Bucketlist? 

           My initial reaction to what've read so far is that the book really seems interesting. In the beginning I thought it was going to be one of those typical books where it's a young kid being mean to an old man and then they begin having a friendship. Then later on the man dies and the kid regrets being mean to him. I was completely wrong. This story really seems interesting. It seems really painful to be living with ALS. You start to slowly lose your own life. Your body is dying and you feel it but your soul is still alive. I feel so bad for the people with that condition. I can't even believe that this story is actually based off a true story.

          
           Another initial thought I had was that I have never seen such a teacher and student relationship be so close. Most student and teacher and relationships are close but they aren't like Mitch and Morrie's relationship. Their relationship was so close that Morrie actually cried when Mitch left and graduated. It surprised me that after Mitch graduated he just went along with life without ever talking to Morrie again. It's sad that when such a close relationship can fade away just because of the distance. I was very glad when they finally reunited after sixteen years.

           Just by reading the beginning of the book makes me realize that no one should take their life for granted. You were given this life for a reason and you should live it up to the best of your advantage. You never know when it will be taken away or when you will become very ill. It makes me think of all the things I want to do in life. Here are some:

My Bucket List:

• Get a German Shepard or a husky
• Travel to Europe and Central America
• Graduate High school
• Graduate college 
• Get married
• Have 2 kids 
• Meet Luis Coronel
• Get my own house
• Get a job
• Get a driver's license 
• Work at Google or Apple
• Meet Neymar 
• Meet Luis Montez
• Go to prom
• Do something to my hair (such as cut it short, dye it some crazy color, etc.)
• Meet German Garmendia 
• Meet Steph Curry
• Go to Japan
• Have a six pack
• Visit at least 25 states

3rd Quarter Reflection Blog

Prompt: 
- *In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts? 

- What strategies have benefited you?
- *What is something you have accomplished this quarter that you are proud of?
- *What has been the most challenging part of 3rd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?

          The areas that I think I made my biggest improvements in is probably punctuation and in writing. Punctuation is a big improvement for me because sometimes I forget how to correctly puncuate titles and books. I keep mixing up the correct punctuation of a title with the correct punctuation of a book. The mini lesson that we had during the quarter really helped me out and throughout the  quarter I've been taught on how to correctly punctuate titles, books, movies, etc. Now I know which punctuation is for each. I've also made a big improvement in my writing. The TIQA method is still a strategy that has benefitted me. Last quarter the TIQA method helped me improve my writing a lot. This quarter I've learned to write using the TIQA method but with a smoother flow to it. Last quarter I began using the TIQA method in my writing but sometimes the sentences didn't go that well together. Now I'm able to write more smoothly than before.

          Something that I've accomplished this quarter that I'm proud of is my Holocaust butterfly and my argumentative essay. I'm really proud of how my Holocaust butterfly ended up looking like. I put a lot of effort into annotating and interpreting what my poem's meaning was. Then I spent around 10-11 hours buying the supplies I need for my butterfly and creating it. Another thing that I'm proud of making is my argumentative essay. I worked really hard on researching my topic and creating it. I think I made a huge improvement from last year's argumentative paper to this one. I've learned a lot this year which has helped me more as a person and as a writer.

          The most challenging part of the third quarter for me was that I'm not up to date on all of my reading. This quarter for some reason I haven't really been reading a lot. There's many books out there that I want to read but I haven't had the time. Now that PARCC is here, I now have the time to read after I finish my test. I have to work on organizing my time so I can at least spend 20 minutes reading a book. 

Blog of 3/10/16

1924: The Year That Made Hitler

Prompt: List the personality characteristics of the main character (feelings, interests,

behaviors, etc.)

Pages read: 23-60

           From what I've read so far the book is now focusing more on Hitler gaining power. At first he started as a no one and then soon started gaining popularity and followers. Throughout that life changing journey the book describes what Hitler's personality was like. In the book they talked about how determined he was to become popular and he didn't care if people laughed at him all he cared about was if people mention him. It really goes to show that he was determined and didn't want to give up. I learned many things about him I didn't know.

            The book talks about how Hitler on his rise to gaining power. It really shows some of his personality because he seems to be very determined of gaining power. For example, in an event (Munich's Hofbräuhaus beer hall) Hitler and many other people were going to give speeches. Hitler wasn't even mentioned in the party flyers for that event but instead as an unannounced back up speaker. Turns out that the speech he gave captivated a couple hundreds of people in the crowds. In the book he said,"'It makes no difference whatever whether they laugh at us or revile us. The main thing is that they mention us.'" Hitler didn't care if people made fun of him all he wanted was for people to know about him. The speeches he gave made him became popular really quick.

           Throughout the book it shows Hitler's massive interest in politics. Hitler wanted everyone to know about his point of view on politics, he wanted to get his view across the germans. Hitler soon became popular and was the featured speaker everywhere he went. He was so popular that in one of his speeches two thousand listeners interrupted him more than fifty times with applauses. In the book it said,"...Hitler had no other life than politics." It really shows how Hitler's life soon changed and how now everything has to do with politics and his point of view on it. He had nothing else to do in his life besides politics.

Blog of 3/5/16

1924: The Year That Made Hitler by Peter Ross Range

Prompt: Select a quote from your reading that you liked. What made you pick it? How

does it make you pause and think?

Pages read: 0-23

           So far throughout the book there have been many quotes that I've found very interesting. Many of them pertaining to Hitler. The book focuses mostly on Hitler's beginning years and how he became the terrifying Hitler. It's very interesting to see how Hitler started off his life and how he ended it. It's unbelievable, but what I find most interesting are the quotes from his close friends describing him. One of them is where Hitler was considered too weak to join the army and the other quote is where one of Hitler's friends is describing him after a speech he gave.

           In the book they start off talking about Hitler's beginning years. In his beginning years, he tried to join the army but to his surprise he was too weak to join. In the book it said, "The pallid and puny Adolf Hitler, future war maker and mass murderer, was pronounced 'too weak' to be a medic and 'unfit to handle weapons.'(P.16)" I found this quote very interesting. It made me pause for a little because the army was calling Hitler weak. The person who in a couple of years murdered thousands of people was called weak and unfit to handle weapons. I found that very unbelievable because who knew that, boy was going to be the master of death in a few years and the one who caused destruction all around the world. The person who caused suffering and torture to many. I was just impacted.

          Since the book begins by talking about Hitler's beginning years, it also talks about  Hitler's famous speeches and how he was such a powerful speaker. In the book it said,"'Herr Hitler is, if I may so, a born popular speaker.'(P.20)" I found this quote pretty interesting because it comes from one of Hitler's friends. He was describing Hitler as a natural talented speaker. I found it interesting because one of his friends was saying it, not knowing that because of those powerful speaker talent he was going to become the ruler of not only the Germany but also the Nazis. It's pretty incredible to learn how Hitler became Hitler and see how be began.

Life is Beautiful Blog 3/1/16

Prompt: Based on the Holocaust literature and poetry we have read, what connections can be made between Life is Beautiful and our reading?  What events, scenes, or situations are similar or different? What is similar or different about the mood or tone of the pieces? Analyze how differences in points of view of characters create suspense or humor.

How is life shown as beautiful throughout the film. Pull out at least two examples from different parts of the film and explain your rationale. 

           Life is Beautiful and Night by Elie Wiesel have many similarities and differences. Some similarities is the hard labor Jews did, the gas chambers, the amount of food the Jews ate, etc. These two pieces have many things in common such as events, scenes, or situations, but they also have some parts that were different. For example, Life is Beautiful is shown from a different point of view than Night. Another difference is that the movie shows humor and the book doesn't. The movie talks about a really serious event that happened but it includes light humor in it, it's not a full blown comedy. The book on the other hand, it's dead serious about the Holocaust. The book talks about the Holocaust and its horrors seriously, not including any humor.

          Based on what we have read, a connection between Life is Beautiful and Night is the hard labor the Jews did. In the movie they demonstrated a lot of that hard labor. In the movie when Guido had just arrived at the camp he was put to work in some sort of factory carrying heavy objects around. He was barely on his first one when the person behind him said that he couldn't give up on his first one because they still had the whole day in front of them. The movie also demonstrated the hard labor when Guido arrived at the barrack at the end of the day and looked exhausted. It showed how hard they were on them. In the book it demonstrated how how harsh the officers were on them. In the book it said,"And Auschwitz is not a convalescent home. It is a concentration camp. Here, you must work. If you don't you will go straight to the chimney. To the crematorium." This demonstrates how they forced the Jews to work. They gave them no other option. If they didn't work they would die right on the spot. They showed no empathy towards them. Just how the entrance of Auschwitz said, "Work makes you free."

           A difference that Life is Beautiful and Night had was that they had completely mood and tone attached to them. The film Life is Beautiful focused on the less negative side of the Holocaust. It was more focused on love and humor.  Night had a very dark mood to it. It was more focused on the deaths, horrors, and starvations of the Holocaust. In the movie Life is Beautiful it had mostly a love kind of tone to it. In the beginning of the movie it was all about Guido and Dora falling in love and having a child named Joshua. Then as the movie progressed things became negative. Though, the mood didn't change because it demonstrated how Guido was doing everything to protect Joshua (love) and hiding the true meaning of the concentration camp from Joshua (humor). Guido had told Joshua that it was all a game and he protected Joshua from finding out the truth. The movie was told from the child's point of view. Which made the film have a little humor in it since the child was innocent and had no idea what was going on around him. Guido made it humorous because he made the concentration camp seem like a game to Joshua. 

          In the book Night the mood was very different from the movie. The mood of the book was much darker in the book. It talked more about the horrors of the Holocaust. In the book it said,"The two men were no longer alive. Their tongues were hanging out, swollen and bluish. But the third rope was still moving: the child, too light, was still breathing..." This demonstrates the horrors of the camps. The prisoners were forced to see people hang and/or die right on the spot. There was no humor in the book, no humor at all. This story was told from first person point of view which was Elie. It really didn't create a humorous mood because the writer personally went through these struggles.

          There were many examples of how life is beautiful throughout the film. Most of it was shown before they entered the concentration camps. An example is in the beginning of the movie was when Guido showed up everywhere Dora was to surprise her. He wanted to make her fall in love with him so he did everything he could to make her happy. Another example, is when Guido and Joshua leave their work place and spoke into the microphone, and they everyone in the camp how much they loved Dora.

Night Blog 2/24/16

Prompt: How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?
Pages read: 65- 115 (end) 

           An effect the Holocaust had on Elie was the way he sees God and his humanity. In the beginning, Elie was very pious. Then throughout the book you can see Elie's transition as he starts to rebel against God and comes to the point where he no longer thinks God exists. The Holocaust also much affect on Elie's humanity. In the beginning he seems very joyful and happy but then throughout the book you can see his humanity change drastically. 

           In the beginning of the book Elie is very pious. He was very religious and devoted to God. In the book it says,"And Moishe the Beadle, the poorest of the poorest of Sighet, spoke to me for hours on end about Kabbalah's revelations and its mysteries. Thus began my initiation. Together we would read, over and over again, the same page of the Zohar. Not to learn it by heart but to discover within the very essence of divinity.(P.5 New Edition)" This quote really shows how he was so devoted to God. He would read the same page of the Zohar over and over just so that he could see its divinity. His father even told him he was still too young to start studying his religion so much. His father even tried to take that idea from his mind. 

          Later on when he entered the concentration camps he began to change. He begins to question God and his existence. Then he comes to the point where he loses all faith in him. In the book it says,"For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for? (P.33)" He began to doubt God. He saw all these terrible things happening to people around him. He saw babies get burnt alive, people get shot, people get hanged, people starve to death, and yet God did nothing about it. He saw so many things and he doubted God because God did nothing to help them. He only watched. Then came the point where he lost all faith in him.

          Another effect that the Holocaust had on Elie was that it took his humanity away. In the beginning of the book, Elie demonstrated to be very happy and religious. Though, as he entered he camps he lost his humanity. In the book, it says,"And he began beating him with an iron bar. At first, my father simply doubled over under the blows, but then he seemed to break in two like an old tree struck by lightning. I had watched it all happening without moving. I kept silent. (P.54)" Elie's humanity was taken from him. He saw his dad get beaten right in front of his eyes and did nothing about it. Instead of helping his dad up or get beaten in the place of his father, he just stood there and watched. He was practically paralyzed. Every time someone was shot or hanged, for him it was just the typical. 

Night Blog 2/18/16

Prompt: Prompt: Do any of the characters feeling change as you’ve read? Explain why or why not.

Pages: 0-65

          Elie's feelings change a lot from what I've read so far. In the beginning of the story Elie is very religious and optimistic. When he lived in Poland (before the concentration camps) he very optimistic. He loved to study and learn about his religion even though people told him he was too young for that. He hanged out with Moishe the Beadle so he could learn more about his religion and the ways of life. His life seemed full of happiness and freedom until he entered the concentration camps. From there on, things went downfall.

          Elie's faith in God changes a lot from what I've read so far. In the beginning, he would pray everyday to thank him for everything he's done. He was so devoted to his religion. In the book it says,"And Moishe the Beadle, the poorest of the poor of Sighet, spoke to me for hours on end about the Kabbalah's revelations and its mysteries. Thus began my initiation. Together we would read, over and over again, the same page of the Zohar. Not to learn it by heart but to discover within the very essence of divinity." (P.5 New Edition) This quote demonstrates how devoted Elie was to his religion in the beginning of the book. Afterwards, Elie gets put into a concentration camp and that makes him lose most of his faith. He begins to question God's existence. In the book he says,"For the first time, I felt anger rising within me. Why should I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible Master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?" (P.33 New Edition) This demonstrates how in the beginning Elie was very pious and then when he enters the concentration camps he slowly loses faith.

          Not only does Elie begin to lose faith in his religion but he also becomes more melancholy like his attitude toward some events are different. For example, in the beginning of the book how happy he was to be studying his religion, etc. Though, later on he begins to change. He let his father be beaten up and slapped right in front of his face. He did not do anything to stop it. When Idek beat up his father, he wasn't mad at Idek for harming his father instead he was mad at his father for catching Idek's attention. Also it caught my attention how he reacted before the second hanging mentioned in the book. In the book it says,"The SS surrounding us, machine guns aimed at us: the usual ritual." It really shocked me how he mentioned that it was usual for them to be aimed at by guns. He says it like it's literally nothing just something usual.

AoW Impressions Blog 2/12/16

Prompt: Today you were educated by your peers as to different topics focusing on the Holocaust. Now take a moment to reflect upon your impressions of what you have learned from the array of articles in at least two well written paragraphs, using evidence from your graphic organizer.

          Throughout this AoW gallery walk, I learned a lot about the Holocaust. There was many facts and stories of survivors that I had never heard of! The articles that mostly stood out to me was Diana's and Justin's. These two articles focus on two  different points of view on the Holocaust. Diana's article is about a survivor of the Holocaust. Justin's article is about Holocaust survivors demanding that refugees should be let in. I found these two articles the most interesting.

          Diana's article about a Holocaust survivor was really interesting, it caught my attention. Her article was about a Holocaust survivor who survived by playing the piano for the Nazi's. She played the piano for the Nazi's and one day her father rescued her. I don't remember what happened to her father but after she was rescued, she reunited with her sister. Though, when she was rescued the only thing she took with her was a sheet of music paper. After she was rescued her and her sister changed basically everything about them. For example, their names, passports, etc. Then one day when she decided to play the sheet of music she saved a Nazi heard her play. She ended up playing the piano in German shows. No one ever discovered she was a Jew though. I found this article very interesting due to the fact that she could have been discovered but wasn't. She was basically playing with fire.

          Justin's article is about how Holocaust survivors demand that refugees should be let in. I found this very interesting because they most of all understand refugees pain and suffering. They understand how horrible it is to be discriminated against. Justin described how survivors saw photos of refugees and they were inspired to help them out. He also said how in order to help out the refugees it takes a group effort not only Jewish help. I agree with this because in order for all the refugees to have a home and food, it will take a lot of effort from many people. The Jewish can't just help by themselves, we have to put in our part too.

"I Never Saw Another Butterfly" Project

I commented on Rebecca, Nicolas, Omar, and James

Berlin Memorial Blog 2/4/16

Prompt: 

1- What did you learn?
2- Why do you think this monument was built?
3- What did you notice about the number of laws passed in certain years?
4- Which restrictions do you think you would have the most trouble dealing with and why?

           One of the many things I learn is how the Germans changed the whole lifestyle of the Jewish. The Germans made their lives almost impossible to live. They took away their entertainment, education, rights, jobs, etc. Basically it was almost impossible for them to live, they weren't able to do anything. Also, in some years they passed way more laws then in other years. In other years they passed a little bit of laws or in some years they didn't pass any laws at all. Throughout this activity I learned a lot about the Nuremberg Laws and how the Jewish lived back then. 

          I learned a lot about how difficult it was for the Jewish people to live back then. It was almost impossible since they really couldn't do anything for themselves. The Germans had literally restricted them from everything. They couldn't even work anymore, meaning they couldn't earn any money. Without any money  they couldn't buy food, clothes, etc. Many Jewish people died because they weren't able to obtain their basic needs. These laws killed many Jewish. I learned all of the pain and suffering the Jewish had to through. I knew the Jewish went through much pain but I had no idea that they had suffered this much with the Nuremberg Laws. 

          I think that this monument was built because since in 1945 they destroyed all evidence of the Nuremberg laws they wanted to keep some evidence alive. They probably wanted to show some respect for all the misery the Jewish people had to go through. That's why they kept some evidence of the Nuremberg laws by putting them up on lampposts. Like a remembrance to all pain the Jewish people had to go through. The Germans probably felt bad for all they made them go through and they realized that all of Germany's problems weren't because of them. Since they had never done anything to Germany, I think this monument was built to remember all of the pain the Germans put the Jewish through.

          I noticed that throughout the years there was some particular years in which there was many laws made. In some years there was barely or no laws made. There's an odd pattern throughout the years on the number of laws made.  Though, I think that during the years that the most laws were made, there was some sort of uprising. I think this because why would they make so many laws in only one year? I think the Jewish were trying to make an uprising but the Nazis stopped them by making more laws which made it more complicated for them to make some sort of uprising.

         I think that the restrictions I would have the most trouble with would be being expelled from sport clubs (1933) and that Aryan and non-Aryan kids wouldn't be able to play together (1938). I would have trouble with not being able to play in sport because I'm athletic. My favorite sport is soccer and for me it would be difficult not being able to play that anymore just because of my religion. The law itself doesn't even make sense. Also, I would have trouble not being able to play with other kids because honestly I can talk to anyone no matter what religion they are. I'm not a very social person but to me religion doesn't matter as long as you're nice to me, I'll treat you nicely too. 

2nd Quarter Reflection 1/22/16

Prompt: 
- In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in English Language Arts?
- What strategies have benefited you?
- What have you learned about the world?
- How have your research skills improved?

          Throughout this quarter I have improved on many of my skills and learned a lot. I have mostly improved on my annotating and my writing skills in general. I've improved a lot since August. In August, my writing wasn't as good as it is now due to the fact that over the summer I didn't write much. Now, I've polished my skills again. I've also polished the skill of research. Before, when I did research I just had one question and then looked for the answer. Then found more information along the way. Now when I do research I ask myself a couple of questions and from there I start my research. Also, with the articles of the week I have learned a lot about what's been happening around the world. Over the summer I wasn't as updated as I am now. 

           I think that my annotating skills and my writing skills are one of the biggest things I've improved on so far this year. In the beginning of the year my annotating skills weren't as good. Most of my annotations were very basic and just pointing out important information. Though, thanks to annotating the whole book of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee my annotating skills have increased by a lot more. Now when I annotate I can actually fill up the whole margin of the article with questions, comments, connections, etc. Also, much of my writing has improved. In the beginning of the year my writing was really sloppy because I didn't do it as much over the summer. Now that we've written a lot of pieces over the course of the year, my writing has improved a lot. Those refreshers on how to write a thesis, topic sentence, etc. helped me a lot too. 

           Throughout the course of the year I've also learned many strategies that have helped me in my writing and I've also learned much about the world. For example, the TIQA format has helped me a lot. It has made writing easier for me because now I know in what order to put things. This format helped me a lot in my To Kill a Mockingbird essay. It made things flow a lot smoother. Though, during this quarter I've also learned a lot about the world. For example, that animal abuse has now become a more serious crime. I also had no idea that animal abuse could possibly have a link with household abuse. The articles of week helped me get updated on everything that's been happening around the world that I didn't know about.

To Kill a Mockingbird Comparative Blog 1/22/16

Prompt:
1.  What do you think is the most important difference between the written and filmed version? Provide evidence with specific details.

2. How would you prove or disprove that one version of To Kill A Mockingbird is more affective in delivering its message than the other? Be sure to provide specific pieces of evidence to support your opinion.

          There are many differences between the movie To Kill a Mockingbird and the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, but from my point of view the main difference was that there was less interactions with Boo Radley in the movie. Honestly, I think the book had more significance towards Boo much more than the movie. In the book, Boo demonstrated that he had more of an impact on the kids, and wasn't just a kind neighbor like they showed him in the move. The movie mostly showed him as a minor character that Jem and Scout never met until the end of the movie.

          The few interactions with Boo Radley did really affect the movie. In the book, they first showed him as a scary and creepy character. In the book it said,"There was a long jagged scar that ran across his face; what teeth he had were yellow and rotten; his eyes popped, and he drooled most of the time". Then throughout the book we learned that in reality he's a gentile and loving character. In the book it said,"Atticus was right. One time he said you never really know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them. Just standing on the Radley porch was enough". In the movie though, they showed him as a minor character who only was spoken of in the beginning and in the end. They barely even mentioned him. Those few interactions with Boo did really change the movie though. For example, something that was missing in the movie was when Scout heard that laugh when she bumped into the Radley's house while in the tire. I thought this was important because it's when Scout was sure there was someone is the Radley's house watching them. In that moment the readers got the idea that Boo was in that house, and he was interested in the kids. In the book, the children were more focused on Boo in the beginning then the actual trial, that was a big effect on the movie.

          The book was more affective to deliver it's message than the movie. The book was able to go into much more detail about Boo, the Finch family, events happening around Maycomb, things that happened after the trail, etc.  For example when Scout is upset with her teacher talking bad about Hitler. It never mentioned anything about that in the movie. In the book it said,"Jem, how can you hate Hitler so bad an' then turn around and be ugly about folks right at home". On the other hand, the movie seemed to only be focused on the Tom Robinson trial. The book showed Boo trying to interact with the kids by giving them gifts and yet the movie it barely showed that. In the book it goes more into depth about Boo and the gifts but the movie doesn't deliver that message. For example, the gifts were an important part of the book, because Boo was being kind and trying interact with Jem and Scout to show them he wanted to be their friend. The movie barely mentioned the gifts and what they actually signified. These kind of things showed the readers that Boo was misunderstood for who he really was, and it was very touching to see his real character as a friendly, brave, shy, and caring person. The movie failed to show that message, people are sometimes misunderstood for who they really are.