Honors Novel #2

Although the community's shunning of Seth and Baby Sugg's for thinking too highly of themselves is unair, the fact that Seth prefers to steal food from the restaurant where she works rather than wait in line with the rest of the black community, shows that she does consider herself different from the rest of the blacks in her neighborhood, and also unveils her uncivilized free and wild thinking.

Sethe's most striking charactersistics, however, is her devotion to her children. Unwilling to release her children to the physical, emotional, and spiritual trauma she endured as a slave, she tries to murder them; demonstrating "her version" of motherly love and protection. Her memories of this cruel act and the brutality she to suffered as a slave, penetrate her everyday life and leads her to believe that past trauma can never really be erased, but continued somehow in the present. As a result, Sethe spends her life attempting to avoid encounters with the past. Did Sethe's fear of the past lead her to ignore the overwhelming evidence that beloved was the reincarnation of her murdered daughter?

Still, even after she acknowledges Beloved's identity, Sethe shows herself to still be enslaved by the past, because she quickly surrenders to Beloved's demands and allows her to be consumed by Beloved. Only when Sethe learns to confront the past head-on and maintain herself in it's presence, can she be able to free herself from it's power and begin to live peacefuilly and responsibly in the present.

Where slavery exists, everyone suffers a loss of humanity and compassion. When schoolteacher's nephews seize Sethe in the barn and violate her, stealing the milk her body is storing for her infant daughter, her uncivilized free and wild thinking begins to play a very important role in her actions. From risking her life escaping the horrific farm, to forcefully murdering her daughter. But could you really blame her? I mean after living and enduring such a rutheless lifestyle and environment for so long, her mind just simply began to stray further and further away from a "normal humans" way of thinking. But it's not her fault. She was hidden so far back into the darkness of all the negative situations that she had experienced, that the only thing her mind focused on was doing whatever she could to escape and protect her children----attempting to kill them was her first and only option.

I believe that Morrison's main objective was to recover a history that had been lost to the damage of forced silences and influenced forgefulness. As a reader, from Sethe's experiences, I learned that before a stable future can be created, the "ghosts" of the past must first be confronted and understood. Throughout the novel, I noticed that Morrison set the plot up so that like Sethe, readers must first confront the history and details of slavery in order to address and understand it's legacy.

Newspapers & MSB

The main lessons I learned while doing the Industrializaton Newspapers

(IN) that I can carry forward into the MSB project is to keep everything that I do organized, be

consisitent with my work, and pace myself.

During the IN project a lot of my drafts, notes, and critiques were all over thge place and dometimes I couldn't even find the things that I needed, which eventually led me to wasting a lot of my time just loooking for things. I know that if I am a lot more organized during the MSB project then less time willl be wasted and my transitions between working on different things for the project will be a lot smoother.

Being consistent with work is very good thing because it makes it so that for the most part you're always on task and you're constantly working up to ypur final product. For the IN project i found myself getting off track a lot or becoming distracted by a varirty of different non-important things. As a result I began getting behind in my work and everything started to become really stressful. To solve this problem so that it wont happen in the MSB project I am going to make sure that I'm constantly giving myself work for my project. Hopefully by doing this, I will be so focused on the work that I have to do that I won't even be able to give myself a chance to get off task.

When there are a lot of things that I have to do, sometimes I tend to either focus really hard on one of the tasks and wait until the last minute for the other ones, become stressed, or get irritated. The reason why these sorts of things happen is because I get so focused on trying to complete everythingh and get a good grade, that I barely give myself time to relax or get my thoughts together. This definetely cannot happen in the MSB prject, so I'm going to start pacing myself. By pacing myself I give myself a chance to complete the things that I need to get done,

while also being able to give my brain time to breath and take breaks.

MSB people, groups, and orgs!

~Organization Resources~

San Diego Coastkeeper

http://www.sdbaykeeper.org/

I would want to interview a professional water tester. The reason why is because it will help me to gain more information on the water around me, and the information will give me more ideas for my album. In order for my album to have accurate information, be the best that it can be, and maybe a few voice samples or recordings, i will need to do research on my own while also using research from others.

Voice of San Diego

http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/cafesandiego/

I would want to interview Erik Bruvold, President, from the National University System Institute for Policy Research. The reason why is because i feel like he would be able to not only give me actual facts about our water supply and the effects it has on the society or world as a whole, but also his own opinion. It's always good to have a variety of facts and opinions because lots of people tend to dissagree with the facts and believe there own thoughts.

The San Diego River Park Foundation

http://www.sandiegoriver.org/

I would want to interview Project & Outreach Associate, Elizabeth Hanley. The reason why i would want to interview her is becaus ei'm curious as to how she does or could get the youth more involved in helping the ocean become cleaner and safer for everyone. Since youth become clueless to the important things going on in our ocean water, it woud be good if something big and fun could be done to get the youth more involved with improving our ocean water.

~Government People~

Council President Pro Tem Kevin Faulconer

Councilmember Tony Young

Councilmember Donna Frye

I would want Council President and his council members to buy my album. The reason why is because my album is going to be a high quality piece of work that will not only be able to entertain them, but inform them as well. Then maybe, they will like the album so much that they will refer it to other people, and it will continue on like a chain reaction, helping me to raise money for the the class, get more fans, and help my album to go platinum.

Honors History Writing #2

McKinley or Bryan? Silver or gold? The questions that are being asked all across the US. Both McKinley and Bryan are fighting for what they believe is right and to earn their title as president, but only one can come out a winner. Who should it be?

With no hesitation at all, Republican McKinley is surely the right candidate that posseses the key to a better America, and absolutely deserves to become the next President. McKinley's strategic planning of speeches and ideas will lead him to slowly but surely place Bryan in the shadows of uncertainty and confusion.

Mckinley's tariff, a surcharge or overcharge on imported goods designed to protect domestic industries by raising costs and and rstricting access to cheaper foreign goods, became part of the campaign platform McKinley ran on and was a foundation of his economic philosophy.

With the help of McKinleys best asset, his campaign manager Mark Hanna, also chairman of the National Republican Committee, Mckinley was saved from an embarrassing bankruptcy by raising money to pay off a loan for which the co-govener co-signed. By doing this, McKinley is now able to really let his skills and his desire for gold to be the currency for America shine through.

Eventually, McKinley began to adopt a "Front Porch" startegy for the fall campaign. Similar to recent candidates, he believes that groveling for votes is beneath the pride and dignity of the man and the office. As a result, McKinley stays at his home in Canton and campaignes, literally, from his front porch. Hanna also pays for tens of thousands of supporters by train to hear the candidate speak from his home.

Bryan on the other hand, seems to be in a constant state of motion throughout the campaign. He travels the country by train, and makes twice as many speeches as McKinley---So what!!!! It doesn't matter how many more things Bryan does than McKinley, it's all in the delivery and the main message behind the things's that he does. As of right now, I can honestly say that both arguemenst are neck and neck, but McKinley is definetely making a more poweful impact on his crowds than his opponent.

Although lots of people are opposing the idea of making gold the currency, and believes that the way McKinley is conducting his way of campaigning is rediculous, he still continues to rise above the negativity and keep his eye on his main prize of becoming president. Where there's a will there's a way, and McKinley is not going to let anyone or anything get in the way of getting his ideas and speeches out across America.

McKinley defended his campaign by saying: "I might as well put up a trapeze on my front lawn and compete with some professional athlete as go out speaking against Bryan. I think when I speak."

Mckinley refused to make the issue out of the gold/silver question as Bryan did. Why? Beause Bryan was more focused on making himself look good as a candidte rather than helping America look good as a whole---But not Mckinley! Besides, his 1890 tariff was the key to economic prosperity in his mind and he's making sure that he takes every opportunity before the large crowds in his front yard to drive home the point.

Yes! it is true that Bryan is a MAJOR supporter of the silver standard. However, the original currency was actually gold, but was soon forced to be joined witht he option of silver when the opposition to the gold standard emerged from farmers in the west and great plains. So in my opinion, i don't think that the ENTIRE currency should be changed. A few complaints and problems from farmers can be easily taken care of with a better leader. With McKinley's strong and steady ways of thinking and handling business, supporters, and ideas, America can easily be carried out of the depression, and veered to a better road of success and solutions.

In the end, when Mckinley becomes President, his decisions will have positive repercussions for years to come. His drive and outlooks on life and America will lead to new and improved ways of living and spending money. America will definetely not regret electing William McKinley to become President, and everything will soon become fabulous!!

MSB comments, ideas, plans, critiques and more!

~Student Resources/Helpful ideas~

From Jasmine Jackson's blog #15 (examples of professional work) i thought that the mercedez timeline was a cool idea because it explained a little bit of history behind the mercedez. For my own album, i might add sort of like a hidden message in my lyrics or my album booklet, so i can sort of confuse my fans in a fun and interesting way.

From Calvin Brown's blog #14 (possible MSB question) i noticed that he had some really in-depth questions. Mine are somewhat in-depth, but i feel like after looking at Calvin's blog, i may need to expand a little more with my main question so that my tracks can consist of a few more concepts and possibly more material to use in my verses.

From Jasmine Roesners"Possible MSB Products" blog i realized that one of her possible products was to do a video/documentary. Doing a video/documenatry really exposes you to different people who you could use for interviews or resources,, and for my album i feel likei can also use people for not just interviews and resources, but maybe voice recordings for my songs and extras for certaint photos as well.

Industrialization and Coastal Environments

~News Story Excerpt~

They trace the change in the ethnic composition of American society; the movement toward equal rights for racial minorities and women; and the role of the United States as a major world power.

~Questions/Answers~

1. What is the issue, controversy or event in the story? What are the basic facts?

This issue is pretty much a group of 11th grade students who are trying to emphasize the major turning points in American history, due to the beginning of the industrial revolution, that led uis to where were are now as an economy. They explain how the US acts as a whole, and what things, people, and situations influence different companies and people within the US to act how they act and do the things that they do.

2. What information is missing from the story?

I think that the only thing that's really missing from the story are a few more deep and detailed facts. A lot of the facts in the story are very general, with little evidence and explanations as to why the facts are true, which got me alittle confused. So maybe they could've just gone in a litttle deeper, just so that the reader wouldn't have to guess to hard to figure out what exactly they were talking about.

3. What would be your next steps if you were creating a follow up to this story?

If i were to create a follow up to this story, i would probably choose one main issue that i felt was important to our economy as a whole, and explain step by step what the issue was, how i thought that the issue was affecting our economy, and what i thought could be done to help slow if not stop the issue from causing anymore damage.

Possible MSB Products

~Album (idea #1)~

For this product, i wanted to create an album that consisted of six tracks that creatively explained how ocean water affects mineral cosmetics in the modeling industry and the market through sound, beats, and lyrics. Along with the album case and the album itself, i wanted to also include the album booklet with different photos that relate to my main question and a summary of each song that explained the meaning and purpose of writing the song.

~Professional Work Example~

I used Beyonce's album cover as an example of professional work not only because it looks fabulous, but because she really knows how to connect herself to her music, her style, and her background, which is what i would like to do for my own album. The name of the album is I Am Sasha Fierce, the songs and lyrics within the album are fierce:

lyrics ex. "I'm a peasant by some standardsBut in your eyes I'm a queenYou see potential in all my flawsAnd that's exactly what I need...."

Her outfit, hair, props, and make-up are fierce, and her black shadowy background gives off sort of a secretive fierce vibe. So as you can see, everything just sort of all ties in together, which helps her fans get a really good understanding of the message and image she is trying to portray. For my own album, i would like to do the same. I want to take photos, write lyrics, and record songs that tie in really well to my main question, and that my fans can enjoy and learn from.

~Ideas to Use~

*Strong/Creative Photo- It's really important that my photos are very creative and connected to my product as a whole. The pictures could be the firstthing that my fans look at, so it's important to have them set-up and chosen in a way that is interesting, easy to understand, and a boost to my overall product.

*Strong Meaningful Lyrics- In order for my fans to be able to enjoy and learn something from my songs, my lyrics need to be well thought out, organized, creative, and fabulous. It's always good for a song to hav a nice groovie beat, but eventually the song becomes pointless when people realize that the song has no actual meaning.

*Powerful Theme- The album absolutely has to have a powerful theme. Since my main question would be how does ocean water affect mineral make-up?, then my theme would be focuse on ocean water and mineral cosmetis/fashion. So I would somehow have to morph the two together to make the final product flow nicely.

~Scrapbook (idea #2)~

I love being in pictures, and i love taking pictures as well. For this product, i wanted to create a scrapbook with a variety of different well-taken photos (with a few edited in Photoshop) that connected to my main question. Along with the photos, there would be a high quality piece of writing/summary that explained each photo and what it meant, and different data graphs, facts, and captions, that guide the reader/viewer through the pathway that leads to the answer to my main queston.

~Professional Work Example~

I chose this scrapbook page as an example of professional work because it's very colorful, interesting, organized in a unique way, and it grabbed my attention. If i were to choose to do the dcrapbook, i would wabt all my photos to stand out and grab the reader/viewer's attention. I also chose this as an example because of the type and the format of the words. While looking at the scrapbook page, i noticed that there weren't too many words, and there weren't too little words. It was just the right amont of words that could explain what the picture(s) or the page was all about, while reframing from boring the reader.

~Ideas to Use~

*Color Scheme- i really liked how this person chose colrs that were somewhat bright and fabulous, but not too bright to the point where the reader no longer wants to keep reading or looking through the scrapbook. So i would do the same for my own scrapbook, which is to be bright, but stay right. Meaning, use bright colors that will attract the reader, but not colors that would scare the reader away.

*Word Choiuce/Format- Sometimes reading long text can be boring, so i would want the captions and the descriptions to be staight to the point, so that the unnecessary words and sentences can be eliminated.

*Close-Up Photos- I really like how the flower is zoomed in because it helps me adjust to what that part of the scrapbook is going to be about. Chosing photos for a scrapbook can be difficult sometimes, but it's a lot easier when you know your purpose for doing the scrapbook, and how you want the purpose to be potrayed through your scrapbook.

MSB Questions and Resorces

~Main Question~

How does ocean water affect mineral cosmetics in the modeling industry and the market?

~Subquestions~

How does the modeling industry thrive off of mineral cosmetics?

Are there more mineral cosmetic products bought than ordinary cosemtics?

After the needed elements are collected from the ocean water, what is the process of making mineral make-up ready to be bought and used?

~Useful Resources~

~website~

http://www.syl.com/hb/healingpropertiesofdeadseamineralsusedasmineralmakeupingredients.html

~News Article~

http://www.webmd.com/skin-beauty/features/the-lowdown-on-mineral-makeup

Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUH-GrhTBYQ

All 3 resources are really going to help me because they provide lots of information about salt water, the elements of mineral cosmetics, the process of making mineral make-up, and what makes mineral cosmetics so much better than ordinary cosmetics. Once all this information is applied to my album drafts, hopefully all the parts to my prtoject will just fall into place, and my debut album and it's tracks will be on point, creative, fabulous, and informative.

More ideas that formed in my head while collecting these resources were:

- Connecting the use of mineral cosmetics to society as a whole

- Using 1 specific celebrity as an example of how mineral make-up enhances your face and overall look

- Explaining the steps it takes to actually get the minerals from the water

- Discussing the origin of mineral cosmetics

- Discussing how the difficulty of collecting minerals from the ocean changes with the change of weather

- Mentioning the different modeling agencies and brands that are major supporters and consumers of mineral cosmetics

Honors Novel #1

Because Huck is a child, the world seems extremely new to him. Everything he encounters is an occasion for thought. Because of his background and past life, however, he does more than just apply the rules---he creates his own. Throughout the novel, it's clearly shown that even though Huck is imperfect, he still represents what everyone is capable of becoming: a thinking feeling human being rather than just simply an object in the machine of society.

Huck's youth is an important factor in his moral education over the course of the novel. Sometimes we believe that only a child is open-minded enough to undergo the kind of development that Huck does. Since Huck and Tom are young, their age lends a sense of "play" to their actions, which excuses them in certain ways and also enhances the novel's commentary on slavery and society, helping the reader to get a better understanding of Huck's emvironment and how he adapts and learns from it.

"Tom told me what his plan was, and I see in a minute it was worth fifteen of mine for style, and would make Jim just as free a man as mine would, and maybe get us all killed besides. So I was satisfied, and said we would waltz in on it."

Ironically, Huck often knows better than Tom and the adults around him, even though he has lacked the guidance that a proper family and community should have offered him. Twain also drew links between Huck’s youth and Jim’s status as a black man: both are vulnerable, yet Huck, because he is white, has power over Jim. But being the kind of thinker that Huck is, he doesn't let that known fact get in the way of helping Jim. In this quotation from Chapter 34, we see Huck once again swayed by his friend Tom. Although in practical terms it would be quite simple to break Jim out of the shed, Tom insists on a more complicated plan with “style.” Huck could've just simply argued with Tom to try and get his point across that Tom's plan was not a good idea and that it was an easier way to help Jim, but instead he just went along with Tom's idea to keep down confusion.

By focusing on Huck’s education, Twain was able to help the reader gain a better understanding of Huck as a person and how is process of thinking works. As a poor, uneducated boy, or orphan, Huck withdraws his trust from the morals and precepts of the society that treats him as an outcast and fails to protect him from abuse. This conclusion about society, and his growing relationship with Jim, lead Huck to question many of the teachings that he has received, especially regarding race and slavery. More than once, Huck chose to “go to hell” rather than go along with the rules and follow what he has been taught. Huck bases these decisions on his experiences, his own sense of logic, and what his developing conscience tells him. On the raft, away from civilization, Huck is especially free from society’s rules, able to make his own decisions without any restrictions.

By the end of the novel, Huck learned to “read” the world around him, to distinguish good, bad, right, wrong, menace, friend, and so on. His moral development is sharply contrasted to the character of Tom Sawyer, who is influenced by a crazy mix of adventure novels and Sunday-school teachings, which he combines to influence and help his outrageous and potentially harmful escapades. Luckily, Huck was strong enough t0 look beyond Tom's selfish and confused way of thinking and living, and act in a way that took him from being the object in the machine of society that depended and waited on the macine to help him, to the machine that helped the rest of the incoming objects.

Media Saves the Beach questions

1. How does ocean water affect mineral cosmetics in the modeling industry and the market?

Honestly I chose this question because I'm really into fashion, and I feel like going beyond the normal thoughts about water will connect with my album, and interest not only myself but my fans as well.

2. In what creative ways can the youth help prevent water pollution?

I chose this question because youth have lots of energy, but it would be a lot better if all that energy could be put towards a helpful cause. So finding an answer to this question and getting the youth involved, could bring the ocean closer and closer to becoming a lot more clean and healthy.

3. In what ways can celebrities help the public become more aware of ocean pollution?

Celebrities are one of the main attractions in the world, so I believe that if we somehow involve them in spreading awareness about water pollution, we can gain a lot more attention from more people.

Honors History Writng #1

Somewhere in the midst of careless politics and mentally blinded humans, the value and impact of the civil war on modern America has been hidden and forgotten by people all over the world.

Mentally blinded humans? You know, those people who do things without taking in the consideration of others. However, everyone was entitled to their own opinions and beliefs. Due to friction between different races, thoughts and beliefs interferred with each other causing lots of negativity and conflicts.

Union and Confederates; or the good and the bad. Union (north) being the group that is completely against slavery, racism, and segregation, while the confederates (south) are absolute supporters of slavery, racism and segregation. Why? Because in America, both past and present, finding the best solutions takes countless number of opinions from a variety of different people, while in other cases, finding a good solution only takes the strong and steady thoughts of just one person.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free."

Abraham Lincoln was responsible for freeing all slaves on January 1, 1863. It took Lincoln a while to do this, but his main objective was to keep the country together, and make decisions for the country that kept it balanced on both sides. In the beginning, Lincoln made it very clear to the people that he was not for slavery, and he wasn't against slavery either. He was a supporter of doing whatever it took to try and stop the country from being divided. However, despite all the pressures, loss of life, battlefiels setbacks, general's who weren't ready to fight, and assassination threats, Abraham Lincoln continued to endure four long years of Civil War. The Emancipation went into effect, and that's what led to the freedom of slaves.

The civil war split Americans into groups beyond that of the confederacy and the union, but also those who were pro-slavery and racist, against slavery and non-racist, and undecided.

" blacks just need to get over slavery," she said, as though talking of the flu. "You can't live in the past."

This quote was stated by a waitress named Frances Chapman who worked at a small diner in Kentucky, who was a supporter of the rebel mascot ( two flag-waving confederates), and felt that blacks were overreacting to the mascot. How would she know? She is not black, nor has she ever worked or experienced the lifestyle of a slave on a slave plantation. In order to understand a person's life you have to be able to put yourself in their position. So therefore, it was wrong of Frances to jump to such a bizarre explanation as to what blacks need to do with their thoughts about slavery. She hasn't even really took the time out to uinderstand why blacks feel the way they do! Luckily, there are others with common sense who don't feel the same way and were completely against slavery.

Flppin tried to calm both blacks and whites, but he felt he simply couldn't break through. "I don't know if it's the movies, the music videos," he said, "but there's no respect for adults, or for human life. You just had this feeling all the time that something bad was about to happen."

Flippin was a black teenager that attended Todd central, and also one of the few kids that actually tried to look beyond the friction between both races and bring the two together. But Sometimes, when teenagers are so far into a certain type of lifestyle and are constantly being brought up and raised by a family that teaches them not to like certain people, things, and ideas, it becomes hard trying to pull them away from that and get them to believe and do something else. But the point is, Flippin saw the problems and the conflicts, and found it within his heart and mind to at least try to get both blacks and whites to get along.

Any person, young or old, has their own individual way of thinking. But sometimes people who are undecided about themselves or their opinion and beliefs, become a little too attached and influenced by others' way of thinking, and their minds eventually begin to mold and form into a permanent mind set that becomes hard to change. In some cases, this can truly be a bad thing because instead of people moving forward and trying to come together as one to make the world a better a place, everyone begins to mentally move backward, making the world a more difficult place to live in.

Although the civil war has already ended it is still going on. How you ask? Because minds and actions of people all over the world are still reflecting the causes and amunitions that caused the civil war, marking the civil war as the beginning, maybe even the end, of modern America.