Saturday, December 7, 2013

Literature analysis #3

Hakeem Olajuwon

The Dream
By Miles Harvey

Topics/Events

1.  This story is about Hakeem Olajuwon. He was a Professional basketball player back in the 1984-2002. He is considered one of the best Centers of all time. He was on the Houston Rockets and Torronto Raptors. He Grew up in Lagos Nigeria. He didnt play basketball from birth. He started in highschool in nigeria. He had been in other sports but later switched to basketball because of his size. But decided to come to america for college and then he got recommended to a coach and it started from there.

He became something by accident and i find that very interesting for all this greatness to be just a whim, Its very motivational.

2.  I feel that the author of this book found that Hakeem Olajuwon was worth writing about. He isnt a super well known person like Shaquille and David Robinson. But was considered one of the best centers of all time. I would find him worthy of having a book written about him.

3.  I kind of just came across the book and when i looked through it a little. I kind of was like " this doesnt look half bad". So i started to read it and before i knew it. it was over.

4.  I couldnt really find this book relatable to my real life just because I dont know anybody that has gone pro and became the best in their division.

People


1.  I feel that the author wrote this book kind of just to write a book. It was very entertaining but i feel like they could have written a bit more if they were really into it. Their tone was more of boring information than really enthusiastic. but then again that is probably better then someone jumping around subjects and not really giving me any information.

2.  There was only one character in the book and that was Hakeem. He is a 6' 10" Nigerian man who is amazing at basketball.I dont think i could write this character in any other way than how he is or is described.

3.  I think the fact that hakeem has come quite a long way to becoming a pro. that is the main reason i find him as a good subject to write about.

More on Character/People


I would go into more detail about the character but this book isnt very long so i couldnt get all of the information about the character. It just tells his story. Its pretty abrupt but i atleast know the story know.

Style


1.  It was more of a journalistic form of writing. it was very informative but it didnt go into too much detail on all the events.

2.  He focused mainly on the events that happened. so this changed the book into an informational book than an actual book. It is still a good read though.

3.  There isnt really a mood that i got from reading this book. like i had said earlier. it is more informational then event oriented.

4.  He was more interested into the subject than the audience. he was very focussed on the facts. more so than describing the events. they kind of just brought up the event and that was it.

5.  He didnt really offer any other resources on the subject. i took it into my own hands to do a little more research about the subject. it was kind of like reviewing everything i read but with a little more depth on everything.


Friday, November 1, 2013

Filter Bubbles

In the video. I actually already knew that those online company's sold our information. And that it just gave you information that was close to other researches you have had. sometimes irrelavent. this video does make me feel kind of un-important. in the sense that everything is chosen for me. i kind of wish that it would just give me some of the exact search i was looking for. it does make me think of what other sites other than google and facebook and myspace. is there a way for me to block them giving my information or is it apart of the agreement that you aggree to in the beging of signing up or using these websites. i can be more cautious of what i look up to fix my suggested searches. cause nothing is more annoying then not finding what you are looking for.

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

hamlet soliloquy

9.   9.    And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep
No more; and by a sleep, to say we end
The Heart-ache, and the thousand Natural shocks
That Flesh is heir to?
      Not to be    (-)

This is an example of death in the sense that the old him would die if he made this choice. That he would become someone else because the old him would not be able to kill his uncle.

The Slings and Arrows of outrageous Fortune,     to be    (-)

This describes how we don’t pick our lives, we don’t control everything that happens to us. That you need to deal with it.

1  10.“A sea of trouble”     Shakespeare is saying that “there is too much trouble, that it is like and endless sea”.

He used these words to put an image in your head, to think of that sea being only trouble and how much it really is.

“The whips and scorns of time”    Shakespeare is saying that “time is being tortured, it scorns at the very whip that hits it”

He felt that description would come from the words that he used.

1  11.1) The big issue in hamlets soliloquy is if he kills his uncle, will it change him or would it just be easier to just accept fate and live on in this problem.
2)”to be or not to be” this is saying should I give up or should I just accept everything.
3) These are the only two options that he could make. Kill his uncle or live a life of regret for not doing something. Be poor or live well off.
.  12. 1) The soliloquy is a form of pathos. Being that he uses his emotions in expressing everything he has to do.
2) He uses emotion constantly in his soliloquy to make the audience feel sympathy towards him.
3) He constantly fights between giving up or fight back. This is an example of logos.
4) He has the right to talk with authority because he has lived with the fact that his uncle killed his father and is now married to his mother.
5) Shakespeare has authority over this because he is a master dramatist but he is also a person that makes these stories for drama. It could happen but they are still just fictional.
1


Friday, October 4, 2013

Literature Analysis #2

Malcolm X BY: Arnold Adoff


Topic/ Events
 
            This book is an autobiography of how Malcolm x had grown up. It talked about how he lived in the country with his family and the ku klux klan had destroy his house. It also talks about all the hard ships that he had to face as a black man. His father before he had died had always told him that he was equal to the white man. But the white people he was located with after being separated from his mom had basically told him that blacks were like animals and he was confused about the whole situation because this was all different from what his dad had taught him.

             In short this story will explain how Malcolm Little became Malcolm X and describe the process of him becoming Malcolm X like how he became a follower of Muhammad and so on.

             I assume that the author decided to write about Malcolm X on the fact that Malcolm is an important person in the civil rights movement. He fought for more than equality. He wanted to be separated from the white man and have their own afro-american city. I think this is why the author wrote about Malcolm X.

             I came across this book in the library and thought that i haven't read a book on Malcolm X before. so i started reading and found it interesting. I also watched a movie on the subject. So that I could get a better understanding of Malcolm X.

             This book was very realistic in the sense that it was an actual occurrence. I don't really think i can relate his story to someone that i know. I don't think that there will be someone like Malcolm for a while but when they do come. I believe that they will be able to make a change to this world.

People

             The author just describes Malocolms beliefs and life through this short book. If i see Malcolm, I am pretty sure he would be a lot different from the book. I would probably get a good understanding of him if I were to meet him. The author has a very one sided point of view. yes it is an autobiography about him. But i feel that it didn't get all of him. In the sense that he wasn't perfect. The book kind of portrais him like that. i feel that it is a bit unrealistic.

              Malcolm X is a tall Afro-American with red hair and freckles. He is a very outspoken character that isn't afraid of the white suppressors that are in the book. he turns very religious. And thinks that the white man is the devil. Elijah Muhammad was the head of the nation of Islams headquarters. He was described as a very soft spoken, brown skinned, and small man. But that when he spoke. His words were strong.

             They are some of the most important characters in the book. I feel that they should be written because without either of them. there would have been no Malcolm X.

              A direct characterization would be that he became a member of Islam. And that he got married and had 4 daughters. I feel these show that he was a respectable man during his last few years. An indirect characterization would be that he would sell drugs and steal and he would also work for the white gangsters of Harlem. this shows that he didn't really care for life at that time.

              I feel that the authors syntax doesn't change when focusing on the character. his writing style kind of stays the same through out the whole story.

              Malcolm X's actions were pretty dynamic. Everything he did he did to the extreme. there were no subtle moves when it came to Malcolm X. And he was a pretty round character. it tells his whole story so you get a pretty good understanding of him and how he lived.

             There wasn't really a lot to go on in the book because that it was a short book. you could not get all of the characters feelings and so forth.the only thing that depicts him is the actions against him like "One night a flaming firebomb crashed through his living room window." He lived past it obviously but these are the only ways that i feel that make me understand his hardships.

Styles

             The author used a form of short story journalism. he just got to all the points without explaining them in great detail. It would have been nice for this book to have been longer. I am not saying it is a bad book or anything. just very brief experiences were shown and not to much detail.

            The author used brief descriptions of what happened to Malcolm X. He only described the actions of the book. not really the characters feelings. This choice affects the quality of the book. i see this book as good for a short sum up of what happened to Malcolm X. but not too much information on it.

             He uses pictures to describe whats going on. to show what is going on in case you don't understand it. This is what i think the author was more focused on than the descriptions. i still think it is a good book though.

            I think that the author was just trying to put in the minds of the readers that Malcolm X did nothing wrong but i don't think that is entirely true. I think the author just wrote the book to praise Malcolm. not to describe his life.

            The author used no credible sources to his book when describing the life of Malcolm X. I did know a little bit about Malcolm X before reading this book so it was kind of accurate so i don't think that any of it was wrong and that it is pretty credible.

Enduring Memory

             Malcolm lived a hard life and i will always remember that. Although his life was hard he did get back on track later on in life. i find this better than some people i know, so i will remember that too. "They always had time to teach Malcolm "hustles" - ways to make money dishonestly." that is him living a hard life. always living by scamming people. its a bad life. "In Africa he had seen how Christians and Muslim black people worked together." This is Malcolm turning his life around and actually trying to figure out ways for america to live like this. this was a very good story. i suggest this as a read if you ever come across it.

Friday, September 13, 2013

Literature Analysis #1

William Styron: Darkness Visible 






Topic and/or Event

The book that I read was Darkness Visible by: William Styron. This book is a really good read. It talks about his depression and others around him that also suffer from depression. Also this book has quit a wide vocabulary. You may need a dictionary if you want to understand half of the words in it. The book is very descriptive in its way of describing how William Styron suffered through his depression. And how all his close friends had their own forms of depression whether it be losing a loved one or being unhappy and just trying to do what’s best for your child. It is pretty accurate on how depression feels and it gives you a sense of what he is feeling. This is a very descriptive book and I am very happy with how the author portrayed everything. It also mentions a lot about suicide and that it is a way out but you shouldn’t go straight to that answer. Life is your choice though.

                Just for clarity. This book is a description on how the author suffered through depression and how he saw people around him suffering through different types of depression.

                I feel that William Styron wrote this book because he felt that everyone is probably going through the same things I am. But he wrote not only about himself but the people around him.

                So how I came across this book was in the library (ps. Its overdue). I just kind of came across it and when I started reading it I was kind of feeling depressed so when I started reading it I kind of felt a connection and that’s when I felt that it was a pretty good book for this project.

                To me, this book is very realistic. Depression is very big in today’s society and it is actually becoming a problem. He talks about life in the 1960’s and so on. Times really haven’t changed in the way that depression is still big and might be even more of a concern. Depression wasn’t that big of a thing back then either. They used the word melancholia. It actually was said that word was created as far back as the 1300’s. That is quite some time. I have had family members who have also gone through depression. Not quite in the ways that the people in the book did but they have been through the same type of feelings as the people in the book.

People

                So I feel that he chose the people in the book because of the backstory’s they had. Each one had different back stories but still suffered from depression. Some of them were rich and they still suffered from depression. So it goes to show that you can still suffer through depression even if you are rich. Depression can get anyone that it wants. I feel that the author just wanted to let people know that everyone goes through depression. It is just about how you handle it. Whether it be a good way of handling it or a bad way.

                One character was Simone del Duca, a large dark-haired woman of queenly manor. She kind of acts a little high class. It doesn’t really go into character emotions or anything so I can’t get a really good read on her. (Maybe it’s just because it is a bit of a hard read) I would have written them as a direct character. Give a little bit of background and maybe show her giving off some emotions that would give you a real understanding of the type of person she is. Another character that pops up a few times through the story is Romain Gary.  Romain Gary was described as a man in his mid-sixties. And his voice that of an old man. Also very wheezy and possibly had the voice of depression. He acts very shaky. On the fact that his wife had died and that is why he is suffering through the stages of depression. For this character I would probably just leave it as a direct characterization. It captures the description of him pretty accurately.

                Simone del Deca is pretty interesting on the fact that she is rich and actually awarded William with an award of 25,000 dollars. I am kind of positive that she was hitting on William Styron. So that’s why I put her in as one of the characters. Romain Gary was picked because he is mentioned quite a bit and I thought his depression was very sad. He lost his wife. That is a pretty big depression starter. So that’s why I put him as one of the characters. He is very relatable.

Style

                The type of style William used was, I want to say a journalism type of style. It kind of carried on and some of the time I didn’t know what was going on. I had to reread a few times. But it was a good read. I enjoyed the way he descripted the story. It was very realistic. I enjoyed it.

                William Styron did describe a few places. He described Paris, Connecticut, a farmhouse that he owned, a friends vineyard that he visited often, etc… but he didn’t go into very much detail. More of just telling you the location. Not very much landscape description or occurrences that were going on around him.  His main focus for the book was the characters and their depression.

                William Styron mostly used a philosophical point of view. He made you feel like everything doesn’t make sense. Kind of like you get confused in his words and you have to focus even harder to try to get an understanding of what it meant. His tone was really eerie. Pretty creepy and kind of psychotic but this was meant to give you the feel of depression as the disease that it is.

                William Styron had a very eerie attitude towards the audience of his book. In the sense that he just wrote it how it is. How he feels and how his friends feel. Quite honestly I think it was pretty brilliant in how he wrote every thing.

Enduring memory

                Some of the things I will remember is how he describes being depressed and not feeling he is worth anything or deserving of anything. “I believe in the reality of the accidents we subconsciously perpetrate on ourselves, and so how easy it was for this loss to be not loss but a form of repudiation, offshoot of the self-loathing (depression’s premier badge) by which I was persuaded that I could not be worthy of the prize that I was in fact not worthy of any of the recognition that had come my way in the past few years”. It is pretty descriptive in how you could feel so unworthy of an accomplishment.


                The other passage that I found very true was about suicide and philosophical problems. “there is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy”. This is a passage from the book The Myth of Sisyphus. That is a pretty powerful passage. And I am thinking of reading that book next. Thanks for reading.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

This Is Phat!

According to a new report from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, the United States is no longer the world's fattest developed nation- Mexico is. according to other studies the United States is 31.8 percent obese. while Mexico is 32.8 percent obese. while japan holds the least amount of obese people with an amazing 4.5 percent.

diabetes kills an astounding 70,000 people in mexico a year. that was estimate to be around the same number of deaths due to 6 years of gangland war. so obesity is a pretty big problem.

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/news/america-fattest-obese-un-144341236.html This is the link to this article.


Vocabulary #1

Vocab #1

  • Expository: The presentation of information in clear, precise form.
  • Composition: The act of product of composing literature.
  • Assuage: Make (an unpleasant feeling) less intense.
  • Decadence: A luxurious self-indulgence.
  • Hackneyed: Lacking significance through having been overused.
  • Coalition: A pact or treaty among individuals or groups
  • Transcend: To rise above or go beyond; overpass; exceed.
  • Meritorious: deserving reward or praise - likely to succeed on the merits of this case.
  • Lurid: very vivid, and gruesome to create an unpleasant, harsh, or unnatural affect.
  • petulant: childishly sulky or bad tempered.
That Expository power-point was very informational, and organized.

There has to be a composite author among this list of authors.

While the fight was breaking up, I felt like this assuage feeling was going through my body.

All chocolate commercials always describe there chocolates as being decadent.

The television broke after the hackneyed lifestyle it lived.

The court was still in adjourned because the jury hadn't reached a coalition among each other.

The child that had no promise in the family transcended beyond the expectations of all others.

The worker of the company was meritorious of the hard work he had been doing for the company.

The crime scene had very lurid and descriptive evidence for a murder.

The child had a very petulant reaction to not getting what they want.

My Opinion Is Not (A) Right

Socratic Notes
  • Ask questions about their opinion.
  • In order to validate your point, support it.
  • People like to believe, all they want is a reason.
  • people talk about you, not to your face.
  • Big people make little people's opinions seem small.
  • The right to life.
  • Interdependence: depend on others.
  • No one does it by themselves.
  • Limbic part of out brain and interlectual.
  • People are social mammals.
  • Limbic is emotions.
  • The reptilian part of the brain.

Monday, August 19, 2013

Reflections On Week 1


  1. The only restrictions i would have on the blog would be i dont have a smartphone that i would be able to read other peoples blogs. or see how my mobile app looks or works.
  2. living in poverty and living paycheck to paycheck and always being in debt has changed me as a person. it has made me learn that i don't want this type of life when i get older. i would like to live comfortably not always in debt. i have always lived with my mom and she has always made living somewhere possible even in the tough times i am happy that i get to live with her. This experience has made me think in completely different ways. i now know what the value of a dollar is. that i shouldn't take things for granted and that i really need to pay attention in school and try my best.
  3. somethings I am concerned about in the Expository Writing class would be am i going to be able to do this. Am i going to be able to get through this class with a good grade. I really like this class but those are somethings that i worry about in this class. I feel that If i can get through this class i will have skills and communicating skills that i didn't have in the beginning and i am really excited about that.

5 Go-To Sources For Good NonFiction


  1. Your local library. you should be able to find a good piece of nonfiction there. if you are having trouble then ask the information desk for some good recommendations.
  2. The News Paper. this is a good source cause it is factual and there will always be new things happening in the world.
  3. Google Search For Good Non-fiction. it will pop up books that are being talked about a lot.
  4. Http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/non-fiction .is a good source for books that are pretty popular.
  5. Http://www.downersgrovelibrary.org/teens/great_reads/nonfictions.php . is pretty good for teens nonfiction.

A Truly Interesting Piece Of Non-Fiction

So today i was reading the newspaper and i read an article that was saying that the NYPD was adding 2 watchdogs that would watch over the police department and make sure that they aren't corrupt. The concerns about the NYPD were that they were profiling the Blacks, Hispanics, and Muslims of the community and doing random stopand frisking of anybody they thought were doing wrong acts. The New York US District Judge Shira Scheindlin is the one that ruled that the stop and frisk practice was against constitutional rights. There are some cases against the NYCHA (New York City Housing Authority) because they are wrongly accused because of their race or looks. The lawsuits that were charged in 2010 are set to have their trials in october. They were issued a layer. Johanna Steinberg of the NYCHA Legal Defense Fund is the layer for the cases of the NYCHA residents and visitors that were profiled. This is why Shira Scheindlin issued the 2 watchdogs over the NYPD to watch over it and make sure that the profiling that the police officers are doing aren't continued.

I agree with this decision made by Shira Scheindlin because i feel that the police department needs to be watched a little more carefully for the reason of that there might be corruption within the police department that the chief of police may not be aware of. When i say this, i mean all of the police departments. I actually thought we were past the racial profiling that has been taking place in new york. I hope that this isnt happening in a lot more communities. If you are intersted in this story here is a link http://www.mediaite.com/online/judge-scheindlin-the-worst-friend-opponents-of-stop-and-frisk-could-ask-for/ please leave a comment on how you feel about this or what you think about it.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

It's All Italian To Me

so i got an Italian phrase from my teacher. its says dimidium facti qui coepit habet: sapere aude, incipe which translates to He who has begun is half done: dare to know, dare to begin. to me, this phrase sounds like it says that you need to try. once you get started you will be close to the end. in the sense that if you started it and are focused on it  then you will accomplish it. one must try to suceed. and if you dare to begin then you dare to know. i actually like this phrase. even though my understanding of the words is probably far off the actual meaning. 


Wednesday, August 14, 2013

What Is Expository Writing

Expository writing is a type of writing that is used to explain, describe, or inform the readers. It is used in a sense of informing the readers of the knowledge that the writer is writing about. The subject can be about anything really. as long as you learn from it and gain something from it. This is from my understanding of the definition. it may be wrong but then that is also learning in a way. So as long as you can get something out of the words that are writin. then i feel that the writing is considered expository writing whether it be right or wrong.

The Big Question

My Big Question
       Something I have always wondered would be why is it that every choice we make have to have a crucial impact on our lives whether we would know it does or not? why can't there be some way to undo it or even redo the choice to get an outcome that is beneficial to our lives. I wonder why thee hasn't been a simulator that you can input a scenario and it will tell you the outcome. well its mostly just a ramble about choices being unfair.