HELLO 2017!

   Since January 2016, I feel as if I am more dedicated to finishing things. In the past, I would stop halfway and not finish what I wanted to do either because I lost interest or I got lazy. Now I actually work towards accomplishing my goals. I try to do more things that would help me reach my goal, and I motivate myself with the thought of how I can help myself or others. Because of this, I also feel more responsible. I know my responsibilities and the consequences of not doing them. I know that I have definitely grown since January 2016.

Expectation vs. Reality

These are some of the harsh realities I have faced in my life.

"Immigrants in Our Own Land" Analysis

Wow. That was a depressing poem. Anyways...

     As kids, we have big hopes and dreams. We believe we can go do whatever we want and become anything we want. However, as we grow up, we face the cold realization that that is not true. We go face to face with reality. We learn that life isn't fair, and we have to accept that. Jimmy Santiago Baca was able to incorporate all of this into his poem "Immigrants in Our Own Land."
     The beginning of the poem brings you into a sense of optimism, the sense that you can accomplish whatever you want. The diction is uplifting; it brings a smile to your face as you read the first line. But as the poem goes on, the diction becomes gloomy as written "Our bodies decay, our minds deteriorate, we learn nothing of value." The speaker is connecting his expectations to reality, and as we read each stanza, he is becoming despondent.  The speaker is facing reality and realizing that his dreams will, sadly, not come true.
     The middle of the poem introduces new immigrants arriving, so the speaker reminiscents about his past, describing his new take on life. The diction is just depressing now as Jimmy Santiago writes,  "Some will die and other will go on living." The speaker talks like a part of him has died inside, the hope at the beginning of the poem gone. He believes the same thing will happen to the new incoming immigrants. 
     The last few lines of the poem end on a sad  note.  The speaker is in jail, and the person he was before is long gone.  We learn the lesson that  some dreams we have will disappear over time, and we have to accept the fact that reality is cruel and unfair. Jimmy Santiago Baca has written an incredible poem that goes to show the terrible parts of life.

MY MAD DREAM OF AN ESSAY

Remember that time you ate that spicy chicken just before you went to bed on the night before the big dance?  Oh, that weird dream you had about the 2016 presidential election.  When you woke up you couldn't quite remember the exact details, but after reading "On Self-Reliance" and "A Sound of Thunder" it's all coming back to you now.

The dream started badly.  You were in line with your family at a restaurant waiting to be sent to school.  Everywhere you looked there were posters of president-elect Bird Brain, looking like a crazy elephant who could eat a whole cake.   

Suddenly, there was Ralph Waldo Emerson telling you, "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself."  You realized that you have something to contribute to the world so you decided to run.  But it wasn't easy.  First, you had to put on a fancy suit and tie and then you had made a machine to go back in time to the beach so you could convince people to learn about the candidates and the foreign policy

But right there on the beach, there was a giant octopus and it started yelling at everyone.  People started to cry.  You grabbed a gun from a nearby sandcastle and yelled "MAKE THE MOST OUT OF YOUR LIFE BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE.  Everyone stopped and listened, so you kept going.

     Every choice you make influences not only yourself but others as well. Try to make the best decisions for yourself, in which the decision helps others as well.  Don't be afraid to speak out too. Everyone has an opinion and great ideas;  you just need to express them. Also, don't let past decisions dictate how you live your life in the present. Have confidence in yourself. One small mistake doesn't define who you are. In the essay' On Self-Reliance", Emerson makes us agree that if we don't say what we have on our mind, someone else will say that idea and steal the credit. That is why you should have confidence in yourself and express your ideas. In "A Sound of Thunder", the main character, Eckles, makes a major decision that changes the entire future.  His decision changed the entire world. This is why you should believe that everyone has the power to change the world. You just need to make the effort to do it.

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 4

• Day 4 
  Stephania's Presentation 
  Be the change you want to see in the world. 
  Erin Hanson 
  
  Fatima And Jordan's Presentation 
  Emerson's Greatest Hits 
  My life is for myself. It's not for anyone to judge.  
  Trust Thyself. 
  Stay true to yourself. 
  
  Leydi's Presentation 
  What I must do  is all that concerns me, not what people think. 
  Donald Trump 
  Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide 
  Kanye West 
  Every heart vibrates to that iron string 
  Michelle Obama- Always stay true to yourself 
  Adele 
  Love Yourz 
  People follow the crowd 
  
  Alexis's Presentation 
  Frank Ocean 
  From his album Blonde 
  Stop trying to be someone else. Don't try to be someone else. Be yourself. Be secure with yourself. 
  Do not smoke marijuana. 
  Don't follow the crowd because it seems cool. 
  When you try to be yourself, people think you're weird. 
  When you're a kid, you think that you can do anything in the world. 
  Let your inner child out and be free.  
  Angel's Presentation 
  Ne te quesiveris extra 
  Don't try to copy others 
  Be confident 
  Be who you want to be 
  Nothing can bring you peace but yourself 
  Don't be a bitch 
  
  Linda's Presentation 
  Fall Out Boy 
  Ariana Grande 
  David Bowie 
  Fearless- Pink Floyd 
  Man in the Mirror 
  Black Veil Brides 
  Remember your roots; stay true to yourself 
  
  Cayla's Presentation 
  Do not seek outside yourself- Represented by an eye 
  To be great is to be misunderstood
• 
  

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 3

• Day 3 
  Cerenity, Adriana, Clemente's Presentation 
  Three cardboard boxes 
  "It's not your fault you're in love with me." 
  No matter how much you want it to be a cake, it will always be a box. 
  Another box represents a layer of a cake 
  Accept yourself. 
  The outer layer 
  I used to walk into a room full of people and wonder if they like me. Now I look around and wonder if I like them. 
  Relate Emerson in a different way 
  The boxes symbolize what people seem to be. You're not who you really are. Show who you really are. 
  Physical Appearances 
  
  Abby and Peters Presentation 
  Expressed through music 
  Parody of Man in the Mirror- Michael Jackson 
  Step out of your comfort zone 
  Emerson gives a cliché message to be yourself 
  Don't let society force to be the same 
  Follow your idea that will lead you to your future 
  Paloma's Presentation 
  Envisioned a guy and a girl with their eyes closed  
  "Society is a wave. The wave moves onward, but the water of which it is composed does not. The same particle does not rise from the valley to the ridge. Its unity is only phenomenal. The persons who make up a nation to-day, next year die, and their experience with them." 
  We're all that different color, that different star. 
  "Man is his own star; and the soul that can Render an honest and a perfect man," 
  "It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." 
  Each person is their own individual string. We all make our own sound. 
  You are you. Be yourself. 
  We all have a creative impulse. 
  
  Bridgette's Presentation 
  Quotes from Emerson 
  "To be great is to be misunderstood." 
  We're all one of a kind 
  We should be proud of our creativity 
  Don't let the negativity affect you 
  We often find happiness in other people. 
  We should love and be comfortable with ourselves 
  Society is a wave 

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 2

DAY 2 

Jackie's Presentation 
"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better" 
It is foolish to try to be like everyone else. 
Your unique personality is more important. 

Alejandra and Rose's Presentation 
Why would you be boring original and die a copy? 
Used symbolism 
Cracked an egg in a bag. 
Opened up a hard-boiled egg 
Everyone's the same inside. 
Crack under pressure 
You can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. 
Killing yourself to reach perfection. 
Interesting and unique presentation 

Lily's Presentation 
Brussel Sprouts- idea of us and how we think 
Believe in yourself 
Extended metaphor 
Allegory- use of an extended metaphor throughout the whole story