Total: 70%, 5hrs 55min.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Reading Details
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare: 3/20- 30 min. 3/21- 10min. 3/22- 15min. 3/23- 2hrs. 3/24- 3 hrs. 0-70%
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Rework of a Paper
For the fourth quarter revision assignment, I have chosen to revise and rework my literary analysis with particular attention to word choice and support. I found it exceptionally difficult to choose a piece of writing for this project. Looking at the rubric grading as well as the comments made choosing the areas of focus even more difficult. The scores on both of my first two papers were 95%, with a 9.5 of 10 in every category. To be completely honest, the prospect of trying to improve upon such writing is daunting. I fear more than anything else that I will do no more than unravel and have to rebraid the time consuming and carefully completed work. That is not a trap I wish to fall into.
I chose the two areas of focus carefully, though I did as well in them as in any other category. I remember from my writing of the literary analysis that in the last days of finalizing, word choice was something that gave me fits. I am loath to repeat the same word without particular attention to such repetition, yet I found myself doing just that. If memory serves, consulting a thesaurus was of little value to me, as it's synonyms are often inexact and falsely promising. Support, on the other hand, was something mentioned in the comments to pay greater detail and give more breaths to. I had the quotations and basic analysis that I needed, but it was said analysis that was lacking primarily length and marginally in what will hopefully become eloquence to my satisfaction.
I chose the two areas of focus carefully, though I did as well in them as in any other category. I remember from my writing of the literary analysis that in the last days of finalizing, word choice was something that gave me fits. I am loath to repeat the same word without particular attention to such repetition, yet I found myself doing just that. If memory serves, consulting a thesaurus was of little value to me, as it's synonyms are often inexact and falsely promising. Support, on the other hand, was something mentioned in the comments to pay greater detail and give more breaths to. I had the quotations and basic analysis that I needed, but it was said analysis that was lacking primarily length and marginally in what will hopefully become eloquence to my satisfaction.
Goodall's Plagiarism
Plagiarism, on any level, is a serious matter. I must say that I was slightly surprised and to some extent offended by the use of the term "borrowing" to describe these mistakes. I honestly do not care that Jane Goodall is a world renowned author and scientist. She still plagiarized. At this point, intention is secondary to action and it will take work for her to regain her credibility if the world of publishers and readers responds appropriately. I believe that this is a very serious violation of information rights, and these are mistakes that she should never have overlooked.
To resolve the situation and repair the damage done, Goodall will have to be exceptionally careful in her reworking of the citations and footnotes. She no longer has any margin of error. While her information may be valid, her name itself is sure to have lost credibility, and that is a reputation that may not ever come back. This severity of Goodall's current situation she be a warning bell to any who are tempted to plagiarize, or who do not believe that it has long-lasting consequences. It does. Be that a suspension listed on your permanent record as a high schooler, or as a career-joltig road block in the broader scheme of things, plagiarism is a huge issue. A word of warning: do not take it lightly.
To resolve the situation and repair the damage done, Goodall will have to be exceptionally careful in her reworking of the citations and footnotes. She no longer has any margin of error. While her information may be valid, her name itself is sure to have lost credibility, and that is a reputation that may not ever come back. This severity of Goodall's current situation she be a warning bell to any who are tempted to plagiarize, or who do not believe that it has long-lasting consequences. It does. Be that a suspension listed on your permanent record as a high schooler, or as a career-joltig road block in the broader scheme of things, plagiarism is a huge issue. A word of warning: do not take it lightly.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Reading Details
Layered projects: 3/12- 1hr. 30 min. -B layer narrative. 3/13- 15min. -edited B layer. 3/16- 1hr 30min. -began writing and finding quotes for A layer Literary Analysis. 3/17- 2hrs. -completed Literary Analysis.
total: 5hrs 15min. B layer narrative, A layer literary analysis
total: 5hrs 15min. B layer narrative, A layer literary analysis
Nervous Conditions Reflection
Overall, I was not a fan of Nervous Conditions. I found it to be redundant, boring, monotonous, uninspiring, and, most detrimentally, unfulfilling. The novel never rounded out to a complete and satisfying end, and we as readers are left hanging by a thread, searching for a foothold of closure to put meaning into the hours of reading and analyzing and reading some more that we have put into the story. Closure that the final sentences do not bring. There is no mention of the seemingly foreshadowed success, no way to decipher the ultimate outcome.
All this being said, one thing Nervous Conditions did demonstrate well was the answer to our overarching question. It is clear from the changes in main character and narrator Tambu's personality that your surrounding certainly change who you are. Culture is one of, if not the, major theme of the novel. To scrape up a positive, if answering the question was our ultimate goal, then we achieved it in this book.
For the afore stated reason (i.e. the ability to answer the question due to reading Nervous Conditions), the novel should be kept in the curriculum, if no better option could be found. Personally, I would like to see more books like Lord of the Flies in the schedule. Racial inequality seems to have become a common theme in many of our readings, throughout middle school and now into high school, and I would like to get away from that. I am not saying that these novels do not offer great insight, but the theme has become overworked.
As you can probably tell, I did not enjoy reading Nervous Conditions. In my opinion, doing the layer project was the best part of the whole experience. The ability to chose what best suited your skills was nice to the point of being liberating. If we must keep novels like this one in our readings, then a layered project is the way to go.
All this being said, one thing Nervous Conditions did demonstrate well was the answer to our overarching question. It is clear from the changes in main character and narrator Tambu's personality that your surrounding certainly change who you are. Culture is one of, if not the, major theme of the novel. To scrape up a positive, if answering the question was our ultimate goal, then we achieved it in this book.
For the afore stated reason (i.e. the ability to answer the question due to reading Nervous Conditions), the novel should be kept in the curriculum, if no better option could be found. Personally, I would like to see more books like Lord of the Flies in the schedule. Racial inequality seems to have become a common theme in many of our readings, throughout middle school and now into high school, and I would like to get away from that. I am not saying that these novels do not offer great insight, but the theme has become overworked.
As you can probably tell, I did not enjoy reading Nervous Conditions. In my opinion, doing the layer project was the best part of the whole experience. The ability to chose what best suited your skills was nice to the point of being liberating. If we must keep novels like this one in our readings, then a layered project is the way to go.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Reading times
Nervous Conditions: 3/4-finished chapter 7- 30 min. 3/5-chapter 8- 45 min. 3/6- finished chapter 9- 15 min. 3/7-finished chapter 10- 20min. 3/9- reading guides 9 and 10- 1 hour.
total: 2 hours 50 minutes; 2 reading guides and 65 pages.
total: 2 hours 50 minutes; 2 reading guides and 65 pages.
Free Post
This weekend my dad and I stepped into the woods in pursuit of the wild turkey for the last time as the partakers in a youth season hunt. Next year I will be 16.
The morning dawned overcast but not the ugly green of light so natural it is unnatural as in a storm of great force. Just simply grey. Grey like dusty cotton balls. Nevertheless The trees were relatively still and the bird calls rang well, but none of these bird calls was the gobble of a wild turkey, either on the roost or on the ground. So we sat. And sat. And sat some more, until Daddy cut loud and sharp on a call that made the trees ring and I'm sure that the gobbler nearly jumped out of his tree as he gobbled in shocked response. Minutes later, a hen turkey began to respond to the call. Daddy matched her tone for tone as she got angrier and angrier and the attitude behind her puts and clucks was not unlike that of an old church cat who left his tail under the rocker a hair too long. They cussed at each other until I could only imagine what was being said in the language of Turkeyism, the specifics of which I am not privy to. Anyhow, I listened to the proceedings of the unruly court and not long there after saw the big gobbler bust out of his tree to join the hen, still cutting up and moving away down the road.
Some time later, Daddy switched calls. On any other day, this would have been the gobbler's undoing. The hen came in, followed closely by a Jake (one-year-old male turkey) who joined her in kicking, pecking, purring, and generally whipping the decoy set in the field. With our poor decoy, dubbed Henrietta some time ago, but that's another story, standing catty wampus on its stake, the real hen still pecking at it in blind rage, the jake nervously pecking the grass, and me dealing with the burning in my legs and tailbone that comes with sitting at the base of a tree for hours without moving at all, a great black ball capped with a white head erupted onto the scene. Elvis was in the building. He blew into the field as I eased my shotgun towards my shoulder, puffed into a proud strut as the hen caught me moving half an inch, straightened out as she putted at me, turned and launched into the air as I finally got my gun to my shoulder, too late to take the shot. All three birds were gone in the blink of an eye and there was nothing to do about it. They weren't coming back. But I had enjoyed the show while it lasted.
The morning dawned overcast but not the ugly green of light so natural it is unnatural as in a storm of great force. Just simply grey. Grey like dusty cotton balls. Nevertheless The trees were relatively still and the bird calls rang well, but none of these bird calls was the gobble of a wild turkey, either on the roost or on the ground. So we sat. And sat. And sat some more, until Daddy cut loud and sharp on a call that made the trees ring and I'm sure that the gobbler nearly jumped out of his tree as he gobbled in shocked response. Minutes later, a hen turkey began to respond to the call. Daddy matched her tone for tone as she got angrier and angrier and the attitude behind her puts and clucks was not unlike that of an old church cat who left his tail under the rocker a hair too long. They cussed at each other until I could only imagine what was being said in the language of Turkeyism, the specifics of which I am not privy to. Anyhow, I listened to the proceedings of the unruly court and not long there after saw the big gobbler bust out of his tree to join the hen, still cutting up and moving away down the road.
Some time later, Daddy switched calls. On any other day, this would have been the gobbler's undoing. The hen came in, followed closely by a Jake (one-year-old male turkey) who joined her in kicking, pecking, purring, and generally whipping the decoy set in the field. With our poor decoy, dubbed Henrietta some time ago, but that's another story, standing catty wampus on its stake, the real hen still pecking at it in blind rage, the jake nervously pecking the grass, and me dealing with the burning in my legs and tailbone that comes with sitting at the base of a tree for hours without moving at all, a great black ball capped with a white head erupted onto the scene. Elvis was in the building. He blew into the field as I eased my shotgun towards my shoulder, puffed into a proud strut as the hen caught me moving half an inch, straightened out as she putted at me, turned and launched into the air as I finally got my gun to my shoulder, too late to take the shot. All three birds were gone in the blink of an eye and there was nothing to do about it. They weren't coming back. But I had enjoyed the show while it lasted.
Identities and Expectations
Identity is a peculiar mask: easily altered, flipped, worn out, overworked, disguised, buried, put on display, flaunted, and ultimately defining the creature we call ourselves as what some of us choose to be and others are chosen for.
I'd like to think I have chosen my identity, or identities as the case may be, for myself. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not, no matter the situation, but there are multiple facets in the concave surfaces of what are called personalities. Mine included.
Ask any good friend of mine what I'm like in our circle of jokes and camaraderie, and (knowing my friends) you would likely receive a novel the size and density of that penned by the late, great Mark Twain himself. Perhaps I exaggerate. Perhaps I can explain. To my friends, I am random at times, quick to be critical at others, ready to laugh at anything, laid-back in stress, and always moving fast. It is all a part of who I am, how I choose to be. And if it takes others a trip down the River with Huck Finn to describe me, so be it.
Home, I'd say, is not much different. I like to relax on occasion, but I'm willing to work. I can joke and use a little quick witted humor without the worry of offending poor soul who may hear only half of the statement. I know the expectations and the acceptable actions, and, in general, I toe the line. Maybe that stems from the fact that many of the expectations are my own. I find that more often than not, i disappoint myself long before I do someone else.
As afore said, identity is a peculiar thing. However, I do my best not to wear a mask. If by any chance I do, I hope at least that it is the same face, and that I recite the lines of the same character, in any setting.
I'd like to think I have chosen my identity, or identities as the case may be, for myself. I don't pretend to be someone I'm not, no matter the situation, but there are multiple facets in the concave surfaces of what are called personalities. Mine included.
Ask any good friend of mine what I'm like in our circle of jokes and camaraderie, and (knowing my friends) you would likely receive a novel the size and density of that penned by the late, great Mark Twain himself. Perhaps I exaggerate. Perhaps I can explain. To my friends, I am random at times, quick to be critical at others, ready to laugh at anything, laid-back in stress, and always moving fast. It is all a part of who I am, how I choose to be. And if it takes others a trip down the River with Huck Finn to describe me, so be it.
Home, I'd say, is not much different. I like to relax on occasion, but I'm willing to work. I can joke and use a little quick witted humor without the worry of offending poor soul who may hear only half of the statement. I know the expectations and the acceptable actions, and, in general, I toe the line. Maybe that stems from the fact that many of the expectations are my own. I find that more often than not, i disappoint myself long before I do someone else.
As afore said, identity is a peculiar thing. However, I do my best not to wear a mask. If by any chance I do, I hope at least that it is the same face, and that I recite the lines of the same character, in any setting.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Reading Details
Nervous Conditions-2/25- ch. 4 with annotaions- 1hr. 2/26- ch. 5 with annotations and reading guides ch. 1-2- 1 hr. 15min. 2/27- finished ch. 5 with annotations. and finished reading guides ch. 3-4- 1hr. 15min. 2/28- ch. 6 with annotations, finished reading guide ch. 5, close reading- 2 hrs. 3/2- ch. 7 through page 143 with annotations.
total: 5hrs 30min, 5 reading guides, 6 1/2 chapters of annotations, 1 close reading, 85 pages.
total: 5hrs 30min, 5 reading guides, 6 1/2 chapters of annotations, 1 close reading, 85 pages.
From Maiguru's Perspective
I'd sensed it brewing for some time, but I could never bring myself to be too firm with Nyasha. How can a good woman be firm with a daughter that wants anything but to be a good woman by societal standards? Maybe being too firm would have prevented the fight. Maybe I try to keep the peace too much. Maybe I think too much. Yes, I reckon that's what it is. I think too much. I am too capable of reasoning and independence to be a woman with two children and a husband to look after and yet submit too. Perhaps that's why I couldn't stop that fight between Baba and my Nyasha. I simply don't have the power.
But how can I not think? All this patriarchy... it's not fair. I have as much intelligence as Baba, but do I get the credit? No. Never will I either. Is it wrong to be jealous if you are capable of hiding it behind a smile? I hated sitting there and listening to Baba tell little Tambudzai how lucky she was to have such a generous uncle. As if he earns all the money in this house! As if he is the God of this universe. However, I suppose that, in a way, he is just that. Perhaps that is why I felt obliged to sit and quietly agree with his words, emphasizing his generosity and work ethic and kindness. And perhaps my sense of the necessity of such agreeing is why I am a woman. Why I am the lesser of two halves said in some places to make a whole.
But how can I not think? All this patriarchy... it's not fair. I have as much intelligence as Baba, but do I get the credit? No. Never will I either. Is it wrong to be jealous if you are capable of hiding it behind a smile? I hated sitting there and listening to Baba tell little Tambudzai how lucky she was to have such a generous uncle. As if he earns all the money in this house! As if he is the God of this universe. However, I suppose that, in a way, he is just that. Perhaps that is why I felt obliged to sit and quietly agree with his words, emphasizing his generosity and work ethic and kindness. And perhaps my sense of the necessity of such agreeing is why I am a woman. Why I am the lesser of two halves said in some places to make a whole.
C Layer 1 Reflection
In the first five chapters of Nervous Conditions, reading was my main focus. I spent most of the time outside of class reading, and the time in class working on projects. I don't think that this was altogether a bad idea, but there are ways to improve my strategy. First, since I am doing reading guides again, I should probably get those out of the way as I read the chapters. Second, I should use my annotations to help with the reading guides: I write questions in the book, but often end up coming up with new ones for the reading guides.
The most helpful project so far has been annotations. They help me to get my thoughts in order as I'm reading. I think the least helpful was the close reading I did of page 23. I don't think this was because I chose an insignificant passage. I noticed a lot that I would not have before, but in basic comprehension it was not that helpful. It could, looking back however, come in handy when I look towards writing the literary analysis in the A layer.
The most helpful project so far has been annotations. They help me to get my thoughts in order as I'm reading. I think the least helpful was the close reading I did of page 23. I don't think this was because I chose an insignificant passage. I noticed a lot that I would not have before, but in basic comprehension it was not that helpful. It could, looking back however, come in handy when I look towards writing the literary analysis in the A layer.
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