What I've learned and How I've Performed in Mr. Holeman's classes

1. What I have learned so far in English 9 that will help me be a better student is how to take notes more effectively. Mr. Holeman has thought me to look at both the small and big details of a story and to write questions that might not get answered. What I have learned in Comp is how cinematography contributes to the Mise-en Scene and the tone and mood of each scene. Also in Comp, Mr. Holeman taught me how to properly make an introduction paragraph of an essay with abroad related start, thesis and showing your point.

2. My biggest opportunity for improvement would be to stay more focused, and participate more in class. Steps that i would take to participate more in class is to stop being afraid of saying the wrong answer. Instead I should just say my answer without worry of it being right or wrong. Steps I would take to be more focused in class would be to sit next to people that would not distract me.

3. What has interested me most was when we did the Job Resume. Not only was it fun, but I found that it gave me many skills that will help later on in life, such as highlighting the skills and jobs that you have done that better suit the job your applying for. It has given me a firmer grasp of how to get a job, for my internship I (at Jenk's Aquarium) am giving them a resume to stand out from the crowd. Thanks Mr. Holeman!

4. The things I have done well are writing essays and showing not telling. I am most proud of my favorite place in Nature essay. I put so much time into it and I got a great grade on it.

5. What you can do to make class more interesting is for in class projects is divide the class in half and make a competition out of it. At the end, the winning side will get a prize. This should encourage students to work harder and produce better papers, and other projects you may give us.

Generation

                   My generation seems to be split right through the middle, almost like Ying and Yang. On one side we have the people that throw themselves out into the world. Let's call this side "walkers". These people work hard and enjoy hobbies (that are out of the house passions), like hiking, fishing, skiing, tennis. Than the other half is the exact opposite. This side will be called "sleepers", these people prefer to be inside on electronics, tweeting away. I believe this is what separates my generation from the other generations. So many people outside of my generation, like the scientists that put us in these groups say that if you are addicted to technology and followers you are right in here with us.
                    Since my generation is looked at as the technology abusers, it would seem that anyone who is like this should be shoved in on with us, but that is where you are wrong. The generation I am in doesn't just walk in the woods or have their eyes glued to the a screen. We put ourselves to a high standard. We want to be different from the other generations by doing great things that will make the world a better place. If you consider yourself a "sleeper" you probably have thought of bugs and glitches that could be fixed and the "walkers" are devolving ways to make a world a better place and stopping pollution. Also, another characteristics is we have extremely good hand-eye coordination from all the video games that we play. After writing all this, i believe that people should be put in generations when they are in their 20s according to the hobbies they enjoy. Our only flaws it would seem is that we are very scared of what others think.
                                 

Favorite Place in Nature

                                    Islamorada, Florida Keys
5 Senses ( 2 for each )
Taste: The grilled Dolphin waters my mouth and the fresh pineapple washes over my taste buds like a tropical wave. The refreshing key lime pie snow cone cools me down with it's tart, yet creamy flavor. Smell: The pungent salt air masks all other odors    making my nostrils burn. The bait used for the fish showers upon the salt air causing it to turn into a rotten mess.
Sound: The pelicans constant cry for food makes     my ear drums bleed . The water slopping against the large poles creating a steady rhythm.
Sight: The brown pelicans waddle around the dock like anxious puppies waiting for a treat while trying to find a place to rest.  The silver tarpon dart quickly from post to post looking for discarding chum.
Touch: The weathered wood planks rub roughly against my bare feet like sandpaper. The soothing water splashes up onto my baking toes, cooling down my feet.
1. I feel sleepy
2. I feel peaceful
3. I feel carefree
4. I feel loved.
5. I feel cozy
Emotions and Sensory Sentences
 The soothing water loosens my muscles from all the stress I had been thinking about. As I walk along the weathered planks rub away all of my worries as I walk along each board. The pelicans now go down for a nap, sparking the thought of taking one also in my head. As I sit against the pole the tarpon dart around the dock, the tarpon are slowly sinking into my dream as dancing glitter sticks. The calm water sploshes up against the dock, causing a steady rhythm. The pelicans cry break the silence, but they soon calm down. The key lime pie snow cone wraps around my taste buds like a giant tropical hug. Salty air hits my nostrils causing flashbacks from my second home, Ocean City. as bait fish are being cut, memories of my father and I out on the boat together come into mind, creating a blanket of comfort over me, almost as though I belong here.                        



                                                                                               

Topics into Essay Ready Topics

1. 9th Grade

• Beginning of High School
• More Homework
• Harder Classes
• More Freedom

Essay Ready Topic: Is the homework in 9th Grade harder than the homework in 8th Grade?

 2. Kid's TV Shows

• Colorful
• More inappropriate language
• Learning Life skills  

Essay Ready Topic: Are the new TV shows for kids teaching life lessons and skills?

 3.  Violent Video Games

• Hyperactivity
• More Violent Actions 
• Bullying 
• Higher Interest in Weapons 

Essay Ready Topic: Do violent video games cause a higher interest in weapons in children?
                                                                                                                         

The Lively Art of Writng Pg. 39 Full and Final Thesis

1. Thesis: Competition for grades is a healthy influence on students.
Pros                                                                                 Cons
- Makes Students work hard                                          - Causes Students to become stressed                - Allows students to develop good study habits            -  Makes Students feel overwhelmed
- Students become more proactive
Antithesis: Competition for grades is an unhealthy influence on students.
New Thesis: Competition for grades is a good way for students to work harder and develop study skills.

2.  Thesis: All girls are slightly crazy.
Pros                                                                                  Cons
- Emotionally affected by certain people                       - Secretive and keep to themselves
- Over dramatic about some topics                                - Boys are like that too
- Always think their way is the right way                      - Do not care about fashion/ popularity
- Have to be in the latest fashion                                    - Down to earth
Antithesis: Girls are completely sane.
New Thesis: All girls have a more dramatic reaction to topics and people than boys.

Myself in Twenty Years

     Twenty years from now I will be a Marine Biologist. In would have graduated from Stony Brook University with a  Bachelor's degree in Biology and a Master's Degree in Marine Vertebrate Biology and a PhD from Brown University. I would have held jobs before and during college that relate to Marine Biology in some way, such as interning at Jenkinson's Aquarium. While there, I would have  given the proper vitamins and food to each animal checked the pH, dissolved oxygen and nitrogen in each tank for optimal levels.
    
     Another job would be working as a deck hand on a charter boat. In this job, I  learned the migration routes of several species of fish and how to properly hold them. The  most recent job I would have done would be to work in the Stony Brook Research Lab, as a assistant to Professor Malcolm Bowman. In this capacity,  I would have done studies on different species and how they act when their environment has been altered. Specifically, I would have identified critical and not so critical threats to the ecosystem.

      To be a marine biologist, I would have to live close to the water, therefore I will live in Mystic, Connecticut and own a house by the water. I have not gone this far without being noticed. For discovering a new species of fish, I had a two hour program on the Discovery Channel explaining the species and the voyage I took. I have also received several awards including: the American Legion Award, the Rachel Carson Award,  and the Kobe Award. My final goal in my career is to slow down global warming and reverse it's affects.  Lastly, I would aspire to work as a college professor at Brown University.

Defining Modernism #2

1.           The pieces of music differ in several different ways.  One way in which they differ is in the instruments. In Beethoven’s “Piano Concert no. 5 Emperor” he uses mostly flutes and clarinets for a subtle sound; whereas Bix Biederbecke and Charles Mingus use trumpets and saxophones.  Mingus goes even further by adding the electric bass. The pieces also differ in tempo. Beethoven’s piece has a slower tempo where the Jazz pieces have a quicker beat.

 

2.            The point Biederbecke and Mingus might be making is to celebrate and have more fun. We survived the wars; they are over, so let’s celebrate. Also since the world is moving at a faster pace than before, the point might be to have a fast pace in music, like everything else in the world.

 

3.            Beethoven’s piece makes me feel calm, like I’m at a lake and the water is still and the only noise is the birds chirping. Biederbecke’s piece makes me feel like I’m in one of those old T.V shows like I Love Lucy;   dancing on a floor with those shiny white and black shoes.  Mingus’ song feels like a Mardi Grad parade with the person shouting “ah” in the background. I like the songs that fit the genre of Jazz because it is more upbeat and also has a swing in it. Jazz makes me feel more alive.

Empire of the Sun: Jim's Future

      Twenty years from when the movie ends, Jim will have a strong bond with his mother. He lets his mother live with him. He marries a blonde woman named Ethel and has a 7 year old son named Basie. He is very clingy to her and carries out his dream of being a pilot. After being a Corporal and serving 5 years, Jim opened a museum about World War 2 airplanes. Jim has to take medicine to block the Japanese boy from his mind that he sees in his dreams. His dad recently died from a golfing injury. 

      

      Jim now owns a a four story house with a hot tub and an in-law suite for his mom on a 10 acre property. He resides in Acadia, Maine. Jim has his mother white piano and plays it every day. Jim has a gun cabinet in his bedroom for he found a desire to hunt. In his spare time, Jim often goes to his back shed and recreates life size B-51. Jim never think s about his childhood but only about his family.              

Defining Modernism Exercise #1

1.      The paintings differ in several ways, such as shading, texture and depth.  For example, Still Life with Bottle of Olives shows shading and creates depth so that the wooden table look 3 Dimensional.  Also, compared to Still life with Grapes and Clarinet, Still Life with Bottle of Olives has a much more subtle background, just dark brown and black, whereas Still life with Grapes and Clarinet has polka dots and different shades of blue.  In texture, the gourd in Still life with Bottle of Olives has crevices and groves on it that complete the look of real food on a table.

2.      I think painters of 1B, 2B, 3B, and 4B chose to paint the portraits as they did, because they were showing their own unique look at the world. I think the point that they were trying to make was that we are in our own time now, and we should not have to paint the world in the same way as the people before us saw it.  We should be able to paint it the way we see it now.

3.      Painting 1A makes me feel like I am going to sit down at my grandmother’s for Thanksgiving dinner. 1B feels almost like the days when I was in first grade because I would often draw like that. 2A makes me feel like there is a family problem since there is at look of pity on the woman’s face. Painting 2B makes me feel like I am in an old Pink Panther cartoon and that the man is one of the characters.  It feels almost homey.  3A has almost a pitiful feeling to it because the poor looking girl can’t give the man what he is asking for. 3B feels classy because I can almost hear the Jazz music in my head.  4A has a childish feeling to it because of the light blue dress on the girl’s face. I prefer the previous centuries’ paintings; because I find that is had more life and more realistic facial expressions.