Reflection

Generally, if I am being completely honest I am not very fond of language arts classes, but this class was a breath of fresh air from the average language arts class. One of the thing that I enjoyed most about this class, which was actually a huge surprise to me, was the amount of writing we did. We wrote far more than any other language arts class I have been a part of. Even though while I was in the process of writing it may have been horrible, I realized that all the writing that we did this semester formed me into a much more skilled writer by the time the end of the semester came around. It is in a way like practicing a sport, even if all you do is watch and research baseball, the only way you will ever get better at the sport itself is by actually playing it. I say this because I realized that if all you do is learn about writing but never actually write, you will never improve your writing skills as much as you have the potential to. Overall, I believe that this class has helped me become a far better writer over the course of only one semester which is one reason why I have enjoyed the class so far.
Another big reason why I have enjoyed this class so far is the fact that it has helped so much with me preparing for college in multiple ways. The first way it has helped me prepare myself for college is the fact that it has given me a taste of what the amount of writing we do in college will be like. I know that in college it is much more, but I am hoping the amount of writing we do in this class will make the transition to college not as much of a rude awakening. The other big thing that this class has helped me with in regards to college preparation, is not helping with college itself but helping with the application process. This class helped me so much with writing my college essays, and I actually believe that without it my essays would not have been half the quality that they turned out to be. I truly believe that this class has helped me develop greatly as a writer, and even though I never expected to say this about a language arts class, I actually really enjoyed this class.

Laramie.

After reading the Laramie Project, I was very impacted by the story it told but one thing that enhanced this a lot was watching the film of this play. Even though the reading of this play was very detailed and vivid, watching the film version gave  me a whole new view of the events that happened. One of the things that happened in this story that the film really emphasized was the verbal violence that took place after Matthew Shepard's murder. One example of this violence was the fact that the Westboro Baptist Church picketed Shepard's funeral. The film really showed me how intense this picketing was and the extreme measures people went to on topics about this case. Another huge thing that the film version of this play did a great job at portraying and emphasizing was how eerie and desolate the location of Shepard's murder really was, while at the same time still being a beautiful place. This may sound rather insignificant, but I had a completely different picture in my head and this film showed the viewers exactly what Matthew Shepard had seen during his last hours which I believe is very important. Although the written play, the Laramie Project, did a great job at explaining the events that revolved around Matthew Shepard's murder in great detail, the film version of this play opened a completely new window and a new perspective on Shepard's case and the events that happened because of it.

20/20

During this week my class watched, read, and discussed many different topics related to the killing of Matthew Shepard, but the one thing that we watched that impacted me the most was easily the 20/20 Report on this case. This is because this report presented so many different views and so many different ideas that were not presented in any of the other items we read or watched. One of the things that shocked me that was discussed in this report was the fact that members of the Westboro Baptist Church Picketed Matthew's funeral, saying that he deserved to die because he was homosexual. This amazed me because I never thought anyone could go so low to ever say something like this about a person. Another reason why this report was the thing that shocked me the most, and probably the biggest, was the fact that both of Matthew's killers, Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson, were interviewed during this report. This was very interesting to me because of some of the things that they said, and just the fact that it was the first time that they were ever interviewed after Matthew's death. One of the big things that Aaron McKinney brought up during his interview was that Matthew's murder had nothing to do with the fact that he was homosexual, and this was very interesting because almost everyone believed that this was the sole motive for Matthew's murder. Another thing that was brought up during this interview that was very shocking to me was during Russel Henderson's interview when he said that all he did was tie up Matthew, and other than that he never touched him. He even says that he tried to stop Aaron from beating Matthew, but Aaron responded by hitting Russel with his gun. During his interview, Aaron says that all of this is indeed true, and that he feels that it is completely his fault for Russel being in jail. Overall, this report was packed with shocking information, and it was the one thing that impacted me the most out of all of the different things my class went over.

The Laramie Project

Although the Laramie project is a very entertaining play full of information, it can be very hard to understand. I have really enjoyed reading this play so far, but the style of writing that it is done in can make the play hard to follow. In my opinion, the biggest thing that causes this is the fact that the play is constantly jumping back and forth between characters. One example of where the book jumps from character to character is in the beginning of the book where a rancher named Eileen Engen talking about how important it is to maintain your land in Laramie, and then out of no where a character named Doc O'Connor came out of no where and said "I Love it here." (Kaufman 7). Things like this happen very often throughout the book, and although it is possible to adjust to, it still makes it very confusing in the sense that it is hard to tell who is talking and when. Another thing that made this book hard to follow was the fact that all of the characters would be responding to questions, but the questions would not be presented. I would have changed this by making the questions much more obvious and also by having better transitions between the characters. I understand that this play would be much more understandable if it was presented to me in a visual form, but I still believe there are better ways that this play could have been put together.

This is a picture of how the play may look, and an example for how the stage for this play may be set up.

This video shows a visual representation of the play, and even though this video makes a few things more clear, it is still somewhat confusing because of how it was written.

A Stolen Life

One of the presentations in my class this week that really interested me was on the memoir A Stolen Life. This book was written by Jaycee Dugard, a woman who was kidnapped at the age of 11 and was held in captivity for 18 years. This presentation was very interesting to me because the Jaycee Dugard Kidnapping was something that I had heard of, but I never really knew any details about it was interesting to learn a small amount about it. This memoir seems like a book that I would really enjoy reading because it seemed like it was very intense, and I would not mind learning more about this terrible event and hearing the story directly from the person who experienced it all. Overall this presentation was very interesting and filled with information, and I am hoping that I will be able to read this book in the near future.

Don't Put Me In, Coach

This week, one of the students in my class presented a project on a memoir called "Don't Put Me In, Coach" written by Mark Titus. Mark Titus was a college athlete that "played" basketball for Ohio State University. The reason why I put the word "played" in parenthesis is because the only position he played for this basketball team was warming the bench. Mark Titus walked on to the college basketball team and since his freshman year the number of times he has been put into the game could be counted on one hand. Although Titus barely ever played, all he was always loved by fans, teammates, and coaches and was often referred to as a big part of the team. Titus always played a huge role in motivating and getting the team pumped up so this really showed that even though he barely ever played he was still a huge part of the team. I am definitely looking forward to reading this book for a couple reasons. First of all I love college basketball and everything about it, and second of all the book sounds absolutely hilarious. These reasons together make the book seem like a great read, and I am very excited to read this memoir when I get the chance.

Scar Tissue

One of the students in my class did a presentation on a memoir called "Scar Tissue" written by Anthony Kiedis, the lead singer of the band The Red Hot Chili Peppers. I really enjoyed this presentation for a few reasons. One of the reasons that made me enjoy this presentation as much as I did was how it really showed how the band as a whole got along, what they did for fun, and just how they acted. I thought that this was really interesting because The Red Hot Chili Peppers is probably my favorite band so it was cool to see how the group acted when they were not producing music and what they did in their free time as a group. Also, probably the biggest reason for me enjoying this presentation as much as I did was the fact that it gave a large amount of background knowledge on Anthony Kiedis's life. This was really entertaining because I love the music that he makes and it was awesome to see a background for the music he makes and learn a little about the meaning of some of his music. Also, it was just really interesting to learn about his life and some of his past and see how it has made him the person that he is today, because once again I love the music that he makes and it was very cool to learn about the person that is behind the whole production. Overall, I really enjoyed this presentation and I am definitely going to read this book in the near future.

Silver Lining

The film, The War conveyed many lessons about war, Post Traumatic Stress, and even just life in general, but in the end all of the lessons in this film revolved around the idea of being able to find good in any situation, no matter how bad or hard that situation may be. This movie takes place in Mississippi in the year of 1970 and focuses on the lives of a family of four; two children named Lidia and Stu, their mother, and their father who happened to be a Vietnam war veteran. Throughout this movie, this idea is constantly being portrayed through different characters, events, images, music, sound, and memories within the film.

First of all, the memories in this film were a very important factor in helping to present the lessons that the film had to offer, which shows why this film is does in fact fit the memoir genre. A few times throughout this movie Stew and Lidia Simmons' father, Stephen, would have flash backs to his time serving in the Vietnam War that were a big part in portraying many different ideas and lessons of this movie. One of the big things that these flashbacks focused on was the fact that Stephen Simmons suffered Post Traumatic Stress, or P.T.S. Probably the most important flashback to the war that Stephen had in this movie was the one he had that he explained to Stu where he was forced to leave his injured best friend behind in battle because the helicopter did not have enough room for him. This flashback shows just one of the many detailed memories that Stephen had that factored into him suffering from Post Traumatic Stress. These flashbacks and memories also played a big part in bringing up the subject of specifically the title of what Stephen was suffering from: "Post Traumatic Stress". Most people know that P.T.S is also often called P.T.S.D which stands for "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder", and This movie does a great job at explaining that Post Traumatic Stress should not be referred to as a "disorder". The word "disorder" implies that there is something wrong with the person who is suffering from it, but in reality they are just living with something in their head that they can't control. This film shows that there is nothing Stephen can do about his stress from the war and it shows that he still lives the most normal life he can and that he didn't do anything wrong to obtain the Post Traumatic Stress that he has, therefore there is nothing he can do about it. Memories are just one of the big factors that played into teaching the lessons that this film contained.

Another way that this film portrayed it's lessons was through music. For example, there are a few scenes throughout the movie where Lidia and her friends are as happy as ever just singing a song with each other. This really shows the main lesson of this movie, finding the good in every situation no matter how hard that may be. The way that the girls were in such a great mood even though they were all going through rough financial times really showed how they could be happy as long as they pushed aside all the bad. Another part in the movie that showed this was when Stu and Lidia's father died and the music was very slow and sad, but in the next scene where all of the children were fighting over the fort it was the complete opposite. This just showed that once one door closes in your life, not every other one has to close as well and one can still have fun and enjoy as long as they stay positive. Although it may be overlooked, the music in this film played a much bigger role than some my think.

Finally, probably the most important way that the lesson of this movie was presented was through images. There are many examples of diversity, how war affects the lives of people, and of course the idea of being able to find good in any situation. Early in the movie Stu goes to wake up his Dad, and his Dad begins to strangle him as a reaction. This shows how Post Traumatic Stress has the ability to deeply effect the lives of many people in various ways. Another way that the lessons of this film were portrayed though this film was the change in the way people were treated because of their race, specifically in the classroom Lidia and her friends were in. During the first scene of the classroom, the teacher moved all of the African-American children to the back of the room, and put all of the others in the front. In this scene Lidia stood up to the teacher for picking on these children, and by the end of the movie  the children were sitting wherever they wanted, no matter their race. This image really showed how no matter how hard and sad a situation is, it can always be overcome and the bright side can always be found if enough effort is put in. Another image in this film that presented a big lesson was the conflict between the Lipnicki's and the Simmons'. Throughout the entire film there was always conflict and fighting between these two families, generally the children, but at the end of the movie when Billy Lipnicki gets himself into a near death situation the children from each of the families have to work together in a way to save the life of this child. This part of the film just shows that even though war can be necessary in some occasions, it is not always needed and it is very far from just fun and games in the end. There are very many lessons that can be learned from watching the film The War, but in the end what it all comes down to is the idea of being able to find the good in any situation, no matter how bad that situation may be, as long as enough effort and heart is put in to the task.

War.

I don't know a ton about war, but what I do know about it is that it is a terrible thing. Having said that, in many cases it is also a necessary thing. Even though war is a horrible thing and no one wants to have to be involved in it, it has become one of the only ways to resolve certain conflicts, which is sad to me. All I know about the Vietnam War is that it was fought between North Vietnam who was supported by communist China and South Vietnam who was supported by the united states. Post Traumatic Stress is another thing that I don't know too much about. I know that Post Traumatic Stress is generally some type of paranoia that people can get from events in their past that have affected them, often times this event can be war. I also know that Post Traumatic Stress is a new name for what used to be Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It makes perfect sense why the name would be changed, the word "disorder" is inferring  that there is something wrong with the person who is suffering from Post Traumatic Stress, which is not the case at all. Overall, war is much darker than many people make it out to be, and it is something that can change the lives of people forever.

Decoded

I am currently reading a memoir titled "Decoded" written by the hip-hop artist Jay-Z. This book really caught my eye right when I saw it and I immediately knew that it was a book that I needed to read. The first big reason that make me want to read this book was the fact that it was written by Jay-Z. I really like Jay-Z and enjoy his music so a thought it would be really awesome to learn about his life and his story. Also, the title of this book really interested me and made me want to read it. The word "Decoded" hooked me in a way because it immediately made me think about how this book would help me understand the deeper meaning of Jay-Z's lyrics and I thought that this would be really cool because I am always listening to Jay-Z and it would be interesting to see what he really means with the words that he uses. The final aspect of this book that really caught my eye and interested me in the book is the appearance of the book. The book a completely white and the only thing on the cover is Jay-Z's signature pressed into the book. This caught my eye and reminded me of a blank piece of paper that would eventually become a song or a story and I thought that was very interesting and intriguing. I am really looking forward to reading this book and learning more about the life of this hip-hop star and the inspiration for his music along with the deeper meaning of his lyrics.

These are a few of my favorite things

There are countless things in my life that I love and enjoy, but I would  say the most important of these things to me would have to be sports, music, family, and friends. Sports are easily one of the most important things to me in this world. Sports have played a big factor in my life of making me the person that I am today. My favorite sports are baseball and snowboarding. Although these sports are very different I still love every aspect of these sports and love spending my time either on the baseball field or on the slopes whenever possible. My favorite part about sports is the fact that it gives me the chance to get away from the real world in a way and just get my mind off of whatever is stressing me out in life for a little bit. Another thing that also does this for me in my life is music. I love music. Lately my favorite bands and artists have been the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jack Johnson, Kid Cudi, Atmosphere, A$AP Rocky, Logic, Kanye West, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Tribal Seeds, Rebelution, and Pepper. Obviously I have a enjoy a pretty wide range of music, and I am always open to finding new music to listen to. Once again my favorite part of music is the way that it takes you into another world in a way and how every song can tell a story. One more thing that makes my life more enjoyable is my family and friends.  All I have to say about my friends and family is that they mean the world to me and I know that they are always there for me and they just make my life more fun and enjoyable overall. It just so happens that I happened to have had the opportunity of spending the best experience of my life with my friends. Over the summer my friends and I went on a backpacking trip with out Young Life leader and that was easily the most amazing experience of my life. We spent a week on a trail near Winter Park, Colorado which was incredible. The views and nature on this trip was amazing, but the best part was easily the fact that this trip brought my friends and I so much closer than we were before which was awesome. There are plenty other experiences and things that I love doing in my life that have made me the person that I am today, but these are easily a few of the biggest.