Final Reflection

     I think it's safe to say I learned a lot this year. I learned a multitude of things having to do with the world, character, and just general education. Throughout the year, I've learned that you have to work for what you want - it won't just fall into your lap. If I don't want to fail or fall flat on my face then I have to work for that success. It sounds simple, but when put into action, it can prove to be rather grueling sometimes. That's OK too, because I also learned that if you really work hard for something, it's bound to pay off in the end. In the end, right now, that makes sense. I put in a lot more effort this quarter and I think my pay off is pretty good. As far as I'm concerned, I'm still standing pretty strong and I haven't fallen at all. With that, I'd the say the most vital, important thing I learned this year is what makes me happy. Though I don't really want to dive into that, I had some really good experiences this year that really showed me what I enjoy most in life (at this moment, at least).

     If you're going to remember something for the rest of your life, it definitely has to be very important. During this class, we took sometime to read To Kill a Mockingbird. Somehow, I feel as though I will remember this book for the rest of my life. The book had interesting characters, good dialogue, and a unique plot. Overall, it was just a really great book. The themes presented in the novel are what makes it truly memorable. It was able to tackle problems in our society while still remaining entertaining. With that, I also believe the TKAM thematic essay we wrote was actually my best piece of writing. I felt pretty confident while writing it because I had known exactly what I wanted to say when, where, and why. Re-reading it, I personally felt my confidence really reflected on my writing compared to any of my other pieces. I'm really proud of that, too. I think I made my biggest improvements in writing (specifically essay writing). Usually, I have no idea what I'm saying or writing about. If I'm clueless enough, I ramble and try to tie everything together. However, now, I notice that I now have better plans when beginning to write something. Writing for me has become something creative to be proud of rather than one big hot mess. I appreciate that.

     Quite honestly, I don't like to put much time into things. If there was a way to simply glide or float through life simply and calmly, I would like that. Being rushed or having a time limit is not something I'm a great fan of. Due to that, staying motivated to complete work was a real struggle for me. Though it is not something tangible, it was probably the most challenging part of this year for me. What made it even worse was the fact that because this is my last year with many of my friends, I spent a lot of time goofing around rather than doing work. The nicest thing people did for me this year was attempting to keep my on track. Rather that keeping me going with negative consequences or threats, there were positive remarks or rewards. They say you shouldn't punish an animal when they do something bad, and you should just reward them when they do something you actually want. If you punish them, they'll just learn to do when you're not around. I really appreciate the people who drove me forward because without them, I feel that exact thing would have happened.

     Reading books independently was a very big part of this class. For future kids, I advise them to really branch out when it comes to book genres. Don't think you'll enjoy a memoir or an autobiography? Go for it. Hate sci-fi? Go for it. Last year, I stuck to a genre of books that I can't say I really enjoyed. After a while of reading them, it just became like a "might as well" routine. However, I'm happy to say that this year I really tried to get out there. I read two memoirs, realistic fiction, sci-fi, a classic, and more. This was really different compared to the prior year when my reading was caged inside a few different genres. I encourage future students to find the genres they actually like and really branch out because doing that made reading a lot more enjoyable for me. Before, it was a painful, dragging process. Now, I can for sure say that I don't see it as bad anymore. This year, my favorite book has been Requiem for a Dream. The book is usually put into the tragedy or fiction/realistic fiction genre. I wouldn't normally see myself reading such a depressing book, but it was truly amazing.

     I don't really think I've been able to teach anyone anything this year. I don't really stand out or do anything so there's no real chance for making an impact there. There's the slimmest chance that I've shown one or two people that school doesn't always have to be about work - that you can still have some fun...but I don't really think so.

Aphorism Project

"You're not a wave, you are part of the ocean."

     There are a lot of people that feel alone, small, or pointless in their everyday lives. They feel as though they are not part of something bigger. I believe Morrie's main point in this quote is that those thoughts are not true. Though you are an individual, you make up a group much larger. Without you, a wave, the ocean is incomplete. I think Morrie was trying to get across that yes, we are all waves, but that's not all we should see ourselves as. If you just view yourself as one small wave, you're bound to belittle yourself.
   
     I have to agree with this aphorism because I think everyone is part of something, no matter how small it is. For example, I don't view myself as important to the entire world, but I think I can find small roles in a few things. I play an important role in the lives of my pets, as they would not get care if it weren't for me, one of their waves. For them, their ocean is not complete without me. Another example is an older woman who lives in a house on my way home. I know the day is going to be peaceful and filled with nice weather when I see her out on her porch because she only sits outside on nice days. Although we never speak, she is an important wave in my ocean.

Tuesdays with Morrie: Week of 4/30

     The idea of death has always been rather frightening for me so naturally, I found the sixth Tuesday the most inspirational. The thing that bothers me about death is the idea that I'm going to grow old to a point near my death where I might be too old to do anything...I'll be rather useless. The other thing I find a bit worrisome is the idea that in this limited time I can only do a limited number of things, and at some point I'm going to die without having completed many of the them I would have wanted to.

     I may just be one of the people Morrie said who know they're going to die but just don't believe it. As soon as I read that quote, I was able to say to myself, "Yeah. That's me." It really inspired me when Morrie said, "but nobody believes it. If we did, we would do things differently." He also went on to say, "...there's a better approach. To know you're going to die, and to be prepared for it at any time...That way you can actually be more involved in your life while you're living." These quotes showed me that being old and close to death does not necessarily mean you're not going to be able to complete anything anymore and if you plan accordingly, you can get everything done before you really aren't able to anymore. It made the idea of death a little more comfortable.

     There was a quote in this chapter that really stuck out to me: "'Is today the day? Am I ready? Am I doing all I need to do? Am I being the person I want to be?'" The idea of asking yourself everyday if you are the person you want to be if you were to die today is rather important. If you are honest with yourself, you learn if you need to take charge and change something in your life or not. In short, it's a way to help yourself keep improving your own life. This is important because many people talk about their regrets and "I wish I'd done that"s shortly before they pass away. Trying to reach the best you everyday helps eliminate that ending-sad-note for yourself, and I like that. I don't know if I'll use this little tip/trick now in my current life, but I believe it may help me when I'm a bit older and have no idea what I'm doing. Of course, I'm just hoping I can remember it.

Tuesdays with Morrie - Week of 4/20

     Quite honestly, I expected Tuesdays with Morrie to be incredibly boring. Having said that, I have been pleasantly surprised since page one. There was a moment in the book that really made me tear up -- when Mitch begins talking about the moment when Morrie got diagnosed with ALS. It's been a really long time since a book made me tear up, so it was really surprising (but then again, I had just watched Guardians of the Galaxy so I was in a very emotionally weak state, you know? Groot.). That moment in the book had a lot of power and meaning, so from then on I've been completely sure that this is going to be a book to remember.

      After the book is read and done, I think I'll have learned something from it. We're only around 60 pages in and the book has already had me have some of those moments where it's like, "Wow, I want to do that. I want that." One of those has been the idea of not wasting your life or taking it for granted. Instead of slowly wasting away in silence, Morrie has opted to make the most of his time left. This really left an impact on me because I think if there's anyone who'd totally give up after being diagnosed with ALS or any other crippling disease, it would be me. It shows you that you don't have to fade away if that happens, you can keep on living an even more powerful life.

   I've always thought bucket lists were weird but here goes nothing:

• Go to New York
• Go to France and see the Eiffel Tower
• Go to Spain (preferably a million times)
• Go to Coachella (and meet a lot of hipsters???)
• Take a very long road trip to somewhere very far away with all of my favorite albums
• See all my favorite singers or bands play live before they all inevitably break up
• Own (or just touch) a pet hedgehog
• See/witness the most artistic thing ever (whatever it may be. I decide when I see it).
• Find my favorite cup of coffee
• Own all my favorite albums, books, and art.
• Be successful in finding what I want
• Live to play the song "Year 3000" during 3000 (this is very important).

Life Is Beautiful - Week of 4/13

     At first glance, Night and "Life Is Beautiful" are two very different works of literature and film. Night shows the reader the incredibly negative and terrible things about the Holocaust while "Life Is Beautiful" is a romantic comedy. However, they do have their similarities. Both of these pieces had a theme of a father-son bond, but this similarity also branches out into differences. In Night, there were moments when Elie would put his survival above his father's and only think of himself. There was that sense of 'it's one man for himself'. However, there were no instances of that between Guido and Joshua. Guido spends every moment of his time in the camp trying to protect Joshua, never putting his own life above his son's. In fact, he puts Joshua's life above his own and eventually sacrifices himself to save his son. Had Guido also had that 'one man for himself' idea, then this film would have been very different.

     Night and "Life Is Beautiful" both approached the Holocaust rather differently. Again, Night was a rather dark story and had virtually no positivity in it. On the other hand, "Life Is Beautiful" has its audience laughing very often. However, I think they were both equally as powerful. Night's straightforwardness on the darkness of the Holocaust shows you just how terrible that time was...It presents you with a story of willpower and survival. "Life Is Beautiful" had just the right the combination of negative and positive. The positive moments and negative moments provide the viewer with a contrast between the two that ultimately leads to the film's power. It shows you how even in such dark times, some people were still able to see the light in the darkness
and have hope.

     It doesn't take much to see that life is in fact beautiful at the beginning of the film. Guido is constantly cheerful, always running into his love interest. It's rather hard to not feel joy whenever Guido exclaims, "Buongiorno, Principessa!" However, I believe that it is the middle of the film that really brings up the question of wether or not life has sustained that same level of beauty. In the camps, conventional beauty in life is challenged. Guido and Joshua are torn from Dora and are now prisoners in terrible conditions. A life separated from family you love in a bad place that you can't leave is not a life that would be considered beautiful. Even so, it is in these times that life reaches a peak of beauty for the characters. Although he never sees her again, Guido shows Dora his unfaltering love for her despite their situation. Even more beautiful is the bond between Joshua and his father. Guido has made up an entire new situation for Joshua to live in - a game. Throughout the film, we see Guido go to great measures to keep Joshua safe and sheltered, showing just how strong the bond between the two of them is. Even though they are in this terrible place, they love each other unconditionally.

  

Same, Joshua. Same.

     

Night - Week of 3/30

How do Elie's experiences during the Holocaust change him as a person?

     When reading this book, I think it's easy to say that Wiesel did a great job of showing how the Holocaust changed him over the years. The reader is able to juxtapose the Elie at the beginning of the book with the "new" Elie at the end. In my opinion, one of the most obvious changes in Elie was his Faith. In the beginning, Wiesel said he "would run to the synagogue to weep over the destruction of the Temple" (3) and compares praying to the need for breath or life. At this point, Elie is only twelve years old, borderline thirteen. He wants to study the Kabbalah, something kids of his age don't normally do. Right off the bat, the reader can see that Elie is very much a devout Jew, especially for his age.

     However, this all changes later on in the book. In Birkenau, Elie hears his father praying before the selection determining who will live and who will be sent to the crematoria. Already, Elie shows signs of a faded Faith when he says, "Why should  I sanctify His name? The Almighty, the eternal and terrible master of the Universe, chose to be silent. What was there to thank Him for?" (33) After seeing the terrors and inhumanity of Birkenau, Elie begins to reject God for letting these things happen to his people-- for choosing to be silent. This is a big jump from being a passionate Jew to teetering on the edge of no more Faith that I believe Wiesel made very powerful in his novel.

     Wiesel not only changed in Faith, but in morals as well. Elie is separated from his mother and sisters immediately at Birkenau, left with only his father. At first, Elie refuses to leave his side in order to feel safe and comforted. In fact, his father becomes his will for survival at times. However, just like his Faith, the feelings waver. Through the book, the reader can see glimpses of Elie putting his survival above his father's, such as when he considers leaving his father behind: "...a though crept into my mind: If only I didn't find him! If only I were relieved of this responsibility, I could use all my strength to fight for my own survival, to take care only of myself..." (106) You can see that his morals have changed because now he is open to abandoning the only relative he thought he had left in that time to survive. Again, this is a very big jump. At first, he could not bear to be away from his father in the camps. Later on, he thinks about completely leaving him for his own benefit. The Holocaust did not necessarily make him more selfish, but it made his survival instincts rise to the surface.

"Terezin" - Hanus Hachenburg

Comments: Julia | Sarai | Gustavo | Maria