1st Nine Weeks Reading Reflection

Reading has always been fun and easy for me. When I was young I would read whenever I wanted too, but now I have to schedule a time specifically for reading. I have tried to establish a reading habit but I haven't had much luck. My schedule is different every week so I have trouble setting aside a time for reading everyday. Even though I haven't set aside a time to use everyday, I still managed to find time to read. Admittedly, I did not always read enough some nights so I had to stay up late on other nights to make up for the lost time. Now that I know how much I have to read, I will try to form a habit so I don't have to cram all of my reading into one night.

I have no problem reading my required amount, but I have trouble inking my thinking. I read texts deeply, but I cannot seem to make myself ink my thoughts very often. I do not like to stop my reading to pick up a pencil and write what I am thinking. I just like to keep reading, and think while I am reading. I know this is wrong so I am trying to change it, but inking my thinking is not an easy habit for me to form.

Next quarter I am going to try to set aside a time for me to read every night, and actually follow this through, to the end. I will also try to stop reading more often to ink what I am thinking. Two books that I know I want to read during the second quarter are When it Happens by Susan Colasanti and Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. I am a big Jodi Picoult fan so I pretty much want to read anything she writes, and all of my friends have recommended When it Happens so I really want to read that too. Hopefully reading this quarter will be easier for me to complete.

Socratic Seminar Reflection

When I first found out that we had to do a Socratic Seminar I was apprehensive. I have no problem talking in front of people I know, but I do not really enjoy being in the spotlight while discussing deep topics that require a lot of thinking. This type of discussion makes me feel inadequate. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this discussion because it expanded my thinking on many questions I had from Brave New World.

While preparing for this discussion I made sure I would have plenty of topics and questions to talk about in order to make me feel more comfortable. Preparing for this type of discussion forced me to think on a much deeper level and really understand what I was reading.

Preparing for the discussion helped me a lot, but I probably benefited most from the actual discussion. Everyone had different ideas than I did, so by listening to them I thought about many things I had never thought of. In one of my discussions we were talking about individualism. Someone mentioned that we don't really have individualism in products anymore because everything is mass produced. Interestingly, we brought up that some products now, like iPods, actually encourage individualism by allowing everyone to put different music and videos on them. On my own I never would have thought of this, but by participating in the discussion I got many new ideas.

One thing I had trouble with was clearing my mind and really listening to what the other people in my group had to say. I was usually thinking about how I was going to respond. I had to constantly remind myself that I needed to listen to what others were saying. I also had trouble finding the right time to jump in the conversation. I didn't want to step on anyone's toes so I kind of held back. If I had a do-over I would listen more attentively and jump in the conversation a little more often.

The Socratic Seminar was fun and challenging. I left the class with new ideas that I never would have come up with if we had just taken a test over the book. Socrates believed that a discussion, like we participated in, is one of the best ways to learn; based on my experience I believe this is true.

1st Nine Weeks Annotated Reading List

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2006. Print.

Brave New World tries to create a utopian society by making everything controlled and comfortable. The people living outside of this society do not really view it as a utopia. In order to create the utopia all fear, danger, happiness, religion, and love was removed from society. The book is very controversial, so it raised questions about many hot topics in our world today, including drugs and individualism. John is a very interesting character in this book. He is not from the Brave New World so he is not used to everything being controlled. When he gets there he does not like what he sees. He doesn't want stability, he wants emotion. John is one of the only characters in the book that is willing to stand up for what he believes. Because of the way he is he has a hard time fitting in with the people living in the Brave New World society. (259 pages)


Picoult, Jodi. Nineteen Minutes: a Novel. New York: Washington Square, 2008. Print.

Nineteen Minutes is an interesting story about a school shooting, and how the people deal with the consequences. Peter, a junior in high school, has always been bullied. He eventually snaps and starts shooting kids and teachers in the school. Most of the people that were shot were only shot once, except one kid. He was shot once in the stomach and once in the head. Most of the book is spent trying to figure out why this one kid was shot twice and the girl standing right next to him was not shot at all. My favorite part of the book was that the shooter seemed human. Every other book with a school shooting makes the shooter seem like this terrible person that has no human qualities at all. One character that I really liked was Josie Cormier. She was the person that wasn't shot, but her boyfriend was the kid that was shot twice. I really like Josie because she was relatable. She was popular, but had many insecurities. She loved her mom, but did not have a great relationship with her. She reminds me a lot of myself. Surprisingly, Josie plays a very important role in the school shooting, directly and indirectly. (455 pages)


Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. New York, N.Y., U.S.A.: Penguin, 2006. Print.

Amusing Ourselves to Death is a non-fiction book about how television is taking over our lives. Neil Postman believes that television is not good for our society. He thinks that television is the soma (the drug used to create bliss in Brave New World) of our society. He brings up many interesting points to back up this statement. He states that images and entertainment are now more important than facts and information. The thing that I think is really interesting is the fact that this book was written in 1985, but Postman's ideas still apply. Back then television wasn't as prominent as it is now. Surprisingly, his statements not only still hold true in our world, but are more true now than they used to be. Based on what Postman said, if we continue living the way we are now then we will eventually live in a society like the Brave New World society: completely technology dependent. (163 pages)



Sparks, Nicholas. A Bend in the Road. New York: Warner, 2001. Print.

In A Bend in the Road Miles is a police officer in a small town. Recently his wife died in a hit and run; the person driving the car was never found. He is having a hard time recovering until he meets his son's young, beautiful, and single teacher, Sarah. They quickly fall in love and later realize they are more connected than they originally thought. The setting of this book is something I found interesting. It is set in a small town in North Carolina that reminded me a lot of where I live. There is a part of town that is really old, and on or around Halloween everyone goes there for a scare. That is the same here; many people go to Main Street or to a Haunted House on Halloween. Miles loved the small town life. He liked knowing everyone that lived around him, Sarah is completely opposite. She likes living in a big city, and having things around her that are exciting. The setting played an important role in the book. (352 pages)

Abundance

Pink's fascinated humor shows us that Americans who previously looked for happiness in material goods are no longer fulfilled with this abundance alone. He uses statistics about second homes and trash bags to show how much abundance America is living in. He says that 13 percent of homes purchased now are second homes. Many families in other countries do not even have first homes, but in America a lot of people are buying unnecessary second homes. He also points out that the "Americans spend more on trash bags than ninety other countries spend on everything." By stating this he puts things into perspective; our abundance has taken over our lives so much that we just throw money in the trash. Pink also states that "the paradox of prosperity is that while living standards have risen steadily decade after decade, personal, family, and life satisfaction haven't budged." Recently Americans have been searching for fulfillment in life through material goods and that is why America has became so obsessed with the best items. Now that they realize they have gotten all of these designer products but they still aren't happy, they are searching for fulfillment through other techniques such as yoga and meditation. Pink's examples clearly show that our outlook on what is important has shifted from material goods to the meaning of life.

Ethos, Pathos, and Logos...

In the world today there are advertisements everywhere. Because there are so many, the creators of the ads have to find ways to make their ad stand out. By using Aristotle's Appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos, the ad catches a viewer's attention in many ways. The ad that I chose is a "vitamin water" ad that uses these three tools to make the viewer want to try the product.

The most obvious tool that is used in this ad is ethos. The ad features a professional athlete, Kobe Bryant, that is very well known. The label on the bottle in the ad says that this particular kind is used for power. By using an athlete that has been very successful in his sport and saying "1,845 bottles of vitamin water... and chugging", the ad portrays that this drink is the reason he is such a powerful player. The ad also says that he has been named MVP (most valuable player) but they changed the wording to "most valuable power" to express that the power that is inside of the bottle helped him become the most valuable player.

Pathos is used in this ad to give the viewer a sense of excitement. Because the man is blurred we know that he is moving very fast. This makes the viewer think that the drink is what made him move so fast. Also, Kobe Bryant is a very fit man. By using a man like this the product appeals to people that want to look like him. People might think that because he drinks this he has enough energy and "power" to make his body look like it does.

The use of logos in this ad isn't as significant as the other rhetorical appeals. The name of the product gives off the sense that it is healthy. The vitamins in this water are just what moms are looking for in order to keep their kids healthy. People in America are always looking for something that is tasty and good for them, and the color of this water makes the viewer believe that the water would have a good taste.

The target audience for this ad is obviously athletes and young males. But by using all of Aristotle's appeals anybody can find something in this that will make them want to buy the product.

College Fears: Rational or Not?

At this point in my life I am starting to look at colleges, and I am wondering what kind of college is right for me. I will try to get as many scholarships as possible, but if I do not get enough I will need student loans. This article, "What We Can Learn From For-Profit Colleges," got my attention and made me skeptical to even consider for-profit colleges.

I think for-profit colleges are way overpriced, and I can get an education that is just as good at a public college for a much cheaper price. When I first read the article I discovered that in the last ten years the number of for-profit colleges have increased by "60%." Judging by the way I feel about these colleges I am really confused about how this happened. As I read more of the article I started to understand the reason behind this: "people don't realize their options." Without realizing that there are better options, a person is just going to agree to whatever comes along. That makes me genuinely sad.

I usually do not click on extra links on articles like this, but I did this time and it took me to this page. I didn't get much out of the text, but the video on this page made me furious. There were so many cases that the student was lied to about the amount they would have to pay. But the worst part was that some of the advisers wouldn't let the students know how much they would need to pay until they enrolled into the college. I was completely blown away by this; to me that would be like committing to a marriage without knowing the husband. Towards the end of the video one of the advisers actually rips up a student's application just because he wants to know how much he is going to have to pay.

The thing that scares me the most about this is that it really happens. I could be tricked into paying way more than necessary to go to college. This isn't going to stop me from going to college, because a post-secondary education is way too important for that, but this definitely will make me more cautious when making my college decision.

Change the World?

Everyone is always talking about how the world is a scary place, but no one really tries to change anything. The song "Change" by Carrie Underwood made me want to change the world.

The lyrics of this song are really powerful. Most people think that the only way to change anything is to do a huge act of kindness. This song shows that the "smallest thing can make all the difference" and something as small as 36 cents can mean the world to a person that has nothing.

The song stresses that the only way to change the world is to do something, and believing that it is possible is the key. I cannot even count the number of times I have seen the ad on TV that is "flashin' up pictures of a child in need," but I never called the number or contributed to try to "save a life," and many people are the same way. They think they are "just a fool to believe [they] can change the world." If everyone would believe that changing the world is possible, we would see a much brighter tomorrow.

Carrie Underwood has contributed to many charities. She has visited and helped children in Africa that are affected by malaria and aids. She recently started the C.A.T.S foundation that helps the schools and animal shelters in her hometown. For her upcoming tour she is donating "36 cents" of every ticket sold to Save the Children's United States Programs. Carrie Underwood emphasizes that trying to make the world a better place is very important.

We often feel compelled to give in times of crisis. Many people give money to people affected by tragedies such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and even oil spills, but we should want to help the less fortunate all the time because there is always something we can do to help "change the world."