Another Step on the Football Field

I wonder if I will still sit at the children's table during family dinners? I wonder how my first voting session will go? I wonder if people are going to see me differently?

This week I turned eighteen. This birthday is one of the biggest birthdays. Your responsibilities and privileges are opened up, you can buy a lottery ticket, you can vote, you can do so much more. However, as I turned into an adult I could not help thinking about how old I am and how weird it was that I was officially not a child. Although I do not feel like an adult, it is certainly strange to say I am one. When I turn a year older, I get to step forward onto another dash on the football field. When you look at life from the 18th yard line, it does not seem very different than life from the 17th yard line. However, mentally a step forward means another step in life towards that big unknown goal. This blog is very timely, for it is the last one of the semester. Wow, that is weird to say. Our last blog of the first semester, time really does fly. I'm an adult and senior year is half way over, I am in shock. In the final blog of the semester I want to say something really cool, something that will stand out, yet the simple things like birthdays can be really cool. Instead of pondering on what I should have done I am going to recap the highlights of this semester:

1. I read 7 new books this semester

2. I have finished all my standardized testing and applications

3. I have gotten into 2 colleges

4. I have traveled to Arizona for lacrosse

5. I have met new people

6. I have made the best of the last, first semester of high school

Desire & Love

How does love differ from desire? Do they go hand in hand? This week in class we discussed questions about desire and I began to think about the difference between love and desire. Siddhartha felt a desire and attraction for Kamala, yet it is evident that they are not in love. Although, Siddhartha does not know if he loves Kamala, he knows he desires her. Their relationship is more physical. In Siddhartha's search for desire I feel he endures suffering because he cannot pinpoint exactly what he is looking for. Siddhartha knows his goal, yet he does not know how to reach it. In class I came to the conclusion that one must suffer to realize you have reached desire. Therefore, Siddhartha may have felt desire for Kamala, but he did not truly feel love.

The relationship between desire and love can also relate to the book I am reading titled "The Pickup." In this book two people, Julie and Abdu are attracted to each other and they form and intimate relationship. It is not clear the individual motives in the relationship, which is a characteristic that Julie and Abdu share with Kamala and Siddhartha. It is easy to infer that both of the characters from "The Pickup" desire the other. However, it is not evident at the point I am at that they love each other. Hence, it is difficult to conclude if desire and love go hand in hand.

Football Field Activity

This week we took a trip out to the track and stood on the 17th yard line and took some time to reflect on our life. As I stood there seventeen dashes away from the end-zone I put my life in perspective. Currently it seems like going to the perfect college is the ultimate goal, yet as I stood on the football field I realized that college is not even half of my life. Rather it is a landmark, for the rest of your life. It is the first step toward independence and there are many things to look forward to after college. However, being a senior, it is hard to imagine life after college, for the past four years we have been working for the moment when we do venture off into the next stage of life. Humans life expectancy is 78 so even though senior year may feel like your reaching your peak, we still have about 60 more years to go.

This week we began reading Siddartha, which is a novel that we can all relate to in one way or another. Siddartha grew up in a sheltered world and at one point in his life he decided he wanted to experience the world and achieve Nirvana. Siddartha left his parents and began his journey. I can relate to Siddartha because next year I will be leaving my parents and despite where they want me to go to college, I am going to go where I want.

Traveling with lacrosse

This weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Arizona for lacrosse. Traveling without parents helped me get a feel for life after high school. I learned of the responsibilities that come from not being taken care of all the time, or having an adult watching over you. Rather I got to feel how independent college students feel and how much responsibility comes from completing taking care of yourself. In the summer I also traveled to Maryland, Pennsylvania and Colorado without my parents for lacrosse. Initially the trips are exciting and it feels adventurous being hundreds of miles away from home. However, as the trips progress I learned and grew from the responsibilities that come with not being completely taken care of. The trip this weekend especially held a lot of responsibility, for I am a senior and there are freshman, sophomores, and juniors on our team that look up to the upperclassmen for advice and leadership. As I traveled by myself to Arizona this weekend, I got a little peak into what college life may be like and through my experiences I have gained responsibilities that will help me in the next part of my life.

Hamlet

This past week I have been contemplating about what to blog about. Currently there are a million thoughts swirling around my head, from college applications, to lacrosse practice, so it was difficult to choose a topic to blog about.

Nevertheless, this week I personally learned to love everything in your life and not take anything for advantage. Our family friend passed away from cancer on Saturday, and although it has been tough, it has made me realize how privileged I am for my friends and family. They are the constant in my life and I know whenever I need them, they will be there.

As I was searching postsecret.com I came across this secret and I thought it was very relevant in light of Saturday and for the rest of mine and everyones life. Keeping this thought in mind, I tried to relate this blog to Hamlet. I believe if Hamlet had someone in his life that he could trust and rely on he could have turned to them for advice and solved his confusions in a way that didn't lead to his death and others. I think in a way Claudius was a scape goat for all of Hamlets problems, and maybe all Hamlet needed was a friend or family member to help him with his problems and set him back on the correct path.

Too Much Madness

This week in class we read the poem “Much Madness is Divinest Sense” by Emily Dickinson. The poem’s main message is having madness in life will keep one sane, while constant sanity will drive one mad. While reading this poem, people in our class could relate to going mad because we are at a very stressful, crucial, scary point in our lives. As we hit those big submit buttons and as we venture off into our next journeys, we will experience many new emotions. Currently, most people in our English class are experiencing madness. Whether that madness comes from trying to pass AP physics or tying to push our parents limits, we are all experiencing madness. Needless to say this madness does not make us mad, but rather as Emily Dickinson stated the assent to madness will help maintain sanity in your life. For if we did not have college applications, papers in English and struggles at home, our life would be far too boring and as Dickinson says, many people would be driven to madness by their sanity.

Likewise, this week’s poem can also be related to Hamlet. Many people think Hamlet has lost his mind completely and has already descended into madness. However, as we have seen recently, Claudius is truly the outlandish character and as seen through his outburst during “The Mousetrap,” he has become mad. Emily Dickinson was crazy as well and she defends the eccentric. She explains that if you accept your madness you will maintain sanity in your life, but if you shun it, your sanity will drive you crazed. Claudius shunned his madness and kept his secrets quiet, therefore his guilt and unfaithfulness lead him to madness.

The Dip

Once I pressed that big submit button, there was nothing more I could do. Last Thursday as I submitted one of my first college applications, a million thoughts rushed to my head. However, I knew that once I pressed submit, I reached my limit and there is nothing else I could do. Today in class we read, "The Biggest Mistake They Made in School" by Seth Godin. In this article Godin used an image of a dip to show the cycle humans go through in parts of their life. I think at this point in my life I am climbing out of a dip. I have just submitted my application for my next phase of life and after four years, I will be concluding High School. High School itself acts as a dip for it shows the paths of life students are taking. Some students may think High School is too overwhelming and may struggle to pass, while others may have discovered their passion. Regardless of the situation a student is in people can agree that it is easy to graduate, yet getting there is challenging. As I know from personal experience there are many aspects of High School other than actual school, that are challenging, such as making friends or making a sport team. Needless to say, as I graduate High School I think I will be concluding on dip and entering another dip, world of college.

Understanding Shakespeare & Family Names

It is proven that Shakespeare’s Language is difficult. He uses complex language that we may never have used in that context before. As we read in “Reading Shakespeare’s Language,” “reading Shakespeare’s language can be a problem-but it is a problem that can be solved.” In reading the excerpts on Shakespeare’s language, my fears in reading Shakespearean works was spelled out. However, unlike freshman year when I used to hate to read Romeo and Juliet, I feel that if I take the time to try and understand what Shakespeare is saying, I actually find it enjoyable to read. So far we have read Act 1. At first it was difficult to follow because of Shakespeare’s use of words, sentence structure and references to historical content. However, as I read more and more of Hamlet, I began to adjust to his style of writing and it has become more enjoyable to read.

In class we discussed the origins of our own name and what responsibilities one carries if they hold a family name because in Hamlet Hamlet carries his family's name. Personally, if I were a boy I would have been named Merrick, which is a family name. I would have felt honored to have that name because it is in honor of my grandpa and in memory of my uncle. However, I am a girl, obviously, so I was named Rebecca, which does not have any family significance. I personally would feel proud to have my family name, but carrying a family name also requires responsibility and there is a certain expectation to live up to it as well.

Leaders vs. Laws

This week as I was beginning to write my essay on Antigone and Oedipus the King, I was struggling to find a topic to write about. I kept going back and forth between writing about the law and then writing about leadership. It took me five separate introduction paragraphs, and lots of notes to realize I wanted to write about the relationship between the law and leaders. Combining these two topics opened up a lot of room for discussion. For my blog today I wanted to write about the difference between law and leadership.

The two paralell, yet contrasting topics of law and leadership can be used hand in hand to help guide citizens. Laws are straight foreword guidelines that set the standards and rules, while leaders are more in depth characters that lead by example. There is only one set of written laws, and there are thousands of different types of leaders. There are those who are elected, those who silently lead others, those who are elected through god and there are leaders who simply provide guidance to ordinary people in their life. Although there are different types of law, artificial-made by people and natural- made by god, laws are set in stone and straight forward. I think it is easier to break a law, than to stop following a leader because leaders are more than words. They are personal and human, so they are easier to relate to and fore connections with. As I conclude my thoughts, I want to leave my readers thinking, how do they decide who guides their life? Is it the laws or rules? Or is it the people, their values and morals that guide them?

The Morality of Leaders

This week in class we explored the qualifications of a good leader. We looked at an obvious example of a leader, Martin Luther King, and we looked at Goodwins "Secrets of Great Presidents", which outlined the top ten qualifications of a good president and leader. After gaining all this information on leaders, I thought, so now is there a sole definition of the word leader? The answer is no. I think peoples backgrounds, views of life and morals help them decide what constitutes a leader. For instance, one who is highly religious might view a person different than a person who gains most of their views from the mass media or school.

In our big discussion groups in class this week, we talked about this topic of morals constituting a leader and several different points came up. Some people thought that a leader should lead based on his own personal morals, yet some believed personal morals should not get in the way of leadership. This question regarding morality and leaders is difficult to address. I feel that the only way one can get an accurate answer is to use examples from history and literature. I believe Creon did not really incorporate his own personal morals in Antigone because he had a strong desire for power and strength and left behind his morals instilled by friendship and family to achieve that. However, I believe in some parts of Oedipus the King Oedipus used some of his morals to guide his leadership. For instance, at the end he thought about the fate of himself and impact on his family, and thought the best way to go about this was to gauge his eyes out, so he can bring about a better life for the future for his family.

Law

"The life of man solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. ... The condition of man ... is a condition of war of everyone against everyone" - Thomas Hobbes

Thomas Hobbes, a 17th century philosopher, argued that humans are inevitably bad and they need government to control them. Hobbes' claims bring up a question, do humans need laws or government and what constitutes a fair law? In society there are people who view laws as a vital aspect, yet there are people who view laws as an infringement of rights. As professor Anthony Trollope said, "The law is a great thing, because men are poor and weak, and bad... [And] where it exists in its strength, no tyrant can be above it. But between you and me there should be no mention of law as a guide of Conduct.” I believe he is saying that there are laws that are good, yet at the same time laws should not guide your moral decisions. Both Hobbes and Trollope state that men are poor and need guidance. The statement these two men bring up connects to Antigone in Antigone. Antigone is faced with the dilemma of obeying the laws set by the King, or defying them and doing what is morally correct, which is burying her brother. In essence, this example does not show that humans are inevitably bad. However, it does bring up the question that although man may be essentially bad and need government to keep them in line, are there artificial laws that society should get rid of?

What Fate Has In Store For Us

When I was reading "The Great Encounter" by Paul Roche, the line "it is not what fate has in store for us that matters, but what we do with it when it comes" stuck out to me. This line itself can serve as a guiding point for characters such as Oedipus, because although he has the prophecy and future of his life placed on him, he has the power to alter it through the way he lives his life. This line, however, can also serve as a guiding point for high school students such as myself. Although, personally I did not have my future set out by a prophecy, I have had expectations and guidelines instilled in me. For instance, the question of not going to college was never an option. I am apart of a family who has been attending college for several generations, so it is inevitable that I would go.

I do not know what my exact fate has in store for me, but I know the general path in life I am going to take. In my personal life the line “what we do with it when it comes” is still unclear because currently being a senior in high school I am still trying to figure out what exactly I want and what my life exactly has in store. This sentence from the "The Great Encounter" has not only had an impact on characters like Oedipus, it has sparked many new thoughts about my own actions and pathway in life.

Over Time

For this weeks blog no immediate thoughts jumped into my mind about what to write about, so I decided to visit one of the websites from the 'Blog & Notebook' Handout Mr. Burke gave us. I decided to visit indexed.com. I came across this index card drawing (to the left) and it reminded me of the discussion we had in class regarding the poem of the week, "The Voice You Hear When You Read Silently" by Thomas Lux. The poem talked about the inner voice of a person and how each individual perceives a word in a different way. The author is saying that people learn through experiences and this gained knowledge varies from person to person. I think this index card is saying the more you pay attention, the more you learn as students. This concept is related to the fact that the more you know, the more you can relate to and enjoy a written work. Both Thomas Lux from the poem "The Voice You Hear When You Read Silently" and the index card drawing encourage people to gain knowledge through paying attention and experience, so they can form connections with words and be successful in life.

Jobs, College and "Shop Class as Soulcraft"

This week we read “Shop Class as Soulcraft”, which made me think about the relationship between having a job and having a college education. The character in this work of literature thinks of himself above other people because of his qualifications (master’s degree). The author, Matthew Crawford, explores the idea that people let education put them into an identity and say that their degree is the reason they took that job. In modern times the job world is very tough, my uncle lost his job for several months and despite the fact he is highly intelligent and graduated from Berkley, he still was jobless for quite some time. Situations like these make scared for the real job world, yet they also force me to think, “What do I really want to do when I get older?” I think this is a vital question that everyone should think about because if one is doing what they like to do, then there will be no situations of hate towards ones job discussed in “Shop Class as Soulcraft”, or characters like Bartleby in “Bartleby the Scrivener”.

Richard Cory Poem

When it was time to write our second blog, I wasn't quite sure what to write about, so I went to postsecret.com. I was glancing over the creative, expressive images when I came across this one to the left. After reading it, I immediately thought of the poem of the week that we had read in class, "Richard Cory" by Edwin Arlington Robinson.

The poem depicts a man who apparently had it all, money, intelligence and good looks, but this seemingly perfect man, Richard Cory, decided to "put a bullet through his head". We are not informed why he did this, but we can ultimately conclude that his life was not as fortunate as people thought. The story of Richard Cory is a prime example that one should not judge or make assumptions about a person before they know what their life is like. The lesson learned in the poem "Richard Cory" makes a connection to this image. They both express the idea that a person is different than they appear. In this image the person appears to have a good life, their own house and a great job, but the thing people do not know is that this person dreams about running away every day. This persons life is, or rather was, similar to that of Richard Cory. They are both are fortunate on the outside, but they have hidden motives or problems that people cannot see.

First Week

With the excitement, confusion, joy and sadness of the beginning of a new year, many new thoughts ran through my head about this next year of my life. For my first weekly blog entry I am going to write about my initials thoughts of senior year. When the new faces came onto the field for Buddies Day and when the first period bell rang I felt pretty cool being the oldest person on campus. I have the perks of only having four academic, along with two fun classes and enjoy things like the senior quad and senior sunglasses. In class this week we looked at a piece of art, The Wanderer. I could relate my feeling of being on top and my start of senior year to this painting of a confident man standing on top of a cliff overlooking a sea of fog. I enjoyed looking at this painting because it gave me a chance to step back and think about my life as a senior and comparing it to this man I could see and think of the all the hard, yet fun work ahead of me.

Wanderer

I think the piece of art represents the vast, unknown future and how we all must all conquer it in our own way. The white fog, with an occasional boulder or tree seeping through its mist represents the future itself and the confident looking man standing above it stands for either the conclusion or start of a journey of discovery. I feel that being a senior I can connect with what the artist is trying to represent because I am about to start a journey into a new world of college. In addition, when I look at this painting I can also connect with the feelings of the wanderer as he stares down on the world. His confident stance on the high peek could relate to being a senior because we get to enjoy the perks of being the oldest and are the next to graduate.

First Entry

This is my initial comment to show I have my blog set up.