Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Sophomore Year: Halfway Done!

Looking back on my experience of my sophomore year, not a lot can be said except the year is going by fast! Compared to last year, this year is not near as fun for many reasons.

Sports is a major reason. I did so much better last year in cross country than I did this year. This year we still won state, an exciting exception. I love playing basketball, but this year is not turning out how I would like the season to turn out. I wish we could go undefeated this year like we did last year, but that is not going to happen. Win or lose, I still love playing basketball.

Another reason is my boyfriend. I got to see him so much more last year. Even though I have not seen him as much this year, we are still going strong. I am very grateful for that.

My classes are not as fun this year either. I have many friends, but most of them are older, so I do not have classes with any of them. They would make my classes so much better. Also, the work in the classes is not as interesting as the work was last year, with the exception of a few classes.

Because half my sophomore year has turned out somewhat boring, I am going to work toward making the rest so much better! I hopefully will succeed in doing so. I would like to add that I am so happy to have a break from school! :)

Fate Is Greater Than Freewill

Looking through Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, the fate of the people shows to be greater than their freewill. The fate of the people in the story controls their life more than they control their life. Most of them live their lives based on omens, soothsayers' predictions, signs from dreams, and etc. If these signs say an event is going to happen, then the event is going to happen.

For example, in the story, a soothsayer warns Caesar to "beware the ides of March". As the story turns out, Caesar dies on March fifteenth, the ides of March.

Another example is Calphurnia's dreams. All the events happening in her dream, such as a lioness whelping in the streets, suggest to her that something dangerous is going to happen to Caesar. As fate wanted the situation to happen, something dangerous did happen to Caesar.

Many omens throughout the book suggest the fate of people. An omen to Cassius in the battle of Philippi suggests the defeat of him and all his armies. Expecting defeat, Cassius and Brutus say their farewells to each other. As the omen suggested, they were defeated in the battle.

With these examples, I found the theme of Julius Caesar to show the audience nothing can be done to control fate. What is going to happen will happen no matter what.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Leadership

Recently, our class has been listening to Julius Caesar, a play written by William Shakespeare. Many characters in the book claim to be leaders, but I see only one as a true leader. That character is Mark Antony.

In his speeches, found in Act 3, Scene 2, he shows traits of leadership because he persuades a crowd to think a different way than they did just a few moments before. Hearing Brutus' speech, the crowd thought that Caesar's assassination was a good idea, but after listening to Antony speak, they changed their minds. They began to see Brutus and the other conspirators as "traitors" and "villains" and were outraged with their actions. Because Antony was able to change the minds of the people to think like him, he shows true leadership traits.

Today, many people have to show the same leadership qualities that Antony did. For example, in order for a candidate in a political position to get people to vote for them, they have to persuade those people to think that their way is right, and their opponent's way is wrong. Only then can they gain the people's trust in being a leader.



Tuesday, November 11, 2008

My Life In Quotes

I have recently finished "The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective Teens" by Sean Covey through Habit 6. Only one more Habit to go! Yay! :) I titled my post "My Life In Quotes" because I have a tendency to relate my life to quotes I find, and since this book is filled with them, I have found many I can relate to or like.

Looking back at all of the quotes throughout the book, the quote by Basketball Olympian Deborah Miller Palmore, found in Habit 6, has come to be my favorite so far. In this quote she said, "Even when you've played the game of your life, it's the feeling of teamwork that you'll remember. You'll forget the plays, the shots, and the scores, but you'll never forget your teammates."

Habit 6 is about synergy and working well with others. I can relate to this quote because I play basketball. I know how well you have to work with others in order for the game to be successful. One person cannot be too conceited in thinking they are going to be able to win the game by themselves. Basketball just does not work that way. The game takes a little work from everyone. That feeling of teamwork just gives me a rush in knowing I had others to help me. I will never forget any of my teammates, but I may not always remember the stats of the game.

Life is the same way. Working with other people just makes tasks easier because everyone helps in the success. You are not in this alone. When something is too hard for you to finish by yourself, someone is out there who is willing to help you. Take advantage of the help because tasks are a whole lot easier to complete with the help of others.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

TEENAGE SUCCESS

I have recently been reading Sean Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens and have completed the book through Habit 4. I have already learned a lot from each Habit I have read. I can agree that this book can help in being a guide for teenagers looking for more success in their lives. The book is filled with many interesting anecdotes and quotes, ones that relate to each Habit, that I can connect with and that give me a better understanding of each Habit. Habits 1-3 teach teenagers how to deal with relationships with themselves, while Habit 4 teaches teenagers how to deal with their relationships with others. Here is a quick overview of the Habits I have read:

  • Habit 1 simply teaches teenagers to be proactive. This means they should take responsibility of their own life and live it to the best of their abilities without making choices that they will later regret. In other words, Habit 1 means only the person can live their life, so they should live their life to the best of their abilities.
  • Habit 2 teaches teenagers to begin with an end in mind. This explanation is clear. Teenagers should know what they are doing before they start doing anything. If not, they will get lost and not know what they really want out of what they are doing.
  • Habit 3 teaches teenagers to put the most important tasks first. This Habit tells teenagers they need to become "The Prioritizer" and learn how to fit everything they need to do into an organized schedule, one that fits their lifestyle.
  • Getting into the relationship with others part of the book, Habit 4 teaches teenagers to think win-win. This means that everyone involved wins. No one feels like they did not get their way or feels inferior to the other. Teenagers are able to do this through first getting secure with themselves and then working to avoid competing and comparing, "The Tumor Twins".

After reading Habits 1-4, I am ready to see what the rest of the Habits, Habits 5-7, have in store for me.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Sci-Fi As A Genre Of Choice? NO THANKS

After reading The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, science fiction is not a genre I would pick unless assigned or highly recommended to me. The genre just does not interest me.

I have a hard time relating to the action taking place in a sci-fi story, and most of the time, the story is difficult for me to follow. The references to other events are sometimes ones I know nothing about. The setting and actions taking place within a sci-fi story are often hard for me to imagine because of their complex creativity.

Also, just like in The Time Machine and many other sci-fi stories, the story's ending leaves people hanging or takes many series to come to. I would rather read a story which has an ending that leaves me satisfied.

On the other hand, if I have to read a sci-fi story, I will, while understanding the story to the best of my ability. In addition to that, although The Time Machine was not as satisfying was I would have liked, the book was somewhat interesting and would be a good read for some.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Our Next Leader: John McCain

John McCain would make a very good president for our wonderful nation. I agree with many of his political issues and so do many other people. He has a lot of experience and would help our nation to prosper.




This is an excerpt from my draft of Letters to the Next President :
"Also, just as you do, I believe life begins at the moment of conception and unborn babies should have the same rights all other humans are provided. I also coincide with you in saying that if the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest or would harm the life of the mother, abortion is acceptable.




Unlike you think, though, testing should be done on the women who claims to have been raped. This testing procedure should be taken so that woman are not using rape as an excuse to abort in the case of an unwanted pregnancy. The issue of abortion and sex education should be stressed more to the women in our country, so they will think before they force an unwanted pregnancy on themselves."



If John McCain becomes President, our nation will improve and succeed.

CHARLIE : New World Hero

Charlie is perfect in the emotional, physical, and mental aspects of his life. First, he surges with emotional stability. He controls his emotions and expresses the right emotion for the situation. Never is he overly emotional or not emotional enough. Secondly, his physical abilities enable him to do anything. He has an endurance and speed that exceeds even the greatest Olympic runners, the ones who hold world records. The strength of even the greatest body builders does not even begin to compare to the strength he embodies. His physical abilities are said to be countless. Last but not least, mentally, he prepares himself for all problems put before him, especially problems of even the greatest difficulty. His mind overflows with all of the knowledge ever known. He shows full capability of thinking quickly in times of need, even when all others would panic. Charlie's emotional, physical, and mental states exhibit the features of an ideal leader, one who runs a successful world.