Final

Page 1

Alec Wilson

Dr. Preston

AP English Literature and Composition

8 June 2015

My Journey

            Before entering this course, I was a bit intimidated. When I looked at the teacher’s name to this course, I saw the prefix “Dr.” and was intimidated. I thought “wow I am in for a very busy and difficult ride with this course” but I went for it. Thinking that this course would be a real pain, it was actually really interesting and open. The whole open source learning caught my attention right off the bat. I should not have been intimidated at all because this course ended up being one of the most interesting courses I have ever taken. A lot of the course was based on our own interests such as our masterpieces (our passions) which was my favorite part. Also everyone was involved and interested in others’ ideas and passions with no negative judgement which made me feel comfortable in the course. With all of these aspects included in the course, my colleagues and I represented a high level of trust which we deserved and honored. With all that this course has offered me, I have espoused learning through the individual experiences throughout the classroom.

            Page 2

            Some of the literary pieces we read related to my journey throughout the entire year; in and out of this course. One literary piece that we read that related to my journey was Hamlet. Hamlet was constantly thinking about if he was doing the right thing or not, just as I do. One struggle that I’ve been having this year is that I’ve been afraid of being wrong and always worried if I’ve been doing the right thing. I’ve been very indecisive and timid when I do make a decision. Towards the end of Hamlets life, he overcomes the problems that he has which is one goal I’ve been working on. Therefore I can relate to Hamlet in this sense. Other literary pieces that we studied in this course related to my journey as well such as Beowolf. The literary pieces we studied held important themes that got me to realize a lot of things and question a lot. This helped me grow throughout my journey. One theme that I took out of the literary pieces as a whole was that personal problems can easily be overcome. Yeah, its cliché but I’ve taken a lot from them such as to not take things so seriously and there is always a solution. I believe this has helped me a lot this year and will continue to help me in the future.

Page 3

            My favorite part of this course that I was the most involved in was my masterpiece. I reconnected with my passion, baseball, and shared my experiences with the class. I didn’t just talk about the sport, I talked about how I gave back to the youth baseball players through umpiring. I was able to go back in time to when I was in that league and see what I could do to help the kids that no one ever helped me with. Not only did I help them with mechanics, even though I am not allowed to do that as an umpire, I helped pick them up when they were down and said things that will help benefit them. Basically, I’ve been in disguise to help these kids because I want to be a role model for the next generation. Helping these kids while they’re at such a young age is very important. “It is where it all starts” is what I say all of the time, and it is true. They need the correct lessons at this age so that they can grow with the right tools in hand. This was my motive with umpiring and I hope to find other ways to connect with the youth because it is very important. Another example of connecting with the youth and giving back was Sierra’s, Hannah’s, and Judith’s presentation which was very cool. Melissa and Victoria were able to share insight on what homelessness is really like. They learned a lot from the homeless people the interviewed and gave back to them as well. Noah is working on giving us teenagers a voice along with reducing world suck. Siera also gave insight on homelessness and put the cherry on top to Melissa and Victoria’s presentation. All of these individuals gave back to the community, including myself, which is very special. All of the presentations that I saw were honestly so interesting. Being able to see what other people were interested in and sharing it with the class was awesome! These presentations helped me realize that we are all powerful and can make a difference. A lot of other presentations were hilarious, such as Miles’ and Elmo’s videos. It was really cool to see how excited Miles was to show the videos and to hear nothing but great things afterwards. Susel’s cultural video was also very cool and interesting. The music was positive and there was nothing but smiles and goofiness in all of her pictures which was really humbling. If one presentation was a little more serious, it was just fine because the next one was always happy and laid back. This was by far the best way to end the course.

Page 4

            I would say that I am the hero in my bildungsroman. Before going into this course, I was intimidated by all of the smartness in one room. I had no confidence in myself and I was afraid to share my ideas or thoughts because I didn’t want to be wrong. Truth is, this course changed that. After seeing everyone share their ideas and thoughts and others not judging, I slowly became better with it. I overcame this problem and it showed when I shared my masterpiece. I had no visuals or videos for my presentation and I was nervous because I usually use that as a crutch. But, after being able to trust everyone in the class, I went with the spoken word and shared my masterpiece and so far everyone was interested and enjoyed it. This course was not only able to help my with the English portion, but it was also able to help me overcome some struggles that I had. I am forever thankful for this course. Thank you Dr. Preston.

Kleenex Box

Today, in Dr. Preston’s class, I noticed a Kleenex box that had a special message on the side of it. It said something like "do something nice for someone today!" Or something like that. It has been in my head all day for some reason and I knew it would eventually mean something by the end of the day.  The message was in a very odd place which is why I believe it was stuck in my head all day.  So to the point, it meant something for me today, not for anyone else.  This isn't about me doing something nice for someone but rather some people doing something nice to me.  

After my baseball game today, I was upset about a decision my coach made in the game that affected me.  I thought of all of that I've been through with the coaches and how many of their decisions do not help the players get better, but instead chip away at players confidence and self esteem. Today, I see this a lot with coaching, especially when I umpire little league games which ties back with my masterpiece. 

Back to my point, the coaches I have dealt with, whether it's umpiring or playing, have not worked to instill confidence in their players (including me), but instead work to make decisions to promote their own agendas.  I have seen a lot of it and it kills me and other players in pursuing their career in the sport they love.  Therefore, I wanted to take the time thank a couple of coaches from the past who themselves through words and actions, took the time to make sure I knew they had full confidence in me as a player, a competitor and most importantly as a person.  They were the ones who kept me involved with the sport I love and I can't thank them enough.  Not only did they have confidence in me with the sport, but also in life.  These are the kinds of coaches we need in high school and below.  They will encourage and give kids the confidence they need to thrive in the sport as well as life.  So with that, it is obvious that they too read the Kleenex Box

Macbeth Character Maps

Love is blind

To the audience, Lady Macbeth seems to be an evil lady. She is a savage as some would say In which she does whatever she can to make her husband the king. She makes her husband do evil things to become king and has no regrets for it. To me she is seen as a ruthless, spoiled lady in which she will do whatever she wants to get what she wants. Macbeth on the other hand sees her as motivation and an authority figure who knows what's best for him. He goes through plenty of guilt because of what she makes him do but he knows it will help him become king. He questions her decisions for him and doesn't agree but is too weak to make his own decisions. Lady Macbeth sees her husband as almost less of a man because she is stronger and more brave than he is. Macbeths only way to prove that he is more of a man is by doing the things she says. 

Act 1 Study Questions

1.1

1. Beginning the play with a dialogue between the witches sets the mood to be dark, evil, and mysterious. This foreshadows the plot, theme, and mood for the future of the story in the same manner. In comparison of Shakespeare's other plays, Macbeth requires more ambiguity and the syntax and diction used needs to be more bleak. For example, Hamlet highlighted the themes of betrayal and complexity of relationships and power. Even though, the theme falls in the same ballpark with Macbeth, the gloominess of the plot of Macbeth overpowers that of Hamlet. In the beginning of the play, the witches were going to meet Macbeth at the "ere of sunset." Line 10 was "Paddock calls" and line 11 was "Anon." The phrase paddock class means a toad, which symbolizes transformation. The word anon means soon or shortly. The "toad" and it's transformation could metaphorically be compared to Macbeth and his evolving and transforming to be a completely different person or even having a transformation in his status and power. The witch's response as anon signifies how Macbeth will shortly have a transformation - to be declared a thane. 

1.2

1. The bloody seargent indirectly characterizes Macbeth by glorifying his actions towards Macdonwald. Macdonwald is a rebel who was executed. He tried to attack them. Macbeth executed macdonwald with his sword. This did not end the fight with the rebels, the Norwegians are still attacking.

2. The traitor was the Thane of Cawdor, as we learn from Ross. Duncan says that its a relief the thane of cawdor was executed and that Macbeth now owns his previous title.

1.3

1. The witches speech gives a first look at Macbeth and his wife without saying who they are. Indirect characterization of the two. Similar to Hamlet where he gives a mini synopsis early in the story. "Weird" in Shakespeare's day meant future seers not weird as we know it, prophecy and destiny. Shakespeare means that Macbeth's wife has him by the balls. They  cast a spell to control his destiny. 

2. Macbeth says something very similar to what the witches said at the beginning of the play. This could be him falling into the destiny the witches set up. Dried, chapped fingers, gender ambiguity, hairy, old, they have literal beards. The witches tell Macbeth that he will thane of Candor and eventually King, right then he finds out he is thane of Cawdor. Banquo asked the witch why they had nothing for him, they told him he is lesser but greater than Macbeth. We knew he was thane before he was thane.
3. Banquo says the witches were a figment of their imagination that they lie or that they are hallucinating. Macbeth learns that he is thane of Cawdor from Ross and Angus. During lines 114-156 he was going over his plan in his head and how everything had just happened to him. He acts very happy and shows no incredulity at being thane. Macbeth's aside shows him rationalizing what happened to him and he begins to think that he is going to be King soon. Macbeth tells Banquo that he is happy and excited and nothing more he explains his behavior by saying he is confused.

1.4

1. Cawdor was executed after openly confessing his treason and pleading for mercy. Malcolm tried to stick up for the thane, but the king responds by basically saying that you can't trust a man according to his face. He doesn't believe the thane was truly repentant.

2. The king greets them by saying that he can never repay them enough for their good deeds, but announces he will leave all his estate and names his son, Malcolm, prince of Cumberland. He then proposes that they go to Macbeth's castle at Inverness. Macbeth tells himself that the only way to be king is to get rid of Malcolm, and even though he'll be appalled at his action, he must do it.

1.5

1. Macbeth was honest with his wife when he informs her of his new title as "Thane of Cawdor." He refers to the witches as "weird sisters" probably because he doesn't want her know that he is associated with the "evil servants."

Lady Macbeth responds by saying that she thinks Macbeth is playng things off as if everything is fine. By saying "but be the serpent under't", she describes him as someone that lies to make everything appear under control. This doesn't really match the characterization of Macbeth so far in the story which implies that there is something the audience doesn't know about him. 

2. The wife was confident about the guests visit. She also seemed prepared and a little cocky about the way her and her husband would handle it.

3. Lady Macbeth. Yes she wants to kill Duncan. No, he isn't sure whether he wants to follow through with Lady Macbeths orders or not. She tells him not to let Duncan see tomorrow.

4. The question appears to answer itself. 
1.6

1. The opening speeches (1.6.1-10) describe how the surroundings of the castle are "pleasant" and the air is sweet-maybe even too sweet. From the outside, the castle appears to be paradise.

Lady Macbeth's welcome is formal. Her language is totally different from her language in the previous scene which shows how fake and dishonest her welcome was.

1.7

1. "If it were done when 'tis done then 'twere well." If it were done when it was done it was done well. (Meaning if he completed the death quickly and efficiently and with no complications then he did the job well.) Macbeth is determined to kill the king and be done with him but in lines 1-12 he is fearful of how the "inventor" will judge his actions. He's violating the hospitality of his kinship and responsibilities as a host towards his guest by trying to kill his guest instead of protecting them. The motivation that Macbeth attributes to himself in lines 25-28 is the attribute of an Arabic heaven-like God. He will be seen as a "God" and that is his source of motivation to get the job done.
2. In lines 28-30 she is complaining about him leaving the chamber because it was  almost time for dinner. Macbeth responds to her complaining by saying did he ask for me? And lady Macbeth says don't you know he did? The positions are lady Macbeth is ready for the King to be killed while Macbeth is still hesitant and on the fence about it. Macbeth convinced Lady Macbeth by explaining that he is an respected person and doesn't want to lose his honor while Lady Macbeth convinces Macbeth by convincing him to gain the power and kill the king. The stronger person in the scene is Lady Macbeth because  she's more verbally confident in her argument while convincing Macbeth to kill the King. 

More on my masterpiece...

Unless you’ve been completely ignoring the news lately, most of you probably know a new official just got hired for an on field position in the National Football League (NFL).  Before I go on, it’s important you know there are differences between the titles of officials in various sports.  For example, in football the official with the white hat provides the announcements and signals on television.  He is called the referee and is the crew chief.  He leads a crew of 6-7 other officials who may be called an umpire, line judge, headlinesman, field judge, side judge, center judge or back judge.  In baseball, the officials are generally called umpires.  In basketball and soccer, the officials are generally called referees.  Interestingly though, most people simply refer to all sports officials as either referees or umpires.

So back to my point about one the new officials hired – a line judge to be specific – in the NFL.   Football officials are being recruited and hired by the NFL every year, but this year is different.  This year the first woman just entered the NFL as an official.  My thoughts on this are iffy. I feel as if this is all for media attention and provides a political platform for the NFL to showcase that it embraces “diversity”.   (This can also go back to the conversation we had in class about men and women in the workforce). 

What I will say is that my dad, being a football official for ever 32 years and working his way up from high school, junior college, Division III, Division II and into the PAC-12 (NCAA Division I), Arena Football League, NFL Europe and The United Football League has worked for many years to get into the NFL.  This year was definitely his best shot and he was one of the few who was invited into the coveted NFL Advanced Development Program.  He has had formal interviews, extensive background checking, psychological testing all while maintaining his status as one of the top NFL candidates in the United States.  Just this past January, those who working in hiring for the NFL, during yet another meeting told him he was “fully qualified” to work in the NFL for this upcoming season.  Add to that, they indicated he possesses every quality as a professional and official that would be a good fit for the NFL.  

Well, as fate would have it my dad did not get the call.  The NFL is trying something new this year and are holding back on my dad for now.   But I have seen the work my dad has put in for many years and I think he 100% deserves a shot.  Having a woman who has worked very hard to make it into the NFL is okay with me.  But, having a woman get hired by the NFL who does not have the experience or resume like the many well qualified officials she passed does not sit well with me.  Hand picking and creating a career for an official because she is a woman with the idea it will create positive press  just doesn't make sense to me and it hurts many of the officials, including my dad, who have worked very hard to try and make it into the NFL.

Having a woman officiate in the NFL will change a lot of things for a lot of people.  One of the most basic of these things will be the need to create a separate locker room!  I have been to big stadiums with my dad and most are not equipped for officials to require two separate rooms. Also, she will have to learn to cope with these massive players and her liability of getting seriously injured is at a very high level.  To me it seems iffy to bring her in but it will be interesting to see how it goes.  Feel free to comment your point of view on this. I am open to conversation.

College

So it looks like I am headed to Boise State! This has been my number one choice ever since I was little because I visit there all of the time and love it. I have family who lives there and we take an annual trip every summer and I love it. I worked my way to get the WUE scholarship that will cut my tuition in half. Although I'm not the best test taker I took many classes for the SAT and got the score I needed for the scholarship. So with that I am excited for what the University has to offer. 

This semesters future

I could sit here and stay up late and try and catch up on all of the work I missed, but I think there is not any value to it because I am not feeling too well right now and my effort will most likely not be 100%. I am struggling in a couple of my other classes, including this one, obviously, and I am taking small steps and trying to improve. Baseball is also taking some of my time but I will agree that these are lame excuses and it is unacceptable. I am having trouble finding motivation this year along with a lot of my colleagues that I have collaborated with. But, I need to overcome that and work. "Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above them"- Washington Irving. I recently found this quote when I was having trouble with baseball and how the coaching staff was taking care of things.... which I will say I do not agree with. But I can also apply this quote to anything and use it to help find my motivation. Last thing, just because my posts are not up to date and it looks like I just sit in the corner and do not participate, I really do think about all of the things that we do in class and out of class and everything is very interesting to me. So with that, I will find my motivation and show that I take the things that we do in class and think about them by posting more on my blog. No exceptions.

Masterpiece in progress

So, my masterpiece is on the go. My topic is baseball as you all may know, and I am umpiring little league and learning how it all goes down. I am also collaborating with my dad every once in a while at home about certain aspects of umpiring that will be helpful for me to understand and take to the field. My dad umpires football for the PAC-12 conference and is working his way up to the NFL. He and I are both working to get to the next level but he is more advanced which can help me a lot. I am also researching certain aspects of professional baseball umpiring and learning from there. I am enjoying the experience so far and wish to continue and learn a lot. 

Huxley Essay

    Conformity, in today's society, seems to be the only way to be socially accepted. Many people struggle with conformity in society but often question themselves as to why. One character who exhibits this trait is Bernard in Audis Huxley's Brave New World. Huxley shows us that everyone is different even with a utopian society, and Bernard personifies this idea.
   
 

    

Seeking Mentor

There are plenty of mentors out there for my masterpiece including my dad and my boss for umpiring. My dad, being a sports official, can relate to the criticism from the mistakes he's made in officiating football. Although he officiates football and I umpire baseball, he goes through the same process. He is a great mentor because he officiates at high level, and is working his way to the NFL. He has shared a lot of his experiences with me and they have helped me so far. My boss alone is my mentor as well in which he helps me with the mechanics and rules of the game of baseball. Although I have those two mentors, I would like to have a mentor who is at a higher league in baseball umpiring. I would talk to him about his experiences and what I should do differently so that I can be better and possibly move up from league to league. 

Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley was born on July 26th, 1894, In England. Huxley came from a smart family and was the third of 4 children. His whole family was successful so he was pretty much bound to be as well. His brother was a biologist and he was known for his theories of evolution. His grandfather was a naturalist and was known as "Darwin's bulldog". His father was a writer and his mother was related to a famous poet. Soon after Huxley graduated Hillside school, he was traumatized by the death of his mother and sister. After this, he decided to follow his brothers' footsteps by going to Eaton and then Oxford University. By the time he was 16 he got keratitis and was blind for two years which disqualified him from serving in WW1. Soon after he recovered he graduated with a First in English Literature and taught it at Oxford University. By 1915, his literary life began as he joined the circle of Lady Ottoline Morell at Garsington Manor. Here he met many famous writers and was very influenced which led him to his successful writing career. 

Vocabulary #7

Circumlocution - noun an indirect way of expressing something; a style that involves indirect ways of expressing things
Classicism - noun a movement in literature and art during the 17th and 18th centuries in Europe that favored rationality and restraint and strict forms
Cliché- An overused expression. A sentence or phrase usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea.
Climax - noun the decisive moment in a novel or play; arrangement of clauses in ascending order of forcefulness; the highest point of anything conceived of as growing or developing or unfolding; the most severe stage of a disease; the moment of most intense pleasure in sexual intercourse; verb end, especially to reach a final or climactic stage
Colloquialism - noun a colloquial expression; characteristic of spoken or written communication that seeks to imitate informal speech
Comedy - noun light and humorous drama with a happy ending; a comic incident or series of incidents
Conflict - noun an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); an incompatibility of dates or events; opposition between two simultaneous but incompatible feelings; opposition in a work of drama or fiction between characters or forces (especially an opposition that motivates the development of the plot); a state of opposition between persons or ideas or interests; a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; a disagreement or argument about something important; verb go against, as of rules and laws; be in conflict
Connotation - noun an idea that is implied or suggested; what you must know in order to determine the reference of an expression
Contrast - noun the act of distinguishing by comparing differences; the range of optical density and tone on a photographic negative or print (or the extent to which adjacent areas on a television screen differ in brightness); the perceptual effect of the juxtaposition of very different colors; the opposition or dissimilarity of things that are compared; a conceptual separation or distinction; verb put in opposition to show or emphasize differences; to show differences when compared; be different
Denotation - noun the most direct or specific meaning of a word or expression; the class of objects that an expression refers to; the act of indicating or pointing out by name
Denouement - noun the final resolution of the main complication of a literary or dramatic work; the outcome of a complex sequence of events
Dialect - noun the usage or vocabulary that is characteristic of a specific group of people
Dialectics - noun a rationale for dialectical materialism based on change through the conflict of opposing forces
Dichotomy - noun being twofold; a classification into two opposed parts or subclasses
Diction - noun the manner in which something is expressed in words; the articulation of speech regarded from the point of view of its intelligibility to the audience
Didactic - adj. instructive (especially excessively)
Dogmatic - adj. characterized by assertion of unproved or unprovable principles; relating to or involving dogma; of or pertaining to or characteristic of a doctrine or code of beliefs accepted as authoritative
Elegy - noun a mournful poem; a lament for the dead
Epic - adj. very imposing or impressive; surpassing the ordinary (especially in size or scale); constituting or having to do with or suggestive of a literary epic; noun a long narrative poem telling of a hero's deeds
Epigram - noun a witty saying

Hacking my Education

This semester I want to put a little more work in than I did last semester. I want to stay more involved and make sure I get more work done. The biggest thing I want to focus on is my masterpiece in which I want to expand on. I also am also  interested in seeing my classmates masterpieces and how they come out. I am also interested in the novels we will be reading. Another thing I hope for that we did last semester is class discussions and collaborations. The discussion/collaborations help me understand what it is we are talking about a lot more which helps me in the long run. They are beneficial because I am able to listen to others ideas and interpretations. I am curious to see how this semester will go but I hope it's fun. 

My Masterpiece

• My topic is Baseball and the reason I became interested in it is because I have been playing ever since I was little and love the game. Also I was asked in class what I am passionate about and baseball was the first thing to pop into my head. I care about baseball so much because it has been a big part of my life and I learn a lot from it. I love to talk about baseball and what is going on in the major leagues(politics). Baseball has had a big affect on my life which is another reason I care about it so much.
• Baseball has already had an affect on my life but it will have an affect in the future as well whether I decide to keep playing after high school or not. Since I have learned a lot about baseball and hope to learn more, I thought it would be a good idea to help others that are interested in learning/playing the game. One plan that I thought would be good is setting up a clinic for young ball players and talk about my baseball experience and what I have gained from it to hopefully help them in their future. Another idea would be to have someone film my whole season and make a slideshow and talk about the experience and how much I have learned from the game. One more idea I thought of was meeting with a professional baseball player that is local like Robin Ventura and just talk baseball. This can help me apply my experience to my idea of the clinic. I also hit with a professional coach for the Chicago Cubs and have learned a lot from him which is also a major resource.

There is still a lot of room for me to expand on my masterpiece which I will do throughout this semester.