Today, I've had a Beowulf test, derivative test, Frankenstein quiz, trebuchet launching, aggregate expenditure test, and una prueba de los partes del cuerpo, and I'm functioning on less than an hour of sleep. My brain has been thoroughly fried and scrambled, and spell check is flagging practically every word I type.
And I have the SAT tomorrow. Blehhhhh.
In other news, the shirts that I designed for choir came in today, and they're super rad. I'll post pictures as soon as I get a new camera.
Showing posts with label ap english. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ap english. Show all posts
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Little Orphan Antigone
After we finished Oedipus, we began reading Antigone, the third tragedy in the Oedipus trilogy. Because my class is so boring when they play emotional characters, I volunteered to read for Antigone. I love this play. Antigone is crazy passionate, and a total reb--she's basically the coolest person ever. My English teacher said that the part suits me well.
A large part of the play is intended to be sung, so I channeled my inner Sinead O'Connor. This was really funny, because another character sang his lines in a jazzy-bluegrass style. The contrast was absolutely perfect, although I couldn't focus on what was actually being said. I'll try to get it on video and post it later--hope fully we'll sing again.
I was oddly not nervous, and I have just about the worst nerves in existence. However, I do sit in the front row, so I didn't dwell on the fact that there were 38 other people in the room, some of whom I know sing far better than I do.
A large part of the play is intended to be sung, so I channeled my inner Sinead O'Connor. This was really funny, because another character sang his lines in a jazzy-bluegrass style. The contrast was absolutely perfect, although I couldn't focus on what was actually being said. I'll try to get it on video and post it later--hope fully we'll sing again.
I was oddly not nervous, and I have just about the worst nerves in existence. However, I do sit in the front row, so I didn't dwell on the fact that there were 38 other people in the room, some of whom I know sing far better than I do.
Monday, September 13, 2010
My Fatigue is Showing!
I checked my grades today, and I noticed that my grades decrease as the day progresses. Perhaps I get so worn out by the end of the day that I don't put through the effort? Or maybe my classes get progressively harder? Strange. (Are you confused as to how I have a higher grade in AP Calculus than Choir? So am I.)
In other news, season 4 of Gossip Girl premiered! However, this episode was purely mediocre. It seems like this is the exact same plot with Blair as the beginning of season 2, where she was dated a royal who was trying not to show that he was a royal, but she ended up falling for him because he spilled the beans. Writer's block? I don't know how I feel about this Juliet plot--they always give Nate these relationships that are completely irrelevant to anyone but Nate (i.e. Bree, Vanessa in the beginning). Don't get me wrong, I love me some Nate Archibald, but the show could easily progress without him. Or Vanessa, for the matter--what exactly was the point of her being in this episode? She served literally no purpose whatsoever, other than to show that Jessica Szohr is still in the cast. Since the character was introduced, she's just been... there. I think the Georgina drama is way overdone: she leaves, comes back saying that she's changed, and then people cause her to go crazy and she ruins everybody's lives. And then she comes back, and does it again. Basically, everything that did not involve Chuck Bass was poop.
All in all, I was not impressed with the bulk of it, but the ending was fairly strong. By the way, how is it possible that Ed Westwick and Hugh Laurie can make a cane look attractive?
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Sun Block
I'd like to apologize to my billions of readers for not posting over the past week. Sorry, pal.
In English, we've been writing sample college essays and resumes. I originally wrote my essay about religion, but decided it was too harsh and scrapped it. And then I wrote an essay about being pale. Sort of. It's actually about instant gratification and planning, with tanning as an extended metaphor. Read it for yourself. (If you plagiarize this, I'll bite your head off and then write an even better essay.)
I am fair, pale, and pasty. As a result of my lack of melanin, blemishes and bruises stain my translucent skin. I cake on SPF 85 sun block religiously, while many other girls subject their body to intense amounts of UV radiation from tanning salons and Texas heat on a weekly basis. An even larger sector of the female demographic relies on fake tanning, giving them a yellow-orange tinge that leads me to believe they have jaundice or scurvy. The beauty of artificial tanning never ceases to astound me.
A substantial portion of my student body flocks to Boca Tanning Salon, which says a lot about my peers—upper class, concerned with appearances, and orange. I have never felt the need to enter a tanning bed or paint myself with darkening oils and lotions, partially because strawberry blondes are legally obligated to be pale, and also because the dangers of UV rays have been pounded into my head by my parents and campy videos from health class. Downsides and side affects to tanning salons and bronzers litter the pages of magazines and newspapers—practically every US citizen has witnessed both the gruesome images of melanoma and comically stereotyped Italians from the Jersey Shore. The dangers multiply as the fad progresses: from orange hands to awkward tan lines, from wrinkles to cancer. Tanning has accumulated a massive amount of negative propaganda--thus, the motive behind fake tanning must lie in instant gratification: getting what pays off now, rather than what pays off later. Sun bathers risk potential cancer, wrinkles, and sun spots for the current standards of beauty. However, this surprises no one. People make choices that are immediately convenient, and they have done so since the beginning of time—this truth transcends culture and geography.
Personally, I do not comprehend the alien concept of instant gratification. I plan. I list. I budget my time and finances, analyze all of the options, and make decisions after thoroughly evaluating cost. From my experience, goals can only be accomplished if they are set. However, my peers live in the moment, not merely in the realm of skin care habits, but also in reference to college, career decisions, and extra-curricular activities. Their spontaneity and lack of thought frustrate me to no end—the people around me are incredible. They were born to succeed and to become leaders; they are intelligent and thought-provoking, and I envy them. Yet they attend state school, return to their home town, marry, and make exact replicas of themselves who enter the cycle with their parents and grandparents. An immensely intelligent friend of mine dreams of attending a prestigious university and entering the Peace Corps, yet doesn’t bother to apply because he doesn’t believe he can find the resources to attend. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted a large part of his career to ensuring that educational opportunities were universally available, and yet, few people actually pursue their dreams. In Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Emily asks, “Do people ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?” I can’t comprehend why people don’t realize how incredible they truly are and utilize their potential, or why no one looks beyond state boundaries to a future of success and passion and fulfilled potential. Most people could do so much more, be so much more if they gave more thought as to who they want to be in the future. Instead, they lay in tanning beds and follow the path that is most immediately convenient.
I pray that applying sun block and planning and thinking ahead will come back in style by the time my generation takes the reins. Not everyone should share my own habits and beliefs, but the world needs realists and planners to be representatives for future generations as opposed to only their own. Planning, budgeting, and allocating resources could potentially save billions of dollars in removing metaphorical cancer spots from a society that is too focused on instant gratification, if people would step out of their tanning beds and take notice. The world needs more sun block.
That's the rough draft. If you don't believe I'm obnoxiously pale, here's a picture:
See? I'm surprised I don't sparkle.
In English, we've been writing sample college essays and resumes. I originally wrote my essay about religion, but decided it was too harsh and scrapped it. And then I wrote an essay about being pale. Sort of. It's actually about instant gratification and planning, with tanning as an extended metaphor. Read it for yourself. (If you plagiarize this, I'll bite your head off and then write an even better essay.)
I am fair, pale, and pasty. As a result of my lack of melanin, blemishes and bruises stain my translucent skin. I cake on SPF 85 sun block religiously, while many other girls subject their body to intense amounts of UV radiation from tanning salons and Texas heat on a weekly basis. An even larger sector of the female demographic relies on fake tanning, giving them a yellow-orange tinge that leads me to believe they have jaundice or scurvy. The beauty of artificial tanning never ceases to astound me.
A substantial portion of my student body flocks to Boca Tanning Salon, which says a lot about my peers—upper class, concerned with appearances, and orange. I have never felt the need to enter a tanning bed or paint myself with darkening oils and lotions, partially because strawberry blondes are legally obligated to be pale, and also because the dangers of UV rays have been pounded into my head by my parents and campy videos from health class. Downsides and side affects to tanning salons and bronzers litter the pages of magazines and newspapers—practically every US citizen has witnessed both the gruesome images of melanoma and comically stereotyped Italians from the Jersey Shore. The dangers multiply as the fad progresses: from orange hands to awkward tan lines, from wrinkles to cancer. Tanning has accumulated a massive amount of negative propaganda--thus, the motive behind fake tanning must lie in instant gratification: getting what pays off now, rather than what pays off later. Sun bathers risk potential cancer, wrinkles, and sun spots for the current standards of beauty. However, this surprises no one. People make choices that are immediately convenient, and they have done so since the beginning of time—this truth transcends culture and geography.
Personally, I do not comprehend the alien concept of instant gratification. I plan. I list. I budget my time and finances, analyze all of the options, and make decisions after thoroughly evaluating cost. From my experience, goals can only be accomplished if they are set. However, my peers live in the moment, not merely in the realm of skin care habits, but also in reference to college, career decisions, and extra-curricular activities. Their spontaneity and lack of thought frustrate me to no end—the people around me are incredible. They were born to succeed and to become leaders; they are intelligent and thought-provoking, and I envy them. Yet they attend state school, return to their home town, marry, and make exact replicas of themselves who enter the cycle with their parents and grandparents. An immensely intelligent friend of mine dreams of attending a prestigious university and entering the Peace Corps, yet doesn’t bother to apply because he doesn’t believe he can find the resources to attend. Martin Luther King Jr. devoted a large part of his career to ensuring that educational opportunities were universally available, and yet, few people actually pursue their dreams. In Our Town by Thornton Wilder, Emily asks, “Do people ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?” I can’t comprehend why people don’t realize how incredible they truly are and utilize their potential, or why no one looks beyond state boundaries to a future of success and passion and fulfilled potential. Most people could do so much more, be so much more if they gave more thought as to who they want to be in the future. Instead, they lay in tanning beds and follow the path that is most immediately convenient.
I pray that applying sun block and planning and thinking ahead will come back in style by the time my generation takes the reins. Not everyone should share my own habits and beliefs, but the world needs realists and planners to be representatives for future generations as opposed to only their own. Planning, budgeting, and allocating resources could potentially save billions of dollars in removing metaphorical cancer spots from a society that is too focused on instant gratification, if people would step out of their tanning beds and take notice. The world needs more sun block.
That's the rough draft. If you don't believe I'm obnoxiously pale, here's a picture:
See? I'm surprised I don't sparkle.P.S. Sorry for making both a Twilight and Jersey Shore reference in one post. My AP Economics teacher is obsessed with pop culture, and I think she's rubbing off on me.
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