End of the Semester

The end of the semester is approaching, and I just want to make a post about our team. It was been a blast doing stuff with them on tuesday, like bringing snacks, and getting off task - though we do get our assignments done. The Extrapolators is DEFINANTLY the best team in Mrs. Elliotts class, and has the best name! It has been real fun being in the team I am in!

Drama Project

I felt that this drama project was pretty interesting to do, especially since the dramas were quite peculiar. My table did "The Sandbox" and we decided to do a video, plus a power point for it. The video was kind of hard to do, but with some effort we pulled through. Looking at dramas and trying to depict the characters was hard to do, and I have gained a greater respect for the drama scene.
- David Bell

DRAMA

In class, we have been discussing drama and how it differs from both poetry and fiction. While reading The Nature of Drama, i read that the main factors of drama are that it is performed by actors, performed on stage, and performed in front of an audience. Drama differs from other writings also because it helps develop themes, emotions, plots and characters of the play.Drama is portrayed through meaning and strong emotions. The facial expressions, gestures, speech am rhythm the actor inputs while performing gives stronger emotion and meaning of the play. There are also two main types of drama to be performed; comedy and tragedy. While tragedies are unhappy, serious and include pity and fear, comedies include funny, happy ending with likable characters. Two categories that plays can be put into are realistic and unrealistic. Unrealistic  dramas include abstract thematic elements with exaggerated nature. Throughout the drama, they use abstract language. In realistic dramas, they attempt in the the presentation to preserve the illusion of actual everyday life. A distinguishing feature of drama is that it is meant to be performed and dialogue are primary to meaning. It is structured into acts, scenes, and lines and the voice is a narrator or 1st person from each character. The main purpose of a drama is its impact on the audience.



By Amanda :)

Words

In class we have been discussing the importance of words. We had to pick 5 words which we felt were the most significant to human language. I chose words that are significant to the human condition and play a vital role a in our being. The words I chose are happiness, faith, hunger, power, and love. These words are what first came to mind when considering life and the history of the world. Of course everyone has different opinions of what are the most important words in language and what these words mean to them and the human condition. However, these words undoubtedly define an important elements of life. Happiness is a major part of life, many may argue that it is the reason why we keep living, The pursuit of happiness is a basic American right for such reasons. Happiness is part of what makes life worth living. Faith has always played a vital role in the path of mankind. Throughout history there have been countless religions and ideologies that have guided human kind. These practices have affected mankind in immeasurable ways from purpose, fulfillment, and some cases even war, thus playing a vital role in history. Hunger, whether it be the need for food or yearning in general is a constant in ones life. Many people do unbelievable things in order to feed such hunger. In addition, quenching hunger is what makes life possible and historically the inability to do so has led to the demise of too many. Power can be materialistic, political, or even a measure of ones strength. The quest for power is a constant incentive for many, as power usually comes with rewards. The quest for power and the misuse of power is what has led to the rise and fall of societies throughout history. This human characteristic has not changed and continues to impact our daily life. Finally, love.... arguably the most important of them all. Love comes in infinite forms: love for ones family, love for a deity, or even love for the earth and ones surroundings. This love drives ones actions and is vital for ones happiness. Without love one would be completely lonely which is arguably not a life at all.

~ Vanessa Sanchez :D 

Sick of College Stuff

I am so sick of preparing for college. I stress out all the time, there is always an essay to revise or a SAT to study for. On top of all that I have to do my normal school work. It is getting to the point that I'm ready to give up. Then there is the fear that none of the schools I want to get into will accept me. Most people I've talked to have this same fear. I'm just so ready for second semester to be here. Then its all just a waiting game. I hope that hearing that I'm also stressing out makes others feel better about their own melt downs. I want to give a big thanks to Miss. Elliott for reading over my college essays about 20 times, I hope they let my personality shine through. This is one of my college essays.

My College Essay

Before this year, I took my ability to make social interactions for granted; however, after an impromptu change in my schedule, I became the Teacher’s Aid for a class in the Special Education Department primarily comprised of kids with Autism and I saw that social grace is not a luxury everyone has.

Walking into that class, I had no clue what to expect; was I going to be like a babysitter? How independent would these kids be? My nerves were getting the better of me. If these kids didn’t accept me, I didn’t know what I would do. I was afraid it would be difficult to treat them the way I would any of my other classmates. Upon entering, the first question I heard was an abrupt, “Who are you?” I knew Alex, the source of the question, was going to be my biggest challenge. He is one of the tallest Freshmen I’ve seen. His height allows him to walk around with an air of cockiness. He is only going to do what he wants, nothing more. We sat down every day and fought the same battle. “Come on, Alex, read your book.” “No! I don’t want to.”  These words were filled with a sound of superiority. As the battle went on into the next week, I did the only thing I could think of. “If you read your book, I will play Rock, Paper, Scissors with you.” The answer was still, “No.” By the time Friday came around, I was ready to throw in the towel; I decided to try one more time. “Alex, would you take the quiz on your book for me?” and to my surprise his answer was, “Yes.” He got a 90% on his quiz. I never knew someone else’s A would give me one of my happiest moments.

The time I’ve spent with Alex and the other kids in this class has changed my view of them. Kids with Autism are like anyone else-- they play video games, have inside jokes, and like to spend time with friends. Sometimes, they have a hard time enjoying these activities because they are viewed as different.

I no longer consider these students my responsibility; they have become my friends and when it comes time for me to graduate, I will miss them dearly. They have shown me the most important lessons in life: people can over come their disabilities; I did. To think of someone as less valuable than you is a true tragedy.

A Serpent to Sting You

This week, the class has started reading a new novel, the well-known classic that is Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (appropriately chosen for the incoming Halloween season). The novel opens up with a series of letters from the adventurer Sir Robert Walton to his sister, Margaret Saville, as he journeys to the North Pole. These letters serve as the introduction to the main story of Frankenstein itself, but also offers clues of what the story will be about.

Along the way, Walton and his crew discover an emaciated man on a sledge and decide to nurse him back to health. To the more sharp reader or analyst, one can skillfully predict that this is Doctor Frankenstein himself, bringing words of warning to the ambitious Walton. He tells him "You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been." Besides being an evident biblical reference, this particular quote gives a reader a glimpse into the apparent regret of the scientist in his role in the creation of the infamous Frankenstein's monster.

In this case, the serpent once again becomes a symbol for forbidden knowledge, something that both Doctor Frankenstein and Robert Walton are chasing after. The doctor's quest for the secret of life parallels to Walton's quest for the secrets of the North; both becoming paradigms of man tampering with forces way beyond their control. At least, not yet. The simple passage gives off Mary Shelley's, and other philosophers of her time, fear of the growing rate of the advancement of science and technology: the fear that what may be seen as an extraordinary benefit to mankind, may lead to their doom in the end.

-Lian C.

The Impact of Literature

According to mirriam-webster.com, the official definition of literature is “Writings having excellence of form or expression and expressing ideas of permanent or universal interest.” In my opinion, a piece should be described as ‘literature’ only if it has a broad impact on a large number of people by using one of many universal elements, for example timelessness, the ability to teach a life lesson, inspiration of change, and an effect on personal growth. These four elements allow literature to make an impact on our lives and contribute to both individuals and society as a whole.
Literature guides its readers to deeper understandings of life as a whole and “makes new things familiar and familiar things new.” (Johnson). Because of this, literature affects individuals who make alterations to society in response. True literature uses universal elements to influence people to change both their lives and the lives of others.  Through works of literature, people’s personal opinions are changed in many ways that affect life as a whole.

-Karissa C.

Literature Timeline

This week, our main focus in class was about the timeline of literature. One of our main assignments was creating a story including all of the words that relate to the different time periods of literature. Here is my story:

There once was a man who was famous for his story telling but did not enjoy what he did. He hated the drama and the paradox that was within the stories and how they were never logic to him. One day he rediscovered a story he once told long ago. It was a mystery how he forget about this very unusual story and it was an anti enlightenment.  This particular story was full of exaggeration and did not show any signs of conservative. Discovering this story was a self actuation to the man and showed him not to be so concerned with face value and look toward scientific realism. Discovering this radical story widens the mans thought of culture and disillusionment. This progressiveness in the mans thoughts was an existentialism and a fantasy he always wanted. He always rejected himself from others but after this anti- conventionalism he can go back into his traditional ways.





----Amanda Chavira

Literary Movements

Literature is a portal to past time periods. It reveals much more than a history book can because it reveals the emotion of the time. Often literary patterns reflect societal norms or frustration. In class we are learning about literary movements in history and their key elements. We see how times of war and suffering reflected different literary patterns then times of prosperity. This is because literature allows for people to express themselves freely regardless of the time period. For this reason we also see literary movements that stem from other literary movements in the form of rebellion because of people expressing their literary freedom.
We have learned so much from literary history. Thinkers of the past have greatly affected society today. For instance the Enlightenment was a literary movement that took place in the 1600's, yet the ideas of philosophers such as John Locke, Jean Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, etc. have remained important elements in our society as they were vital to the establishment of the United States of America. Enlightenment principles are highly reflective in important American works such as the Deceleration of Independence and the US Constitution. These documents, despite the fact that they were written in a completely different time period, continue to have a great effect on the present. This shows the eternal importance and influence of literary thoughts and movements  

~ Vanessa S. ~

The Struggle

This week in class our main focus was to speak about the common conflict found in both the poem “Ulysses” and the novel Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and relate it to my own life. The conflict that I noticed in both these pieces of literature was the struggle Ulysses and Alice faced with their identities as they stepped into a new chapter in their lives. As I step into a new chapter I can’t help but connect with their struggles. In the poem “Ulysses”, he feels that now that his time as a great hero is over he has no other purpose that he is just an “idle King”.  I feel like an idle king is what I’ve become. I have not reached adulthood but I’m expected to act like and adult. If adults can’t treat me as a productive member of society I don’t understand how they can expect me to become a productive member of society. Alice’s struggle is one that is more closely related to mine; she is also stepping out of childhood and into the next stage of life. As much as I want to grow up and move on, it is still hard to let go of what was. From reading Alice in Wonderland I learned that the best way to face these struggles is to keep a part of my childhood with me and never forget that chapter of my life.


-Sloane K.

09-09-10

Today in class, we watched the first part of the Tim Burton film "Big Fish" and tried to extrapolate possible allusions and archetypes within the story. Of course, the most evident archetype presented in the film is the fish itself, symbolizing creation and life. Further evidence about this was given by the character Edward Bloom's speech at the beginning, when he talks about how he really "caught" the fish when his son, Will, was born. This most likely means that, since the fish stands for life, it was only until the birth of his son did he really see what life was about.
Another idea that could be tied in with the archetype of the fish is Edward's marriage to his wife. Since women are essentially the sources of life (giving birth), his story about catching the uncatchable fish with his ring ties into the concept of marriage and the measures one has to make to achieve it. This idea is also somewhat proven when Edward himself says "Sometimes, the only way to catch an uncatchable woman is to offer her a wedding ring," relating to the fish story. Coincidentally, the concept of "catching fish" is also colloquially used to mean "getting into a relationship with a girl."
I chose to discuss mainly this archetype because it is really the most evident one and the idea most emphasized by the movie. Also, it can be tied into so many different things in life that it dispelled my initial skepticism on the idea of a fish being an archetype.
This has been the first blog of the Extrapolators. 
We <3 Elliott.


- El Coronel