Service Learning Visit 2

This visit was harder than last time's visit for my group. They were definitely more comfortable around us which contributed to a more unsettled environment. Kids who where eager to write paragraphs last time where way more reluctant this time around. Overall last time the kids where a lot slower in doing their work and the mistake we made this time was telling them that the crafts where saved for after we write our paragraphs. Naturally, they rushed their exercises to get to the crafts. This put us a little ahead of schedule compared to last visit which was perfect time wise. There is also one girl in our group that likes to do as she pleases. For example, she decided to draw a city instead of a picture of her family, and I had to kind of stern with her and make sure she understands that it's important that we get to our goals.  Those where the only challenges we had, which compared to other groups is very minimal. I think that the biggest victory this visit was that the paragraphs the kids wrote where actually really good. It took a little to get them to really get the idea of what to write about. At first they only wrote about their parents and then after we observed their writing, we made them go back and incorporate things about all of their family members. Once they had a good idea of what to write about, they did a relatively good job writing their paragraphs. Their sentence fluidity was much better, and some wrote a lot more than the the paragraph from last visit. I think that overall the positives are a lot more than the negatives. I think that once we establish that relationship where they are comfortable around us while also recognizing our authority.

"To be or not to be" Blog

Hamlet's soliloquy is pretty much a back and forth internal conflict Hamlet has wether or not he should commit suicide. He describes his battles between, "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" (3.1.66). He argues that we can just end all the pain, however we don't because we are fearful and scared of the unknown. I think that in most scenarios that no one should commit suicide. It shows weakness and a lack of faith. You must believe that things will get better and eventually it will. To end your suffering is to give up; and its never okay to give up. Hamlet explains, "Or to take arms against a sea of troubles/And,by opposing, end them" (3.1. 67). Why should one forfeit the battle when there is a chance of winning. Sometimes, the outcome is clear and that is the one exception in my opinion. In reference to a more modern situation. If someone has for example cancer, is in a state where they are half dead, old age has consumed them, and they only have a week to live, then one can say that it really may be best for that person to end the suffering. The chances of recovery for someone in that situation is near impossible, but that's really not the situation in Hamlet's case. I think that if heaven and hell really do exist, then we should take advantage of all the time we have on earth to maximize our opportunity to go to heaven. Hamlet may be in a place that most people really don't even imagine, but it's testing Hamlet's strength. He must prove himself not coward away, as he describes.

Polonius

I am suspicious of Polonius and his keen manipulation, or more like control. He's the right hand man of Claudius which makes it unusual for him not to be skeptical of King Hamlet's sudden death. Therefore, I presume that Polonius is in fact involved in the death of Hamlet. His behavior makes me view him negatively. He seems to be fearful of many things, such as his family name and how Laertes behaves as he demonstrates when he says to Ophelia, "you'll tender me a fool" (1.3.118). However, at the same time he takes advantage of people and tries to be someone who wants to make everyone happy, like Claudius. These are contradicting actions, therefore I predict that Polonius is selfish. Yet, being unpleasant to Claudius will not raise his advantages. For example, he uses Ophelia to perhaps gain recognition if they marry or even inherit some money. His intentions are not very clear, but assumptions can be made. He is very demanding and controlling. He is determined to monitor his son's behavior or reputation. The information he seeks is not obtained through communication with his son though. He sends someone to in a sense spy on him and ask around about his actions. We can analyze a lot about Polonius himself through his actions. He exclaims, "And there put on him what forgeries you please- marry, none so rank as may dishonor him, take heed of that" (2.1.22). Polonius is so detailed in his instructions to Reynaldo, the spy, that it makes the reader wonder why he is so thorough. This knowledge is only obtained with experience so one can predict that this is not the first time he has spied on someone. He can probably get whatever he wants and needs through these sources. His actions prove him to be untrustworthy of his kids. They should be old enough to be able to take care of themselves without their father monitoring their moves. He is concerned with his reputation rather than the happiness of his kids. I wonder that if Ophelia was madly in love with Hamlet and Polonius knew then would he let Ophelia be with Hamlet just for the sake of her happiness. He also gives Laertes his consent to travel but it is more of a test to Laertes to see if he is capable of this freedom. I value the concept of trust and if my parent would not be able to trust me, especially after years of learning from them, then I think that Polonius is one to not be trusted as well. How I view this is that if someone made bad choices in their earlier years, then when they have kids they are more protective of them since they do not want them to end up like they did. Therefore, one can conclude that Polonius may have done bad things that he either does not want his children doing or his children finding out. I would feel unfortunate if he was my father, because he favors his son over his daughter. This was clear when he warned his daughter not to ruin the family name but just told his son to be true to himself and be wise (2.1). I understand that in those times it was usual for sexism to take place within the family, but that does not make it acceptable and it gives Polonius an even larger negative connotation.

Harrison Bergeron

Harrison Bergeron is the story of a boy who is intelligent, good-looking, and strong. However, he lives in a society where everyone is supposed to be equal in everything, even the sounds of their voices. Those who have certain advantages and good qualities, such as Harrison and his father, are required to wear handicaps that weight them down. These handicaps differ in intensity based off the individuals's strengths. Harrison who was imprisoned escapes and appears on his parent's tv during a ballet recital. He announces that he is the new emperor, picks an empress, and instructs everyone to remove their handicaps. His parents watch as this unfolds, however their handicaps make it hard to remember events that have occurred as recently as minutes before. The Handicap General then enters the recital and kills Harrison and the empress and orders all the other ballerinas to put their handicaps back on. The message this story shows is that those who are supposed to aid society and make a better future can become crazy and power-hungry when they are forced to be like everyone else and are shoved down. In complete contrast, a New York Times article entitled, "Losing Is Good For You" argues that when everyone is praised for things that they do not deserve praise for, it turns out to be disadvantageous for them and their future. For example, if a child is awarded with a prize at the end of everything and there are no losers, the child may not put as much effort into something they desire. This is bad because the child will no longer find motive, perseverance, or determination. If there are no losers, those who don't put effort into learning a skill are rewarded equally as those who might spend countless hours trying to perfect that same skill. This teaches the person who slacks, that it is okay to slack and it discourages the person who tried so hard and didn't receive any additional recognition. This does not allow growth or reaching one's potential. My experience was that in 8th grade, the headmaster made an announcement that everyone had to write an essay about the middle school experience and what it means. Only two people of the 70 would read their essays in the graduation. I for one thought that it would be really cool to be able to give a speech at graduation. It made me feel like this is a competition to see who is valedictorian. I was determined to read my speech and make it amazing. Overall, it was not the hardest thing ever but it required a considerable amount of effort. I wrote my essay, and I was indeed chosen to read it. This gave a great sense of pride and achievement because it made me feel like I was not like every other 8th grader in the room. I would not have tried so hard if none of the essays were to be recited. However, I have also experienced the opposite of this as well. I had a really hard biology final coming up and I had spent countless hours studying for it. I spent weekends in my room with a book, when people where at the beach with their friends. The test came and I got an A- on the test, raising my overall grade to an A- as well. I felt ecstatic. My other friend, who studied for maybe one weekend got a B on the test and that dropped her overall grade to a B as well. I felt bad for my friend but I was also proud of myself for making the smarter decision that would aid my future. However, there was a curve on the test which raised my grade by 0.2% but raised by friends grade 1%, giving her an A- in the class when she had a B before. I was happy for my friend, but also felt that this was unfair at the same time. I spent a lot more time trying to learn everything but got the same grade as someone who slacked off a bit. I felt that it was unfair, but it is life and life is never fair. The way that both of these works connect is that they messages both encourage a society in which we are all different and can show our strengths and improve our weaknesses. They tell the reader to live in moderation, do not praise someone for every little task, but do not ignore the potential of others to be great and others to fail. Failure is natural and necessary, but succeeding is just as natural and necessary. No competition is bad, but a lack of competition is also unhealthy.

"Miniver Cheevy"

To sum up Miniver’s outlook on life, he is stuck in the past and pessimistic. He daydreams about the wonders of living with the Knights of the Round Table, fighting in the Trojan War, and being part of a powerful, rich Italian family. He cannot live in that era though, and that is directly stated in the text. He fails to realize that he cannot go back with a time machine. It is almost like he regrets his birth; he’d rather not live at all if not in that time period. I find him immature in this aspect. Similar to how some cannot let go of a grudge. He cannot accept the fact that some things you cannot decide, like time of birth. He is so caught up in this that he loathes the fabric of modern military clothes, since it is unworthy compared to the traditional iron armors. He is so upset that he cannot be a part of his dream that he forgets to live in his own time period. He slightly realizes this in the end, “Miniver coughed, and called it fate, and kept on drinking.” Miniver sees that his fate is otherwise that what he desired, but he still decides to be inactive about it. He makes the worst of his situation. He can move on and accept the thing that he cannot change, but chooses not to. This leads to him throwing his life away and spending his time downing out a bottle of liquor. Usually, someone spends their life regretting a life-altering mistake that they made themselves. He is not living the life he is capable of because he is dwelling on what could have been. He fails to help himself recover when all he does is regret a cause that was controlled out of his power. 

"Omelas" Blog

Gandhi and Humphrey, in their quotes, both focus on the needs of the people in the community that are lacking in some aspect. Those aspects consist of health, maturity, knowledge, and inexperience. Humphrey acknowledges those things more directly than Gandhi, but both are saying the same thing. Humphrey explains how the most important people of the community are the elders, children, handicapped, sick, and needy. The elders teach to the children; the future of the community. How you treat the handicapped, needy, and sick also shows a lot about the community that you are in. A community that doesn’t acknowledge or address these issues is naïve, careless, and negligible. If a community wants to be strong, united, and successful, it must pay attention to the weaker parts of the community. Youth may be seen as the most important of all the categories since they determine the future and fate of a community. If the youth are corrupted in thought, the outcome of the future is not pleasant. In the poem “The Ones That Walked Away From the Omelas,” this is exactly what is taking place, corruption of youth. Gandhi’s quote describes how a nation treats its weakest members determines the greatness of that nation. It is identical to a famous quote, “You are only as strong as your weakest link.” This explains how if we do not tend to the weak and strengthen them, one day it will catch up to us. I have heard this in soccer very often, when a player is weaker than others, they could cost a game off of one wrong move. In the “Omelas,” it describes a community that tortures one innocent child to ensure the happiness of others. It a morally wrong environment and those who have gone to see the child have never returned to the community. Which comes to prove that no one wants to a live in an unjust community. We yearn for better, but when we are blinded to the horrors, it becomes impossible to comprehend the morality of the community. This is what happens to the citizens of Omelas. It doesn’t matter if one or a thousand children, adults, elderly, sick, needy, or handicapped people are being tortured; it should not happen at all. Gandhi and Humphrey are saying that until no one is tortured, it cannot even be considered a good community. Until we abolish the bad and fix the problems, results cannot be successful.

"Digging" by Seamus Heaney

The most important symbol in the poem is the author's pen. Heaney's pen means a lot symbolically to the poem overall. It gives us a deeper understanding of the story by telling us that the author is a writer. That sets him apart from his family, since they have a history of farmers. He feels guilty that he is different from his family, and maybe he thinks that they are disappointed in him. Perhaps that is why he describes "the squat pen rests; snug as a gun." The gun implying that his mood is dark and regretful.He has an inner conflict to sometimes strive and crave to be different and stand out form the crowd. I know I do, I do not like blending in and being part of the crowd. There is a part of me that wants to show everyone that I am different and eventually everyone comes to show the part of us that they wish the world knew about. The conflict of the story is that yearning for you to show the world a part of yourself that few know, but the fear of rejection, humiliation, and the opinion of others. The shovel symbolizes the author digging up the history of his family, like a shovel unearths the soil. In addition, the shovel stands for the tradition of the family. The author sees no desire in following the footsteps of the people before him. However, the way the author explains, "But I've no spade to follow men like them," he describes his father and grandfather in almost a negative connotation. He is upset that they do not accept his lack of interest for what everyone should be concerned about. However, I do not think that he lacks a sort of respect for achievement from his grandfather and father, even if he is upset with them. I also think that the potatoes in the story symbolize children or offspring. He describes the feeling potatoes by saying, “Loving the cool hardness in our hands.” The potatoes are like his offspring, he tends them, he grows them, cares for them, and when they are prepared, he is relieved and victorious. He has a sense of pride that he raised good potatoes just like he has pride in raising his children. Overall, the author has a dark and eerie tone throughout the poem. However, it turns around and there is a sense of confidence in the last line when he explains, "I'll dig with it." It sounds like he is determined to show the talent he has as a writer in comparison to a digger. He is ready to show the world that he is different and is his own individual. He does not care anymore what others think and he has pride in what he is capable of, even if it varies from everyone else’s thoughts, like we should. 

Impressions from George Sanders

George Sanders Speech Reflection

           

            A thing that really stuck out to me while reading the speech is that Saunders mentioned that with age, you naturally become nicer. Maturity has a great deal in the evolution of “becoming nicer.” As he suggested, in our more mature state, we are able to recognize how illogical and insensible it becomes to be arrogant and mean overall. We are able to recognize the world in a larger scale or picture and realize that nothing really does revolve around any one of us; and if the world isn’t about me then it is about all of us. Therefore instead of focusing on me, I can focus on us in order to reach my attention to a larger scale and touch more people. However, in some cases I feel as if this may not necessarily be true. I sometimes picture older people to be more sour and bitter. There always is that old man on the street that hates noise and children, and ironically it seems to be a reoccurring theme. But there is also that universal truth that grandparents are the kindest and sweetest people. And they really are, maybe that’s why some old people are so bitter. They don’t have anyone giving that love to like grandkids, and they are wasting the love that they are capable of giving. Overall, I agree with Sanders that with age also comes the ability to be more loving, kind, and caring. I think the real point Sanders is making throughout the entire speech is that don’t wait until you are old to obtain this kind of love. Start using it now so that when you are old, you don’t look back and think, “I really should have started acting this way earlier.” So in reality, I guess he really is just saying to live your life with no regrets, but he is also saying that if you have regrets, don’t let it be about the moments when kindness was lacking but rather the deadly disease you got when swimming in monkey feces.