Does the king still reign???

Is Dr. Martin Luther King still relevant today? Are the battles that he fought during his time, still being fought for today? Are all of the issues gone? I say of course not! In terms of racism there is either a lot less or people are just a lot more secretive about it. Either way people are a lot more cautious and less bold with their segregating ideas and racist lifestyles due to vital figures like Dr. King that worked tirelessly for the rights of all minorities

My response to "Children of the Sea" and "This Sacred Soil"

Sooooooooooooo... We've started reading our short stories in class and truthfully I'm kind of excited because short stories always have a lot of underlying meaning and are intended to capture it's readers' attention quickly because it's a short story. The story that has best exhibited this quaility is "the chidren of the Sea" by Edwidge Dannicat. This story was good from start to finish and always kept my attention. These journals between a boy and a girl from Haiti were both riveting and sad. Both of their lives were in turmoil the entire time and hese journals seemed to be their escape and their way to calm down. The difference between the two peoples' backgrounds are very apparent. The guy and girl love each other but show their emotions differently like the boy is very affectionate and always shows it but the girl unknowlingly doesn't show her feelings until almost the last journal between them. And both of them a going through horrible times and lots of their problems symbolize their fear of something they knew nothing about: slavery. Whether they were slaves of their own country or on a boat leading to God knows where, thy were not free.
On the other hand, "This Sacred Soil" was a speech that Chief Seattle said to Govenor Stevens in the 1800's. He talked about how it the Indian people were being wiped out and the "white men" were continuously populating America. And even though it seems like this is supposed to be a sad speech, the courage and overcoming attitude that it gives off iss incredible. It's like Chief Seattle was saying "yes, you may be taking over now but this will always be our land, we will always be here in one form or another, and this land means more to us than it ever will to you."

My undercover artist

Soooooo.... when we first got this assingment I thought I wasnt going to enjoy it because I dont really search for new, undercover artists. My friends, people in my family, and others around me are usually the ones to find the new music and then I just start listening to it too. I guess that's why my library isnt really diverse or unique at all. Now that I think about it, it shows no distinct individuality and you cant tell the type of person I am by my library because the music is so common. But now that I've done this assignment I realized that I've really been missing out. There's so many artists out there that dont get recognition from the radio or tv. And they go unnoticed by a mojority of music listeners until artists get their big break, if they ever do. So I've also realized through this assingment that the best way to get music heard is via internet. There's no more efficient way to do it. Anyone in the world with access to internet can access the music that anyone puts out there.
Sooooo...now to the real point of this blog entry. I found an artist by the name of Kendrick Lamar. He is a guy from Compton, California. He started out when he was thirteen and has been developing his craft every since. His main goal now is to give people his real self through his music. He used to go by the name of "K Dot", but then he said he had an epiphany one morning and decided to give people his real self, starting with going by his real first name, Kendrick Lamar. He said "I just feel like it was time for the people to understand me and know who I am." And I can respect an artist like this. A person thats willing to uncover himself and peel back the layers of his life so that he can be heard. So when I listened to some of his music, I saw this goal throughout. In every one of the songs I heard by him, he put a piece of him like images of his childhood or his continued struggles as an artist in his lyrics. And it seems like he became more real through every song. I will definitely continue to search for more music by him and for  many more artists, that just havent gotten their break yet, but deserve at least for me to lend them my ear.

   

Nick and Jay :)

Sooooooooo… Jay and Nick. Nick and Jay. Without a doubt I like Nick better and I think he’s a better character. By better I mean that he’s more genuine, truthful, and up front in the story. Though the mystery of Jay Gatsby is far more intriguing, I think the secrets he is holding back from Nick and Daisy are treacherous and will make him the villain of the book. That’s why I’m just going to play it safe and keep my hopes on Nick, because he seems like he’s a lot less likely to let me down or do something bad that will make me dislike him later on in the story. And as for the relationship between the two: FAKE!! All Gatsby wanted to do was get close to him so the he could have a better chance of getting back into Daisy’s life. He was doing nothing but using Nick. He invited him over to the parties, to lunch, and had someone cut his grass without charge. For example in chapter six Gatsby and Daisy practically ignored Nick for most of the time that they were together at Gatsby’s house. For some reason they both wanted him in their presence but he was obviously serving no purpose.  The book says on page 96, “They had forgotten me,…Gatsby didn’t know me at all”. After Gatsby got what he wanted all along, he didn’t need Nick anymore. Nick had already served his purpose with him. Gatsby has already made one malicious act against Nick by using him, what’s next?

Let the Poems begin!

The ground hardens with ice,

The frigid cold chills my bones,

My hands, dry, callused, and rigid.

My teeth make a beat of their own

The trees are barren, without cover or

Shield from the unforgiving, unbiased cold

Babies, adults, the elderly, all victimized

By the frosty temperatures; it discriminates

Against none and is determined to destroy

The comfort of life

The wind smacks me as I exit my warm

Comforting home, I am shocked and startled

Though I thought I had a possibility at resisting

It with my sheep-made gloves, hat and coat

But I still stood no chance on winter’s

 Territory

The sky, so gray and hopeless, set the stage for

Another cheerless day, the joy of daily activities

Was ruined by the arctic weather and was

Never to return until the next rejuvenating spring

The atmosphere moistened as a took a long,

Careful trudge through malevolent patches of ice

As I look up to the still discouraging, bleak skies

A small gift lands on the tip of my noise

Tis’ the very first snowflake of the season

Sweeter than all the others, and unable to be  

Superseded by any other snowflake

A smile cracked across my face, and made

The rest of my body numb to the cold I was experienced

To me now the chilliness of the atmosphere

Was only in my mind, and its reigns on me

Were broken

My heart was filled with warmth as if I were

At home again and this pleasure soiled the horrific plan of winter to steal my happiness   

The person I'm most thankful for in this class is...

Mr. McCarthy of course. He's the guy that controls my grade, the amount of homework I get, AND what I learn about american literature. He's the best teacher I know on top of that. Why of course. I am definitely most thankful for Mr. McCarthy. Haha. But all jokes aside, truthfully, he's one cool teacher. For example, one thing I will never forget once I leave his class is what he says every time anyone calls on him. They'll say "Mr. McCarthy?" and he'll say, 'I am' with this really deep English voice. Haha good times.
And a few other people I love having in my class is... Brittany Simone Morris and Lauren Jeon. They are both crazy but funny and let me know what's going on when I space out occasionally. And who could ever forget the prestigious Gordon Bentley haha. One funny dude. If he wasn't there I wouldn't have anyone to talk about or look at with "why are u so stupid face" haha.

I am a Plow.....HUH???

Soooooo...once again here's Mr. McCarthy picking some random qoute out of thin air and wanting me to decipher it. Grrrrr!!! And here he is once again stretching my imagination, becasue at first I didnt know what to say to this. Its a statement. Not a controversial opinionated phrase, but a statement. So here's me trying my best to make this quote mean something to me. The definition of a plow is an agricultural implement used for cutting, lifting, turning over, and partly pulverizing soil and sometimes it is used as a verb and it means to tear up, cut into, or make a furrow or groove. Generally, this word refers to the changing or the altering of something. 
When I substitute this into the phrase given, it makes me think of how I am able to change the opinions, minds, and the condition of the world around me. I am young and learning new things everyday which in turn stretches my mind and molds me into a person of few boundaries. For example, only after one year and a quater at Whitney Young I look at particular ethnicities in a completely different light. I am also exposed to all types of people under the Sun. And I can influence their opinions of my culture. Another way I am a "plow" is because I have the determination of no other and no one can put a limit on what I am capable of. I have a voice that no one can muffle or take away. The sky is NOT the limit. I am in the prime stage of my life i think, becuase I am still under the protection of my parents yet I still have responsibilities and I am dependent on myself to handle schoolwork and make thoughful decisions. It's like the best of both worlds. 
I can make changes within myself and influence the decisions, ideas, and perception of  my peers and youger people close to me. I am... powerful beyond imagination.The real question is will I take advantage of my potential and use this gift?