Discussion Notes

• Having internet helps people around the world ask questions that anyone can answer.  People are able to answer questions and learn in another way. 
• Learning opportunities don't stop in the classroom, because you have people out there who are able to help you out and teach you something you want to learn. 
• In the cyber world we are able to do something great and are able to change the world.
• "First step to bettering the world starts with question" and we can solve our issues through this way without leading to violence. 
• The more rules you have, the harder it is to break those habits.  They have helped you survive and stay out of trouble.  
• Do what you love, but its also as important to love what you do 
• Everything you do requires trade offs and even if you love it, then it will eventually turn into work.
• School is so directed and has so many restrictions.  This has taken away from people self-learning and has take away people's ability to go out and learn on there own.

These concepts can enhance my learning because it gives me a reason to go and learn something on my own. Like we said in class, school has taught us to go things a certain way and that has take away from our self-learning that we do when we are younger.  Also something like video makes me want to make some questions of my own and figure out the answers to those.  If I were to do that then I would be learning in the process and not even really realizing it.  

They can help me for the Ap test because they give me the idea to ask questions about what I don't know and try to figure that out.  I can find ways to learn how to write a better essay or to do better on the multiple choice section.  Also if we were to learn in a different way like we were talking about in class, I think I will have more enthusiasm for the class.  Then I will eventually be more successful on the Ap test. 

We will be able to collaborate with other people by putting reaching out to people.  Whether that  being asking a question or finding a common interest with that person.  It will also improve the information exchange and overall value of your learning network. There will be an exchange because the people we are reaching out to will be able to answer questions we have and they will be able to use our blogs in whatever way they want too. 

What is 'dropping knowledge?' video notes

The Internet allows globalization, localization and delocalization. 
Listen talk and understand each others religion concepts and view points of the world. 
How do  perceive the world around you? Is it strange and unfamiliar or you have an understanding. 
Every effort to change the world starts with asking questions. 
There needs to be big meetings to discus the issues that people question. 
The modern form of communication is from multiple viewpoints and these people asking questions. 
Even though we are all different we have a lot of the same problems. 
We should come together as one to celebrate diversity and multiple viewpoints. 
Present voices aren't usually magnified in the media. 
Are brands more powerful than governments? Some brands are more powerful and some brands are governments. 
If Darwin's theory is right and life began in Africa, why are African states less developed than western states? It's not about the theory it's about power relations and how they are structured, we need to deconstruct and separate power. 
If these questions are asked how are we going to get the world to listen? The answers will be on the Internet and will be protected by a copy left   
license there fore every answer belongs to society and everyone will be able to work with these answers. 
What's your question???

Literature Analysis 5

1. Of Mice and Men by John  Steinbeck is about two friends named George and Lennie, they are going to a new job to work on a ranch.  George is a shorter man but very smart and witty, on the other hand Lennie is a bigger stronger man but slow on the intellectual side. We learn Lennie has a mental disability and George is the one who has to take care of him.  There are sometimes when George feels life would be easier if he didn't have Lennie, but its obvious their friendship and devotion is mutual. The men arrive at the ranch and George tells the boss that the two of them are cousins and Lennie was kicked in the head by a horse when he was young.  They are hired and meet the workers for the first time a short period after that. George admits to Slim that he and Lennie are not cousins and they are best friends.  He tells him that Lennie has gotten them into trouble in the past, like their last job where he got accused of rape.  Candy gives in to the pressure and lets Carlson kill his old dog. Curley picks a fight with Lennie and in the altercation Lennie breaks his hand.  The next night the men go out and Lennie is left behind with Crooks and Curleys wife.  While in the barn Curleys wife approaches Lennie in the barn, he tells her he likes to pet soft things and starts petting her hair.  He pulls to hard and she starts screaming and in an attempt to quiet her he snaps her neck.  Lennie leaves to the spot where George told him to go if he got into trouble.  George meets him there a short time later and doesn't seem mad but just talks to his best friend.  While his head is turned he puts the gun to his head and kills his friend out of mercy.  When the rest of the people get there, they are confused on what had happened as Slim and George walk off.
2.  One thing in this novel is friendship and how much of an impact it can have on people. The friendship between George and Lennie is very strong and is the closest thing to brothers either of them have.  They both have one another's best interest in mind, protect each other, and know that there is someone in the world who is dedicated to looking over them.  They each have a dream that brings their friendship even closer and that dream is what shapes their life.  Even though there is a tragic end to the story, there is still no doubt that their friendship is as strong as ever at the end of the story.
3. The tone for Of Mice and Men is both sentimental and tragic.  It is sentimental in the fact that the audience starts to gain compassion for Lennie and then there is a plot twist towards the end.  The audience feels bad for Lennie and that's why there is a sentimental tone to it.  It is tragic because right when you get a sense that things are starting to go right for George and Lennie, there is a turn in the story that brings a sense of failure for their life.
4. One literary technique that is used often are symbols. One symbol is George and Lennie's Farm and this is what their dream is.  It also seduces all the characters in the story and it also makes the reader want to believe that there is the possibility of a free life.  The farm gives a sense of freedom and protection from the outside world.  There is also foreshadowing and one example from the book is when Lennie is petting the dead mouse at the beginning of the story.  We learn that he likes to pet soft stuff and ends up killing some animals.  At the end of the story he accidentally kills the bunny which leads to his downfall and eventually his death.

9 Elements of Poetry

The poem I choose awhile ago was "I Cry" by Tupac Shakur.  It meant a lot to me and I thought it brought a different side to the rapper Tupac.  

• The first element from the poem is dramatic situation.  The speaker of the poem is the rapper 2pac and from the poem we can tell he is a sad guy who often is upset.  We can tell from his circumstances that the people around him don't care enough about him to help him with his depression. 
• The structure of the poem is it is one stanza but has three last little lines by themselves. All the lines in the poem relate to the fact that he is depressed but has to hid that from the people around him.  Each line is a complete thought that continues off of the last one.  There is only repetition in the lines with "I Cry" in them and the poem has a rhyming scheme to it. 
• The theme of the poem is that most people do have as sensitive side to them.  Tupac was supposed to be this bad guy who is tough and doesn't let anything get to him. When really he was more vulnerable then almost everyone gave him credit.  He even had to act like this tough guy in front of the people around him because they didn't care about his soft side.  The theme is don't judge a book by it's cover. 
• The grammar the author uses is proper but the lines are fragments.  The author doesn't continue off of these fragments so his thoughts are complete to the audience.  There is a lot of meaning to his words that go beyond the literal meanings of the words. 
• I think that this poem does have a lot of literal and figurative language.  When he repeats "I cry but only when I'm alone," he is literally meaning that the only time when he does get to cry and let his emotions out is when he is by himself.  The figurative language he uses is like, "they flow with life but take no form," by that he is talking about his tears and how they don't really show up but they flow throughout his daily life. 
• The important words of the poem are, "I Cry", "only when I'm alone", and "I would cry among my treasure friend." These are the most important words because the author is letting us know that he does in fact cry but he only does this when he is alone.  If he did have a friend that cared then he would spill his emotions to that person, but since he doesn't he has to hide those feelings.
• The tone of this poem is sad and gloomy.  He wants the audience to know that there is this side to him that is depressed and is going through tough times in life, but really has no one to turn to and help him out. 
• There are some literary techniques like metaphors and a hyperbole.  His metaphors compare his tears to the way people perceive him.  He says that his tears are bitter and warm, and this may be because he doesn't want to have these emotions to keep his tough guy image but it does feel good to let them out when he can.  He exaggerates the fact that his crying takes form and is with him all the time. 
• The procedure of the poem is there is a distinct flow to it, that is easy for the reader to comprehend what his message his.  There is also a rhythm to it and that also helps to the reader.  The rhyme is ever two lines are grouped together throughout. 
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Why he wrote it?

Charles Dickens wrote the book Great Expectations to portray life during this time in England. It is a semi-autobiographical story and is claimed to be his darkest writing. It is supposed to be his greatest use of plot, characterization, and style and the masterpiece of Dickens' works. His use of symbolism of the mist shows how some might consider this too be his darkest writing. He uses diction and syntax that is very descriptive and that's why some consider that to be his greatest use of plot, characterization, etc. 

Great Expectations Questions and Answers

Questions:
1. What happens to Pip when he's at the courtyard visiting the gravestones? 
2. What does it mean that Pip has been raised "by hand"? 
3. How does the shackled man respond when Pip asks him if he will save any food for his friend? 
4. Why does Pip get more and more nervous as their Christmas dinner progresses? 
5. Why are the soldiers outside of Pips house? 
6. When Pip has to go with the soldiers to find the convicts, what does the shacked man do that surprises Pip? 
7. What happens when Pip brings home the note from school? 
8. What is implied about England's government when Dickens has Joe tell Pip that Mrs. Joe, being given to government, does not want him to be able to read and write?
9. How does Estella criticize Pip, and what does his reaction to her criticism reveal about Pip?
10. Pip is ashamed of his home, and is unhappy there: why doesn't he run away?


Answers:
1. He is met by a ragged looking man with an iron shackle on his leg. Who threaten Pip to bring him food the next day or he will get hunted down. 
2. This means that he has been raised by a hand that won't hesitate to hit him if he gets out of line. The person who does this most often is his sister. She and her husband have raised him since he was young. 
3. The man laughs as if his friend didn't mean anything to him. Then once Pip says he ran into another man earlier, the shackled man gets curious. He asks Pip to point him into the direction where the man was. 
4. As the dinner goes on, Pip gets closer to getting caught for bringing that food and drink to the shackled man. He replaced the brandy with tar water and when his uncle starts drinking it he starts coughing. Then before they eat the pork pie he bolts out the door before they find out what he did. 
5. They need the blacksmith (Joe) to fix the handcuffs so that they can track down the two prisoners who escaped. This is a relief for Pip because he felt they were coming to arrest him. 
6. The shackled man recognizes Pip and once again Pip is nervous that he will get in trouble. During the whole police report the man never tells on Pip or admits what Pip did. The man also takes the blame and says he robbed the blacksmiths house. This taking Pip off the hook. 
7. Joe tries to read it but it's hard to make out. Then the two realize that Pip is close to be illiterate. Then Joe goes in depth of his childhood and his education. 
8. Mrs. Joe is being compared to the Englush government because Dickens says that the English government does not want its lower classes to be educated. He believes that if the lower class recieves education they could rebel and take over the goverment.
9. She critisizes how Pip is just a common labouring boy. Pip for the first time feels ashamed of being "common". He felt inferior to her and later cries because of her cruelty.
10. Pip decides not to run away because he had no where lese to go and Joe had always been friendly and nice to him.

Great Expectations (1st 10 pages)

In the opening of this novel we are introduced to the main character whose name is Pirrip. He starts off in a churchyard in England. A man with a iron leg confronts him and we learn that Pip has lived with his sister his whole life. This is some what similar to how Dickens was raised because he had to grow up without his family and have to over come not having a lot. The man threatens Pip to bring him back some food and if he doesn't then this young boy will find him and kill him. This shows that it was hard growing up in Englad durinf these times because food was scarce and people would have to steal.