Jane Eyre Reflection

Throughout the dense reading of Jane Eyre, the book seemed to get more interesting, and after finishing the book, I thought that it fit very well with our unit of teen hood that we talked about in class. Not only did the book refer to Jane's outcast mentality, but it also allowed us to learn about the Victorian roles of women and how different Jane really was from what traditional social norms existed during that time. I liked how the book got better as it went on (thank god because its start was pretty rough) and I learned a lot of things about both the Victorian era (literature). Also it was neat how the book related the Bronte's real life, making it easy to remember her own biography. I thought the ending of this book was a little too predictable and the happiness didn't fit with the gloomy overall story of the book although Jane's goal was to find a place of solace. As for the unit, I think that most people knew about the stereotypes of teen hood, and that it could've gone into a little more detail or a broader subject like stereotypes as people grow up. A thing to change could be to make the PowerPoints on different things so that people learn (having one or two groups on a topic so that all of the points are covered). I think that this book should be taught in College Lit., but it should be given more time because of how dense it was so that people can stay caught up, because it fit the class very well besides for being a well-known book. Overall the book had both good and bad effects on the class and the unit, and I am happy that I toughed it out to the end.

Different Viewpoints

In class we talked about how viewpoints can really change a story, especially if the narrator is unreliable like in The Catcher in the Rye. These unique changes in viewpoints can cause various emotions about characters -- like Bertha Mason in Jane Eyre and unique viewpoint changes can completely change how a story is told or what was originally thought about the setting and characters (although the plot stays the same). A few movies that I thing would be unique from another point of view would be the good vs. evil movies like Lord of the Rings, where the movie would be completely different if it were from the view of Sauron, Saruman, Gollum, or even from the view of the ring itself. Other movies that would be cool and completely different from another point of view would be ones with a deranged criminal like No Country for Old Men or The Incredibles. Where people can see inside the troubled, seemingly unemotional mind of the killer, Anton Chigurh, or from the viewpoint of the criminal as it is depicted a little in The Incredibles. I feel that changes like this would be cool to watch and would completely change how this movies are thought about, and maybe even affect their popularity for better or worse (although movies from a good viewpoint are more popular).

Daniel Inouye

 While we were having our class discussion about heroes, I remembered thought of an amazing story that I once saw in a WWII documentary. Lieutenant Daniel Inouye were attacking a ridge in Italy during the war that was heavily defended. He skillfully directed his group through machine gun fire, but the amazing part was his complete disregard for his own safety. As a German machine gun pinned down his group, he worked his way up to the bunker, not realizing that he'd been shot by a sniper in the side, and tossed a grenade in the German bunker. He continued up the hill and threw two grenades a second bunker. His men tried to take a third bunker, but were pushed back. Inouye crawled towards the third bunker, pulling the pin of a grenade. Then a German shot a rifle grenade that almost tore off the arm that Inouye held the grenade in. He pried the grenade out of his dead right hand and threw it at the bunker. Then he cleared it out, shooting left handed. During this stand he was again shot, in the leg this time, and finally a medic got to him. He received morphine, but refused to be evacuated until the ridge was captured. The remnants of his right arm were later amputated and he received a medal of honor for his brave actions. He is currently a senator of Hawaii, and he is one of many who come to my head when I hear the word hero.

Our Generation

After our PowerPoint project in class, where we had to find pictures that define women in the Victorian and modern eras, I though about what thing really define our generation. On the Internet, I found that our high school student base is mostly a part of Generation Z (those usually born between 1990 and the early 2000's), and our parents are mostly "Baby Boomers," or they are included in Generation X. Included under Generation Z are subtopics that help define our generation such as Generations I,  of Internet, of Dreamers, or of Wisdom. Some of the main things that I found to define our generation were obviously the large network of data and technology that connects everyone on the planet such as the Internet or text messaging. From this, we are also called the silent generation, for our 'lack of verbal communication skills.' One thing that I found that was neat was about how Generation Z was thought of as emphasizing the individual more so than any other generation near our time, and that our parents were more like advisers than enforcers like days  past. I did have some trouble finding things like clothing styles, etc that would be distinct for our generation, and besides for the 'Pants on the Ground' thing, does anyone have any ideas? There have also been many negative outlooks on our generations lack of group and verbal skills, rise of bullying, fast food (some say we might be the first generation to have a shorter lifespan that our parents), as well as the rise of  mental illnesses, any thoughts?

Robert John Bardo Murder

I was interested in the murders that were associated with The Catcher in The Rye, and I looked up each of them. I figured people would  write about John Lennon, so I the killer who was next most influenced by the book, to me, seemed to be Robert John Bardo. He was an obsessed fan and a stalker of an American actress named Rebecca Schaeffer. He found out much about her and visited her at home saying he was a big fan. She asked him to leave and he returned with a gun and killed her. He was seen being influenced by the book, since he carried it around with him at the time of the murder, which is not unlike Mark David Chapman (who killed John Lennon). He was later caught and sentenced for 82 years to life imprisonment. The murders that were seemingly influenced by this book makes it all the more interesting to read.

Visions of Teenhood

Yes, I feel that the directors definitely got the teenage years relatively accurate. They have changed a lot over the decades as seen in the slide show, but in each, teens have had stereotypes or motifs of being rebels. For this reason, I feel that Holden and Jim are very good examples of teens. They both are rebels, having school and social problems. It is neat, because these work relatively closely for long periods of time even though the styles and settings change with the passing years. All of the movies in the slide show displayed many of the aspects of being a teen perfectly. Another movie that I would add to the list would be Ferris Bueller's Day Off since it represents the same comic and rebel view that has grown upon teenagers. Ferris Bueller is known for his skipping school, playing tricks, getting in trouble, and chasing girls, which make him and his movie a perfect example of the teenage years.

Visions of Childhood

There are many movies shows that show the fun times that childhood presents: both the good memories and the learning experiences (bad memories). One series that I have seen many times, that clearly depicts some great childhood fears and moments is the Home Alone series. The first one is about an 8 year old boy, Kevin McCallister, who is deserted by his parents over Christmas. He has to deal with the boredom of being alone, thieves, and common household chores such as laundry. This perfectly displays how lessons of childhood can be put to use such as chores, while showing the humor and creativity that many children possess -- fending off the burglars. The nature of being a kid is also shown by Kevin passing the time playing video games, doing other kids things that show how small things are extremely interesting and can pass the time during childhood. Although a lot of Kevin's problems aren't normal for a kid to have, they depict many childhood temperaments.

In the stories that we have read this week, the stories depict kids that are acting maturely for their age. For example, in "Every Little Hurricane," Victor relates the party to a the storm that is coming as well as realizing the effects of alcohol at an early age. This maturity is also seen in the "Sutton Pie Safe," when Cates picks up on the 'affair' or the tension between the dad and the woman. The stories all show how kids grow through their experiences and are largely affected by the setting that they grow up in -  showing vast differences between the rural, neighborhood, and the reservation lifestyles. In this respect, I think that the authors got it right, it is the experiences that a child has that gives them knowledge beyond their years.

Childhood Memory

During my childhood, I was very active, playing sports, doing karate, and just being a kid. Eventually, I would have to grow up, and one event that forced me to do so was when I was in those karate days. I was a black belt at age 9, and at that level you have to spar (box) with the older people. From this, I had to man up and score points (you get points for hits just like boxing), even though the people that I would go up against were much larger and hit much harder. I was in karate for one more year, and during that time I kept sparring and won many medals even in the adult division, and from boxing them, I had to grow and toughen up a little bit.

Introduction

My name is Steven Jordan, and I am an active senior at McFarland High School. I love sports playing many in my free time but participating in cross-country, basketball, track at MHS. Another thing that I do in my spare time is play the trumpet. My favorite subjects in school are math and science. I plan on attending a four year college to pursue my interests in running, music, and Pharmacy.