Lit Circle Reflection

From the first discussion, what I needed to work on was being prepared, because I didn't have my materials ready. This made it so that my part of the discussion was not as in depth as it should have been, which is something I need to work on. I did not improve this very well for the second discussion, because once again my materials were not ready on time, but to make up for it I tried to excel in discussing my other group member's projects. I don't think I was successful in completing my first goal, but I do think I completed the other tasks sufficiently. My group as a whole was working very well. Our goal after the first discussion was to have everyone talk equally. We achieved this during the second discussion by having everyone talk in a circle, so that we could all state our opinions after each job. I also think that we could make improvements on our overall energy, but other than that I believe that we worked very well.

Lost vs. Lord of the Flies

                                 Sawyer and Jack both represent the opposition against each leader. They were both the antagonists in the book and the show because they constantly strived to take control. 

                               The first similarity between them was that they were constantly challenging the leader. Jack was leader of the boy’s choir so he assumed he must be leader of the group. When he didn't get chosen, he began to do everything to become the leader and replace Ralph. He was power hungry and aggressive, and would do nearly anything to be in control. These are qualities Sawyer also possessed. He challenged Jack at every decision, and would not follow the established system. Another detail is that they both end up taking over the camp. They both decided to take action and overthrow their leader. Jack did this by starting another camp and having them join it for food until he has one large camp. Sawyer managed to take over the camp by stealing the weapons and not giving them to anyone unless they listen to him. Jack and Sawyer weren't completely the same, though. A difference between them was that Sawyer was very smart, while Jack wasn’t quite so, even though he was a child. Jack gave speeches about his wanting to be leader and proclaims it to everyone. He took votes, but they were never successful and he never got elected. Sawyer, on the other hand, obviously despised Jack, but instead of letting the group decide, he took matters into his own hands. He thought of an intricate plan that was foolproof, unexpected, and would guarantee him the spot as leader. Having a plan and thinking about a certain situation deeply made him much smarter than Jack.

                            Sawyer and Jack were both were portrayed as the same symbol, the antagonist character in the show. They represent evil, crime, and hunger for power. The takeaway message in this would be that if you become this character or you act like them, you will end in ruin, and not to challenge what is already working. Sawyer’s rule over the camp only lasted several more episodes, and he ended up getting hurt very badly and losing many people he loved. Jack’s camp ended descending into chaos and savagery.

Orb Review- Mockingjay

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins    

Review by Daphne Michaud

                 Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins is the thrilling third book in the well- known series, the Hunger Games. Katniss has survived two of the hunger games. This time, she isn’t just fighting for her life. She’s fighting to save all of Panem.

                     Mockingjay is set in a post- apocalyptic earth, where there are thirteen districts run by a corrupt central government, the Capitol. Every year they force children to enter the “games” in order to display how much power they have over the thirteen areas. Katniss was one of these, a fearless young girl who beat her way through the games twice, showing her anger toward the crooked government, and its leader, President Snow, along the way. Now captured by rebels going against the Capitol, she is asked to represent all that she has stood for and the revolution she has begun. Katniss agrees to be the Mockingjay figurehead for the rebels. She then resolves to rescue her love, Peeta, a boy from the games, just to discover that the Capitol has brainwashed him. Angered by this, the action begins, and Katniss makes a gripping mission to the Capitol to kill her nemesis, President Snow. It is a long and dangerous trek, with many unexpected twists and turns.

                     I found this book to be very good. One thing that stood out to me as quite exceptional was the way Collins portrays the characters of the book. She makes them each so vivid that they seemed to come alive. The way that it is written puts you in the place of the character, so that as I went along reading the book, I felt as if I was feeling the emotions that Katniss was feeling. An example of this was when Peeta, the boy she loved, attempted to kill her. “My lips are just forming his name when his fingers lock around my throat.” (pg 177). This moment in the book evoked fear and was very surprising.

                    Something I did not like about the book was the ending. First of all, I do not think it resolved all the issues and questions that came up through the book. I thought it was very weak and did not hold any information on Katniss’s future. Secondly, I thought the epilogue was so vague it wasn’t quite necessary to have it, and I believe Suzanne Collins should have left it to the reader’s imagination instead of putting so little knowledge of what was to come for Katniss. “My children, who take the words of the song for granted. My children, who don’t know they play on a graveyard.” (pg 389). This leaves so many questions, such as ‘What children? What are their names?’

                   Over all, I thought it was a very well- written action packed book. Full of surprises and plot twists, it had me always wanting to read the next chapter. There were only a couple downsides, such as the ending, but they were outweighed by the number of good things Suzanne Collins put into the book, such as character development. Another positive element was the way it was written; easy without being childish, just enough to get the point across with good descriptions and imagery. I think this book was a satisfying ending to a great series, and I recommend reading it.

Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. Scholastic Press, 2010

Malcolm Gladwell Response

                          What stood out to me in Warren Harding’s chapter was the formality of it. I thought it stood out to be very informational with no opinions whatsoever, which made it sound more professional, and I liked that seriousness to it. The takeaway message to this writing is that judging based on looks is inevitable and at many times automatic, we all do it without meaning to. The way a person looks can change how successful they are, and can change how their life turns out. I think what it is trying to say is that one should try to look and act their best, so people will make the assumption that they are what they portray themselves as.

                          I think we should take this chapter into consideration in terms of leadership, because I believe that a person should not become leader because of how they appear. Obviously, someone weak and frail looking would not be a good choice, because they do not represent the ideals portrayed in which others would want to follow in their footsteps. We cannot undo our unconscious biases, because, well, they are unconscious, we don’t control them anyway. They are set there in our brains, put in there by false stereotypes and precepts established by society. We should try and push these out of our minds and look for other qualities when it comes to a leader, such as selflessness, confidence, optimism, trustworthiness, and most important of all, intelligence.

                           I took two tests, the one based on race, and the one based on insects and flowers. They did reveal that I was unconsciously biased. On the first test, my results stated that I strongly preferred European- Americans over African- Americans, which really surprised me because I am not racist whatsoever, and do not believe that anyone is better than any other person, especially not based on the color of their skin. On the second test, my results said I strongly preferred flowers over insects, which is partially true, and not very surprising, because even though I’m not very much of a flower person, I absolutely hate insects.   

Tuesday Write: Bell Schedule

                     It is much better to have a late start on Mondays than Tuesdays at San Ramon for many reasons. One of these reasons is that we get to finish all the homework that has been assigned to us over the weekend that we might not have been able to finish, because of sports or any other weekend activities. Another reason would be that you get to ease into the week, instead of having to wake up very early on the first day. It adds a little bit more time into the weekend before the busy week starts. A third reason would be that A period isn't at the end of the day. When the A period students are let out later than the others, it causes problems with carpooling and school sports, and splits the school to leave at different times. With a Monday late start, everyone starts at different times like usual, but we all finish at the same time. This also makes it easier to park in the morning, because not even half of the school is there and there is no traffic.
                    Some counterclaims against this would be that you can relax Monday night, or that there might be more homework on that night, because it is during the week. These depend on what teacher a student has, but generally, it is as likely to be having weekend homework as it is to have Monday homework, and students are more likely to want to do homework on a week night rather than the weekend. It is also better to relax Sunday than Monday, because then you can begin the week fully rested, and not have to be tired on Monday night. 
                         

Introduction

My name is Daphne, and I like to play guitar. I also like to listen to a lot of music, and I play soccer. My favorite book is probably the first Hunger Games book, because it's very exciting and well written. My writing goal for this year would be to improve on my long essay writing skills, because I'm not very good at writing now. A quote that I like is "You're either dying or living everyday. I'm living." -Christofer Drew