Poor Piggy

    So as I've been reading Lord of the Flies the main thing that sticks out to me plot-wise is just how cruel everyone can be to Piggy. I mean I know he's different to all the boys, but honestly he's the smartest kid on that island. He has lots of good ideas, some a little impossible or unnecessary, but still with good intentions in mind. Piggy may be a bit too sensible at times and definitely feels compelled to stick to his civilized way of life, but I think he would lead the boys to a better outcome overall.

     I don't think Piggy could be a leader, he's just not "leader material". He's not tall or handsome or athletic looking in the least. He doesn't stick out to the little boys in a positive way and wouldn't be taken seriously as a leader. I do think that if Ralph were to actually listen to him however that plans and rules on the island would actually work and lead to more positive events. I remember actually feeling a sense of relief when reading chapter 5 as Ralph was thinking to himself on the way to the assembly. In his thoughts Ralph finally mentions the fact that Piggy is smarter than him. I was just so happy to see that he actually acknowledges the fact. Of course he still brushes Piggy to the side and takes matters into his own hands, but at least he can accept the fact of Piggy having more brains compared to his brawn.

Midterm

     I definitely understand all the literary elements, the only thing I may need to work on is how those literary elements are shown and used in the short stories we read. I think that for the most part I understand the short stories we covered, but I know reading over them would help my studies immensely. As for literacy narratives, I normally have a style a writing that is very similar. I didn't find much trouble writing my narrative earlier in the year so studying those traits of writing shouldn't be too big a deal. 

   The literary analysis style of writing however is very intimidating to me. I'm not really sure where to go with it and I'm always worried that I will become too informal. I hope to use quotations correctly and I'm not as worried about that side of the writing as I am about the voice I use. I will really have to adjust my writing techniques to create a good paper, hopefully I will do well. As for Lord of the Flies on the midterm, the whole symbolism thing does frighten me a bit. But a good bit of studying and maybe a bit more understanding of the text and I think I will be just fine. 

Reading

Lord of the Flies: 30 min; 25min
A Wind in the Door: 1 hour 20 min

Complete Chaos

That Lord Of The Flies activity in class kind of scared me. I learned one thing, I never ever want to get stuck on an island with any of those people. Everyone had their own ideas and immediately wanted to rule over everyone else. It was insane. 

I remember that Richard and Chris just kind of made themselves kings, and then Emmy was appointed by some of the girls. Caroline then decided she wanted to sit in a chair too so we ended up with four main rulers. Terrell wanted a democracy and spent basically the whole ten minutes trying to get everyone to agree with his plan. We never actually established and order or plan of survival. I think people had ideas (some were expressed very openly and others were kept in peoples minds) but none of those ideas became a main plan. I think we were a class full of people who wanted to be the alpha, and that really doesn't work. There was never moment when only one person was speaking and others were listening. Overall, we were complete chaos.

Not What You Expect

    This weekend was a very exciting time for me. I've been swimming and training with the Episcopal swim team since June of this year and have been extra pumped for the season since day one. Last year, I managed to qualify for the state championship as a middle schooler, which was a really awesome achievement for myself. Going into the season this year, the state cut in my best event ( 100 freestyle ) had dropped by eight seconds. Knowing this, I was training my butt off all season, but in the back of my mind I was losing faith about qualifying for state a second time. After four regular meets, I was stuck at the 1.06.85, a time I managed to get four meets in a row. The state cut for the year was 1.06.05 (i hope you can see my frustration). I worked super hard all season and went to every practice possible, but I was pretty much set on the fact that I wasn't going to state.

   So this Saturday and Sunday the City Championships were held at Crawfish Aquatics. We had lots of fans (thanks to everyone who came) and everyone on the team was filled with energy for what was to come. Only four people could be entered in each event, so the stakes were raised even higher for the both our girls and guys teams. I swam the 50 freestyle and placed 20th in the state with a 29.66, only 2 tenths of a second away from the state cut in that event. Talking to my coach after that race, he basically looked me in the eye and said, "You've done great this season and should be proud, even if you don't go to state". That translates to "sorry you didn't make it kid" in my mind. I was crushed to be honest. I was scheduled to compete the next day in a time trials after the finals. Anyone who wants to have an extra race just to try one last time for a state cut could compete in the time trials. Coach Alex entered me in the 100 free, giving me one last chance in my favorite event.

   All of my teammates stayed after the finals the next day to see me swim. It was incredible and I can't thank them enough. We had just received the news that both our girls and boys teams had won second place in the meet. I was super happy and ready to go! I was put in a heat against five boys, and another girl with the same goal as myself. I was scared to go up against boys, but once I dove in the pool I realized it was probably a benefit. I raced those boys to the finish and when I looked up from the water the time read 1.05.71 I was ecstatic! It was a PR for myself and I had finally made it to state. My friends all hugged me and screamed in my ears until I was deaf.

   I can't wait to go to state!

The Return

   So this year my family got season tickets to the musicals being performed at the Mahalia Jackson theatre in New Orleans. The first of these shows brought to Louisiana is Les Miserables and a few days ago I attended the show with my parents and little sister. The show in itself was incredible, but it also reminded me of The Return. I had read the short story only a couple days before and had decided to do my thesis on that story. Therefore, the plot was still fresh in my mind and as I watched the story of Les Mis unfold before me, I realized just how similar the stories were.

  Both stories deal with a man returning home from a detention camp sort of environment in the midst of a war, and how his life will change completely due to the events that occurred while he was gone. In the Return, Kamau heads back to his village only to find that the location had changed, and no one from his previous life had expected him to return alive. This is the point I have chosen to focus on in my thesis. The author of The Return uses the physical, temporal, and psychological setting of the story to foreshadow these life changing events Kamau experiences. The point of view of the story contributes to this foreshadowing as well. The narrator knew things about the story and gives many clues as to where and how Kamau will end up. Overall, seeing the play was an amazing experience for me, and it helped me with my English work.