IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH

The only book I enjoyed in Mr. Bratt's AP English class is 1984. The language was readable, it wasn't too wordy, and out of all the other books we read, this one kept my attention the longest. I enjoyed the look and views the book portrayed about what a government could be or what (as Americans) we are scared a government can be. The right to think, look, act, talk, dress, live... Basically every right we have in America, is controlled by the government in 1984. Even though the ending was sad, it was the perfect ending for the book. Through out the book, the phrase that stuck out to me the most is IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH. The more the main character (Winston Smith) knew the truth about his government, the more he was dangerously close to being punished. The government didn't care if Winston revolted against the government, they only cared about what he thought about the government. He was punished based on his thoughts of the government; so the more he knew or the more knowledge he had, the more he was punished. Until he thought the way the government wanted him to, we was still going to be punished. Ultimately, Winston was brainwashed into the sad life he had before he revolted.

Goals (version 5)

Dear Mr. Bratt, as much as I love to constantly update my goals, thank goodness this is the last one. I have kept my grades in line, so my GPA goal when I graduate will be accomplished. My other short term goal was to set an example during track. I've been making attempts to push people and help them work hard during track. The friends I have made and run with get better each day we run. The long term goals I have for the future are still being worked towards. To watch every season of my favorite shows on Netflix is tough, but with each new day, I am getting closer to accomplishing it. Some goals for collage is not to procrastinate and try hard on every test, paper, and homework assignment I do. This goal is going to be hard to accomplish knowing that I often slack off and like to wait till the last minute to get things done. With hard work and determination I believe that these goals can be accomplished.

My thoughts on Swift and Pope

Today, satire is seen in shows like, the Colbert Report and the Daily Show. These shows mostly poke fun at politics and current events. In the 1600s, Jonathan Swift was our Colbert Report. He criticized the government and made fun of political officials. I enjoyed Swift's work. From Gullivers Travels to A Modest Proposal, I thought both were enjoyable. In Gulliver's Travels it uses an englishman travels to weird and interesting places, but Swift uses these places and the people in them to criticize England and it's government. Swift also satirized human morals and human nature, this was to probably inform people in a less attacking way to treat each other better and show respect for one another. There is also a movie with one of my favorite actors, Jack Black, about Gulliver's Travels.
In A Modest Proposal, Swift is satirizing the government, he is showing that Ireland is so economically bad that the only way to save it is to sell and eat the unwanted children. I enjoyed this satire as is comically could solve the economic crisis in the 1600s. My least favorite satire was The Rape of The Lock. This book was boring and had a shakespearean language to it.

Pope on Miley and Bieber

If Pope were to write a mock epic about Miley Cyrus and Justin Beiber, like most of America, I would find this satire humorous. There is that small group of people that find Miley being expressive and artistic. This group of people might be offended and stand up for the pop star (if you can call her that).
Justin Bieber is a different story. Many of the teenage girls that praise him have now turned the other way. Beiber and his criminal ways have gone too far. From vandalism to assault, Justin has committed many crimes and have gotten out of them. Therefore, the satire of Justin would be enjoyable and the common public would agree with him.

Presentation Review

Before going up to do my presentation, I could already feel the nerves setting in. My knees were weak, arms were heavy, there was vomit on my sweater already, mom's spaghetti. OK, maybe it wasn't just like the famous Eminem song, Lose Yourself, but it sure felt like it.
I am certainly not the best at speeches, especially after watching my presentation on video. A major problem that was noticed is that I tended to rush through things. I just needed to relax and let the words come out of my mouth before trying to say something else. Eye contact was also a problem for me. This problem could have probably been reduced if I just printed or wrote some points down on paper. that way I wouldn't have to turn away from the audience to read off the board. One thing I realized I could do after it was too late, was to connect Goneril and Regan to Joseph Stalin better. It seemed like I jumped right into the pool without letting my body get used to it. If I would have added some humor to my presentation, I would have been more enjoyable. Some nice spongebob videos would have been good (thanks for the laughs Jon.). Other than these main points, I think I got my point across.

Updating my goals......again.

Throughout my highschool life, I've lost count of how many times I have had to make, or update these so called "SMART" goals. To be honest, I don't remember what they were. Which means I get to make yet more goals for myself.
Time is flying faster than what is reasonable and I can barely keep up with it. Spring is just around the corner and with a new season coming, track is on its way too. My usual goals for track is to try to beat a certain time, or beat a certain record; but this year I want my goals to be different. The main goal I have for track is to set an example. This is my senior year, and I am not too bad of a runner, well, I am not too great either; anyways, I am going to have freshman and underclass men looking up to me. I want to set an example for them so they can do their very best at a sport they love. I want to help them find a passion for running just like I have. Running is a long life sport and it doesn't have to stop after high school.
One long term goal I've created is called the Netflix Goal. I plan to watch all episodes and seasons of my favorite shows on Netflix. This goal has no deadline, because only God knows how long this is going to take. This goal takes major preparation and training, some training exercises may include: training my muscles not to cramp after long periods of inactivity, having a strict all popcorn diet, and driving through the intense pain my butt collects after sitting for hours on end. I am willing to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal.

Macbeth Got His Own Movies

I was very intrigued when watching the two nickelodeons of the famous play, Shakespeare's Macbeth. Hollywood's take on the two movies were different, but yet the same. Even comparing the text to the movies, they were very similar. Both movies had the same speech as each other and the same words as the original play. The main difference of the two is the setting. The one is set to copy the play as best as it possibly could and the other is set to be in a WWII setting. Another main difference that really stood out to me would be king Duncan. The movie that did its' best to copy the play, portrayed king Duncan to be a saint. He seemed defenseless and could hardly stand up on his own, having to be carried everywhere he went. It was hard to believe that a man this fragile could start a war and hold up against rebels. The the second movie Duncan was a strong general and fierce leader that still cared much for his solders. One last difference that stood out to me was the three sisters. In movie one, -again the one that did its best to resemble the play- the three sisters were screaming banshees that chanted spells and drooled on each other. The WWII sisters were very mysterious and dark. They were dressed as nurses in a dirty hospital for the war. You really would not want these nurses helping you, for they took the lives of their patients and then ripped out their hearts for spells or witchcraft.
As much as I would like to say the Macbeth movie with the screaming banshees that drooled on each other was my favorite, I am going to say that the WWII Macbeth was my favorite. This is most likely to be others pick between the two too. This movie catches today's audience more than the other movie, with better affects, better filming, and pretty much better everything. I would actually recommend this movie to watch personally; Though knowledge of the Macbeth play is needed, or the Shakespearean language must be known for the passage is hard to understand and follow along with.