A personal reflection....

My junior year of high school so far has been great. In terms of English class I really love it, and it is probably one of my favorite classes. I think that last year prepared me for this year, and made it easier because I learned how to think and write on a deeper level. Since the first day of school, all of my teachers have been saying how important this year is, and I have heard from many that this year is especially hard; I honestly expected it to be harder. I was really able to take the mantra, live life to the fullest, from "Life of Pi" to heart. Although it was not my favorite book, I can appreciate the lessons that were learned from reading it. I think what makes it easier is the fact that "To Kill a Mockingbird" was so interesting. I enjoyed the discussions in class and reading overall, and I thought that the book was really good. The novel seemed to be much more relatable than other school books that I have read, and it seemed to be the first book that I actually liked. This class is different from my English classes overall because it seems that it is more relatable and interesting than my previous English classes. I enjoy coming to class, reading the books, and writing the themes. In future marking periods I hope to keep this mentality and stick with what I am doing because it seems to be working. In terms of my other classes I really haven’t had much trouble. I am honestly surprised at all of my classes. I really love them and think that they are very interesting and there is not a teacher that I do not like. I hope I don’t jinx it, but my workload is very manageable so I am grateful for that, and I hope that it stays that way. In this very important year I hope I can stay on top of everything and get the best grades possible, and I am excited to learn. This is going to be a great year!

A musical connection to, To Kill a Mockingbird

Songs are great descriptions of people. The song “On The Brightside” by Never Shout Never, is a perfect allusion to how the people of Maycomb act. This song really describes the interesting relationship between the adults and children of To Kill a Mockingbird. Jem and scout are trying to become adults throughout the course of this novel. The adults, in particular Aunt Alexandra seem to think that the kids are clueless and are not meant to know what is going on, but in reality the kids really do. Jem tries to protect Scout by having her stand up for herself and if someone is aggravating her like Aunt Alexandra, she should say something and should not let her get to her. Also, Tom Robinson applies to this song because even though everyone in the town of Maycomb thought that he was guilty he knew he was innocent and he was not going to give up hope that the truth would come out and he would be free. When the going gets rough and you feel like you may fall Just look on the brightside - you're roughly six feet tall". This mentality applies to all the characters in the book, and if they stay positive things will get better.

Social injustice: global warming and the animals

There are many social justices in the world today. There are also many social injustices. A major topic that I think is very important is global warming, and the animals that are involved in the fallout. Global warming is an increase of the average temperature in the earth’s atmosphere. Through the greenhouse gas effects, this process has sped up and has really started to affect the earth. Average temperatures have climbed approximately 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit over the past hundred years. Arctic glaciers and the polar ice caps are disappearing, and the coral reefs around the world are deteriorating. And, all of the greenhouse gas emissions have contributed to stronger hurricanes over the years. But, with all of this atmospheric change, there are some things that we forget about, and those are the animals. Because of the drastic climate changes, ecosystems are being wiped out all together, and it is really affecting the animal’s habitats. Because of all of the deforestation happening in many forests, many animals are being forced to change their habitats and lives. The greenhouse effect is horrible for all forms of life. For polar bears, because the polar ice caps are melting quickly, the polar bears have to swim longer in order to find shelter. According to wwf.panda.org, Polar bears in the Hudson Bay area of Canada are losing weight and getting less fit because the ice breaks up 2 weeks earlier in spring, robbing them of 2 weeks’ hunting. Also, the coral reefs in many of our tropical oceans are slowly deteriorating, and without the wildlife to help keep them alive, the oceans could be in serious trouble. According to dosomething.org, 1.6 million species face extinction from disappearing habitats, changing ecosystems and acidifying oceans. Also, global warming causes climate change, which affects the seasons changing the length and intensity of them. Because of the extreme weather changes, it puts stress on the wildlife, so food becomes scarce for many animals; climate change as a whole has affected food sources and has made insects, plants, and other foods harder to come by. These changes both negatively affect humans and animals. Unfortunately, animals all over the planet are helpless to the harmful effects of global warming. If nothing is changed, the world as a whole is in trouble. We as humans need to do something in order to improve the conditions of global warming in order to save the planet.Just like global warming, the situation with Emmett Till is unfortunately still going on today. We need to raise awareness and find ways to stop these acts of violence both environmentally as well as humanly.


http://www.nwf.org/Global-Warming/Effects-on-Wildlife-and-Habitat.aspx
http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/aboutcc/problems/impacts/
http://www.dosomething.org

Brown vs. Board of Education

Brown vs. Board of education is one of the most significant court cases in the development of our country. By the fifteenth amendment, black children were segregated from white children and their schooling. The saying was “separate but equal.” The court case happened in 1954 and it took down the racial segregation in schools and other public facilities throughout the country. Brown vs. the board of education shaped the future policies regarding human rights. Before the infamous Supreme Court case prejudice and discrimination of people’s race, religion and culture characteristics were not only tolerated, they were accepted. The court case, Brown vs. the board of education was critical to the molding of our country not just as a democracy, but as people; the basic rights that were being violated for so long were a part of our constitution for a long time, and no one seemed to realize. Brown vs. the board of education made education and social reforms possible. It also kick started the civil rights movement which was monumentally important to the rights of all. If this case, Brown vs. Board of education was to have happened in the 1920s instead of the 1950s, it would have been a whole other situation entirely. For starters, this court case probably would not have even gone to trial because back then, schooling was not common for most African American children. Especially in the town of Maycomb it most likely would have been unheard of. It was not until much later that people band together to fight this. And they should have because it is a major human rights violation even though some would argue otherwise.

http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html
http://www.nationalcenter.org/brown.html
http://brownvboard.org/summary/