It was an interesting ride. To sum it all up, these past four years of my life have been interesting. I remember the first day of high school very clearly. It was actually my 13th birthday on August 27, 2012, so yeah, it was rough becoming a teenager and a freshman on the same day. I got lost about two times that day and I was very frustrated that I knew absolutely no one in three of my four classes. I had heard so many things about what high school would be like from my 8th grade counselors and teachers, and I was very surprised to see that it was not a super fun and exhilarating experience like they all told me it would be. I was bored with high school because I had not found my niche. I was upset and I actually wanted to go back to the familiarity of middle school. Sophomore year was the same, but I actually tried to make an effort to join some clubs and make new friends. I began to feel some more pressure because of my 2 AP classes (OOH) but then, I decided on a cold, uneventful February morning to join the IB programme.
I didn't even know what the heck IB was until I started hearing about it in the beginning of sophomore year. Once I started to look into the programme, I started to grow some interest into it and I said "why not? I'm pretty smart, I've had all A's since 6th grade, and it will look good to colleges." Yes, I was that kid who always thought about what colleges would like, and I still am sometimes. Anyways, I joined it and I actually liked it. I enjoyed the global discussions and lessons we had and I liked that class was not monotonous like AP World or Pre-Calc. I finally found my niche, a group of people who were hard-working and motivated like I was. It was very stressful at times, and it continues to be VERY stress-inducing, as I am getting ready for my 27 hours of exams that start next week. But I'm happy I did it. IB gave me my first B, which I am grateful for. IB gave me my first all-nighter, which I am not so grateful for. But IB gave me a group of friends, a group that I will cherish forever, and I am grateful for that. IB also gave me the opportunity to learn under teachers that make sure us students are learning invaluable lessons, and I am beyond grateful for that.
I stand by my decision to join IB and I know that I would not have become the person I am today if I had not chosen to do it. Thank you IB. :)
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Blog Post #14: Whitman's Journals
1. Immediately, I see the disorganization of the journals. There are poems with revisions, little notes Whitman made to himself, and drawings he drew of himself. I can imagine Whitman sitting around, knowing that the majority of the country was against his ideals, but valiantly writing his own ideas and thoughts without fear. These notes and drawings are varied and they cover several topics from history to different drawings and it seems like he did not want others to make sense of it. His journal was his exclusively and thus, he felt no obligation to conform to a typical style of journal writing or doodling. His poems he wrote out had several phrases added in and omitted from, so it shows that his poems were carefully thought out and not just scrambled together. He paid attention to the details and he even wrote about topics that might not have been included in his editions of Leaves of Grass. According to the intro from The New York Times, this particular journal was written in 1860 and 1861, so this was at the cusp of the Civil War. The themes of disorganization, confusion and frenzy are definitely reflected in the structure and content of the journal.
2. After reading the analysis, I can actually see some sense in his notes and his handwriting. With newfound knowledge that he is writing a conversation between him and Abraham Lincoln, I can ascertain some meaning in what he is saying. This makes me more appreciative of Whitman because he is very creative in his method of sharing out his ideas. To publish an imaginary conversation with the President would have been radical but effective. People would have been more inclined to see how Whitman depicted the President and the manner of their conversation. Another theme prominent in these journals is universal brotherhood, because of his notes about having a third religion that is better than the two religions warring (alluding to the North and South). He also included a poem about Libertad, which has roots in Latin America. At first, I thought that Whitman himself drew the doodles in the latter pages of the journal. After reading that his friends and acquaintances actually did the drawings, I realized that Whitman wanted to see how others perceived him. Even though they become less realistic, they still show how Whitman was viewed by the artists.
2. After reading the analysis, I can actually see some sense in his notes and his handwriting. With newfound knowledge that he is writing a conversation between him and Abraham Lincoln, I can ascertain some meaning in what he is saying. This makes me more appreciative of Whitman because he is very creative in his method of sharing out his ideas. To publish an imaginary conversation with the President would have been radical but effective. People would have been more inclined to see how Whitman depicted the President and the manner of their conversation. Another theme prominent in these journals is universal brotherhood, because of his notes about having a third religion that is better than the two religions warring (alluding to the North and South). He also included a poem about Libertad, which has roots in Latin America. At first, I thought that Whitman himself drew the doodles in the latter pages of the journal. After reading that his friends and acquaintances actually did the drawings, I realized that Whitman wanted to see how others perceived him. Even though they become less realistic, they still show how Whitman was viewed by the artists.
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