Why I Write...

      I write for many different reasons. I write because it will help prepare me for the future. While in this class, we were able to write on our own without being given a prompt to follow. It gave us the chance to be able to write how we want to and say what we want. When I am assigned a paper, I prefer it to be more personal, not having to follow strict guidelines. When that isn’t the case, I simply do my best hoping for a good outcome. Sometimes I only write because I have to.
     I write to only get better. Everyone knows that practice makes perfect, and that stands for writing too. When you write, it can be for your own good, or even for the good of others. Authors don’t just write for themselves, they write for the audience that they know will be reading it. Contrary to the belief of some, writing isn’t always hard. It can be our own free-flowing thoughts that can stay in your hands only, or that can be shared with others for their enjoyment, as well as your own. I write because I will grow as a writer.
     I write purely for myself. I am able to say what I want, without being judged or told what to do. I write because it releases bottled up feelings and thoughts. I speak of the problems in my life, the emotions that I currently feel. Basically my innermost thoughts put onto the paper when no one else is around to hear. I write because it’s a collection of times that I will not get to experience again someday. A recollection of highlights and hard moments of the life I’ve lived so far. I write because I can refer back to past experiences, remembering how I felt, what I thought and every little thing in between. I write for the ability to remember and laugh at the craziest moments, and shed a tear at the heart-wrenching ones. I write for the memories. I write for the stories I can tell one day. I write because I am the author of my own life.

Reading Response #7: Dave Barry on College

Overall, I found this article very humerus and it kept my interest. He made a lot of good points that I was able to relate to and think about, while keeping it to where I could comprehend what he was trying to say. I liked the first two points that he made about the amount of time you will actually spend learning things you'll need to know later in life. It makes me very eager for college and also makes me curious as to how it will work when I get there. I also liked the fact that he described the differences between the subjects, because it made for a very interesting read.
When he said, "Your professor, who is sick to death of reading papers and never liked Moby-Dick anyway, will think you are enormously creative. If you can regularly come up with lunatic interpretations of simple stories, you should major in English," I thought this was very clever and humerus. You think that your teacher will always read every bit of your writing, but sometimes they just make it seem that way. It makes you wonder if what you put so much effort into, is really getting noticed as much as you had hoped it would when you wrote it. He makes a lot of good points in this article and I felt like it fulfilled it's purpose, as well as keeping my attention as to what he was putting across. 

This picture reminded me of what any student would feel during college, or even sometimes in high school. There is so much on our plates that we can't always seem to take it all in. We are faced with many different situations, and sometimes it gets to take a toll on you along with your school work. College will be a whole different scene and I feel like this picture helped do it some justice. 

Plagiarism

I think that if plagiarism is such a huge issue now, then the professors and other teachers should be aware of it to see it coming. If they believe that it's the students fault, it might not always be, however, I don't agree with it. They could be unaware of the fact of there being no credit given to websites, that it's okay to call it their own. With the technology and knowledge growing everyday, there will always be things that are confusing and not understood. The quote "everything can belong to you really easily," explains this perfectly when speaking about plagiarism because it's true that you can copy anything from the internet and make it yours. Without the knowledge of how to cite properly, I believe that plagiarism will continue to come about. When you are cheating, I do believe that you're cheating yourself. You are trying to get others' information to only better yourself, but in all reality you aren't learning anything for yourself. I know that if someone wanted to see your paper or ask you for an answer, you would want to say no because you worked hard on it, where as they didn't do anything. I don't think that is fair because everyone should be honest about their work and how much they really applied themselves to it.

Reading Response #6

In The Hunger Games, where I currently am, Katniss is still alive and doing well in the games. She does have one incident where she is hit with a fireball that comes towards her and it hits her upper leg. While she is in a very large amount of pain, she comes upon a small water pool where she can cool her scalded leg off. She would have stayed in the water if she could, but she heard footsteps and figured that it probably wasn't a good idea to be out in the open. As she finds a new "home" she sees the five tributes walk under her and she sees Peeta with them. they look up and notice her and begin to attempt and climb the tree. With their failed attempts, along with shooting arrows at her and missing, they just decide to wait it out saying that she can't stay in the tree forever. As she sits there, she hears a rumbling in the tree near her and it's the tribute from District 11, Rue, who points to a large nest above Katniss. She recognizes it as a tracker jacker nest which she then realizes that it could be her only way of escaping safely. She decided to saw the branch off which would drop the nest straight onto the five tributes below her.
As she is getting out of the tree, she sees the bow and arrows that one of the dead tributes had and decided to take it for her own. Later, she comes across Peeta and all he tells her to do is run because Cato was on his way towards her. She thought that Peeta was against her, but in all reality he was actually going to help her. After that happened, Katniss realized that she could actually have a chance in the games, she has a more healed leg, a bow and arrow and Rue by her side. Where I am at this moment, Katniss and Rue are coming up with plans to get rid of each one of the tributes left. They are working together and they have become very good friends in this case. I am anxious to read what happens next, in a more descriptive form than the movie was.
A quote that stuck out to me was from Katniss where she says, "..and suddenly I'm not thinking of Gale but of Peeta, he saved my life." I believe that without Peeta helping her in that moment that he did, she might not have still been alive. She thought differently of him in the beginning as he was with the others, but has new realizations about him. Katniss is still very curious as to why he did help her, but is very thankful that he did.


In the few chapters I've been reading I was introduced to the character of Rue. When I first read it, I was really excited because it's my middle name! It is also known in France and is on many street signs, and that's what came to mind. I think it's neat that there is a tribute who has that name, I like her character so far a lot as well.

Project Four Proposal:

Technology plays a huge part in our society today. There are not many people in the United States that can say they go a full day without using some sort of technological device. So are people too dependent on technology? There have been studies that show keeping cell phones in your pockets can actually cause future damage, and although it's very helpful to people, is it worth it? I use technology everyday whether it's waking up to an alarm or going to sleep with music on my phone, I am constantly using it. As time goes on, people will become even more dependent on technology as it is getting more advanced each and every day. Are there times when people are more dependent on their technology more than anything else? I will be researching it to find out.

Article 1 Response: "Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

While reading this passage, I found myself stopping to take few notes of quotes or facts that stuck out to me. I also found myself stopping or wandering to where I had to go back and reread certain sections of it. There were some facts that I found irrelevant in this passage, and with the length of it, I lost interest in it because I understood the point towards the beginning. As I finished the reading, I found quotes and other things that were important to the passage and I took note of those.
I believe the main part of the article is talking about how technology is taking over. Everyone in the present day is now accustomed to technology and the new way of things being used. We all lose interest very easily, and want things to come to us with just the click of a button. With the internet now, we are able to look up anything we can imagine and get the answer. In the passage it was stated that "we are not only what we read, we are how we read." People now read text messages, statuses and tweets which I believe is just a new way that many are now just getting used to. It used to be that you would get the newspaper printed out everyday, and you would read it to get your information and news for the day. There's a whole new way to approach that and I think that this society is so drawn into all of the new technology and what's to come.
There was also a quote stated, "The ultimate search engine is something as smart as people-or even smarter." I think that statement means you put something in, to simply get something out. That goes with google and the internet, where you can type anything in and get an answer back quickly. I believe the internet is not making people less smarter, I think we are able to learn more because of the internet, and the easy access we have to anything that comes to our minds. "The human brain is just an outdated computer that needs a faster processor and a bigger hard drive," was a quote that I really liked. I completely agree with it, as the brain is full of processes and things we can never understand.
I think that technology is just getting started, and there will be so many new things to come that everyone won't be able to keep up. People will only get smarter from the information we want to understand and find out, and there is so much that everyone will get more curious about as well. Technology is here to stay, and it will only grow bigger as time goes on.

This passage proves that "the brain is like a hard drive." It holds so much information and this picture shows what proves to be the brain. A computer might run out of space or crash, but the brain can hold a countless amount of information that we will never be able to comprehend. This picture relates to the article as a whole.

Reading Response #4

I began reading the first book of the Hunger Games series and it immediately started out. The main character, Katniss begins talking about her family and her life previous to the day she woke, which was also "Reaping day." She lives in District 12 with her sister, Primrose and her mother, where her father had passed years ago from an explosion. The day that every child in the district dreads, was what Katniss began getting ready for and explaining. The reaping begins with an introduction to what exactly the hunger games is, and it is so easy to picture what's going on at that moment in time. They arrive at the center of town and anxiously await the anouncement of who will be competing.
At the time, Katniss knew that her sister, Prim had such a slim chance of being chosen because she only had her name entered once, whereas she had hers in there at least twenty times. Katniss had no option but to save her sister, where she decided to volunteer as tribute for her district. That was the first time that anyone had volunteered, but Katniss only wanted to protect her young sister from a death filled situation. The boy who is picked next was Peeta. Katniss had a flashback to an encounter with him, and was thankful for what he did. After it though, she realized that he was now her enemy. 

At the end of the reaping, Katniss was to say her goodbyes and hope for the best. She was given the pin which had a mockingjay on it, which she was to wear throughout the games. As time runs out, her and Peeta are taken on a train to become prepared for what was to come. Where I ended for now was when they arrived at the capitol, and are going to be taken in to be "trained" for the Hunger Games which they would now be competiting in.

"And may the odds be ever in your favor." A quote that everyone is familiar with, one that describes the whole event of the Hunger Games. It is saying that you should simply do whatever it takes to win. You have to learn to take risks, and pass your own personal boundaries in order to try and survive the obstacles you face. 

I chose a four-leaf clover to describe this part of the book. Everyone knows of them to be lucky and the mockingjay pin that Katniss received was supposed to be worn for good luck as well.

Reading Response #2

As I continued to read Sarah's Dessen's book, This Summer, I realized that this book was not what I was expecting it to be. While reading it, I felt as if it was repetitive and the main character, Haven, was completely draining for me. She complains about her sister's past boyfriend, Sumner, and that seems that it is the only thing she ever will live with. He did play a large part in her life, even if she wasn't her own boyfriend and she holds on to that. As she feels overwhelmed, she goes back to the thoughts of the man and it simply keeps her sane. I feel like there was a message that was definitely sent through Haven and her life in this book, and she was very relatable. She does elaborate on her parent's divorce, and her father's recent marriage, but other than that there was not much to this book at this point. I have decided to stop reading this book as of now because it simply seems like nothing else important will end up happening to Haven.
I do know that Sarah Dessen has many great books that have made an impact on many people, and are top-sellers. I researched this book and found that it was one of her very first novels. I am now going to look into some of her other "more popular" books and see if those would be more interesting, and not as dull as this book was. I know Sarah Dessen is a great author and I'm excited to possibly begin reading more of her!

 This photo resembled Haven in a way of showing how she captured every minute of her past, and is still holding on to those memories such as this girl captured a memory on camera.  She is holding onto those "pictures" and better times that she had back with her sister's boyfriend, who was a guy that changed her life and is keeping her going to this day.

“It’s funny how one summer can change everything.” is one quote that stuck out to me in this book. The summer that Haven had once lived through, was one she will never forget and that she will hold on to for the rest of her life. 

Inspiration

Thinking about things that inspire me, music is the one that immediately comes to mind. I am very open-minded when it comes to music, and listening to new things. Music helps me when I need a boost, writing a paper or even simply driving down the road. It makes you feel things that you can't always comprehend while living a normal day, it gives me a sense of comfort while listening to my favorites. My taste in music is not like many others, but when I tell people of what I listen to, they say that it's unexpected and surprising. I will listen to any type of music except country, but I do have my favorites just like anyone else would.
As I very proudly publicize my love for the boy band, One Direction, they are one type of music that can always put me in a good mood. I think about the day I waited a whole year for, when I saw them in concert from the third row, which was basically the best day of my life! Obsessing over those five boys is just something I enjoy because I'm a total fan girl and I'm not ashamed of it :)

On another note, my favorite bands are actually Skillet, Thousand Foot Krutch, Hawk Nelson,Relient K, and many more like those. My parents are the cause for my love for these bands and I am glad for that! Their music strengthens me when I need it most, it can be a very good release of different feelings, as well as giving me inspiration and hope. I have got the chance to see both of those bands more than once, along with at least 30 others close to that type. I have met each one of them and had the opportunity to travel to see concerts. I believe I am blessed with the opportunity to further get into that music, and to feel those happy and exciting feelings when listening to it, and remembering seeing it live. Not many people are able to experience seeing their favorite musicians in person, but it is a very fun, exciting experience and I love it! My favorite feeling is getting to sing along at concerts, and it's something I won't ever get tired of.

There are lyrics that particularly stick out me in many of my favorite songs by those artists: "I still believe the best is yet to come," which is my favorite quote, by the band Red. "I'm awake and alive, now I know what I believe inside. I've done what I want, cause this is my life." That song is one of my favorites and gives you reasoning to live your own life, while not going off what others say you should or should not believe. Different types of music makes every person feel a different way, and that's why I believe its so unique in the way it works. Music is my biggest inspiration.

This Summer by Sarah Dessen

This book begins with introducing a fifteen year old girl named Haven. She is the youngest of two and has just started a new chapter of her life. Her father fell in love with another woman, one of his co-workers that Haven had seen coming for awhile. Haven is a very awkward girl who is almost six feet tall, and will never forget it, for she is constantly reminded of it. Her sister Ashley, is the much older one, the popular one in high school, leader of every club and sport, basically the opposite of herself. Haven doesn't quite understand her sister, or her recent marriage proposal, because she's simply a normal high school student just trying to get through the day. At this point in the book, she is beginning her new life with a new stepmother, the "Weather Pet," a woman who she would soon get to know very well.
This Summer is a very relatable book to many teens, and relates to my life in some ways such as her height. It is a "girly" book, which always interests me and with many things to connect with, always helps too.

I Am...

I am the oldest daughter, sister to Bailey and Royden.
I am the light blue eyed, dark brown haired girl with lots of height.
I am a pineapple whip addict, craving it each second of the day.
I am the Kansas Jayhawk, born and raised.
I am a teacher of ten three-year olds, learning more each and every day.
I am the shopaholic, blowing one paycheck after another.
I am the happy, laughter-filled one who always has a smile on her face.
I am music of all different kinds, screaming at concerts to singing in the shower.
I am the thankful and hopeful woman that God intended me to be.
I am the worry wart, the one who over thinks and overanalyzes.
I am the pushover, the one who cares for others more than myself.
I am hard work, taking on the challenges thrown at me.
I am friend to Josh, who taught me the effects of life's decisions.
I am photographs of memories made and the author of my life.
I am dreaming of a successful and positive future.

I am the person I want to be, Madison Rue Slifer.