9/29/11

Today I dropped History.

Today in English we continued talking about the true or false worksheet. A statement that brought up a lot of debating in our class was whether it is ever right to kill people. On one side of the arguement, our class debated that it can be okay to kill someone it is to save the lives of others. An example of this is if a terrorist is plotting to kill many other people it would be right to kill them because it would save many other lives. On the other side of the debate, our class argued that it is never right to kill a person becasue life is one of their natural rights and killing them would be taking away that natural right, which would always be unjust.

The debate on this question reminded me a lot of the debate we had in History the other day on the same question. A lot of the arguement was the same in both classes, but in History i heard an interesting point brought up from one of the groups. This point was that if someone was coming after you with a weapon plotting to murder you, would it be right to kill them purely for defending yourself? In this situation I would say that it would be more proper to take any alternative possible other than killing them in order to avoid making the wrong choice.

9/28/11

Today in history we talked about ethics. To begin our discussion we talked about three things we knew morally are right and three things we know morally are wrong. After we stated how we got these ideas about morality. After having this discussion I realized that most peoples ideas about morality come from their parents and their surroundings. This discussion lead to where we stand on the thought of war. I agreed with the just war theory because I believe it depends on the situation whether we should go to war or not.

Today in English class we went over the worksheet we did the previous class. We went over this worksheet by discussing each statement, whether we agreed or disagreed, and backing up our opinions with examples. One of the statements that we got into a heated discussion about was Suicide is never justifiable. With this particular statement I disagreed with because if a person were placed in a situation where suicide was the only way to save people they cared about, I feel like it would be a justifiable reason.

While talking about where we got our ideas about morality in history today, it reminded me of a topic we discussed from Wuthering Heights last year in English class. This topic is Nature VS Nurture. I though of this topic because when asked this question, the majority of the class said thier morals came from their parents and surroundings. This proves the nurture theory, that people are not born a certain way but are taught to behave that way, because the majority of the class learned the way they think from how they were raised.

9/27/11

Today in History we did presentations based on the events we were given. An interesting topic presented about was the Boston Massacre. During this event, citizens who were outraged about the taxation decided to throw snowballs as a small attempt of rebellion at soldiers that were stationed nearby. This little form of rebellion completely backfired on the colonists when the soldiers started firing their muskets back at the colonists. In the end, five colonists were killed by the muskets fire. This event shows just how chaotic things were becoming due to the heavy taxation on the colonies.

Dropped English

The Boston Massacre reminds me a lot of the play we read, Antigone. Like the Boston Massacre, the plot of Antigone becomes very twisted and chaotic. The character Antigone is a lot like the colonists in this situation because she initiates the problem by rebelling against Creon's law, much like the colonists rebelling against the soldiers for Parliaments laws/taxes. In both scenarios, both sides refuse to admit they're wrong or back down. In the end of both situations, things got out of control and innocent lives were spared.

9/26/11

Today in History Class we went to the computer lab and worked on group powerpoint presentations. For each powerpoint, the group making it was required to cover who, what, when, where, and why the event happened. In my group, I was in charge of the Why portion. I said that the Intolerable Acts happened because they needed a way to punish the colonists for the Tea Act, otherwise they would feel they could rebel like this all the time without consequence.

Today in English class we completed the Julius Ceasar Anticipation Guide. On this worksheet, it had many true or false questions that connect to major themes in the book Julius Ceasar. One question that I answered true to was In certain situations it may be neccesary for a political leader to bend or break the rules for the good of the country. I agreed with this statement because if it benefits the country to change this law, then the law must not have been a proper or good law to begin with.

The statement I agreed with, In certain situations it may be neccesary for a political leader to bend or break the rules for the good of the country, connects to the Boston Tea Party. In this particular situation, I think it would be right for Parliament to lift the heavy taxes because if they had, then they would not have lost so much money from all the tea dumped in the harbor. If the taxes were fair or justified, then there would have been no reason for the colonists to rebel to this extent.

9/23/11

Today in History we read about Revolutionary America. The events we read about were the Stamp, Sugar, and Quartering Acts, the Boston Massacre, the Borton Tea Party, the Intolerable acts, the first Continental Congress, and the Shot Heard Round the World. After reading about all these events, each group was given just one event to study. The event my group received was the Intolerable Acts. These acts were a result to the Boston Tea Party. Boston Harbor was closed until the destroyed tea could be payed for and Massachusettes was put under the control of a military governor.  Intolerable acts were a way to punish Massachusettes for the Boston Tea Party, but also helped unite it.

Reading Worskshop!

The way the people of Massachusettes were punished for the Boston Tea Party reminded me of how in the book Harry Potter, Harry and his friends are punished for rebelling against the headmaster Dolores Umbridge. Just like the Boston Tea Party, Harry and his friends were sneaking out and disobeying the school rules by creatig an army called Dumbledores Army. This is like The Boston Tea Party because they were standing up for what they beleived in by breaking the laws and then were punished in the end when they were caught.

9/21/11

Today in History we went over A worksheet we did the previous night for homework. Since we just finished our unit on the Constitution, we are now moving onto the American Revolution. The worksheet we did was all about the new colonies that were established in America. On one half of America was the French, and on the other half was their enemy the English. We also discussed how the New England, Middle, and Southern parts of America developed very differently.

Today in English we had an in class open response quiz. For this quiz, we each were given a sheet of paper containing a civic value that pertains to the play Antigone. The civic value I received on my slip of paper was Perserverance. Perserverance means to keep going no matter what obstacles come in your way. In my open responce, I wrote all about how Antigone overcomes the being rejected by her sister, breaking the laws, the threats of Creon, and the threat of death. Antigone uses perserverence because she doesn't back down when faced with a struggle.

When learning about how all of the different parts of America formed so differently, it made me think of a book I read called Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone. In this book, there is a school with four different houses. The students in these houses are all very different, for instance one house is all about bravery, loyalty, and chivalry while another is all about creativity, learning, and wit. This is like the formation of the colonies because each house ended up so differently with different views, just like the dfferent sections of America at that time.

9/21/11

Today in History we took the test. I didnt think this tst was too challenging becasue I put a lot of effort into studying. I even learned all of the Articles, but none of them were on the test. A big theme on this test were how the Amendments protect American's rights. The Amendments gave Americans a lot more freedom from the government, making sure the government does not hold too much power. Without the Amendments, Americans would have less rights and the government would have too much control over the people.

Today in English we worked on a paper all about Antigone. On this worksheet, there were lots of question that required you to think particularly hard about the play. A good question from this worksheet was Do Antigone's convictions about burying Polyneices mean that she disliked her other brother, Eteocles? My answer to this question was that Antigone cared greatly for both brothers, but Eteocles was already buried, therefore she did not need to put up a big fuss about burying him. I'm sure that Antigone loved the brothers equally, but in this play she only got a chance to express her love for Polyneices.

Just like how without the Amendments America would be compltetely different, without Creon's laws, the story of Antigone would be completely different. If Creon had never enforced that law, then Antigone would have never had to have been sentenced to death after burying her brother. If she were never locked in the vault, then she would have never died, meaning Haemon would have never died either. If Creon had not passed his law, the story would not exist.

9/20/11

Today we dropped History.

In English today we discussed the end of Antigone and got more worksheets about it. In the play, Antigone is brought to the stone vault to die by Creon. After talking with Tieresias the blind prophet, Creon realizes that killing Antigone is wrong and goes at once to free her. By the time Creon reaches the stone vault, Antigone has already hung herself. After learning that Antigone has killed herself, Haemon kills himself as well.

After finishing this story, we were left with the question, who really was the Tragic Hero? I expected it would be Antigone becasue the story is all about her, and was suprised to be persuaded towards thinking it is Creon. I didn't realize at first, but now I truely believe that Creon was the Tragic Hero. Creon is a well-respected, good natured leader who's tragic flaw is how he is very stubborn. If he were not stubborn, he could have avoided the tragedy of the play by not locking Antigone in the tomb and just letting her have her way. He gains wisdom and self-awareness during the play when realizing he was truely wrong. Creon fits basically all the characteristics of a tragic hero, therefore I believe he is one.

9/19/11

Today in History we played an educational game about the Amendments of the Constitution. In this game, you owned a law firm and people would come in with problems wondering if they had the rights based on the Amendments to change them. An example of a problem would be "My teacher will not have me in his class because I am Asian. Do i have the right to change this?" In this situation, the student would have rights because Amendment 15, stating the teacher may not discriminate against the student's race. After deciding whether the client has rights based on the Amendments, you need to match that client to oneof your lawyers based on which Amendment. After this a trial occurs and if you win you receive points, and if you do not win you lose points.

Today in English, we took a quiz on the play we are reading, Antigone. This quiz was all about Scene's 1 and 2. In these scenes, Creon had declared that no one would be able to bury Polyneices, and is told by the Sentry that Polyneices was buried. Creon sends Sentry to find out who buried him, and when he returns he tells him it was Antigone. Antigone then confesses her deed with no regret. After hearing Antigone's confession, Creon declares that Antigone's sister Ismene must be guilty as well. Eventually, he decides only Antigone is truely guilty and sentences her to death. When Creon's son, Haemon discovers his fiance Antigone's fate, he is outraged at his father.

If the Amendments applied to the play Antigone, then it would have gone a lot differently. In the first place, Creon would not be able to pass this law. Antigone would not be able to be accused because they had no certain eveidence to accuse her with. All Antigone was doing was crying over her brothers grave. Antigone's sister would also not be allowed to be accused because she did not do anything associating with this crime other than being related to Antigone. Antigone would also be allowed a fair trial instead of just being brought in to confess. Creon would not be allowed to lock Antigone in the stone vault until the gods decide whether she lives or dies because this would be a form of cruel and unusual punishment.

9/16/11

On friday in History, half of the class portrayed the Federalists, while the other half portrayed Anti-federalists in partner debates. In this activity, I was an Anti-Federalist. My reasons against the constitution were there was no Bill of Rights, the executive branch had an exess of power, congress held too much power, and the national government had too much power. My Federalist partner's reasons for having a constitution were that it lessens the responsibility of the people, it will allow us to make the best of our abilities, and without it we wouldn't have defence, union, government, or credit.

No english :(

In my opinion, the Anti-Federalists defended their opinions better than the Federalists in this dispute. It may be the fact that it is easier to pick out the flaws in something than the positives, but the Anti-federalists had many more points than the Federalists and backed them up with lots of proof. Although the Anti-federalists had more points, I would agree with the Federalists because I think we do need the Constitution. Without it, I think that our country would not be nearly as great as it is today. It would have a weak central government and would not be a very powerful country.

History Timeline on Dipity.

9/15/11

Today in History class, we learned all about our nation's system of checks and balances and the three braches. The Legislative branch has control over approving presidential nomination, the budget, passing laws over veto, impeaching the president, and impeaching judges. The Judicial branch has the power to declare what the other branches are doing as unconstitutional if they do not follow our nation's constitution. The Executive branch has control over nominating judges and vetoing congressional legislature. It is important that the three branches have checks and balances because otherwise, branches could become more powerful than others.

Today in English we took a quiz on Greek Tragedys and Greek Tragic Festivals. We also took a long list of notesabout the Elements of a Tragedy. In a Tragedy, there is a heroic main character with a Tragic flaw, which eventually leads to this character's downfall. Something that really specifies tragedies is that the tragedy could have been avoided. If the tragedy could not have been avoided, then the story would not be a tragedy.

What we learned in History today reminded me of a book we read last year for english called Lord of the Flies. In this book, a group of boys are stranded after a plane crash and have to fight for their survival as a group by working together and setting up their own mini government. The mini government set up by the boys is similar to our government, but not nearly as strong so the power becomes taken over by one of the boys and used wrongly. This book made me realize how lucky we are to have such a stable setup of our goverment with checks and balances, making it so power can not become corrupt like it does in Lord of the Flies.

9/14/11

Today in History class we did an activity on how the president should be elected. In this activity, we filled out a worksheet on the pros and cons of haveing the president be elected by the people, congress, the Electoral College, and by the states. In the end, the best way of electing an Exectutive ended up being by the Electoral College because it made it so the small states had a say in the election. Although the Electoral College was looked at as possibly being deceitful, it was chosen as the best working system of electing an Executive.

Today in English class we begun reading the play, Antigone. Antigone is the following story from a book we read last year called Oedipus Rex. The story starts up when the protagonist Antigone's brothers murder eachother. Antigone's uncle Creon buried one of the brothers, but creates a law saying that the other brother will not be buried or mourned. When Antigone heres of this law she is determined to break it. She comes to her sister, inviting her to join in on her scheme to bury her brother, saying that it is only what is fair for him. When her sister refuses, Antigone does not back down. She holds her head high and stays determined to accomplish her task.

A connection I made between one of our History classes and the book Antigone was with one of the civic values we learned. The cicvic value was perseverence, which means steady persistance in a course of action. Antigone demonstrates this civic value when she plots to disobey the law in order to do what she thinks is right. Antigone demonstrates perseverence by sticking to her goal, even when the law gets in the way, or when her sister will not join her. Even if it means getting in trouble by herself, Antigone is determined to bury her brother.

9/13/11

Today in History class, we received a new paper about the Virginia, New Jersey, and Hamilton plans. In each of these plans, they decided on the terms and conditions for an Executive. The Virginia Plan, introduced by Edmund Randolph, stated that the one executive would be elected by the National Legislators and be in office for one term, could not be impeached and could not veto. The New Jersey Plan, introduced by William Patterson, stated that the multiple executives that would be voted on by congress would be in office for one term, could be impeached, had no veto power, and could appoint federal officers. The Hamilton Plan, introduced by Alexander Hamilton, stated that the one executive chosen by the electors would be in office for as long as needed, could not be impeached, and would have veto power.

In English class today, we started by finishing going over a worksheet, and then we moved on to a brand new worksheet on Greek Tragedy. This worksheet was all about the elements of a Greek tragedy and Greek Tragic Festivals. At these festivals, tragic plays would be put on and a winner would be chosen at the end. The people who chose who would present the plays were called magistrates. We also learned the family tree for the book we will soon read called Antigone.

A connection I made between English class and History was between a Greek Tragic Festival and the government. The crowd watching the performers is like the nation watching and being affected by the government's every move.The magistrates who pick which poets would present plays are like the representatives of the states. The winning poet is like the executive, voted by the majority of the people.

9/12/11

Today in History class, we started off by taking a quiz on the preamble to the constitution, and then continuing going over the notes we took in groups from the previous class. We started by going over my group's notes, and then proceeded to group C's notes. Group C's issue they needed to solve was whether each delegate wanted proportional or equal representation in Congress. Group C's conclusion was that two of the delegates wanted equal and two wanted proportional. In the end, they came to a compromise called the Conneticut Compromise where they ruled out what should be included from each sides arguement.

Today in english class we went over a paper we had a previous night for homework. This paper had multiple statements that you needed to decide if you agreed or disagreed with. The questions on this paper tied in to some of the major themes of the book Antigone which we will start reading shortly. While going over these questions, our class discussed each one carefully, letting each student voice their opinion on each matter.

A strong topic present in many of the questions from English class today that can connect to History class was Should you always follow the law even if it goes against what is right or what you believe in? While thinking about this question, I thought about the delegates at the convention, and thought about how they might answer this question. One particular delegate that I thought about was William Patterson. When faced with this question, I thought that Patterson would say yes, because he believes all people should have equality and their say in things should not be overpowered by larger forces. Patterson would believe in going against the law because he knows when things are not right and are unjust and stands up for what he believes in, so I feel he would feel the same for others.

9/8/11

 Today in History as we walked in, we were handed papers that assigned us into groups. On the paper I was given, there was a conversation between respresentatives at the Constitutional Convention. This conversation ws between Roger Sherman, Elbridge Gerry, George Mason, James Wilson, James Madison, Charles Pinckney, and Oliver Ellsworth. After reading this conversation, we were told to figure out whether each representative wanted voting to be in control of the people or the state legislators. Sherman thought the state legislators because he thought the people would vote wrongly and were easily mislead. Gerry thought the people should be able to vote but the state legislators should have the final decision. Mason thought the people because he wanted every part of the community to vote. Wilson thought the people because the legislators have too much power. Madison thought the people because he thinks the people are a better foundation than the legislators. Wilson thought the legislators because he beleived them to be wiser than the people.

The conversation between the representatives reminded me of a book we read last year in english called Oedipus Rex. In this book, a man named Oedipus kills his father without knowing it, and comes to realize this in the end of the story. Before he and the town come to this realization, the townspeople or "chorus" as they are called in the book voice theiy opinions about Oedipus in something called an Ode. This connects to the conversation the representatives had because like the chorus, they all freely voiced their opinions about a topic.

9/7/11

At the beginning of class, we were put into groups depending on what paper we were given for homework. The purpose of these groups was to read about a problem that corresponds to the Articles of Confederation. The problem my group was given was that Congress couldn't get enough votes for new articles they wanted to be added. After reading through the articles a couple times, our group discovered that Articles 14 and 16 were the reason that the new articles could not get enough votes. Articles 14 and 16 stated that congress would have absolute power over many things, making them unable to get votes.

I dropped english class today.

What we did in class today reminded me of a scene in the book A Seperate Peace. In this scene, a group of boys gather in a room at their school because one of the boys pushed another off of a tree and they are trying to get to the bottom of this incident. Our class connected to this today because we were given a problem that we had to investigate and figure out why it occured. In the book, they question the boy on if and why he would push the other boy off of the limb and investigate the problem.

9/6/11

During History class today, a group discussion took place about the homework sheet we were given during the long holiday weekend. This worksheet was titled "Why we have a National Government". The discussion we held was all about answering this question our worksheet provided. Eventually, our class came to the decision that a reason we have a nationalist government is to keep all states within a same group of national laws, meaning that although some laws do differ between states, there is a set of federal laws that all citizens of the U.S. must follow. This topic lead us to discussing the question; Do people move to different states in order to benefit from that state not having a certain law, and if so, does that mean people in each state are bound together by a shared desire of freedom from that law? An example of this is when people move from Massachusetts to New Hampshire in order to avoid wearing helmets, do all citizens of New Hampshire share this wild desire to keep their heads helmet-free? In the end, we came to the conclusion that citizens of certain states are not all bound together by the common desire to not have a certain law, otherwise each state would be filled with citizens lacking diversity among themselves. One state would be filled with a certain kind of people, while another state would be filled with a completely different kind of people.

The discussion that took place in History class today resembled a discussion that would be held by a national government deciding on a new law. In our conversation, our class elaborated on one idea, just as a national government would elaborate on a new law. We discussed the issues of this idea, the problems there were with it, and the positive outcome this idea could have, just like a national government would with a new law.

Goal 1: to get an A in history. I will acheive this goal by finishing my homework on time and participate a lot in our history class!
Goal 2:to cure multiple sclerosis. In order to achieve this goal I will need to take many advanced science and anatomy classes and raise a great of money for my cause.
Goal 3: my final and most important goal is to save all endangered or suffering seahorses. In order to achieve this goal, I must learn all about seahorses and where they live. I must then travel to these places and help get laws passed to protect this beautiful species. I will also create a safe haven for seahorses in my own house. This large saltwater tank will accommodate for over 50 seahorses. Only then will the seahorses be safe from danger.