The End

       Blogging was not necessarily something I looked forward to, because on most occasions, I remember distinctly getting ready for bed and then realizing that there was a blog post due the following day, tonight is a good example.  I do remember that I enjoyed blogging when I remembered to, I found it fun, interesting, and a nice change from essays or DGP.  It was a much different way of expressing writing talent, and I enjoyed turning on a computer rather than say, writing on a sheet of paper.  The best thing about blogging for me was the fact that you had a choice on what to say for the prompts, it was mostly inferential, and I love to infer and write about something that isn't meant to be taken literally.  The blogs really cause the writer to dive deeper into that subject, to really think hard, and to express it in the most understandable way possible.  As more and more blog posts popped up on your blog, I noticed they were all so different and creative, and I can't imagine how much of a pain that would be to think of something dramatically different from the rest every single week, so I found myself marveling at that while attempting to decipher the prompt to come up with an answer.  On top of the blog posts themselves, I've learned that stronger study habits are required in this class.  Not doing something or not studying for something else will severely impact your grade, and when I got in-sync with completing these blogs, it got me on the track of studying Word Power, brainstorming essay ideas, and completing unfinished worksheets lying on the floor.  These blogs really were helpful to my study habits, because at the beginning of the year, these habits were practically non-existent.  
       Because of the enormous amount of blogs we have been required to complete this year, one of these assignments definately highlighted my "blogging" experience.  The "Thoughts On Reading" was my favorite blog mainly because you asked for our individual reactions to the book.  This inferential prompt was easily my favorite because it asked you to give your own opinion on the book while addressing key aspects of the novel as well.  Not only does this prompt require you to analyze the literature, but it requires you to go deeper than just what is written on the pages, it requires you to give your own, intuitive opinion on why or why not you liked the book, and back your explanation up not with quotes or page numbers, but with your brain, and it's interpretive skills.  This was by far my favorite blog of the year not just because it required creativity, but because it required you to go beyond just comprehension of the novel, but understand that more than that is required to comprehend a book, you have to think for yourself and realize that the words on the pages aren't the only thing you're going to be tested on.  
       I have learned a lot this year by blogging, and I appreciate that it was a requirement not because it was mildly entertaining, but because it was and will be useful in the long run.  I encountered not an unbelievable amount of stress this year but I did find myself frustrated and, on occasion, annoyed at myself for forgetting assignments and not saying a word in class discussions but I learned from those mistakes, and I know I will continue to grow and make more mistakes, and learn from those as well.  To wrap this abnormally long blog post up, all I can say is that I wholeheartedly agree with Thomas Edison when he quoted this such a long time ago; "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."
Signing off,
Sean

Favorite Assignment

       The most memorable assignment, for me, was when we selected a book at the beginning of the year and got to partner up with fellow readers of that same book to make a creative project.  My group and I made a movie/rap about Catcher In The Rye and it was a really fun experience, I learned a lot more about the book this way and how to work in a group even better and more efficiently than before.
       I loved reading The Catcher In The Rye, and I think all of he other books would have been just as great, but on top of that, being able to make a movie was amazing, and a whole new learning experience for me.  I had never done a movie before, and even if I didn't have a gigantic role in it, at least I was a part of it, and that gave me satisfaction.  I think the movies not only create humor and laughter in the classroom environment, but they create enjoyment and learning in the students, and isn't that what teaching is all about?

Experience With Poetry

       Im not exactly the biggest fan of poetry there is.  I don't revel at the mere mention of it, I don't read it in my free time, and I don't scream in delight when a teacher announces we will be reviewing poetry over the next six weeks (ahem).  I do, though, have a story where poetry did positively impact my perspective on this frustrating aspect of literature.
       When I was in 8th grade, I distinctly recall reading and reviewing the disturbingly genius poet Edgar Allen Poe.  We read many of his poems but I can remember reading "The Tell Tale Heart" the most.  It was such a fascinating story, and it was so dark and twisted, I couldn't possibly imagine that poetry (in my opinion) could be so immoral.  Basically, it being about a maniac who can't stand to look at a person's glass eye, and he kills him because of it, it showed me that meaning can be portrayed in other ways besides rhyming words together.  I actually remember the moral of that poem today (after one long year) that guilt will always get you in the end, and if that doesn't get you, your conscience definately will.  This poem gave  me a more positive outlook on poetry, and I now know that not all poetry has to be about plants and animals, and how pretty flowers are, etc.  I highly enjoyed Edgar Allen Poe and his dark perspective on life itself, and it helped me with poetry and how to understand it.  At least,for me, some poetry can be tolerated.

Romeo & Juliet Conflict

A prevailing conflict in Romeo & Juliet is the Capulet & Montague feud. This interpersonal relationship illustrates many happenings throughout the book, and is undoubtedly the cause of Romeo & Juliet's untimely demises. This conflict also creates other miniature conflicts as well. For example, Tybalt and Mercutio both lost their lives thanks to the two families hostility and Paris would not have been slain by Romeo if not for this.

I think this conflict relates to everyday life with people with their parents divorced. I dont have this relation from personal experience but I know people with divorced Parents and it's always an uphill battle. While I think this is a bad comparison,conflict does give meaning to life as well. It keeps a person fighting, understanding the meaning of life, and that's one of the reasons Romeo & Juliet kept fighting. I deal with conflict by realizing that it's a natural part of life and everybody has to deal with it.

Romeo & Juliet Everywhere

       A song that I thought related to Romeo & Juliet is called Romeo & Juliet by The Killers not just because of its name, but because the lyrics relate so much to what the book is like.  I really enjoyed the song years ago, and it instantly came to mind when this blog was posted.  The entire premise of the song is refreshing, and the relations from the book to the present creates a cool new aspect of the novel, and the song as well.  I definately recommend the song to anyone who enjoys rock with a good beat.

Connecting with Romeo and Juliet

       The first act of Romeo and Juliet was more entertaining for me than I had expected it to be.  Right when I read the first part of Act One, I could relate to it from my everyday life at home.  When the Prince tells the Capulets and Montagues to put down their weapons and just get it together, I feel like the Prince when my mom and my sister argue all the time.  I always feel like I have to get involved and break things up, and the arguments are usually over relatively unimportant things anyways, like television, waking up for school, and getting to bed.  The Prince was mentioned in the first act and has yet to be seen, but I know he will be back to break things up again, I know I always am.
       When I'm reading at home, I get the basic idea of what's going on, and I can comprehend the basic storyline of the characters.  What I don't get at home is all of the similes, metaphors, figurative language, etc. that we review when we read it in class.  Reading in class helps me personally, and I'm sure others as well tremendously, because we're gaining a better perception of the novel, new outlooks, a better insight, and a greater overall understanding of what's going on.  I know its not just me who benefits from reviewing Romeo and Juliet, and I definately want to continue doing so.

Wrapping Up Great Expectations

       Great Expectations was a huge book, full of different themes that could be percieved, but the iverall theme that stood out for me was that you don't need all the riches in the world, unlimited wealth, and to have the highest social status to be happy and content with yourself.  I think the story is really about Pip as someone who starts off not knowing what he truly wants to be, so he lets society and misconceptions overwhelm him, causing him to cave in, after Estella's blatent insults, to be a gentleman.  This is what Pip thinks he wants, but its not, and he never feels completely happy, he still has a place in his heart for his hometown and Joe.  When he returns at the end of the novel, every possible weight off his shoulders, including Estella, Pip feels happy for once, and he learns that going through all of that wasn't at all necessary for him to feel like relieved.  I think this book is relevant to people because everyone has a dream of becoming something more than we already are.