May 6, 2015
 “Richard Cory,” and, “The Unknown Citizen,” are both powerful poems that through masks of elegant appearance and a, “perfect record,” challenge the importance of appearance compared to reality. Robinson’s poem features the powerful, graceful, emperor-like Cory, who kills himself even though he has money, high social rank, and disarming good looks. Similarly, Auden’s poem features a government official reading the eulogy of a citizen that appeared to do no wrong, but whose happiness and joy was unknown to the government. The death of the two characters challenges the importance of appearance through characterization, ability to assert themselves, and level of success.
 The characterization of Richard Cory and The Unknown Citizen, featuring the citizen’s adoration of Cory and the fake happiness associated with, “The Unknown Citizen,” challenge the importance of appearance. For example, Robinson writes that all of the, “people on the pavement looked at him: He was a gentleman from sole to crown clean favored, and imperially slim,” when Cory is in their presence. What the green-with-envy commoners don’t know is that despite Cory’s finances that make him,”richer than a King,” he is lonely, depressed, and craving company. Similarly, Auden uses the bureaucrat to characterize, “JS/07/M/378,” as a perfect citizen just because he had no criminal records and, “didn’t think any strange thoughts.” This challenges the importance of appearance because the Unknown Citizen is uncreative, robotic, and a slave to his own government. Also, the Unknown Citizen is marked as, “in everything he did he served the Greater Community.” Because of serving in the War and worrying about the strict rules that the government set to follow, he is considered a, “modern day saint,” which compares the government to a religion because the citizen follows it so well. Thus, both poems characterize the men as perfect, when they are really troubled and slaves to society and the government.
 “Richard Cory,” and, “The Unknown Citizen,” both challenge the appearance against reality through the character’s ability to assert themselves. In, “Richard Cory,” Richard, “fluttered pulses when he said, ‘Good morning,’ and glittered when he walked,” meaning that Cory is soft-spoken and careful with words and actions. This challenges the importance of appearance because usually someone soft-spoken would not participate in self-harm, and Cory killed himself. Thus, Cory had problems deeper than the ocean and darker than the bullet that went through his head. Cory hid all of his feelings instead of asserting himself and telling friends how he really felt, instead of continuing his ebb-and-flow perfection. Since Cory had wealth and possessions, he appeared to be happy, even though he was depressed. Robinson also gives the example of Cory’s wealth, “And he was rich-yes, richer than a King, and admirably schooled in every grace”. Since Cory does not assert himself, he is judged solely off his mannerisms, which leads to everyone thinking Cory is perfect, but Cory himself is suicidal. Similarly, in, “The Unknown Citizen,” the citizen becomes uniform to society and the government instead of living a fun, creative, unique life. For example, when described by the bureaucrat, “ Was he happy? Was he free? The question is absurd: had anything been wrong, we certainly would have heard.” This proves that the citizen was average, regular, obedient, and never did anything to make himself stand out. Though he had five children and huge potential, he did nothing to leave a legacy for his children, only a number for everything he ever did for the, “Greater Community.” Like Cory, the citizen is judged off statistics and materials, not feelings. Therefore, the importance of appearance challenges reality.
 Finally, appearance is challenged in both poems through the characters’ level of success. Since Cory is, “richer than a King,” the townspeople can’t understand how he could live a life that opposed the, royal, god-like, unrealistic example that he showed in town. Based on success, townspeople, “wanted that we were in his place,” instead of realizing their own talents and attributes. Cory’s success makes the story more interesting, and adds mystery to the sudden tragedy. However, the Unknown Citizen’s success is marginal, average, and stoic which challenges the appearance that he is a perfect citizen or a, “modern day saint,” which is stated by the bureaucrat. Since the citizen’s success is marginal, he does not compare to Cory’s demise.         

Overall, both poems challenge the importance of appearance with the common lesson of don’t trust in appearance, and stand out from others. They also share that appearance does not equal reality, such as when Cory is valued highly in the community as a gentleman only to kill himself. Because of Cory’s success and the citizen’s hyped up perfection, their suicide and uneventful life destroys the importance of appearance.

January 16, 2015

Cell Phone Effects

Middle-aged-All-American-father Jim Brown pulls slowly to the sleepy town’s lone stoplight. Squealing delight in the back seat are his lovable twin daughters. Crash! Brown’s neck snaps forward like a whip as the Bugatti Brown worked his whole life for is obliterated. The cause of three deaths that night was a texting driver. Although modern day cell phones are a giant leap forward in technology, they pose many dangers to one’s selfish desires. The effects of cell phones are they make learning and communicating easier,but can also harm one’s life with all the power the pocket-sized computers possess.

Unlike older cell phones, new, popular, and expensive phones have many more forms than just texting and calling. For example, I recently received a new Iphone 5C after two years of a traditional, unbreakable, recognizable shiny red slide phone. On my older phone, I could communicate with friends only through blandly boring text messages and the occasional phone call to a relative. I now have many more tools in my communication arsenal, including popular, free apps like Snapchat and Kik. These apps, found on all smartphones and even computers, affect many teenagers and even adult lives, having over 100 million active users per month, according to expanded ramblings.com. The key to Snapchat’s success providing a fun, easy way for friends to have simple conversations, just by sending a creative picture of themselves and adding a caption. Likewise, cell phones also affect lives by enabling the user to call and text someone from anywhere in the country. For example, Michael’s grandma lives across the country, and not getting to see her but every couple of years, Michael convinced his beloved relative to get a cell phone so they can remain in contact every day. Now, instead of taking an hour to write a letter, all the reminiscent-twelve-year-old has to do is take a short phone call to hear the kind, wise, and soft voice of a loved one. Cell phones affect people by giving them easier ways to communicate with friends and loved ones.

Although cell phones can be very beneficial, there are also many dangers of using such a high-tech device. For example, John needs to listen in his Spanish class in order to pass the upcoming quiz, but he is too busy trying to shoot down evil pigs on Angry Birds. Now, instead of taking detailed notes on infinitive verbs and knowing what to study, John doesn’t have any notes at all, and is very confused come quiz time. Similarly, one can research anything online, without any boundaries. Just like anything in the world, the internet is corrupted by dark, evil messages that can scare anyone who happens to wander across them. Even in perfectly appropriate magazines online, there are many pop-up ads that range from satanic-cult-following to horribly sexual explicit content. Since many children even in the fourth grade to have cell phones, the disgusting possibility of one seeing these ads are very high. Cell phones enable the many distracting opportunities to take focus off what is truly important, such as grades, also presenting the opportunity for inappropriate content to be seen.

Although cell phones offer countless benefits to make communicating easier, they have to be dealt with responsibly. Unlike the drunk driver who killed Jim, it is important for one to be responsible with a cell phone. If used correctly, cell phones affect lives only positively.

April 24, 2015

You might think I’m just

a fifteen-year-old boy

with dirty blonde hair and ocean-like eyes

But I know I am more

way more than that

not a roller coaster or a summer day

not an essay writing machine

A blooming flower

in the late seasons

Covered from sight or sound

not expressing beauty

or freely waving in the breeze

When I hold back instead of letting it go

I’m frozen

Not blossoming, learning, or growing into my full potential

But when I bloom

petals inviting warmth

feeling, touching, renewing

Inner beauty puts a smile on faces

when I open my heart I grow

spreading joy for a moment

a gift from the earth

Sometimes it’s weeks, days, or years for seasons to pass

these seasons fluctuate like East Texas weather

the flower opens and grows

opens and grows

then returns to the state of lazy, dark, rest

The blonde-haired, blue-eyed teenager

through days of homework, sports, and family

changing every season

a happy, depressed, heart-warming flower all in one day

March 21, 2015

Most Helpful Critical Review

When our class read Stevenson’s Victorian-era mystery, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, the tale of two men proved to be a great read. Although making a movie to follow such a classic is a daunting task, the director did a fair job of recreating the magic that made this book an instant classic.

Negatives:

– John Utterson is not mentioned in the entire movie. Despite being a main character and narrator in the book, the director decides not to worry about Utterson’s narration of events, but rather focus in on Jekyll and Hyde. This wouldn’t be a problem if the book wasn’t read, but since I have, I was wondering which character was Utterson during the movie instead of keying in on the plot.

–  Jekyll turning into Hyde towards the beginning of the movie tears away the suspense in the plot. Hearing the phrase, “He’s just like Jekyll and Hyde,” I knew that Mr. Hyde was going to be evil and probably murder, lie, and steal. Even though the unfortunately early revelation is disappointing, the movie is not at all spoiled.

– The death of Dr. Jekyll could’ve been much better it was really the most disappointing scene in the entire movie. Of course, Mr. Hyde had to be put to a stop, but the closing scene and interaction with Jekyll, Lanyon, and Poole felt very rushed by the director. The denial from Jekyll after the hunt seems anti-climactic as well as almost humorous. After such a complex and mind-warping movie, the ending was much too simple.

Positives:

– The romance between both Hyde and Ivy and Jekyll and Beatrice depict the difference of personalities between Jekyll and Hyde. For example, Jekyll is engaged to the polite, elegant, proud daughter of a member of parliament, while Hyde forces love from a show-girl who lives on the naughty side of town. These relationships depict Jekyll as a man of grace and stature, while showing Hyde as a man of secrecy and disgusting tastes.

– Sir Danvers Carew goes from a random victim in the book to a character of magnitude in the movie. The director showed great skill by using Carew as the father of Jekyll’s fiancee. Carew represents the high standards set and followed by Jekyll, only to show Hyde, ultimate evil, destroying all rules and boundaries with his cane.

– The movie does a great job of showing interaction between Jekyll’s new ideas and the established members of the community. For example, when Jekyll gives reasons for thinking a potion could separate good and evil, the dinner table of aristocrats explode on him, saying that his ideas are blasphemous and think Jekyll must be joking. These interactions prove that Jekyll’s experiments differ greatly from the Victorian-age culture.

Overall:

– This is definitely a great movie to watch if you like suspense and complexity in movies. If not, this movie will still provide entertainment with a unique storyline.

Wyatt Smith

Pre-AP English 6th Period

November 4, 2014

Career Choice Comparative

As a young boy, seeing my grandfather thrive while building elaborate baseball complexes and awe-inspiring playgrounds intrigued me. Still obvious to this day is the impact of the architectural background on my future decision of whether my future holds constructing buildings, building great sales pitches to impress customers, or designing plays to help my team win an important game.

Analyzing these careers based on salary, aptitude or talents required, benefits, drawbacks, and other personal reasons, I would choose civil engineer because, based on the job statistics, I would be a good fit for designing buildings and other structures that communities use to make their city a better place.

The comparison chart below provided me with statistics about the criteria I use to

make my career choice:        Civil Engineer                Sales Manager                    Coach

Sourc: The U.S. Bureau of Education http://www.bls.gov/k12/content/students/careers/career-exploration.htm

According to the data, sales manager has the highest median income, at $105,260 per year. The aptitude required for career includes experience as a sales manger, which I personally like because of the gain of valuable experience of the beginning of making sales, and being able to communicate clearly and effectively, and I already think I can do both, given my history in both debate and Pre-AP English. While traveling to new places can be a great benefit of this career, it can sometimes be the greatest drawback, besides being away from family. Also, I’ve always loved presenting projects and other school assignments, so I know I would love pitching my products to another company. Overall, sales manager is not only the most lucrative career choice, the aptitude also suits my skill set perfectly.

Coaching, a career that does not pay even close to as well as sales manager, is also one of my career choices. At a median salary of $28,360 per year, it is obvious that I chose this career for personal reasons. Similar to being a sales manager, communication is the most important asset I must possess. The benefits of this job are that I would get to change young people’s lives, and I’ve always loved sports, playing basketball, football, and baseball before I said my first word. However, the irregular work hours and little pay make coaching a tough career.

Although sales manager and coach are both great and appealing careers, I have to choose civil engineer because I possess the multiple math and science skills that are needed, and I have seen examples of civil engineers in my own family. While watching my grandpa’s business build great structures, I always wondered who came up with the designs to make such an awesome assembly. I believe experiences like this growing up have motivated me to become a civil engineer. The salary is good at a median of $79,340 per year, but I feel I can reach over that if I excel and stay in the business a while. The aptitude needed are math skills and coursework in engineering mechanics will help my advancement as well. However, civil engineers have long and sometimes unpredictable work hours, because projects might require after hours work. By also getting help from my Grandfather, who works with civil engineers, I will have a small advantage of more knowledge than others my age about this career.

These careers all include designing, whether its done in an office, a conference room, or a court and field as I try to create opportunities through my designs to help create a path or blueprints to another’s success. Every career also requires communicating and working with others and relying on them to get the job done. However, the one career out of these three that I choose is civil engineer, where I get to design buildings, work on projects, and watch people use the structures I create. Surprisingly, the real life legos I witnessed my grandpa play with would help shape my decision to fulfil my dream of becoming a civil engineer.

Wyatt Smith

Pre Ap English 6th

Assignment: Stylistic Analysis of Elie Wiesel’s Memoir, Night

A Night to Remember

In Elie Wiesel’s memoir Night, Wiesel exemplifies a night and day change from innocent, religious twelve year old in Sighet, to a fifteen year old walking corpse out of concentration camps. By using literary devices such as dialogue between characters and the use of sentence structures and rhetorical questions, Wiesel expresses his change from Chapters 1-5 to 6-9.

As the only main characters to survive for most of Wiesel’s Holocaust experience, Wiesel’s father son dialogue is a constant marker of how Papa and Wiesel feel about each other, the Nazis, and God. Wiesel’s father dryly describes Elie’s religious feelings, “You are too young for that. Maimonides tells us that one must be thirty before venturing into the world of mysticism, a world fraught with peril. First you must study the basic subjects, those you are able to comprehend.”(4) Wiesel shows that in normal Sighet life, his father acts nonchalantly about his family, and doesn’t consider Elie very mature, because he doesn’t spend enough time with him to know Elie is very involved with the Jewish religion. Papa also shows priority to the townspeople than his own four children, which has a lasting effect on his soul as he watches almost his whole family taken to the crematorium. However, when Papa and Elie’s community shifts from Sighet too Auschwitz, Papa rethinks who is most important in his life. During the march to Gleiwitz, even understands the influence his life has on his father’s, stating, “My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me. He was running next to me, out of breath, out of strenght, desperate. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his sole support.”(86-87) This perseverance found within Wiesel’s internal dialogue contrasts from early dialogue about Wiesel’s fathers involvement with others compared to his own family. Papa now cares exclusively for his son, having lost his three daughters and wife. and Elie knows that when he dies, his father will die as well. Likewise, an experience where Papa talks to Elie concerning death is when Papa is chosen for selection and he tries to give Elie the best chance he can to live, pleading, “Here, take this knife. ‘he said.’ “I won’t need it anymore. You may find it useful. Also take this spoon. Don’t  sell it. Quickly! Go ahead, take what I’m giving you!” ‘My inheritance…’  “Don’t talk like Father.” ‘I was on the verge of breaking into sobs.’ “I don’t want you to say such things. Keep the spoon and the knife. You will need them as much as I. We’ll see each other tonight, after work.”(75) This excerpt not only shows how anxious Papa is about dying, but how much Wiesel wants his father to keep hope and survive. Wiesel also shows that he has been leaning on his father for survival, and at a place as horrible as concentration camp, losing his father would make it much harder to live, being a teenage boy especially. In contrast, in the passage where Papa is being screamed at by Elie to get out of the snow and save his own life, Papa weakly replies,”Don’t yell, my son. Have pity on your old father… Let me rest here… A little… I beg of you, I’m so tired… No more strength…”(105) Wiesel shows that earlier in camp life, death seemed to scare his father, causing anxiety, but later his father begs Elie to leave him and let him sleep under the warm blanket of a snowy grave. Overall, Wiesel shows the change in dialogue from his fathers feeling of wantin to die, and Papa’s change from being more involved with others to only caring of Elie, or dying.

Wiesel also uses sentence structure to convey his state of energy and hopefulness of his mind. For example, when all the Jews of Sighet still have reasonable amounts of hope, Wiesel more commonly uses compound, complex, and compound complex sentences, such as, “And thus my elders concerned themselves with all manner of things- strategy, diplomacy, politics, and Zionism- but not with their own fate.”(8) This passage is explained by Wiesel elegantly, offering his vivid recollection of the fancy and politically correct approach used by his elders to handle the threat of Nazis, instead of fleeing the area. In contrast, later in Wiesel’s life, when he is forced to live in the children’s block in Buchenwald, after his father’s death, Wiesel describes his feelings of pain, “I shall not talk about my life during that period. It no longer mattered. Since my fathers death, nothing mattered to me anymore.”(113) This passage, by using short sentences combined, showing the struggle it takes in Wiesels mind to write about this horrible time, portrays the changes in not just Wiesel’s life during the Holocaust, but with all Jews that are inprisoned. Jews in Sighet go from not worrying about the Nazis to being annihilated by them. This passage exemplifies that Jews were forced to lose their families, faith in God, and their hope in life during the Holocaust. Another example of Wiesel using longer, more complex sentences is when the Jews of Sighet are forced to march past Wiesel, “one after the other, my teachers, my friends, the others, some of whom I had once feared, some of whom I found ridiculous, all those whose lives I had shared for years.”(17) The fact that Wiesel uses great detail to describe the Jewish passerbys shows that even though Jews are in a troublesome time, they still have a unique sense of humanity left. In contrast, while describing Jews and fellow prisoners after the march when all survivors are instructed to take a shower, Wiesel refers to himself and his group as, “We had been ordered to go outside to allow for cleaning of the blocks.”(107) Wiesel, instead of individually assessing Jews, like he did earlier, he collectively assorts Jews as a group of living corpses. This differs from the first quote because of thinking of each Jew personally through characteristics, Wiesel describes Jews as one group with the same exact problem. Wiesel also uses rhetorical questions to show how hard it is to reflect back on his times with family, knowing that they went to the crematorium and died. Wiesel shows this problem in Sighet when he hears, “The yellow star, what about it? It’s not lethal! (Poor Father! Of what then did you die?”)(11) Wisel using his older perspective to view and write this book, can’t help but intervene, giving away that his father dies, and showing his sadness to write this book and willingness to go back and flee when they had the chance. Likewise, Wiesel shows indifference of Jews by asking, “Our minds numb with indifference. Here or elsewhere, what did it matter? Die today or tomorrow, or later?”(98) This compares to the first quote because both of them are about the dire situation of death Jews are in. They also both have insight from the perspective of the older Elie, who knows that almost all Jews he is with will end up dying.

Wiesel uses these literary devices to show the transformation in Elies attitude and actions from the first five chapters to the last three. From dialogue, Wiesel and his father show that death doesn’t seem very bad after going through an extended period of concentration camp. By using varied sentence structures, Wiesel shows his deteriorating spirit after his faith is stripped away. Finally, by using rhetorical questions, Wiesel also shows his pain in writing this story from his older self, and also uses rhetorical question to wonder why he has to go through all of this pain.