Polished Journal March 13
Advantages and Disadvantages of Beauty and Ugliness

Advantages of beauty are that people are more likely to help you with things and want to be friends with you. People are more likely to seek you out in a crowd and want to be with you. Beautiful people get help with things when they need it and when they don't need it because of their appearance. People strive to become friends with them and thus do work for them as a means of befriending them.
Disadvantages to beauty are that sometimes people don't take you seriously. It is thought sometimes that pretty people just rely on their looks to get them through life and don't have to learn as much as others because people will always be there to assist them.
Advantages to ugliness are that you will have more challenges in life and can thus become a stronger and better because of your experiences. These challenges can also be seen as a disadvantage but I find that in the end they really help you out to become a more knowledgeable person . Being less attractive can allow you to get farther ahead in things and learn more because people aren't always trying to do all your work for you.
Disadvantages to ugliness are that you may dislike yourself because of your appearance. Uglier people may also have difficulties in life because of people who have prejudices against people who aren't as attractive as they are.

Polished Journal March 5
Drama Between Friends

What are the boundaries and rules when two friends like the same person? One rule is that they shouldn't let it affect their relationship as friends. The friends can't let another person come between them. They must not have issues with the other liking him too. I find that the fact that they both like the same person can actually bring them closer in a strange way. It allows them to see from the others point of view easier.
Another rule is that if the person they like happens to ask one of the friends(let's call them A) out, the other friend(and let's call them B) should be OK with this. B should be happy for the other friend because they both liked this person so much and they must be a great person. This rule is important because if A is asked out by the person, B should be happy for A because they are such good friends (and that's what friends do right? Be happy for each other!). B is allowed to be jealous though when A gets asked out, but can't let this jealousy get between them.
Another rule is that if A and the person break up, B shouldn't date them, or at least not right away. B should comfort A if they need it, and then after A is completely over this person and doesn't mind, B can date the person(if B still likes them). Person A shouldn't make it impossible for the them (B and the person) to date, because as friends A should want whats best for B and want B to be happy. As long as A and B think about each other's happiness and don't let a crush get in between them, everything should remain fine between them.

Likes and Dislikes about Shakespeare Unit

-Transfer of Romeo and Juliet into modern language-I liked this because it made Romeo and Juliet easier to understand. Shakespeare's wording is difficult to understand at times, but this activity made it a lot easier because it let us ask each other what things meant.
-Reading aloud-This was nice and allowed us to all be at the same place in the play at the same time. It also gave us the chance to ask questions . Reading aloud had a few problems. One was that some lines were really long and hard difficult words in them. Another is that some people didn't place much emphasis on the wording and it became monotone.
-Listening to the recording-This was nice because the readers placed emphasis on the wording which made it more exciting. This also easily allowed us to stop and converse about what just happened.
-The movie-I liked watching the movie because it helped us to understand what was actually happening in the play. Just reading is it not as good a s actually seeing what was going on. The movie was also easier to follow and immersed us in the way things used to be in places like Verona in terms of fashion and architecture.
-Posters of terms-When we created the posters with Shakespeare's terminology like monologue, metaphor, allusion, etc. was helpful. It helped us understand what the terms meant and actually see that he does use them throughout the play. The only problem I had with this was that it was tedious and took a lot of work to find examples of the terms we were looking for.
-Quizzes-I didn't like all the quizzes we had (but then again, who DOES like quizzes?). Although they did help us understand what was happening in the play, they were difficult when we hadn't gone over what happened. The wording Shakespeare uses is hard to understand and even though we had read the text it was still difficult.
-Explaining metaphors-It was helpful when Ms. Chiang stopped and explained the metaphors. Many of them used terms we didn't understand, thus causing us not to understand the metaphor, but when we stopped and discussed it, the metaphors were easier to comprehend.

Polished Journal-Haikus-Feb. 15, 07

Blue bliss, I look up.
The blue sky meets the blue sea.
Warm sand under foot.
~~~
I cannot describe
this new feeling within me,
is it newfound love?
~~~
Sweet scent reaches my nose,
bright flowers suddenly bloom,
and now spring is here.
~~~
Try to understand.
It is very difficult
to grasp the first time.
~~~
Stretched out on the ground,
watching clouds over my head.
Let me relax now.
~~~
I am lost in thought,
feelings confound me today,
head and heart differ.

Odyssey Test

1. What have you learned about Greek culture, values, and religion? Address the roles of women and men, honor and virtues, gods and goddesses, etc. (250 words)
From the Odyssey I learned that the Greeks were very welcoming and always allowed travelers to stay in their homes. They found it very important to please everyone and would give gifts if they were traveling and would generously feed and take care of any travelers who came to spend the night. They valued relationships with others and therefore always tried to accommodate anyone who came around. The also valued their promises to each other and would keep them no matter the cost. The Greeks believed in the Gods and would sacrifice lambs or goats to them if they needed help. They would ask for help from the Gods if they were in need and would pray to them regularly. The men were very important in Greek culture and were seen as higher up in society than the women. They were always served and waited on by the women and were allowed to have many lovers. Although the men were seen as better in the Greek society the women were also very important because they did much of the work. Honor was also very important to the Greeks and they would always try to do their best no to disgrace the family name, or better yet make themselves well known so they’d be remembered in the future. Their virtues weren’t as important because the men were allowed to act as philanderers. The gods and goddesses were very important to the Greeks. The people thought that these gods controlled everything around them and could easily change their course in life.

2. What resonated with you in reading about Odysseus’ adventures? Why? (150 words)
The fact that Odysseus remained in love with Penelope resonated with me. It was moving that although Odysseus had traveled all over the sea, visited many islands, and “saw” many other women and goddesses, he still loved Penelope. He had no idea if she had remained faithful to him or if she still loved him, yet he still strived to get back to Ithaca to be with her. It was also moving that Penelope and Telemachus had hope that Odysseus was still alive the entire time he was gone. It also resonated with me that Odysseus cared so much for the people he was traveling with. He tried to keep them safe and would do as much as he could for them. Although at times he became angry with them, the fact that he still cared about them, and they cared about him, was a very strong point in the book.

3. This epic poem is dated nearly 3000 years ago, why is it still relevant? (150 words)
The Odyssey is still relevant today because it tells the story of a strong man trying his best to stay faithful and get back home to his wife and son. The fact that some people may have such things to deal with lets it apply to today’s society. It has very strong points and educates people about the past in an interesting way that the reader can easily relate to. It helps many people understand the past of Greek culture and the Greeks’ beliefs. It is also still relevant because of the mystery behind it. The mystery of whether or not it is a true story and who and where it originated from is very interesting to many people. The mystery of its supposed author, Homer, is intriguing to people because he was said to be a blind prophet, and it is unknown if he actually existed. The poem has become part of the world’s classic literature because of its importance and the education about the past it offers readers.

4. How would you characterize the narrator, the fictive "Homer" whose voice we imagine as singing the verses of the Odyssey?
I would characterize Homer as a wise man. He seems like an outsider to his community because of his mythical tales of far away lands and encounters with gods and goddesses.

5. What kinds of behavior are treated as contemptible in the Odyssey?
In the Odyssey it was contemptible behavior if a person did not offer a guest shelter, food, and care for the night. It was also bad if a person committed suicide and they would be sent to the underworld.

6. How does the poem represent mortal women? Since Penelope is the most important woman in the Odyssey, what qualities does she possess, and how does she respond to the troubles she faces? (Some of the other women are of note, too-Eurycleia the serving woman, the faithless maidservants, Nausicaa the Phaeacian princess, and Helen of Sparta, Menelaus' queen, whose elopement with Prince Paris sparked the Trojan War.)
The poem represents women in many different ways, but overall they are very strong characters. Penelope is a strong woman who is very devoted to her husband, and although she must face having many suitors living in her home she remains kind to them. Eurycleia and the maidservants seemed to be metaphors for how some men think women should be, quiet, and serving to them. Nausicaa is a strong woman who knows what she wants and will do whatever is necessary to obtain it. Helen is also a strong woman and stands up for what she wants and how she feels.

7. How do Homer's gods think and behave? How do their actions and motivations differ from the conception of god in other religions of which you have knowledge? What role do the Homeric gods play in human affairs, and what is the responsibility of humans with respect to those gods?
The gods and goddesses of Homer’s poem are very intelligent and cunning. They behave and act in their own self-interest; however they are careful not to upset each other. They are often motivated by the actions of others. The gods and goddesses of Homer’s epic poem have a great influence on the lives of mortals and can easily change their destinies. The humans must be very careful not to upset the gods and make sacrifices to appease them when the humans are in need of help.

Similarities in Miyazaki movies

There are many similarities in Miyazaki's three movies we watched in class. Two (Spirited Away and Princess Mononoke) contained mysterious blob-like things that tried to destroy things. Two (S.A. and Totoro) had children as the main characters who stood up for what they believed in and didn't hold back from a challenge. They all seemed to have main characters that made foolish mistakes also that put themselves at risk. Another common element was the use of gods. All three of the movies contained gods, both good and bad, that affected the main character(s). They also contained other strange spirits and creatures that were very interesting in appearance like the little tree spirits, the totoro, and the turnip spirit.
All three movies were very interesting and entertaining. Miyazaki has very interesting ideas and a very unique way of animating movies.

Eternal Sunshine and Waking Life

From Waking Life I learned that many people have different views on the aspects of life. I learned that these philosophical ideas are very in depth and hard for the average person to easily understand. I also learned about the many different types of animation and this allowed me to see others' views of people and things. The movie also educated me about dreams and how far the mind can go in imagining things. I found some of the ideas to be true like the fact that you can't change lighting in dreams. It made me remember back to some of my dreams and I found that I couldn't turn off or on lights in my dreams.
This movie was very confusing to me and at times seemed random. It changed from character to character and I had no idea why except that it was introducing new ideas and characters to us. It was an interesting movie with some very unique animation types, but it didn't seem to have much of a story line and was very confusing.
The movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind was a much better movie in my opinion. It was also confusing to watch, but after thinking about it made since. This movie made me feel like life is shorter than we think and that we should basically live it up and do as much as we can in this short time. I think it had some interesting film techniques and an interesting story line. I found this movie to be really inspirational in a way because it showed how much he loved her and how he wanted to hold onto the memories of her. It was inspirational in a way I can't describe because it was as if even though you can do something that may change life for the better, it may in turn end up changing it for the worse. I can't really describe well how this movie was so inspirational to me.
This movie was very interesting, but seemed to be out of order in a way. The middle part where he was getting his memories erased happened first and yet was in the middle part of the movie. It was pretty confusing but very strong in a different way than other movies I have seen before.
This movie seemed to teach that even though someone has wronged you, you should give them another chance. It said that even though you remember the problem and what went wrong, there were still good things that you remember more. It basically said that even though you have been wronged, you have been "righted" in so many more ways. I really liked this movie because it seemed so relevant and strong.

Execution

In a dark hotel room sit five friends. They are discussing the execution of the sixth friend of the group.
Camisia: He just had to do it. Why did Ben have to go and kill Nika?
Ian: I knew he was crazy all along. He just had that look in his eyes and he was silent. You knew he was up to something when he never said anything.
Hannah: I agree. That silence just said that something was going on in his mind. It is because he worked for Acxiom. He must have known something about Nika that he did not want everyone else to know.
Isaac: Yes. Acxiom. The company that knows everything about you. He told us about it one time. It is really scary.
Miranda: Acxiom turned him bad, it is true, but is it really necessary that we kill him?
Camisia: Yes! He always had that look in his eyes. The look of a crazy person! Possibly even a killer!
Isaac: He need to be killed! He’s gone mad! Who knows what he’s doing at this very moment! He could be killing people for all we know!
Miranda: It is possible. But still, he was a good friend. We shouldn’t kill him. What will that make us? The same as him. Killers of our friends.
Ian: That is true, but he worked for a secret company that knows everything about you! He needs to be killed! He betrayed us all by killing a friend.
Hannah: It’s true. He did kill our friend, but Miranda has a point. If we killed him we would be just the same as him! We would be killers too! I know I don’t want to be seen as a killer!
Isaac: Ben’s a killer! We have to do something about it! We can’t just let him go without punishment!
Ian: Then lets have a vote. All in favor of killing Ben raise your hands. (One hand is raised. It was Isaac’s) All opposed to killing our dear friend? (The remaining four friends raise their hands) Then it’s settled. We are not killing Ben.

Obsessive Compulsive

I find myself to be very obsessive and compulsive. I have always had habits of organizing things without any idea why they bothered me so much.
In the store, if the magazines are mixed up, I usually have to organize them so they are correct. If the cat food at the store is turned around I sometimes find myself tuning them all face forward so they're all the same. Things like that really bother me some days, but not always, it just depends on my mood.
I'm obsessive over lost things. If I ever lose anything at all I obsess over it until I find it. It also compulsive because I have to look for it. I can't make myself not look for the thing because the fact that something is lost really bothers me.
Another compulsive thing is that I really can't sit still for very long. I generally have to change positions and twiddle my fingers around so I won't go crazy. I have to be moving or doing something to just be able to sit around. I also have to make things just right (like have all the pens evenly spaced when we're playing Spoons at lunch). The need to make things orderly is compulsive to me because I feel the urge to fix it all the way I need it to be.
I am compelled to organize everything everywhere (except my that is! And I don't know why I don't have the need to fix that). When I was younger I used to have to arrange my books by size and sometimes in order alphabetically. I guess I've never been ale to handle disorder well.
Amazingly this topic was a whole lot shorter for me and that also bothers me because usually I write a whole lot more. However, there's nothing left to say and that really bothers me. I'm obsessive compulsive and there's nothing I can do about it, but it sure can be fun!