Imagining 2014 ( Based on the article "Imagining 2014")

Flying Cars
Underwater Cities
You may think I have a wild imagination
Nope. I'm just
Imagining 2014

Video phone calls
E-readers and GPS
You may think I'm thinking too hard
Nope. I'm just
Imagining 2014

And then there's the bad stuff
Like over population
and no more resources
You may think I'm thinking too dark
Nope. I'm just
Imagining 2014

I chose this article because it seemed amazing that one man could create an book that basically predicted the future. Some things that he guessed were on point, like video phone calls and GPS. Others, like flying cars were a little too over rated. And of course, there is the bad stuff, like over population. Hopefully, these things don't happen, but I still think that it is amazing that one man could predict all of these things. This is why I chose to write a poem about this article in particular.

"Life Doesn't Frighten Me" By Maya Angelou Reading Response

                           "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" By Maya Angelou Reading Response

  Life can be a very frightening thing, especially when it gives you things that you think you just can't handle. The poem "Life Doesn't Frighten Me" by Maya Angelou proves that life isn't anything to be afraid of. One of the many possible themes is bravery.

  The speaker shows bravery by emphasizing and repeating the phrase "life doesn't frighten me at all". Before the end of each stanza, she would insert this phrase. "Tough guys fight/ all alone at night/ life doesn't frighten me at all." This shows bravery because the speaker repeats the fact that there are many 'scary' things in life, yet none of those things will frighten her.

  The speaker also shows the theme bravery by listing things that most people would find frightening, then contradicting them by saying that she isn't afraid, or proving it. For example, "Don't show me frogs and snakes/ and listen for my scream/ if I'm afraid at all/ it's only in my dreams/" This quote shows bravery because she takes real life examples and inserts them in the poem, proving that she isn't afraid, and that she is brave.

 Lastly, the speaker shows that she is brave by using figments of imagination that most children would be afraid of and still prove that she is tough and can get through anything. "Dragons breathing flame/ on my counterpane, life doesn't frighten me at all." Is an example of this. She shows bravery in this stanza because of the fact that she took dragons, which can be very frightening, and told the reader that she wasn't afraid. Somehow, she has all this power through this one sentence. She can say all these things with that one phrase. And that phrase shows bravery.

  Life isn't anything to be afraid of, as proven by Maya Angelou. Even though life is going to seem scary, you can get through it. You're only human. But Maya Angelou proves that you don't have to be afraid of life's challenges. Life shouldn't frighten you at all.

The little voice, in my head.

She haunts my head, day and night.
I try to fight her, but she is too strong.
"Leave me alone!" I yell.
Sometimes she sings me a sweet lullaby
"Give in to me" She sings.
And sometimes, I almost do.
Bringing the blade to my wrist
Masking my pain, with more pain.
Masking the pain that I don't want to feel.
Let me be
Alone.

She taunts me. Teases me.
Ugly.
Fat.
Discusting little girl.
I try not to listen
but it's pretty hard when you know it's true.
She's louder than any song.
Stronger than any person.
More hurtful than words.
I hear her most when I'm
Alone.

She comes when I wake.
"Lose some weight!"
She comes when I think.
"You're so stupid!"
She comes when I eat.
"Don't eat so much, you pig!"
She comes when I dress.
"No clothes will ever look right on you!"
I'm so full of society's expectations
that I can't really see
that the monster is me
and that I'm
truly
alone.

More Garbage Please! *Nonfiction Reading Response*

America needs more space to dispose garbage. To us, garbage is nothing, and we need to find ways to get rid of it. Landfills are filling up, and we are resulting to littering. In Oslo, the problem is exactly the opposite. Oslo is running low on garbage, and they need more in order to keep the small town running. Garbage is burnt to be used for gas, electricity for homes and schools, and to power up many things. So now, while America is rushing to get rid of the excess of garbage that we can't seem to dispose of, Oslo is running low on it. Oslo has found a good way to get rid of garbage while being productive, and now they might just not be able to keep it running.

The fact that Oslo is running low on garbage is a little weird. First of all, I live in a big country where we are running out of places to put waste, and yet there is a place on the other side of us that is running out of trash. The landfills here are filling up, but the landfills over there are almost empty. Why don't we just donate our trash to Oslo? In no time, Oslo would be able to keep running for ages, and we will be rid of our landfill problem. That would be a pretty good solution to both our problems. And then the littering here would stop (mostly) because the landfills wouldn't be that full anymore. Why hasn't anyone thought of that?

If there are some questions I would ever want to ask, I definitely have one now. Doesn't burning trash cause pollution? I remember seeing a show where the families would have to burn their trash. The fact that they were burning the trash was causing air pollution. If it does cause pollution, then I would get why America would not want to be giving trash to Oslo. I hope it does not cause pollution, because then Oslo would have to find another way to make electricity. And soon, Oslo might be over filling their landfills as well.

Blog Post on a Critical Thinking Question: How does this book help you to think about social issues you care about or causes you are committed to? **REVISED**

Suicide is a social issue that has become more common in the past years. In the novel "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher, suicide is an evident social issue. A girl, named Hannah Baker, commits suicide. She has pre-recorded tapes before her death, which go around to 13 people. These thirteen people are the reasons why she committed suicide , and the tapes explain how. Suicide is a very important issue in the world, and it makes me feel like anyone can cause it, even when they never thought much of their actions in the first place.

  In this Novel, Hannah gives examples of why she committed suicide. For example: "It's not exactly your actions that caused it, it's the things that were caused by your actions that made you one of the thirteen." While Clay (the main character) listened to the second tape, Hannah talked about how when Alex Standall voted her "best ass" in a 'hot or not list', his actions affected her because it caused Bryce (number 11) to grab her ass in a store. These explanations make me feel like some people are more sensitive then others, and that you should really be careful of what you do to others. It might just make them commit suicide, and that is a very serious thing. Even when you consider things a joke (like the 'hot or not' list, which was originally an innocent joke), it could lead to actions that may not be considered a joke to the victim.

  Another quote in the book that proves that anyone can cause suicide is a quote that Hannah says on the seventh tape:“Maybe it didn’t seem like a big deal to you Zach. But now, I hope you understand. My world was collapsing. I needed those notes. I needed any hope those notes might have offered. And you? You took that hope away. You decided I didn’t deserve to have it. ” This quote proves my statement because of what was going on. Zach was mad at Hannah because she rejected him. So he stole her notes from Peer communications that was supposed to give her encouragement. I don't think that it was necessary to steal he notes. The notes that would let her smile for once, especially at the time where she mostly needed it. This harmless little action led up to a more serious conflict because Zach didn't know what those notes meant to her. And it caused something that couldn't be erased.

 This novel was very interesting, and it made me think about things differently. Especially the fast growing social issue topic of suicide. After all, You don’t know what goes on in anyone’s life but your own. And when you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re not messing with just that part. People need to be more careful, because something that you think is cosidered harmless can actually affect people in more ways than one. And considering this subject, that isn't a good thing.