Beowulf

When reading Beowulf, I actually started to really get into it. I liked the story more than the movie that was made. With the story, everything was just so much more in depth and more descriptive. I found it easier to understand what was happening with reading the story than to watch the story as a movie.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Something that Fitzgerald included in his writing was the wide gap between himself and the rich. He was born into a family that had social pretensions but not enough money to live up to that. "In his writing, the rich and the "liberated" were to become symbols of the death of the "old America" in the dawn of an age of moral irresponsibility and mindless selfishness." 

When his wife suffered a nervous breakdown, Fitzgerald focused onto his writing more and let that motivate him because he wanted to make more money to pay for his wife's bills. "He worked feverishly at his writing, trying to put his life in order and to earn more than he owed."

"F. Scott Fitzgerald" (Holt, Rinehart & Winston/Holt, Elements of Literature)

Reflections of American Culture

From the books that we have read this school year, it has made me realize that American culture tend to change a lot and change dramatically. Also it shows the different time periods that American culture had to go through. From slavery and through different wars that affected us. It tells us that every time we had to go through something negative, our culture would change and society would change as well. 

Progress, Technology and Science

With science and technology, new outbreaks are to help live life a lot easier and to help people enjoy it better too. But with new technology and science, there is also a darker side to it. New technology led to society being more reliable on it, thusfar, making human beings lazier. They tend to use it every day and make it a habit and without it in their lives, they can feel very miserable. With science comes with new medicines and etc. This can allow people to live life easier and longer but than again, some people take it to their advantage and over use such medicines and etc. I think it does change who we are because we start to depend on this types of science and technologies to be happy with life when back then, people were just happy to be alive. I think if you simplify life, you'll be able to enjoy it more and not take things so much for granted.

The Power Of The Individual.

In all of the books that we have read this year in class, it seems as though there is always an individual that is outcasted from society. They either did something bad or they choose to outcast themselves. Each character has their own way with dealing with in. Some lie and try to be accepted by society and some try to run away from it. In Huckleberry Finn, Jim escapes and tries to go to the northern states where he can be free.

They do change society because their society do get affected by their actions. Some of the effects are positive but some are also negative.

I believe that these books really do connect with real life and that it is really true. I don't find it too exaggerated and I can really see it happening in real life to certain individuals through time.

Yeah, I believe a strong willed and strong minded individual is able to change society in a positive and a negative way with their words and actions.

Forbidden Topics.

I think that schools should be allowed to teach any sort of topics that they pleased but teachers themselves should not teach on their own opinions. It should be straight forward and just be facts. Students can form their own opinions towards that certain topic. That way, they won't be influenced by a certain person on certain topics.

Debate Reflections.

I think that our team was able to work very well with each other. We starting working right away and gave each other a lot of ideas. We were able to support each other and to help each other out.

My job for our team was to do research. I was able to find some really good information on true stories on about how the book was banned from schools and why it was banned.

Ryan really stood out on our team. He gave a wonderful speech and came up with a lot of different, unique ideas. With the other team, Truong really stood out. He had a lot of energy and really caught my attention.

I didn't change my opinion on this topic even though I was on the other side of my opinion. I still stand for the fact that I believe that this book should not be banned from school.