Wednesday, June 11, 2008
College Essay
Topic: Evaluate a significant experience, achievement, risk you have taken or eithical dilemmayou have faced on its impact on you.
I have faced many significant experiences in my life, but there is one that changes my life and makes me a stronger and a courageous person. I am a person who hates to give speeches and perform in front of many peopel because I get really scraed and nervous and always mess up on what I have to do. I once had a stage experience that made me so scared to face the stage again.
However I was ten years old when I was chosen to give a speech in front of hundreds to students, some youngerand some older than me.It was a competition between different schools and I was one of the students representing my school. At that time I was trying really hard to memorize my speech and not to bungle it. In my early life, I always get stage fright, nervous and usually shiver when I have to perform in front of many people.
That day finally came and I had to stand infront of hundreds of students giving my speech. I got so timid I forget the words I had to say. I was so embarrasses because my teacher who was behind me had to whisper and remind me what to say. I got so nervous, I felt my face turing hot and my legs were shaking. It was one of those experiences I had and would never forget, but that wasn;t the worse part of it. The worse part of that day was our competition being on the news.
Ever since that day, I'm always scared to perform it front of many people because I always think I would mess up againand I knew that wasn't the end of it and a day like that would come again. However a few years later I had to perform at my church concert b y doing a motion dance and I really didn't want to mess it up. I wanted everything to turn out perfect. However although I was scared and nervous, I tried to my best to make it perfect and do my best performance in this dance because I wanted to overcome my fear and nervousness. I didn't want to be embarrassed again in front of so many people.
Although I was nervous while doing my dance, it did turn out exactly the way I wanted it to be. And after the concert, I've got so many complements about how beautiful my performance was. I was proud of myself and from that day on, I realize that whenever I need to perform on stage or give speeches front of many people, I need to give it my best shot, stand strong and hope that everything will turn out great.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Vocabulary words - Play by Rachel Rameswar ,Grace Nam and Thomas.
Robbing a grocery store G & T in car planning to rob "The Spot"
G - What did you do yesterday?
T- Can you pass the coffee
G- This is one cup of enormousness.
T – Hey watch it, you're such a haphazard. You’re spilling it on my new jeans.
G – Sorry. So, what did you do yesterday? You still haven’t answered.
T - Oh sorry, umm... I went to the store. I had to buy my mother a gift, since you know, her birthday was yesterday.
G - Oh yeah, that’s right, you know sometimes I’m oblivion. Well tell her happy birthday.
T - Yeah, thanks anyways I gave her a free sample of air freshener - you want to smell it?
G – No, you know air freshener and potpourri makes me stupefy. They always get to my head
T- Oh right. Well anyways let’s get to this plan - we're going to walk nonchalant, showing that we're regular customers browsing through.
G – Right, right.T - Then when we get to the clerk, we going to ask for Rachel
G - Why her?
T - Well, obviously she's the money lady; she's going to supply us with the greens. Or maybe just maybe, just maybe, I can accost my way with my Willy.
G - Alright calm down with your jubilation.
T- Oh yeah, yeah sorry about that. Let’s just go.
(G & T goes into the store and points the gun to Rachel)
R - Ahhh, what you want? Please don't kill me and don't be deleterious to my costumers.
G - Listen lady! We’ll just take few things and some money – so hurry and give me all the money.
R - (To myself) maybe I should give them these emergency replica money; they won't be able to tell the difference.
T – What’s taking so long?! Come on lady, don’t be arid. We don’t have all day!
R- Ok! Ok! Don't have to be so miserly. Here’s the money. You better leave now before I call the cops.
R- Why are you guys perusing the money like that?
G - Oh we're not going anywhere! Do you think we're stolid or something? This is fake money!
T – Stop playing tricks with us ma’am.
R – (To myself) darn I thought they wouldn’t notice.
G - So tell me why you have fake stipend money in your store?
R- Well you see sometimes I usually give it to dummies.
R- You guys are very penurious about things.
G – What does that mean?!
T – Forget it, Grace. My impatience has augmented.
G – (Looks around and grabs a bag of chips) How about this for snacks Thomas?
T- UGH! Grace, come on! You know I deplore those chips!
G- You are a finicky person.
R – Have you ever been exonerated?
G- Almost, the evidences I left were nearly intractable.
T- I can’t believe we’re actually having a conversation in the middle of a “robbery”
R- Yeah, well I’m not your average store clerk. I’m a very aplomb person. I was once a criminal.
G- Uh, you don’t look like one. What made you a criminal? Were you a hedonist?
R- No, I used some medicine to improve my stamina.
T- Sure doesn’t look like you did.
R- And what made you not credulity?
T – Hmm maybe of your discourse of language.
R – My language is just fine. It’s more better than yours.
G – Okay, we don’t need this right now we just need to go now. We spent too much time in here.
(while G & T walks away)
R- you forgot the money!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Journal Entries
Aim: How prepared are you for college?
I'm not so well prepared for college. I already know what I want to be and the college I want to go to but I still need to complete my junior and senior year, in order to have enough credits to
graduate.
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Date: February 5 2008
Aim: How can we integrate technology in this English course?
Do now: Write a paragraph on how you think technology should be integrated in an English class. What things would you like to do using technology.
I think technology should be integrated in an English class because students would be more open mind, be able to think more, be more creative and able to express themselves more, because they can find usable information on website. Also, students can be able to use Microsoft word when writing essay etc. because even when making mistakes they can correct it and use perfect grammar and spelling.
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Date: February 7 2008
Aim : What is a Slave Narrative
Do Now : Explain in one paragraph what you've been taught about slavery in Social Studies.
How can slave narratives be a form of protest literature.
Well, in Social Studies class I have been taught that the British have brought African people into the Americas and other countries for cheap labor. They have work them on plantations and doing other difficult works without paying them. They have treated the Africans very poorly and give them very little rights. After some years, the black started fighting for their rights. In the congress for voting, the slaves were considered to be three fifth of a person in voting, meaning three slaves for one whole white person.
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Date: February 8 2008
Do now: Olaudah Equaino
1) The crimes slaves were punished for is trying to escape. The punishment was to work on plantation for the white people without being payed. They were treated badly and beaten without having any food.
2) Equiano blame the illness on the the ship, because of the amount of people they pack in one ship. They were staving and were chain. They couldn't use the toilet because they didn't have any. Some of these people died because, they were suffocated on the ship. Equiano blame the traders because they put too many people on the same ship and they weren't enough space to move about, they were cram together. And the reason why there were so many slaves on the same ship is because they wanted more money by selling them to plantation farmers. They didn't care what would happen to these people and even if they get sick.
3) Equiano felt a great zest to still live because you could tell his excitement when he saw the horses because he never saw any in Africa before. He stated that " the people were full of magical art."
4) The passage reveal that the author was also a slave and was in the the same pain as everyone else because he was they during that time. He was very strong curious and wanted to know about what will happen.
5) When one culture dominates another, society faces a lot of trouble because everyone have their own believes of religion and have to follow different laws. They sometimes have war, going against one another because they fighting to gain their own rights.
6)Draw conclusion - The slave trade was a global issue because African slaves were exported to different countries speak different languages, so it was hard for these slaves to adopt the language at first, thats why most of the people in the Caribbean countries speak broken down English. Also when one culture dominate another there would be more tension and conflict between them.
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Date: February 11 2008
Do now: Compare One of the poems to Equiano's narrative.
When I read "Bury me in a free land" and Equiano narrative I notice that both author where reflecting what slave is going through and their would feel the pain of African people because they were there during that time period.
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Date: February 15 2008
Aim: What is rhetoic and how important is it to protest?
Do now: Select one of the literary work discussed and analyzed in class and give reasons why this work can be considered the best work that represented protest literature.
I think Equiano is the best work that represent protest literature beacue it show how the white go against the black slaves by treaty them unfairly and it also show how the slaves try to fight back for gaining equal rights.
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Monday, April 28, 2008
"Dulce Et Decorum Est" - The Letter
I read the your narrative "Dulce Et Decorum Est" and I am inspired of the work you have done by putting your true feeling and thoughts of the World War II in your narrative. I know most people think it was a great idea fighting for their country and their and gaining power but they didn't realize the waste of human lives. Men have sacrificed their lives for their country and their people, but families have lost their loved ones and never see them again. Many soldiers who fought in wars lost their lives, some lost their arms, legs and even their eyes.
However, when I heard " Dulce Et Decorum Est" I figured out that you were shocked and angry from the line(9) you said "Gas! Gas! quick boy!" but the suddenly your tone had drop lower. I also figured out that you were in the world war I fighting during this time, because in your poem you used "we", "our" and "I" such as in line (2) "knock - knee, coughing like hags we cursed through sludge."
I like the way you expressed yourself briefly, especially in the last two paragraphs where you described every details about the soldier who was yelling and floundering as if he was on fire. You have given every details in such a way that I almost felt I was there. I could picture the position of the soldiers and the way they look, by limping and stumbling with lost boots.
In the first two paragraphs the description was vile, because it explain more about what happened when a bomb was dropped around an area with people and what usually happened such as in line five " Men marched asleep. many had lost their boots", and also in line six "But limped on, blood shod. All went lame; all blind."
The old lie: Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro patria mori." Which means it is sweet and right to die for your country. I have completely agree with you that it's an old lie because I know the government say this lie to young men so they will have courage to fight for their country. However they don't realize the amount of innocent lives that are destroyed each day in a war. The government had brainwashed young men, fooling them that it is right to die for their country.
I would like to know why you became a soldier and decided to fight in the World War I, and if you its a waste of human life? I would also like to know if you usually have flashbacks very often about the things that happen during that time, and are they haunting you in any ways?
I would like to say that this narrative is well written and I like the way the author described it, giving every details about the pain of the soldiers. I am looking forward in reading more of your narrative.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Frederick Douglass Speech
Frederick Douglass Biography
Frederick Douglass was born in the year 1818 on the Maryland Shore and died on February 20 1895.
- He was one of the foremost leaders of the abolitionist movement which fought to end slavery in the United States during the Civil War. Frederick Douglass was a very brilliant speaker during that time, and he was asked by the American Anti-Slavery Society to engage in a tour of lectures where he became one of America's first black speaker.
- Douglass, without any formal education, gained a reputation for his speaking skills and lectured extensively for the anti-slavery forces.
- He used his recall of details and his speaking style to write the important Narrative.
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Frederick Douglass Accomplishments
- However the American Anti-Slavery Society helped Frederick Douglass to publish his autobiography, the Narrative of The Life Of Frederick Douglass
- He started to print the "North Star" newspaper in December 1847.
- He helped and supported the women's rights in December 1848
- In December, 1850, he became involved in the Underground Railroad.
- In May, 1874, he became the president of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust
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Frederick Douglass ambition and Protest
- Douglass ambition was to be a free man and free all black people from slavery. His writing was to crystallized the abolition movement and mobilized both blacks and whites to fight slavery.
- He taught everyone that freedom is never free—that it is born of and born in "earnest struggle."
Douglass served as an adviser to President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War and fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that guaranteed voting rights and other civil liberties for blacks. Douglass provided a powerful voice for human rights during this period of American history and is still revered today for his contributions against racial injustice.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Site: http://www.history.rochester.edu/class/douglass/home.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/03oct/00394/douglas.htm
http://www.black-collegian.com/issues/35thAnn/douglass.shtml
The Speech
What to the slave is the Fourth of July? Are the great principles of political freedom and of natural justice embodies in that Declaration of Independence, en tented to us? After all they have done to us how can we forget and celebrate a day like this. What am I to argue that it makes men brutes, to rob them of their liberty, to work them without wages and to keep them ignorant of their relations to their fellow men. If I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of this sorry day, may my right hand cleave to the root of my mouth. I have suffer so much to reach what I am today and I know what other black people have went through. they try to escape so many times but yet being caught and send back to their owners. They have given no rights not even to vote, or own property. They have mistreated us in so many ways that I will never forget this day. And as I speak today my last wish would be to bring freedom into this nation for all black people. After all America is false to the past, false to the present, and solemnly binds herself to be false to the future. This nation is a sham. There is not a nation on the earth guilty of practices more shocking and bloody than are the people of the United States
at this very hour. This fourth of July is yours not mine because the liberty, prosperity and independence devised by your father and not by mine. The sun may shine light on you, but it brought death and struggle to me.
Monday, March 31, 2008
3/31/08 Do now:
I want to be where you are by Jose feliciano

and did I leave your mind when I was gone?
It's not my thing trying to get back.
Darlin' let me tell you where I'm at.
I wanna be where you are... Oh Oh
I wanna be where you are.....Oh Oh Oh Oh
I wanna be where you are .... Oh Oh, darlin'
I wanna be where you are...Oh Oh Oh Oh
You don't have to worry cause I'm coming
back to where I always should have stayed.
now I've learned the meaning to your story, Mama,
and there's enough love for me to stay.
I wanna be where you are...... Oh Oh, yes darlin'
I wanna be where you are...Oh Oh Oh Oh
I wanna be where you are.....Oh Oh, yes mama
I wanna be where you are .......Oh Oh Oh Oh
Please don't close the door to our future.
There's so many things we haven't tried.
I will love you better than i used to
and give you all the love, yes, I have inside, yeah.
ooh ooh Baby
(doo doo..... doo dooo)
I wanna be where you are .....Oh Oh yes darlin'
I wanna be where you are.... Oh Oh Oh Oh, yeah, yay, yeah
I wanna be, I wanna be, listen darlin'
I wanna be where you are
so I can hold you baby, hold you darlin', don't you know....
Yo quiero estar contigo, oyeme, para vacilar,
para tenerte y decirte cuanto te quiero yeah
Yo quiero estar contigo, contigo y nada mas para vacilar oyeme,
yeah, yeah, yeah , yeah, yeah, yeah
I wanna be, I wanna be, I wanna be,
i wanna be with you some night, some night,
some night when I can hold you darlin'
yay yeah hey yeah hey hey hey
Oh yeah, darlin' yay yay yay yay yay
Let's get down baby, get down,
cause I wanna be where you are, where you are,
It doesn't matter how near or how far.
I wanna be where you are, I wanna be where you are darlin'
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Chief Joseph's Speech

I think the quote means that earth is not owned by one specific person or just one race of people, but it's owned by everyone whose living on it, equally and everyone have the right to live on it without paying for a part or trying to buy someone else's land. It's also saying that a man should not sell whatever he did not owned.
How is the art of rhetoric evident in Chief Joseph’s speech?
Who is he addressing in this speech?
Chief Joseph is addressing the government and the congress in order to bring peace to his people and their land.
Who is he indicting and why?
He is indicting the US government because they are the ones who have send soliders to fight for their property. He is also indicting the white settlers because they are trying to bribed the people by giving them things they don't have, and in return to sign the treaty for their lands.
Identify any heroic characteristics?
The heroic characteristics that chief Joseph did was promising his father that he won't give up his land that he bury his ancestors. And by keeping this promise and fulfilling it. He had to be strong for his people by not letting them get fooled by the white settlers and sign the treaty to give away their lands.
Why is this speech Protest Literature?
The speech is Protest Literature because of the white coming to the natives trying to make them a sign a treaty and take over their land, but they had to be strong not let someone else come to their land and take away what they have.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Vocabulary from "Legal Alien"
- Bi- Lingual : using or able to use two languages especially with equal fluency
- Bi-Cultural : relating to, or including two distinct cultures
- Exotic: strikingly, excitingly, or mysteriously different or unusualy , introduced from another country: not native to the place where found.
- Inferior: of low or lower degree or rank.
- Alien: belonging to relating to another person, place or thing.
- Token: an outward sign or expression,
- Bi-Lateral: having two sides, affecting reciprocally two nations or parties.
Vocabulary from "Ambush"
- Peril (noun)- exposure to the risk of being injured, destroyed or lost.
- Gape ( verb) - to stare with open mouth, as in wonder.
- Ammunition (noun) - the material fired, scattered, droped, or detonated from any weapon, as bombs or rockets and especially shot, shrapnel, bullets, or shells firedby guns.
- Repellent ( noun) - something that repels,as a substance that keeps away insects.
- Platoon (noun) - a military unit consisting of two or more squads or sections and a headquarters.
- My Khe ( noun) - a place in Vietnam.
Vocabulary - from "Dulce et Decorum est"
- Trudge (verb) -To walk; esp. laboriously or wearily: to trudge up a long flight of steps.
- Fatigue (noun) - weariness from bodily or mrntal exertion; a cuase of weariness slow ordeal; exertion: the fatigue of driving for many hours.
- Floundering (verb) - To make clumsy attempts to move or regain one's balance.
- Ecstasy ( noun) - an overpowering emotion or exaltation; a state of sudden, intense feeling.
- Writhing ( verb) - to twist the body about, or squirm , as in pain, violent effort, etc.
- Cud ( noun) - the portion of food that a ruminant returns from the first stomach to the mouth to chew a second time.
- Vile ( adj) - repulsive or disgusting, as to the senses of feeling.
- Zest ( noun) - hearty enjoyment.
- Ardent ( adj) - having, expressive of, or characterized by intense feeling; passionate; fervent.
Vocabulary Words
The Manifest Destiny was the belief that the United States was destined to expand from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific Ocean: it has also been used to advocate for or justify other territorial acquistions.
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural Imperialism is the practice of promoting, separating or artificially injecting the culture or language of one nation into another. It is usually the case the the former is the larger , economically or militarily powerful nation taking the over the latter which is the smaller nation.
Genocide
the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group.
Monday, March 3, 2008
I am what I am
I am from South American.
I am known as West Indies, decesentant from India
I am from Guyana, the land of many water.
I am a daughter, grand daughter, aunt, friend, best friend and a student.
I came from a country with mixed culture and different religions, a land of many memories.
I know where I am from, because I have been told by the great ones.
I am someone special, someone with many dreams for a brighter future.
I am New York and Brooklyn.
This might not be the place where i want to be, but i have no more choice.
My dreams are to be somewhere else and be someone, but I have been told that I'm already someone, someone with respect, love, courage, hope and a wonderful heart.
I am an immigrant.
I came to North America for better opporunities, for a better future.
I am many things.
I am what I want to be.
I believe in myself and I believe I can do anything I set my mind to do.
I am a smart, funny and decent person. I am a brown-skinned Guyanese girl with big brown eyes.
I am tall and skinny and love who I am.
I am many things.
I am what I am.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Wik - Elements
**Symbolism - An object ,an event, or a person that represents a larger idea or set of ideas.
**Imagery - the formation of mental images, figures, or likenesses of things, or of such images collectively.
**Plot: sequence of event - A chain of related events that take place in a story.
**Character - The combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another.
** Setting - The time and location in which a story takes place. For some stories the setting is very important, while for others it is not.
**Conflict(internal/external) - A struggle between (external) or within (internal) character.
** Man vs. Man - Conflict that pins one character against another character.
** Man vs. Society - Conflict in which the values and customs by which the society is living are being challenged (usually by the main character). Sometimes the character may bring others around to a sympathetic view, or it may be decided that society was right after all.
** Man vs. Self - Internal conflict, A character is struggling with issues within himself.
** Man vs. Nature - Conflict is which a character experiences a run in with the force of nature.
**Point of view - The perspective from which a story is told.
Wiki-cabulary. ( Words from Olaudah Equiano)
*2)Pestilential (adj) likely to cause disease
*3)Copious: (adj) plentiful; abundant
*4)Improvident (adj) shortsighted; failing to provide for the future
*5)Avarice (n) greed for riches
*6)Apprehensions (n) feeling of anxiety or fear that something bad or unpleasant will happen; taking of a criminal into custody, the power or ability to grasp the importance, significance or meaning of something
*7)Procured (v) to obtain something, especially by effort, to provide somebody for prostitution
*8)Dejected (adj) feeling or showing sadness and lack of hope, especially because of disappointment
*9)Accursed (adj) enduring the effects of a curse; horrible or hateful
*10)Quadrant (n) a 90 degree arc representing one fourth of the circumference of a circle. The area bounded by a quadrant and the two perpendicular lines that connect it to the center of the circle.
*11)Kindred (adj) close to somebody or something else because of similar qualities or interests. Related to somebody by blood. (n) closeness to somebody not related to you by blood based, e.g. on similarity of character or interest. Relationship by blood, or less strictly by marriage
*12)Clamour - (noun) a loud uproar, as from a crowd of people
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
" I never saw a wild thing feel sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead from a bough. Without ever having felt sorry for itself."
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
"I am nobody, who are you?" by Emily Dickinson
I'm a person who respect others, have courage in myself and believe i can do anything I set my mind on. All that matter is working to achieve what you want. Everyone is somebody, you don't have to be a movie star, to be somebody special. Being somebody starts with you liking yourself for who you are. Sometimes I can be a person that shy to ask question and make friend easliy but after I get comfortable around you, I just can't stop talking.I'm also a very creative and oranize person and like to have everything to be perfect. I love drawing and my favorite sport is volleyball. I'm a smart and funny person. My ambition in the future is to complete high school and college and become a Register Nurse. Well, I guess that's most about me.