Q2 W8 Comments

English 1

James' English 1

Cookie Currency

     My first thought about Trevor's topic If cookies were money was I would be rich. Moffett makes some pretty mean cookies. The cookies at my house would definitely be some highly valued cookies. Every time my family wanted to buy something my mom could just bake some cookies. And with cookie money she could get that new oven she has been wanting. Yes, cookie currency, that would be great.
     On second thought, it would be awful. Money, or currency can't spoil and cookies go bad. If you had to store the cookies frozen for example then imagine the freezer space you would need. And you still couldn't save for a college education or retirement. Also horrible would be the fact that every time I ate a cookie I would feel terrible. I would be eating money, literally. So, sorry Trevor, there is no way I would this deal!

Writing Center Visit

     This week I visited the writing center to review my first draft. I had a couple of different experiences with the writing center. Some of my experiences were good and some were not.  At first setting up an appointment was hard. I have practice every day after school so I was trying to book an appointment during my study hall but those times weren't available. Finally, I was able to be excused from PE and book my appointment. So I thought I had finally made it work and it would work out. 

Unfortunately that was not what happened.

     The day before my appointment I received an email from Mrs. Spaht letting me know there was a glitch in the booking writing center system and I had to re-book an appointment . When I went to rebook the appointment nothing for the rest of the week was available. I am really grateful that after a lot of effort I finally got to meet with someone even though I had to spend a lot of my time waiting to find someone to help me.  The good part was I finally had Rosemary Boutwell help me. She was very helpful. Next time I am going to book a longer appointment and hope for no glitches. 

Literary Analysis Process

     Writing my Literary Analysis has been a harder process that I thought it would be and it has taken me a lot longer than I thought it would take. The writing is suppose to be very detailed and it is supposed to be sophisticated writing. We are supposed to write to people who have read the book. We are supposed to analyze things and write at a high level. We also should pay attention to details I am not familiar with.
     Everyone in my class who is writing their blog has to do the same thing I have to do. Reading other people's blogs I wonder if other people really had as much worry about this paper as I have had. Also, I have basketball practice after school everyday or I have to go to a game. It doesn't leave the many hours I think I need for this paper so I have spent a lot of late nights and weekend hours on it. I struggled with my introduction and my closing. Let's just say this has been a tough process for me.

Q2 W7 Comments

Sydney's Thoughts

Laura's English I Blog

Free Post - It will be different

   Christmas will be different this year because my sisters will not be with us. I have two sisters, Ashleigh and Dorothy, and they both live in Texas. Ashleigh is married to Adam and they live in Austin. Dorothy is married to Matt and they live in McKinney. Dorothy and Matt have a little girl named Kate. I am an uncle and that's pretty cool. Dorothy and Matt haven't come home for Christmas for a long time now. This year Ashleigh and Adam can't come home for the first time. I already know things are going to be different.
     Christmastime is a busy for my family. Christmas Eve we all go to church with my uncle and his family. Afterwards we all get together and have a late gumbo dinner at my house. Christmas morning Ashleigh usually wakes me up and we go together to see what surprises are around our Christmas tree. We have breakfast, lunch and dinner together with different parts of our family. It is a great day.  This year there will be no Ashleigh, no Adam, no additional puppies. This year will be different.

Q2 W6 Comments

Sydney's Thoughts

The Rhino's Corner of the Internet

Symbolism

     Thanksgiving is a holiday when my family gathers together at my two aunts houses. We go at noon to my dad's sister's house. At 5:30 we go to my mom's brother's house. We eat different foods at each house but both places have turkey. Both houses have a table or two set with nice china and pretty decorations. This year, at both houses, we ate all together at one table instead of two tables. The empty chairs were at the second unused tables.
     At lunch we had a smoked turkey my Uncle Russ cooked the day before. At that house we ate bean and corn casserole, sweet potato crunch, MawMaw's dressing, strawberry gelatin salad, caesar salad and broccoli rice casserole with rolls. For dessert we had cake and a chocolate trifle.
     At dinner my Aunt Teri had a turkey she baked all day before we got there. At that house we had squash soup, Aunt Teri dressing, rice and gravy, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, fresh fruit and rolls. We also had lobster mac and cheese for my cousin who doesn't eat meat. For dessert we had chess pie and chocolate covered strawberries.
     Thanksgiving day was a lot of food and a lot of family. I wish there was more family and the food would last for the whole week. Thanksgiving is a great time of year.


different sides = differences in people, differences in family members
beautiful table = the beauty of giving thanks as a family together
empty chairs = missing family members
turkey = we are the same and we are different
     

How to make Christmas breakfast

   To make a yummy breakfast for Christmas morning you should consider a bowl of fresh fruit and sausage cheese treats. First you should go to the grocery store and purchase Bisquick, a 16 ounce bag of grated sharp cheddar cheese and a roll of Jimmy Dean hot bulk sausage. If you are making this close to Christmas day you should also buy fresh fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, pineapple and cantaloupe make a nice colorful bowl of fruit.
   Once you are home with your ingredients you just wash the berries and mix them with the pineapple and cantaloupe. To make the sausage cheese treats you combine 2 cups of Bisquick with the bag of grated cheese and the sausage. Mix those together well. Next, form the sausage mixture into 1 inch balls and bake them in the oven at 375 degrees until they are golden brown. Enjoy!

Q2 W5 Blog Comments

anders blog

Potato Girl's Blog

Critical Scene from LOTF

 Scene on page 91
.... Ralph leapt to his feet.
"Jack! Jack! You haven't got the conch! Let him speak"
 Jack's face swam near him.
"And you shut up! Who are you anyway? Sitting there telling people what to do. You can't hunt, you can't hunt, you can't sing --"
"I'm chief.  I was chosen"
 "Why should chasing make any difference? Just giving orders that don't make any sense--"
"Piggy's got the conch."
"That's right -- favor Piggy as you always do --"
Jack!"
Jack's voice sounded win the bitter mimicry"
"Jack! Jack!"
"The rules!" shouted Ralph. "You're breaking the rules!"
"Who cares?"
Ralph summoned his wits.
"Because the rules are the only thing we've got"
But Jack was shouting against him.
"Bullocks to the rules! We're strong--we hunt! If there's a beast we'll hunt it down! We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!"

This scene I think is the most critical scene from LOTF. In this scene Jack is Ralph confronting Ralph's leadership and confronting the "rules" for their existence on the island. Ralph is confronting Jack, trying to reason with him that the rules are all they have that keep them their inner beast. This scene is where we see the difference between civil and savage. It is where we see the difference in the nature of different individuals. Ralph wants to remain a civilized group with rules and Jack wants to go wild and hunt and kill like a savage.

The person verses person conflict in this scene symbolizes the conflict of not just two people's nature but the difference of good and evil within humans. Ralph symbolizes reason, he wants the rules to lead them to being good people who live organized together and who are eventually rescued. Jack wants to go wild and hunt, he doesn't care about reason or organization. Jack wants to eat meat but he also does not want to follow someone else's rules. He is becoming a savage. Ralph recognizes the only difference between being a savage and a civilized person is the rules. This scene starts the real breakdown of the group and that is why it is so important.  

Free Post - Gratitude

    Tomorrow is my dad's birthday and it is a big one. Thinking about that makes me feel grateful for my dad. My dad is a big part of my life and is one of my role models. When my dad was in high school he played three sports and that is what I am trying to do. He played football and basketball and I am playing both of those sports. He also ran track and I don't do track but I play baseball. My dad loves baseball and he was my team's baseball coach for several years. My dad works really hard but he still found time to coach my team and now he finds time to come to most of my sporting events.
   When I say my dad works hard I really mean it. My dad travels to Lafayette everyday to work. He lets our family stay in Baton Rouge so I can go to Episcopal and because our family lives in Baton Rouge. This is a great sacrifice because it takes over an hour for him to get to and from work. Sometimes there is bad traffic and it takes much longer for him to get home. When he is home he asks me about my day and my sports. I love my dad so much and I wouldn't replace him with anyone else in the world. Those are just some of the reasons I am feeling grateful to have my dad in my life.

Q2 Week 4 Comments

The Rhino's Corner of the Internet

Anna's Blog

Q2 W4 LOTF Post

     The passage I chose to analyze and respond to is the first one that Dr. D listed. It is the one where Ralph says' "Because the rules are the only thing we've got!" I think the significance of this passage to the book is it shows that Jack and Ralph have chosen different directions for surviving the island. Ralph clearly says that we must have rules. Ralph is explaining that in order to stay civilized, in order to stay good, we must have rules and we must follow them. Jack is clearly saying to heck with the rules. Jack says, "Bollocks to the rules! We're strong--we hunt!...We'll close in and beat and beat and beat--!" Jack is becoming a savage, he is turning to surviving by dominating.
     This passage in Chapter 8 is the first time the reader hears Jack and Ralph speak so differently and argue over how things should be run. There are things both characters do that lead up to this point but in this passage they say their feelings out loud. This passage shows us Jack and Ralph have chosen different ways to try and survive. Jack goes on after this to show just how savage he can be. The line Ralph says about rules being all they have shows that Ralph understands they need guidelines to survive being caring good people. The line Jack says about beat and beat and beat shows us that he just wants to dominate. Those are the reasons I think the passage is so important.

Should Coach O be offered the permanent LSU Head Football Coach position?

       Of course Coach O should be considered for the permanent position as the LSU football head coach. I am sure LSU is considering this. There are several factors to consider. Coach O has lead the team to multiple victories since he took over. It is clear he has brought new energy to the team. He has instituted a new practice schedule for players and it seems to be working fairly well. The LSU fans seem happier and the stadium is alive again. These are all positive things Coach O has done for the program.
      There are, however, some negatives going for him. LSU did just loose to Alabama. Although the Tigers fought hard we lost the game. The defense played incredibly well but the offense did not. They lacked any unique or special plays and that ultimately falls on a Head Coach. He was the head coach at Ole Miss but was let go after 3 years. When Coach O was at USC he was the interim head coach for part of a season. His record was 6 and 2. Someone else was offered the permanent position and so he left USC. After that he came to LSU as a defensive line coach and recruiting coordinator.
       It seems like Coach O has earned the respect of the players. I wonder how they would answer the question, "Should Coach O be the permanent LSU football coach?"

Q2 Week 2 Comments

Sophia English 1 Blog

anders blog

Response to LOTF

      This book has been different than I expected. I still have a number of questions about the story but I think I am starting to figure some of them out. These are boys from England, or some British colony because they use words and phrases from Britain. There was a plane that crashed into the water and at one time there was a man with a megaphone. Now there are are no adults and no girls. The island has beautiful flowers, plenty of fruit and a lot of it is pink. And I am starting to understand things about some of the characters.

      One irritating thing is Ralph has put himself in charge and he isn't doing a very good job. Piggy is a character who has good ideas but the others don't listen to him. I feel sorry for Piggy. I wonder why there was a reference to the atom bomb? Why is it only boys? Where are the adults? Why doesn't the group listen to Piggy because Ralph isn't getting the job done. And most importantly why don't they tell us what happened to the little boy with the birthmark?

Human Nature

     I believe that humans are fundamentally good, loving, and full of possibility. I also believe we as humans are flawed. People make mistakes, they don't always make the best decisions. They sometimes make terrible decisions and hurt themselves and other people. So, we are definitely flawed. Although we are flawed, I still see basic goodness in people. And many people have achieved many incredible things so I think there is possibility in us.
     What led me to these beliefs is my past experiences. My church teaches that God is in all of us. My family has always taught me that if I work hard I can achieve many things. I make mistakes. I have seen other people make mistakes and also seen other people be incredibly kind. People accomplish great things so there must be good in us.
   

Comments Q2 Week 1

Anna's Blog

Liza's English I blog

Short Stories, Q2 W1 - The Waltz of the Fat Man

   The short stories we have been reading in English class have been really different from other short stories I have read. In all of the stories, except for A&P, someone is sick or dies or does something crazy. Maybe quitting your job at the A&P because your manager corrected girls in a bathing suit is not necessarily crazy, but it is a different choice. The fat man, Noe', joins the circus at the end of his story. Oh, and before that, a clock disappears. These stories are different in almost every way imaginable.

     The Waltz of the Fat Man was depressing to me. Noe' wants friends and he can't seem to make any. He lives in a town where people come to his store but only because he is the only butcher in town. He finally makes friends with clocks and then he becomes obsessed with them. Am I suppose to feel happy for him that he joined the circus? I think the story tells us he is happy in the end. The line that confuses me is, "and all the rest of the animals who danced". I don't want to think of Noe' as a dancing animal. It is just one of the short stories that I think is really different.

Free Post - The Florida Compromise

     Over Episcopal's fall break, Florida and LSU made a compromise to play the game between the two teams on November 19, 2016 at Tiger Stadium. That was the weekend that LSU would have played South Alabama and Florida was supposed to play Presbyterian, both at home. Presbyterian and South Alabama had to be bought out of their contracts for those non-conference games. LSU will now play Florida at their stadium for the next two years. A compromise, right? Well in a compromise everyone suffers a little bit. And people shake hands and move forward. That is not what is in the media.
   Why is it that LSU is getting such a bad wrap from this agreement? Isn't it obvious Florida took advantage of an opportunity to try to improve their own chances at the SEC East title? Do people just not know the facts? There were five games effected by Hurricane Matthew and four of those games were played within a few days of their original schedule, but not the LSU / Florida game. LSU offered to fly their players in and out in one day taking no hotel rooms. LSU offered Tiger Stadium AND the Superdome as alternative playing sites. LSU offered to play on Sunday or Monday or Tuesday. The fact is Florida had substantial injuries and it was to their advantage to put off the game. It isn't that I blame them for working things to their advantage, it is that they talk badly about LSU in this compromise when they know the truth.

Week 7 Comments

anders blog

Jack's English 1 Blog

Should We Abandon Louisiana

       Should We Abandon Louisiana? In some ways, we already have. by Zack Kopplin at Slate.com discusses the national media's lack of coverage of the historic flooding in Baton Rouge in the middle of August this year. Kopplin, who grew up in Baton Rouge, points out the differences in the national media coverage of Hurricane Sandy and Louisiana's flooding. He refers to another author who says, "Media coverage scales with location", which means coverage is based on where you live, not on the actual disaster or suffering. He  says the media conspiracy decides whether or not people care about the people affected in a disaster. Some national figures and media coverage suggest that Louisiana residents should all just relocate and not rebuild because Louisiana is poor, corrupt and has bad schools. Kopplin writes that the blame for the flood is the climate because the chance of the flood was only 0.1 percent. The storm that caused the flood shouldn't have happened.
       I think Kopplin makes some good points. The storm was a freak thing and Louisiana should not be abandoned by the media or the country. If we covered and cared about the people who suffered during hurricane Sandy then we should care about the people who suffered in Louisiana. After all, the flooding after Sandy was predictable. Louisiana flooding was not predictable. I think about some friends in California when I read this article. We all know the earthquakes are going to hit the faults there, do we abandon them? Do we tell them to give up and move? Here, in Louisiana, our flooding for Katrina was the failure of a man made structure. In Baton Rouge it was a very rare storm. I agree with the residents of Louisiana who see the flood for what it was, a freak disaster, not a reason to abandon homes. I also agree with Kopplin, we will rebuild. We should help our neighbors and make it happen.

Week 6 Comments

Riley's Blog

Jack's English 1 Blog

Homecoming

Since we are celebrating Homecoming this week at Episcopal, I have been wondering how Homecoming celebrations started and what it means to different schools. Does it mean it is opening doors for graduates of the school to come home? I think that is what it celebrates.  So, what are the different traditions in different places? And when unexpected things happen how does it affect how people feel and act for homecoming.

LSU just celebrated Homecoming. The Homecoming game was the first game I have ever been to where Les Miles wasn’t the coach.  I felt excited there was so much energy in the stadium. It was great to see the Tigers play great and win big.  I also wondered what it was like for Coach Miles.  Did he say goodbye to his LSU home? It was more like home “going” for him. It makes me a little sad.

As a freshman at Episcopal, this is my first Homecoming week as a high schooler. I don’t know about how alums feel, but for the football players it will be coming home to our own field. Finally! It feels like coming home when we practice at our own school. This week we will have our Pep Rally at the football field because our gym is not ready for us to “come home”. I think we will be very grateful to be home on the field; I know I will. Things look different this homecoming, but they feel good to me to be at “home”.

The Winged Creature

This short story was hard for me to follow. I think I may have confused mood and visualization. Unfortunately for me, I did a lot of visualizing and it was disturbing my mood. I don’t think there was much character building in the story. There were, however, a number of people being unkind to someone else. I guess you called the winged man someone else. He was a living thing and he seemed like he had feelings and felt pain.

It bothers me to read about people being so mean. I don’t care for this kind of crazy, creepy fiction and people’s cruelty makes it even worse. On a better note, I get that the creature eventually flies away. I was happy for him for that part. I sure wouldn’t want to live where crabs were crawling in my bedroom and dead crab’s stink was everywhere. I guess I just don’t get this one.