3rd Quarter Reflection

Now that third quarter as ended, there is only one quarter left of school until summer break! I have learned a lot in third quarter, especially in English Language Arts. In ELA, my biggest improvements would be how to understand and interpret a poem. I struggled to grasp some of the methaphors most poems would have. When we had to read and interpret a poem from the book I Never Saw Another Butterfly so later we could do a butterfly that represents our poem, I thought that I would fail the assignment. When we broke down a poem as a class and really went into detail on what something ment and why it was included in the poem, that same day I was determined that I would really try my best. In the end, I now know how to read a poem and the outcome of my butterfly that I had to make came out better than I expected.

I have accomplished a lot in this quarter that I am proud of my self. Some of those things I learned this quarter is how to mange my time in class and at home. I need to priorities the things that I need to do first and then I can do the extra stuff later. In ELA we did tasks that went along with WW II so when it came to going to the Holocaust Museum, we would be informed. The takes we did were to be done at your own pace but, they needed to be finished. Some, of the takes I had to to home but, over time I learned how to finish them in class since I would solely only focus on finishing that task and then my other assignments that I needed to do. This is a life skill I need for when I grow up because I know for a fact there will be some things that will be needed to be done faster than others.

There have been challenging parts in 3rd Quarter. One of them was when learning about the Holocaust. It really didn't hit me that so many people had to go through this until we went to the Holocaust Museum. I was so intrigued by the survivor that spoke to us and told us her story. Although we really didn't have time to really look around, I still learned a lot and saw so many things. I know that I will never know the feelings of those who were affected by the Holocaust and had to live though it but, I will for sure never forget this and deny this happen as other poeople do. It was challenging for me in the sense that there was nothing for me to do exept to not forget. I will not forget and make sure other people don't forget.

Life Is Beautiful and Night

When watching the movie Life is Beautiful and Night, I was able to see some similarities between the two. For both the film and book, there was a father-to-son bond. In the movie there was Guido and Joshua, and in the book it was Elie and Shlomo. In both the book and film unfortunately the father dies. In the book and film we can see their journey in the concentration camp. We can see what they have to go through from day to day. We can see what happens to the two main characters from both the movie and the book in the end.

There were also some differences between the film Life is Beautiful and the book Night, when I was watching the film. Throughout the film, Guido tries to make the situation playful by saying that it is all part of a game. Guido focuses on not making Joshua know what is really happening. In Night, Elie knows what is going on and he explains his experience. Both Elie and his father don't really expect anything too happen, they are focus on to survive. In the film we are able to see what happens to Dora(the mother of Joshua) since she has to go to the facility where only women are allowed. The book doesn't let us see what happens to Elie's mother or sisters since the book is about his experience. 

The film and book both have different moods at times. The personality of the main characters make the mood be different. The mood in the film is humorous because of the carisma of Guido and his perseverance to make Dora fall in love with him and when in the camp he makes sure that Joshua doesn't see that reality of where they are. The film is full of humor because of Guido's personality throughout the film. The mood in the book is more hopeless like. We can see how Elie struggles with his faith in God, unlike in the beginning how we can see how he is pious. 

In the film, life is shown to be beautiful. The humor of Guido throughout the whole film shows how much he tires to make a bad situation into something good. In the beginning of the film we can see how the charisma of Guido pays off when Dora falls in love with him and have a son. We are able to see how even through Dora wasn't suppose to go to the concentration camp, she chose to stop the train and go on so she could be with Guido and Joshua. There are many instances where we can see how Guido struggling to keep his son safe, everything he did in the concentration camp was to keep Joshua safe. In the end of the film when Joshua is picked up from a military tank, when in the tank he see his mother walking wit the other survivors and runs off to see her. Joshua says how they won the game since the prize would be a brand new tank, his father Guido told him. Guido's plan had worked, in the end Joshua didn't know what was actually happening. 

Night

          When reading Night by Elie Wiesel, I was able to see how the experiences Wiesel went through changed his personality, morality, beliefs and values. His actions towards his father changed throughout the book as well as his faith with God.
          Throughout the book, we can see how Wiesel’s faith with God changes when he is in the concentration camp. In the book it says, “Why do you weep when you pray?....“I don’t know why,” I answered, greatly disturbed. The question had never entered my head. I wept because-because of something inside me that felt the need for tears”(Wiesel 2). This quote shows how Wiesel is very passionate when he prays. He expresses how he feels the need to cry when he prays without really knowing the reason why he cries. It also say in the book, “Blessed be the Name of the Eternal!” Why, but why should I bless Him...How could I say to Him: “Blessed art Thou, Eternal,  Master of the Universe, Who chose us from among the races to be tortured day and night, to see our fathers, our mothers, our brothers, end in the crematory?”(Wiesel 64). This quotes shows how Wiesel sees that he feels like God isn’t with them anymore. He blames everything on God because Wiesel feels like God chose them out of all of the other races to be tortured and see family end up in the crematory. Later on in the book it says, “And, in spite of myself, a prayer rose in my heart, to that God in whom I no longer believed”(Wiesel 87). This quote shows how Wiesel still is pray although he doesn’t really know why since he doesn’t really believe in God as he use to believe in. This is completely different to the person that he was before since in the beginning 

          When reading the book, we can see how Wiesel’s bond with his father also changes throughout the book. In the book it says, “My father was a cultured, rather unsentimental man. There was never any display of emotion, even at home. He was more concerned with others than his own family.”(Wiesel 2) This quote shows how his father is never really there to look out for his family. Wiesel and his father don’t have a strong father-to-son bond which is something that is completely different as the book goes on. Also in the book it says, “I did not move. What had happened to me?My father had just been struck, before my very eyes, and I had not flickered an eyelid. I looked on and said nothing. Yesterday, I should have sunk my nails into the criminal’s flesh”(Wiesel 37). This quote shows how when his father was being beaten, that he didn't move at all to protect his father. This quote shows how he was surprised since he did jump in to save his father. Wiesel says that “ Yesterday, I should have sunk my nails into the criminals flesh” which shows how he is somewhat changed since he didn’t do this, instead he just watched as the others do. Later on in the book it says, “My father’s presence was the only thing that stopped me….He was running at my side, out of breath, at the end of his strength, at his wit’s end. I had no right to let myself die. What would he do without me? I was his only support”(Wiesel 82). This quote shows how Wiesel tells himself that his father is stopping him from giving up since he was running with his foot that he just had a surgery on. He is telling himself that he is the only thing that his father has, since Wiesel is always looking out for his father and he is always making sure he has something to eat, he knows that if he gives up his father will not have the same support that Wiesel always gives his father. In the first quote it showed how the father was never really that close to Wiesel, now that is completely different because now in the concentration camps they have gone to, they only have each other.

Wiesel, Elie. Night. N.p.: Bantam , 1982. Print.

Butterfly Project

"A Letter to Daddy"

Momma told me to write to you today,

but I had no time. New children arrived 

with the latest transport, and 

I had to play with them. 

I didn’t notice time pass.

I live better these days.

I sleep on my own mattress on the floor,

so I will not fall down.

At least I don’t have much work to fix up my bed,

and in the morning I see the sky from my window.

I was coughing a bit, but I don’t want to get sick,

for I am happy when I can run in the courtyard.

Tonight there will be a gathering

like the ones at Scout camp in the summer.

We will sing songs we know,

a girl will play the accordion.

I know you wonder how we fare here,

and you would surely like to be with us now.

And something else, daddy. Come soon

and have a more cheerful face!

When you are unhappy, Momma is sad,

and then I miss the sparkle in her eyes.

You promised to bring me books

because, truly, I have nothing to read.

So please, come tomorrow, right before dusk.

I will surely be grateful for this.

Now I must stop. Momma sends you her love.

I will rejoice when I hear your footsteps in the hall. Until you are with us again.

I send you my greetings and kisses.

Your faithful son.

Anonymous 

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Berlin Memorial

        In the Berlin Memorial activity, I learned that little by little the Nazis were prohibiting Jewish people from doing things. There was one law that stood out to me which was something along the lines that Jews had to sit in a separate bench which was segregating them non-Jew and Jews like in the U.S black and white people were separated. Also, Jewish people were limited from doing everyday activities like going to the store, going to the pool, going to the movies, things like that.
        I think that the monument was built to not make people forget what happened to all of the lives of the people that were taken away because of them being blamed of something that they had nothing to do with. I think that it is the place where people can go to to pay their respects to the people there that had to go through all of that injustice.
        I noticed that during some years there was a difference between the number of laws that were being made. Some would have more than 5 and others would have less. I think that this happened because as the years passed, the Nazis saw that the laws weren't affecting as many people so, they made more along the way that specified in public transportation, job, school, and other things that most people do. During the time that these laws were being made, I think that the people that weren't being affected by them at all could have spoken up about theses unfair and bias laws that only affected the Jewish people.
        The laws that would affect me right now would be one in 1937 that says “Jew were not allowed to graduate.” This one would affect me right now because I am right now on the edge of graduating from middle school, so not being able to would really be a disappointment because since I could remember, I have looked up to graduating middle school. Another one would that would affect me would be one that was in 1938 that says “Jewish children no longer allowed to attend public schools.” This one would affect me because now am I not able to graduate but, now I am also not able to go to school. I can't get an education just because of the religion I am.

Quarter 2 Reflection

      A lot has happened from the last reflection when quarter 1 ended. I have accomplished so many things this quarter, and I plan on accomplishing more things for the next half of the school year. 

*What is something you have accomplished since the new year that you are proud of?*

      I have accomplished a lot since the new year, all because of 1 class. This quarter I had a class called Social Justice which I would only have for about 9 to 10 weeks, since that is how long a quarter is. This class was a great way to start a new year because I learned a lot  about the world that I might have never known if it wasn't because of the class.

*In what area do you think you made your biggest improvements in E.L.A?*

My biggest improvement in E.L.A  was to be able to read a lot more than I would have thought. This happened because of the 20 book challenge. Of the books I have read this quarter, my favorite one would have to be Guyaholic. It was my favorite book because I saw myself in her at some parts during her journey when she was finding her self. I think a lot of girls out there can relate to her. The book was realistic when it brought up the problem she had with her mother.

*What has been the most challenging part of 2nd Quarter for you and what did/can you do to help overcome this?*

It was very challenging for me to keep up my grades up to a 3 throughout the quarter. I always struggled asking for help in elementary school because I always wanted to solve my own problems by myself, but I never really realized that I can't always do it by myself. This quarter I really pushed myself to ask for help when I needed it. It was challenging for me to get use to asking teachers for help especially in Math because I always end up overthinking problems. At the end of this quarter I was able to open up and ask teachers for help this is something that I should get use to since high school is right around the corner.

Book Talk

      The book I will be talking about today is called Guyaholic by Carolyn Mackler. This book is a about a girl named V Valentine that lives with her grandparents aferre her mother dumped her there. She grew up being known as the "Queen of Meaningless Hookups" because of her reputation of going from guy to guy. That all changes when she meets Sam Almond. They are both opposites, Sam believes in long term relationships, V's longest relationship lasted 3 weeks. This "thing" as V says, all crumbles with one party, and one mistake. V is left with the consequences and with a broken heart. When he mother Aimee calls V asking her to go and visit her in Texas, she takes the chance as a distraction.

      I recommend this book because it teaches people a lesson that the decisions we make have an impact in the future. V learned how to accept her self which is something that most people struggle with in life, that is something that stayed with me when reading. This book lets me see the story of many girls and how it might turn out for the when making some life-changing decisions. There are going to be different outcomes for every person that has a similar story to V's in Guyaholic.