Portfolio

Expository Writing: 
-Grapes of Wrath
-Timed Critical Response

Personal Response:
-Rainy River
-Timed Personal Response

Creative Response:
-Response To Hamlet
-Rainy River Visual (painting of apple)

Independent Reading:
-1984

Reflection:


 Throughout humanities I have personally had my ups and downs, but these ups and downs are what make us into stronger students, and better individuals. Humanities has taught me a number of things. One is that you never know what's coming but you should always be prepared. I have also learned that even when you do badly on something like an assignment it is only one person’s opinion but usually Mr. Kabachia is right.

  I have really grown as a student this year in humanities. I have realized that coasting through assignments isn't going to cut it. You could really see that in my marks it was obvious if I worked hard on an assignment or if I was a little lazy. The assignments I was most proud of were usually the ones I put the most effort in. Like almost all my visual's I think I did extremely well on and that reflected in my mark. I'm an artsy kind of girl and whenever I can use that to my advantage I do.

  I'm not a very strong writer but I have grown tremendously in this area. If you look at my first essay compared to my last you can really see a difference. My voice is stronger and I provide relevant and logical defence for what I’m arguing. I know as a student I have to work harder in finding the deeper meaning in things but at the same time don’t over think it. There were some assignments I struggled on and I found out it was because I was over thinking them. The grapes of wrath I found to be a challenging novel and it was challenging because I over thought many of the situations. When you read my critical response you could tell that I was thinking into some character's more then I should. But because I know this now I can try to grow and help understand more novels in the future.

  Once humanities is done I don’t have a clear idea of what is next. I plan on pursuing my education further I just have to decide what I’m pursuing. I think I’m closer to becoming more prepared for the future but I would not say I’m 100% ready. What I do know is that I have learned allot this year and I know you will always go far in life if you are intellectually ready for life. Since Humanities 30 is almost over this mean's life will finally start to begin.

Plot Summary for 1984

Plot Summary

·        The main character Winston lives in the year 1984, but not the 1984 we remember. The city he lives in is Oceania is controlled by “big brother”. Everyone is controlled by the party, everything you do including your work is chosen by the party. So Winston starts a journal to catalogue his thoughts against the party.

·        One day Julia approaches Winston, and the two starts a secret love affair. Meeting at places they think evade telescreens and microphones. They fall deeper and deeper in love with each other, and also discuss rebelling against the Party. Julia’s involvement adds a second dimension to Winston’s life. Now, not only does Winston have to hide his journal writing from the Party, but must find hideouts to consummate his love.

·        O’Brien who works for the party approaches Winston and inducts both him and Julia into the Brotherhood. O’Brien arranges for Winston to receive a copy of Goldstein’s manifesto, detailing the "how" and "why" of the rebellion.

·        One day Winston and Julia wake up feeling like an ordinary, non-repressed couple. They discuss their future, now that they have joined the Brotherhood. They conclude that they are "the dead." A voice coming from behind the picture of St. Clements’s Church echoes what they say. They are surrounded by the Thought Police.

·        Winston is then cooped up at the Ministry of Love, where there only darkness. He meets a series of other prisoners, who all seem to fear being sent to the mysterious "Room 101." He undergoes a series of torturous interrogations by O’Brien, but still does not know what waits for him in Room 101. Winston is then sent to Room 101, where O’Brien confronts him with a cage of vociferous rats ready to chew him up. Winston’s spirit is finally broken by this, his biggest fear, and he betrays Julia in a final cry of surrender.

·        Having been released, Winston sits at the Chestnut Tree Café and reflects about scenes in his life, as well as an apathetic chance meeting with Julia. Winston is overcome by a feeling of total love and acceptance for the Party.

Timed Personal Response

Personal Response to Context
By: Amber Copp

There are times in our lives that we get to a point where we have to make a turning point choose or decision. Most people’s first turning point is when they decided to take responsibility for their actions or even their lives. I think that if individuals don’t take responsibility for their own lives then they never give themselves the opportunity to grow or mature.
As a child growing up my parents tried to shelter me from all the things they could. They kept me from auditions for the fear I would get rejected, from opportunities and other experiences that might have bad outcomes. As the years went on and they tried to keep me away from more things, they got in my head so much I couldn’t even rebel. Now as an individual I don’t have some of the life skills you need to be a strong individual and to succeed in the world, like failure, rejection, EST. Now that I’m a young adult I have to take responsibility for my own life. Today I never say no to opportunities that will make me a better individual. I can travel on my own to auditions and other dance conferences; I don’t have to rely on my parents anymore. They have no choice but let me go. In the novel “Snow Falling on Cedars” Hatsue had a similar situation as mine. Her mother sheltered her from the boy she loved. So she had to make a choice whether to let her mother control her life, or to take responsibility for her own and still write to her love. Though she is only partially taking reasonability for her life, she is still writing to him but she is doing is behind her mother’s back. Though she did take that turning point and is giving herself the opportunity to grow into her own individual.
You can’t rely on others to make all your decisions in life. Sometimes in your life you have to make a turning point and start your own path in life. Whether you are taking control from your parents or others you have to take that step so you can grow into your own person. You have to take control of your own life.

Timed Critical Response

Analytical Response to Text
By: Amber Copp

Literature and films use artistic mediums to get a certain message across to their audiences. In film they use camera angles, lighting, shadowing and other dramatic effects to help them make their message clearer. Orson Welles was the director, main actor and helped produce the script for the film Citizen Kane. He had full artistic control over the film so his message would get across just how he wanted it to. Orson Welles was trying to let his audience know that when you can’t take responsibility for yourself you try to take responsibility for others.
Orson Welles played Charles Kane in the film; he was an American figure who was attempting to find love and happiness. He failed to do this because he was not capable of understanding what true love and happiness was. In the film there was a scene where Charles mother was talking to the banker who was going to take care of Charles for then on. Orson Welles used an effect where the mother and the banker where in the foreground but what you could clearly see Charles in the background playing outside in the snow. From what you could see Charles had no care in the world, he was truly happy. That was the only time in the movie where Charles was truly happy. He spent the rest of the film trying to make other people happy and hoping it would make him feel they same way he did when he was back at home playing in the snow.
Charles Kane’s second wife said to Charles when they first met that her mother always wanted her to be an opera singer. So Charles made it his responsibility to make her a successful opera singer even though she was not very talented. He built her an opera house; he paid people to be her audience, he did everything he could to try and make her a success. He put all his time and effort in to this idea even though he didn’t even actually know it didn’t make her happy. She never wanted all this and it made her unhappy, and strained their marriage. Charles Kane didn’t find his love or happiness in this whole ordeal.
The character Charles Kane was lost the whole film trying to find the love and happiness he use to have. He lost all control of his life as a child when his mother sent him off to live with the banker. He didn’t have the choice whether to go or stay, so he spent the rest of his life trying to control other people and their happiness. He didn’t take responsibility for his own life so he tried making other people’s lives his responsibility and with this action he lost his capability to find what he truly wanted. His last words before his death were “Rosebud”, which was the name of his sled from when he was a child. This symbolizes all the feeling he was searching for all his life and never found. It was the feelings he wish he could experience again; it was what he wanted for his life, it was the love and happiness he longed for.
Charles Kane never did find what he was looking for but before he died he realized what he was missing; he was missing “Rosebud”. Orson Welles did a good job portraying his idea/message. When you can’t take responsibility for yourself you take responsibility for others. It’s a simple and relatable message. The film Citizen Kane had many artistic components that made the message get across clearly. When you lose control of your own life or reasonability we try to control others to make up for what you have lost.

Korean War

Prezi

IR2

Government:
Iran’s government is a theocratic government, which is when a government is ruled by religious authority.
Chief of state: Supreme Leader Ali Hoseini

Head of government: President Mahmud

Council of Ministers is selected by the president with legislative approval.

Judaical Branch: The Supreme Court (Qeveh Qazaieh) and the four-member High Council of the Judiciary have a single head and overlapping responsibilities. Together they supervise the enforcement of all laws and establish judicial and legal policies.

Economy: Market Economy

Iran's economy is marked by an inefficient state sector, reliance on the oil sector, which provides the majority of government revenues, and statist policies, which create major distortions throughout the system.

Agriculture: wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets, sugar cane, fruits, nuts, cotton; dairy products, wool; caviar

Industries:

petroleum, petrochemicals, fertilizers, caustic soda, textiles, cement and other construction materials, ferrous and non-ferrous metal fabrication, armaments

Military: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces

19 years of age for compulsory military service; 16 years of age for volunteers; 17 years of age for Law Enforcement Forces; 15 years of age for Basij Forces; conscript military service obligation - 18 months; women exempt from military service

Poetry to Film




With a despair, not for their deaths, but for
Ourselves, who cannot penetrate their secret


The picture represents one of the main idea's in Return of the King, accepting responsibility. Many characters in the film were faced with this challenge. The quote on the t-shirt reminded me of Frodo's task of destroying the ring. If he didn't not do this who would of? I connected it with a quote from the poem A Swimmer's Moment. The poem was about make decisions. Other people cant make decisions that are right for you only you can. If you don't take risks with your chooses then sometimes you will miss out.