Animal Farm Creative Project

Animal Farm

The animals on the Manor Farm

were getting worked up,

By Old Major and his talk of a revolution,

and luck.

He talked of the animals

owning the farm,

kicking out the humans,

so they could no longer cause them harm.

The animals succeeded,

and renamed their new land Animal Farm.

The pigs soon took the role

as leaders,

running the barn.

They gave themselves the

higher benefits,

eating the apples and milk,

and making the other animals work harder,

telling them the pigs had

the brains for the supervising filk.

All of the animals decided

on a list of Commandments.

They followed these to the

extent.

And when the pigs started

changing them,

No animal was smart

or brave enough,

to stand up to the pigs and

their lents.

The pigs started living in

the farm house,

sleeping in beds,

eating at the table,

and wearing clothes.

No animal seemed to care

or care enough to complain.

But then the pigs learned to walk,

and thats when it all

took a change.

The pigs have neighboring farmers

over for dinner one night.

This is when the animals realize,

they can tell no difference

between the pigs and their

human guests under the

evening light.

My Poem

The poem I chose for Poetry Out Loud is "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost. I had already known of this poem before we started choosing, because I used it for an assignment in a poetry book I made last year. I knew that I really liked it, understood the meaning, and was able to relate to it. "The Road Not Taken" is literally about a traveler coming to two forks in a road, and choosing the one that less people had choosed. The deeper meaning is that sometimes in life you need to make a choice. You can choose the choice that all of your friends and family choose and be a follower. Or, you can make the other choice, and start your own path.

At the end of the poem it says that he chose the one less traveled by and how that made all the difference. This is talking about how choosing whatever the choice is you are making, the choice less chosen, that will make all the difference in your life, and could change the path your life is traveling. A way I can relate to choosing between two things in the same situation would be choosing to take drama or choir as my second elective. I could have taken choir with most of my friends, stuck with what I did in middle school. Except I enjoy acting more and I knew that, so I chose drama, which only a few other people I knew chose and in movies is typically the "nerdy" class. I am so, so glad that I chose drama. It has made a difference already with after school activites(like choosing to do the spring musical), and the new friends I have made.
To convey the meaning of my poem when I present it, there are different things I will do. I will pause when a dramatic affect is needed, such as deciding on which choice to make in the beginning. I will use happy facials when talking about the path I chose to show that I am happy with it. I will use hand-gestures when needed. I will also show content with my face and body posture when I read the last sentence of the poem. I feel like using these methods will help me best show the meaning of my poem to the audience.

Poetry Out Loud

Part One: Website Cruising
1. "Snowflake"
2. "Retired Ballerinas, Central Park West"
3. "The Man He Killed"
4. "Nude Descending a Staircase" and "Who Understands Me but Me"

Part Two: What do you think?
Of the five poems listed above, I liked all of them. I was able to understand each of them and see what the author was saying.
I liked all of them, so I didn't like none of them.
I am interested in using "Who Understands Me but Me" as my poem.
I personally connected with this poem by how it who understands him and what he thinks, better than himself? Which I feel that you know who you are, people can't tell you what you are and who you need to be, which is a similar idea.

Part Three: Scoring Criteria
The easiest of these criteria for me would be level of difficulty, since my poem is long, and accuracy, since I'm used to memorizing lines for drama.
I will have difficulty with voice and articulation, since I tend to talk fast so I won't have a natural pace. Also physical presence, since I don't usually like making eye contact so I won't be connecting to the entire audience.

Part Four: Videos
I watched "Frekerick Douglass". This is a successful performance because you could tell she understood the poem and was able to get into it without being overdramatic.
I also watched "Forgetfulness". This was a successful performance because his voice was very easily heard and clear, and he didn't just look at one person, he made a connection with the audience.

Part Five: Summary
I think the competition with be nerve-wracking, but not super tense. I think I will do good enough for a B since I'm used to performing and memorizing, but I will probably not be easily understood. I will memorize "Who Understands Me but Me." I choose it because I connected well with it and it is a good length. I think the website is very helpful for competitors.

Lobsters.

There were many ideas brought up in the discussion about "Lobsters." Some I had already thought of, but many were new to me. One that stuck out to me was that the poem was relating lobsters to people. I hadn't really thought of it that way. Sometimes it's hard to think beyond the literal level, and go to the next one. It was brought up in both discussion, and it really made me think of the poem in a different way.

After hearing that the poem was relating lobsters to people, and thinking about that for a while, it helped me understand the symbolic meaning of "Lobsters." To think that the lobsters were "dreaming," like how people do. You don't really think of lobsters as having thoughts, and they may not, but people for sure do. We are constantly thinking, a never ending chain of ideas going around in our heads. When the author said that lobsters are hollow shells of dreams is like saying that they are just bodies, filled with dreams that they all want. Like people.

Paragraph Critique.

In my class, the thing that needed that most work was point transition sentences. Some people had transitions but no points. Some people had points but no transitions. Some people didn't have either of them. If you don't include these, your paper sounds really choppy and people might not understand what you're saying. Along with the same subject, a lot of people had weak transitions. You don't want plain transitions that 1st graders use. You need transitions that flow with the paper and fit the topic.

I haven't read my paper to the class yet, but there were a lot of things I changed from my first draft to my final one. A big thing was my quotes. I have good quotes and I didn't choose new ones, mine were just really long. I didn't know that you didn't have to use the entire quote. I also changed the embedding for my quotes. Embedding makes everything flow more, and if your embedding doesn't fit with the quote it doesn't make much sense. There are plenty of other things I'm sure I need to work on, but I need another persons point of view to see them.

Halloween costume shopping.

So on Monday I went costume shopping with some of my friends. I like knew I already had a costume but I guess I wanted a new one I guess. You like always want what costs more, you know? So anyways I went with my friends Lily, Shelby, and Lexi. We were at my house b'fore we went and Lily wasnt with us so we had to wait for her to come. So then Lexis dad came and picked us up and we went. We went to Party City first and tried on joke costumes just for fun cuz like sometimes thats fun to do. We really just wanted to take pictures in them. So anyways I tried on this like fat lady costume with a dog stuck up my ass and a sign for a lost puppy. Lily tried on this giant baby costume and Lexi and Shelby tried on bacon and egg costumes. Then this like cranky old biotch told us to move and was like, "REALLLYYYYYYY?". Yeah. Really.
So then we went to this other store that I think was called like Halloween City or something. I really liked this cowgirl costume, but my mom said it cost too much.. whatever. Shelby got this like Minnie Mouse costume but her mom was like mad about it... again, whatever. And Lexi got Miss Muffet or whatever the hell shes called. Then while we waited for Shelbys mom we took more pictures in like masks and stuff like that. And I posted them on facebook if anyone wantsta like take a look or something. It was purty fun. But now I really wish I coulda gotten that cowgirl costume but I didnt and I still cant. Anyways it was really fun and I had a good time so Im glad I went.

Extra Credit: Writing About Writing

One of my favorite types of writing is poetry. There are many different types of poetry, and an endless amount of things to write about.
On the morning of Monday, March 29, 2010, my dog Nala got put down. I had had her since I was two years old, and she was 15 when we put her down. She was a black lab-border collie mix, and was having joint issues and she had diabetes. It was hard, since I didn't remember a time when she wasn't there. Some people say losing a pet isn't the same as losing someone you know, and maybe it is a little different, but pets are a part of the family. It was really hard on me when we put her down.
During this time in school we were writing poetry. There were two assignments in this that were my favorite; one was a memory poem, and one was to write about anything you wanted. I wrote both about Nala.

Nala

She didn't go quietly,

The dog with which I shared my life.

In subtle ways she lets me know

Her spirit still survives.

Old habits still make me think

I hear her at the door.

Or step back when I drop

          a treat on the floor.

My feet still go around the place

Her food dish used to be.

And sometimes coming home at night,

I miss her terribly.

Although time may bring

A need food dish to fill,

That one place in my heart

Belongs to her,

And always will.

My Dog

My dog, Nala, had long black fur,

With a white chest, and muzzle.

She had big brown eyes that cried to you,

If you were holding food.

My dog, Nala, was a lazy dog,

Never chasing tennis balls.

She didn't like to swim,

Or play with other dogs she didn't know.

My dog, Nala, always whined,

Whenever someone came home.

It was her way of welcoming you,

And saying, "I missed you so!"

My dog, Nala, was fifteen years old,

When the time came to put her down.

She was in a lot of pain,

And it was her time to go.

My dog, Nala, loved us all,

And that, we knew for sure.

She's watching us from heaven now,

Happy, free, renewed.

The first poem was the memory one, and the second was the open. I liked writing these, because it allowed me to let my feelings out and remember Nala in a positive way. I have a new dog now, but I still think about Nala often. She was my first dog and I will always remember her.

Slaughterhouse-Five

Slaughterhouse-Five is a very confusing book. I like it, but it's confusing. I am never really exactly sure what the author is talking about, but I have enough understanding to be able to discuss the book. This book definately has a lot of imagery, such as when the narrarator describes the Iron Maiden and how bundled up Ronald Weary was. There is also a lot of repetition, like "so it goes", and when he talks about Billy "time traveling." I had noticed an example of personification that I really liked, "And I let the dog out, or I let him in, and we talk some. I let him know I like him, and he lets me know he likes me. He doesn't mind the smell of mustard gas and roses." (7)
The plot of the book so far is mainly just the narrarator talking about him writing the book. I'm not positive if the author is the narrarator; it never really says. It talks about how long it took him to write the book and how much energy it took him. I don't think there is really a setting yet, but if there was I would say it would be Dresdon or Bernard V. O' Hare's house. It could be Dresdon because this book has a lot to do with the war there. It could be Bernards' house because the narrarator went there to discuss idea's for his book, and I feel like he may be telling what's happening in the book at Bernarnds house. This book is really just all over the place.
I haven't ever read any books about war before, but one book that is similar to this that I have read would be Tuesday's With Morrie. It had nothing to do with war, but how it was written reminds me a lot of Slaughterhouse-Five. They were both written in 1st person, and they both have the feeling of a journal. I like this writing type better than others, because you get to know the protagonist more and see what they are really thinking.
For the creative project, I am thinking of doing a video. I am not positive yet, but that seems best at this point. In a video I could show the different scenes and time traveling, and make it understandable to someone who didn't read the book. I am not that far in the book yet, so I really couldn't decide yet. This is what I am thinking though. I really like this book so far, and I am excited to continue on with it. Hopefully the author creates more of an understanding for the reader. If not, I'm sure I will be able to catch on.

Extending the Theme

Everyone interprets books differently. Some people are able to read way between the lines, and other people only get whats on the surface. To Kill a Mockingbird spoke to me loud and clear. Sometimes I got confused on what was happening or what was being said, but I seemed to understand most of it quickly. As an indivudial I got the theme of how judging everyone is, and growing up happens without us even knowing it. Throughout the book Scout was growing up a lot. With everything that happened she grew a little more, but I didn't always notice it on every page. She was always growing, and even as a reader I couldn't see it as much till the end. The book also showed how everyone is very judging, even those who you don't think is. People in this book judged people based on race, money, jobs, etc.
I always knew not to judge people based on looks or color of skin, but I admit I do. I learned from this book not to judge people though, based on person preference on how they do things or what they do with their free time. Just because someone doesn't want to go to the football games or hang out with everyone after school doesn't mean somethings wrong with them. They could just have better things to do, or maybe need to help out at home. I also learned the importance of doing the right thing. Like Atticus defending Tom Robinson. He would have rather not have the attention and people comments taken out on his kids, but he knew it was the right thing and he was the only one who would really try to help Tom. Just like if someone asks for extra help in school or a sport. I most likely wouldn't want to take up my time helping someone else with their work instead of having fun, but now I realize that no one else does either. If I don't, what makes me think someone else will?
You can tell this book has a lot of meaning just from the title, To Kill a Mockingbird. This could also be interpreted in many different ways. To me, it means to hurt something innocent or take away it's innocence is about one of the worst things you can do. Like Atticus said, its a sin. If the sheriff had punished Boo for killing Bob Ewell, that would've been an example of killing a mockingbird. An example in my life would be like if I published something on Facebook about someone who did something to help a friend, and it wasn't something you would want the world to know.
Many things that happened in the book can relate to someones life now. Maybe you have a friend that comes every summer like Dill, or a really rude neighbor like Mrs. Dubose. Whatever it is, most people have a little relation to this book(considering so many random events happened). This book have many reasons, like I said. It really all depends on how much you're willing to get into the book.

My Boo Radley.

I believe someone can have many Boo Radley's in their life, but you may not notice them or think about them in that way. To someone, their Boo could be a person they were afraid of, or were intimidated by. It could also be an animal, or maybe something we can't actually see or touch. To me, I think somemthing in my life most like a Boo Radley to me would be my cat, Wagstaff. I know a cat might me a weird thing to compare to Boo, but I think it fits.
We got my cat when I was maybe six or seven years old. I remember coming home and there she was, sitting on the counter. She is a tabby cat, and wasn't the friendliest. At first I was really excited. I used to have three cats but then we thought I was allergic so we gave them away. Turns out I wasn't! So my parents went to PetSmart and choose Wagstaff. When we got her she was too old to learn a name, so she only goes by cat or kittty. That's what they would call her at the pet store.
Not too long after we got Wagstaff, I was terrified of her. She would always try to claw my feet, and would bite you when you pet her. I didn't understand it because my old cats were so friendly and would always lick me and purr when I pet them. I kept asking to get a new cat, but my parents didn't want too. Also when we got her, we had to give away our pet rats because they were too scared to come out of their cage. This didn't make me like her anymore than I already did.
This is kind of how Scout was afraid of Boo. She also didn't understand why he acted the way he did, like I did with my cat. We both compared them to similar things, and they both acted very different than anything else like them. Boo wouldn't ever come outside or visit, like all of her other neighbors would. Scout was also afraid to walk by Boo's house without running, like how I was afriad to walk by my cat without her swatting at me.
I think I learned some stuff from my cat, like Scout with Boo. I learned that she was scared of being in a new place, and so acted out in protection. From this, I learned not all cats are really friendly and they act different for different reasons. Like so, Scout learned that Boo didn't want to be included in all of the danger and drama of Maycomb, even though this seems weird to most people. In the end, both my cat and Boo were really nice, and we just judged them right away so in our minds they were something they aren't. Also, since we both learned this as younger children, it helped us not to judge as much as we grow and become older.

Introduction

Hi, my name is Sidney Burton. My favorite thing to do in English is read. I love reading books that I can understand easily and can "get into the book." I will enlighten the on-line world with my input and opinions to the literature studied in class. If you're following my blog, you should expect to see what I think about the books we read in the best way I can. I usually have a lot of opinions on books, so you will see those on my blog.
Excelling in English will help someone personally in many ways. One is by opening their mind to other ideas they hadn't originally thought of. It can then open their mind to help them think of other ideas on their own. It can also help them be more comfortable speaking in front of people from doing discussions. Doing this will prepare them for a succesful social life.
Excelling in English will help someone academically too. You will improve more and more throughout the year, and then you will be prepared for the higher English classes. It will make someone more knowledgeable in grammar, vocabulary, spelling, reading, writing, etc. This will help them with everything and anything for the rest of their lives. Excelling in English academically will make them succesful in the rest of highschool and college.
If any student is expecting to go to college, they need to take English every year in highschool. First, college's like it. They want someone who knows how to talk grammatically correct, and someone who keeps up on reading. They also want people who know how to write, so in any classes they can write up a paper and be easily understood. You don't want to forget anything you learned in English before you go to college.
The meaning of English can be interpreted in more than one way. I believe it is being able to interpret and explain books and other writings, and being able to communicate with other people. It could also be being able to express yourself in writing, and writing about other things easily and correctlyCommunicating is not just talking, it is having a shared understanding. The meaing of English is a hard thing to put your finger on. These are a few meanings it could be, but I believe the meaning of English is however you interpret it yourself.
You may disagree with me on some things I write, or maybe you really like it. Either way, welcome to my blog.