Great Expectations: How's it Going?

          So far the reading is going okay, i'm able to understand most of the book after the first read, but I only get the whole picture after rereading the important parts of the book. Going over the parts of the book that we read in class also helps me understand the chapter. I'm able to understand the connection bewteen characters like Joe and Pip because I either have those connections in my life or have read books with similar connections. This helps me understand the feelings of guilt that Pip has felt through the book for not telling Joe about his thievery. Some parts of the book have been a little hard to understand, so I would have to reread those parts, and specifically look at each sentence to see the true meaing behind the words. This has made me better understand the book, and has made me a better reader.
          I have been reading the book everyday before I sleep in my room on my bed. Now, I know that at first look, it doesn't seem like a good idea, but all throughout middle school I have been reading the assigned book before I sleep on my bed, and it has worked great. My room is probably the best environment for me to read in my house because it is the quitest place in the house. Reading in my bed is really comfortable for me and allows me to just concentrate on the book. If I was sitting on a chair or even on the sofa, I would be fidgeting alot to find a comfortable position which wouldn't allow me to concentrate on the book, so my bed is the best option. The best and most effective strategy that I use is rereading. Sentences, paragraphs, or sometimes the whole chapter, I will reread it to help me understand each line more than I did before. 

Welcome to Second Semester!

          Finally, 1/8 of my high school year is done! As a learner I have learned that I learn better when working in groups and getting ideas and thoughts from others as well as myself. By getting input from others, that either contradicts or supports my thought, I can find out the correct meanings and ideas. I should study by splitting up larger topics into smaller ones so that it will be easier for me to understand. I found out that I memorize and understand things better by studying off of Quizlet or flashcards because I can test my knowledge, whereas if I study straight off my paper, I just end up starring at a piece of paper for a long time not understanding anything.
          I was surprised when I found out I learn better when working in groups because usually I work better individually. When completing tasks or learning material I usually work more efficiently when working alone, but after working in groups in this class, I found out that I actually learn a lot more when working in groups because I get lots of other input. To be successful in this semester, I plan to continue to work in groups so that I can learn a lot. When we start reading Great Expectations I plan to read in a quiet place in my house because this is a major part of this semester's grade.

First Semester Goals

          At the start of the year, I wasn't great at the 3 goals. I couldn't totally understand why the author made the choices he did, nor did I know what element of literature I was using when I was writing, and usually I looked for what the author did rather than why he/she used it. As we went through the semester I slowly got a hang of these. By reading the novels in class, and discussing them as a group, it gave me practice to understand the why from the author. I started to understand the different elements to a written piece, and what each element adds to it. Now, after getting practice from many novels and poems, I feel that I have understood these written piece elements.

          This semester I learned many different things including Diction, POV, Characterization, Inferences, Big Ideas, Author's Craft, Literary Devices, and much more. I learned all of these by doing group activites, and reading books and poems. It helped me understand how each of these literary elements are used, and what they add to a written piece. Mentally I started changing from looking at "what" to "why". Now, while preparing for the final, I know that I can pick out almost all of these elements in a poem by just taking a little bit of time to analyze it. By doing this, I can understand the full and deep meaning behind the poem.

Connecting With My Poem

          As I read through multiple poems trying to find the one that connected to me, I saw "Coy Mistress". "Coy Mistress" is a poem that has a meaning hidden inside of it. You have to read it multiple times to decifer the meaning inside of it. This complexity and the rhyming rhythm of the poem attracted me to the poem. Another reason that I chose this poem was because it was very unique, instead of telling some fictional story in a rhyming way, it shows a woman's perception on her lovers respect upon her. She perceives Time and Love as people that are paving the way for her. This idea of respect and patience made me choose this poem. 

Analyzing Author's Craft

          So far, I have found this novel very intriguing. Scout's point of view makes it really easy to understand the scenes because she is just a child, but when Atticus starts talking, you half to breakdown the paragraphs to understand what he is saying. Thats the only challenge that I have in this book, rather than that, this book has been very easy to read and understand.
          Almost everything Atticus does has a in-depth meaning to it. For example, when Atticus says its a sin to kill a mockingbird, the meaning behind that is that its a sin to kill or do bad to something that hasn't done any harm, and even though Atticus said that earlier in the book, its pretty much the moral of the whole book because it applies to the Tom Robinson trial. Tom Robinson is the mockingbird that hasn't done any harm, but the jury and the Ewells convict him for a crime he didn't do. I can relate to Scout a little in these situations, because sometimes she doesn't understand what is happening or she falls asleep during the trial. I used to do that when I was younger whenever adults were having an in-depth conversation about politics because half the time I wouldn't understand it.

Something We Missed

          One major thing that I noticed in the book that we haven't discussed in class, is the maturity of both Jem and Scout. Jem is 10 and Scout is 6, but throughout the book, their decision making and speech is much more advanced than it should be for their age. You would think, when talking to a 6 year old they wouldn't have much to contribute rather than their imagination, and that they wouldn't understand much, but when talking to Scout, you don't see a 6 year old, but more like a 9 or 10 year old. For eample, when she was talking to Miss Maudie she understands slmost everything that Miss Maudie says, and knows that based upon that information, Jem's decision to sneak into the Radley house wasn't the right one.
          In the same way, Jem doesn't act like a regular 10 year old. He has a lot of guts for a 10 year old. Sneaking into a scary house and trying to get a note to a scary guy are not things normal 10 year olds would do, even if they did have a lot of guts. He acts more like a 13-14 year old, and you can see this in both his actions and his words. 

My Big Idea

          The big idea that I chose to track throughout the book was "Out of Control". I chose this big idea because this idea is represented in many ways throughout this book and other books I have read. For example, in The Fault in Our Stars  Hazel had some moments when she felt like she was out of control and felt like blowing up. In Romeo and Juliet pretty much the whole book is filled with sections where some characters are out of control. This lead to bad decisions, which in the end, caused many people to die. In Romeo and Juliet, both Romeo and Juliet try to kill themselves multiple times when they don't get what they want immediately. For example, when Romeo finds out that he is banished from Verona, he goes to Friar Lawerence, and instead of thinking of somekind of solution so that he can see Juliet, he almost commits suicide. This idea of "Out of Control" is represented throught this book.
          This idea adds to many aspects of the play including suspence, grief, and many more. The "out of control" behavior represented by mostly Romeo keeps you on the edge of your seat because you never know what he's going to do next. He might kill someone, he might try to kill himself, you never know. Even though this idea is mainly represented by Romeo, it is also represented by Capulet when he is mad at Juliet, and Juliet when she is forced to marry Paris. I think that Shakespeare added this aspect into the story because it made it much more interesting and unexpected. Modern stories always end in a 'happy ever after' tone because that's what is appealing to the audience, but Shakespeare added in this "Out of Control" quality which lead to bad decisions and a different ending to a story where lives are sacrificed to unite peace between two families.