Antonyms

Singing---->Crying

Crash---->Repair

Writing---->Talking

Wall---->Ground

Canada Poem

No nation is as wonderful as Canada
With its diverse geography and culture
Dense forests full of green and wildlife
Span from sea to shining sea
Cold rivers and deep, black lakes
Freezing tundras harbor the graceful caribou
Contrasting cultures, both Amerindian and European
All in harmony which creates Canada

Winter Acrostic

Ragout is made for a Christmas meal

Everyone is wearing a coat

The animals have gone to hibernate

No more shorts or T-shirts

Icicles on sides of roofs

Wind that is cold

Canada Reflection

All of these words remind me of Canada because of all the details I remember when visiting. These words can be traced back in some way to the center bubble. For example, Canada is known for being very cold and having very long winters. The country also has plenty of forests and places to hunt and fish. The only word not unique to Canada would be breakfast, because every country has some sort of morning meal. However Canada is well known for its maple syrup, and its a great condiment on pancakes or French toast.

Fall Acrostic

Falling leaves
All around us
Longer nights
Leaving summer behind

Testing Reflections

I believe that the biggest error I did while testing was that I did not focus enough to fully understand both of the first two short stories. When I began reading the stories, I quickly became uninterested in the reading, therefore I did not quite understand the questions asked. However, this is not the case for every story. For example, for some of the stories in previous SAT's were quite interesting, and I became more aware of what was going on and fully understood the questions asked. Another problem I encountered while testing was that in some of the answer choices, I did not understand what some words meant. For example, I did not know that the word "disdain" meant until I looked it up after the test. Also, I believe that I should have studied more the previous stories we have gone over, especially the earlier ones such as "I Stand Here Ironing." I had trouble remembering all the stories and their meanings.

Driver Wanted

Someone who can drive me to school
Must have gone to Driver's Ed
Should know all the rules of traffic
Good at passing slow people
Must also not feel sleepy
Do not worry about gas money
I just want to get to school on time

Poem Questions

1. How would you define the word poem?

A  poem that has a very little amount of words.

2. What kinds of words are in poems?

Words that relate to a certain subject or that express a certain meaning.

3. What do poems sound like?

Poems may be in prose or sound like a song or have a certain rhythm.

4. How is a poem like a song?

Poems can relate to songs because they may have a rhythms or the verses end in similar sounding words.

5. How can it be like a story?

It can  be like a story in which the  poem may be written in prose or it has a theme or a plot.

6. Have you ever written a poem?

Yes, especially in 8th grade.

7. Would you like to?

Yes, I find it enjoyable to write poems, especially ones that have to be written in a specific way, like a haiku.

"Everyday Use" Socratic Seminar Reflection

Emile Fierro
11/5/15

"Everyday Use" Socratic Seminar Reflection

Vocabulary words:

• Dasher (noun): A plunger for agitating cream in a churn. At first I had no idea what a dasher was until I saw the definition, however in the seminar it was described as a symbolic object because Dee was gonna take it.
• Heritage (noun): Valued objects and qualities such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations. The definition of heritage was explained more in depth in the seminar, especially when explaining the difference between African and African-American culture.
• Quilt (noun): A warm bed covering made of padding enclosed between layers of fabric and kept in place by lines of stitching. In the seminar, this object was much spoken of because it played part in the climax of the story, when the mother refused giving the quilts to Dee and instead giving them to Maggie.

Strategies:

• Humor: The phrases that the mother says throughout the story add realism to the setting. Her way of speaking immerses the reader in rural Georgia.
• Symbolism: Symbolism is an important strategy used in the story because it sets the difference between a household object and folk art. For example, Dee sees the quilts as family history because they were passed down for generations and should be preserved. On the other hand, the mother and Maggie see the quilts as as common household object to keep the bed warm.
• Irony: The irony in the story is that Dee sees the quilts as folk art and should be hung on a wall for display. However, the quilts are more valuable to Maggie and the mother because the quilts are practical household items.

My performance:

I feel like in this seminar, I didn't contribute much to it, because I was mostly listening to the interesting ideas the others said. I also believe I didn't contribute much because the others has similar ideas as mine, however they spoke first, so I couldn't really repeat what they had said.

The other's performance:

The others who participated with me in the Socratic seminar did a very good job overall. They were communicative and stuck to the subject. There was good teamwork because people asked questions to each other and commented on their ideas.

Reflection on Content: 

The meaning of heritage is seen very differently between Dee and the mother. Dee constructs a new African heritage and tries to hide her own true heritage while the mother proudly expresses it.

Main points:

The main point in this essay is to contrast both Dee and the mother's idea of heritage. Also, explain how Dee tries to erase her past and wishes that the mother will accept her for what she is. However, Dee has little knowledge of what real African culture is, so what she considers her "real" heritage is empty and false.

Connections:

I have noticed similar situations in real life, much like the story. For example, I have a friend who is of Mexican heritage, and both his parents speak Spanish and are proud of their culture. However, my friend was born in the United States and therefore he considers himself an "American", and rejecting his own culture and language. It is a shame because one should have some sense of pride in their culture or heritage, and not reject their own.

My Most Valuable Object

If I could keep only one thing from being left behind or destroyed, it would be my phone. My phone is valuable to me because  it contains a lot of photos and videos that I have taken. These are meaningful to me because they serve as reminders of past experiences and places I have seen. Also, with my phone I can do plenty of things, such as knowing my location, communication, and search anything online. However, some people might disagree with me because they might think that it is unhealthy to be attached to a phone, which is true to a certain extent. However, if used wisely, it can be an extremely useful tool anywhere in the world.

My Allegory

I sometimes feel like I am the cicada from the fable "The Cicada and the Ant." In the fable, the cicada sung all summer while the ant looked for provisions for the upcoming winter. When fall approached, the cicada asked the ant if he could have some food, but the ant said that he should have searched for food instead of singing all summer. I am like the cicada due to the fact that sometimes on weekends I feel like I could do my homework on Sunday afternoon, but the outcome is that I rush through my homework and am not capable of enjoying my Sunday afternoon. I need to learn to complete my duties when I have the time to prevent doing them at the last minute.

Symbolism

Symbolic words of my culture:

ragout

snow

folk music

fishing

lacrosse

hockey

Thanksgiving

In one sentence:

In Thanksgiving we like to eat ragout and listen to folk music. We also like to fish, play hockey and lacrosse.

Daily 8.0

The main character, Harry Potter, in the series of novels "Harry Potter", written by J. K. Rowling is a rather silent character. Throughout the entire story line, we see what happens around him, but yet does not talk much. Unlike Ron or Hermione, who seem to be more talkative.

The novel series is all in first person, we live the life Harry Potter goes through. Upon close inspection though, the novels have a lot of visual details but little dialogue from the main character. It seems like he is more observant of his surroundings and current situation but keeps most of his thoughts to himself.

Therefore, the character Harry Potter is a usually quiet person and very observant. This is probably because he has lived a rough childhood due to losing his parents at a young age and living with a neglecting aunt, uncle, and cousin.

6.0 Prompt #3

Emile Fierro

10/4/15

1B

Mr. Keating

6.0 Prompt #3

I believe that Emily's character in "I Stand Here Ironing" is rather flat. This is because there is simply not much context about her except a brief description about her and what she has been doing through the narrator's eyes. We are not sure whether she remains the same throughout the story or not. For example, as a child Emily never complains about anything or asks anything. She's generally quiet throughout the story and when she says she wants to see her mother, she does it indirectly. However, every once in a while throughout the story we get a unique glimpse about Emily. For example, she has a "rare gift for comedy on the stage that rouses laughter out of the audience". Emily is apparently a brilliant comedian, which shows a bit of her personality. Also, we see a bit of her wits when she compares her own mother to Whistler's mother, and joking about her ironing; “Aren’t you ever going to finish the ironing, Mother? Whistler painted his mother in a rocker. I’d have to paint mine standing over an ironing board.” So overall, Emily is a flat character in the story but we do see every once in a while parts of her personality.