Author Archives: chinoc-2014

Exploring Quadratic Functions

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1. A quadratic function is essentially just a parabola. A parabola is a curve that intersects at either the y-axis or x-axis, and then it mirrors itself on the other side. A quadratic equation is the equation that is used to plot parabolas. Unlike the slope y-intercept form, which has their equation as their name, a quadratic equation uses f(x) = ax^2+bx+c.

 

2. An example of a quadratic function is f(x) = ax^2+bx+c, an example of something not being a quadratic function is f(x) = x^3. This is not an example of a quadratic equation because the highest degree that a number could be is ^2.

 

3. If b and c are equal to 0, the parabola intersects right at 0. The symmetry happens once it intersects at 0, and then both sides mirror each other.

 

 

5.

When a<0, the graph has a maximum point of -2

When a>0, the graph has a minimum point of 3

When -1<a<1, the parabola opens down and it has a max point of (-4,0)

6. If the signs for a are positive, then the vertex has a minimum point, if it is negative, the vertex has a maximum point.

7. The vertex starts to shift vertically on the y-axis because of c changing constantly.

I’ll Be There For You(?)

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https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2015/10/how-friendships-change-over-time-in-adulthood/411466/

What I enjoyed about this article was this real interpretation that not all friendships are going to last forever. As we transition from teenagers to young adults, then towards full-functioning adults, it’s sad for me to realize that perhaps one day the people who helped me shape the person I am today, won’t be around as much anymore. For me, it’s only until recently that I realized that friendships are more important than relationships, because I know that the one constant in this world is time. Throughout the years, people will continue to change further from who you originally knew them to be, but time will remain pushing forward. It’s the friendships right now that count, whether it is with a big group or a few select, because no one is certain of what the future could bring to any one of them. That is what the writing emphasizes in on the most for me, it’s that no matter how long you want to hold onto a moment, you can’t stop time from moving on. The author of this article wants to reassure readers that, although you may find yourself distancing yourself from your favorites as you grow older, what matters is the choices that you make on whether or not you are still willing to be there for that friend in the end.

Should You Allow Yourself To Be, Or Not To Be?

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https://aeon.co/essays/how-feeding-children-s-ambition-only-sets-them-up-to-fail

What I liked about this article was the idea of tackling what it really means to have your dream become your career. At a young age, children are inspired to become anything they want to be. While that isn’t a bad thing, some children take it quite literally, believing they could be a dinosaur or whatnot (as exampled in the article). Adults may be there to encourage or guide you to your own goal, but they should also be there to ground you in some form of realism that you can achieve for yourself. I think the author tries to convince his readers that not everything is possible, at least, not yet anyways. He displays this best when he constantly refers to his previous experiences with the subject, or when he gives hypothetical examples as to what to do when a child believes he can surmount to anything. For me, the relatability of it all relies in the writing of how we sometimes give children false hope about their dream job. Once they realize they cannot achieve that, they feel completely wasted as an individual, and in hindsight perhaps feel like they have disappointed their parents in some capacity.

100%.

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http://www.youmightfindyourself.com/post/22131227213/on-seeing-the-100-perfect-girl-one-beautiful

I chose this article because I’m in love with the idea of love. To me, love is this beautiful, alienating, unforgiving concept that pumps through our veins and shows us what it really means to be human. It’s this feeling inside of someone that causes them to grab all logic, doubt and fear that they have, and just throw it out the window. It’s this entity that you want to wake up to the next day, regardless of how last night went. The author in this story portrays that beautifully. He demonstrates this burning desire to just let go, and muster all his strength to talk to his perfect girl. He brings an amount of hope and uncertainty within himself, about the decision to whether or not chase her, he places readers in a situation they’re all too familiar with. There’s an intimacy he places within his writing, that allows people to feel something. He makes these choices because he wants people to understand what kind of situation he’s being put through, this urge to go after the girl. The girl who he believes, is 100% perfect for him.

Justice Eventually Comes For Everyone.

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https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/06/the-lazarus-file/308499/

I chose this article because I’m interested in cold cases and mysteries; however, the thing that peaked my interest the most was the fact that it took 23 years for this case to finally close. Instead of posing itself as eerie and uncomfortable, the contents of the murder proved itself to be more tragic and disheartening. From the day the murder occured, to Lazarus’ withdrawal of the situation, the author of this article provides a step-by-step analysis of her possible motives and background to what happened. It’s what I appreciated about this writing the most, instead of making it a summarization, the author provided exposition for all the details required in this case. He turned a crime report into a living, breathing story that could have easily been an episode of Law & Order. His descriptive writing allows readers to imagine what the interrogation could have been like (aside from the tape that was released), what the victim’s parents went through, and the revelation that occurs when the officers realize it’s one of their own. It’s captivative, informative, and surprising.

Miss Brill Discussion Aftermath

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What I took away from the discussion with Miss Brill was that for some people, it’s difficult for them to connect with others. Sometimes, they’re not entirely comfortable with the situation that they’re placed in, therefore they have to use other methods to connect. For example, Miss Brill’s a character who visits the park as a weekly routine, she does this so she can surround herself with other people. On some precognitive level, she’s doing this to relate to them, because she knows she’s afraid to do it directly. Why else would she just sit down and observe? She just has this desire to be with people, but in her own way. While it might seem invasive or bizzare for the people she’s observing, it’s not like she means to hurt them in any shape or form. People can’t judge others just because they have a difficult time trying to connect with others.

Good intentions still have bad outcomes.

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Actions speak louder than words, from Gandalf’s quote and Allison’s essay, this is what I feel best represents both themes. For example, Allison is trying to learn how to speak Sotho in order to adapt and be cultured within one of their groups; in return, they politely exchange conversation with her, even if that isn’t the language caucasians use in South Africa. Another example of Allison trying to adapt is by walking through the rain with the others; however, it feels like a way to learn what they experience rather than just being a kind gesture. These actions turn into something different once the man offers her a ride, to her, it’s as if he’s commited an ignorant act. By driving past the Vendas, it shows to her that he only does that due to a sense of familiarity and hidden bias, since she’s the only caucasian walking. However, I believe that she might be reading into it too much, she neglects the fact that the man was just trying to do something good. It’s probable he didn’t even know that he was doing it, therefore she shouldn’t silently judge him for whatever good deed he believes he was doing.

Illuminated Poetry Analysis

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Picture 1: The first picture in the poem is a picture of a man staring at a city. We interpreted this picture to be standing against the stare of death which means he is facing a battle that he does not know if he can overcome.

Picture 2: This picture is clearly a picture of Obama and Putin giving each other the stare of death. “With head to head, I felt its gruesome breath” is the line we directly connected this picture to because in the poem, we interpreted in the sense that he is head to head with this battle that he must overcome and this is a good picture to represent that.

Picture 3 : This picture is an eye with fire and it represents the fire in the eyes of the man who is getting sparked by the crimson eyes of his demons.

Picture 4: This picture is relating to a scythe and it connects to the poem because in it, it says “Its scythe around my neck, which drew this line” and we believe that it signifies the turning point in his fight. The point where he is going to fight his battle, this is where we believe the mans limits are pushed too far and now is he is fighting his battle.

Picture 5: This is a picture of Logan from the movie “Logan”. “I walk with pride, although the scar is seen”. This is a perfect connection because Logan is a man full of pride and he has scars in this picture which relates to the poem of this man who is trying to regain his pride despite the mental scars.

Picture 6: “Although I could give up, Somehow I feel” This picture is a powerful picture of a man kneeling with the sunset behind him. He looks like he has almost given up but not fully given up. It connects because in the poem, the narrator seems to be giving up has not given up yet.

Picture 7: “There are some tasks I must and shall fulfill”. This shows that the narrator hasn’t given up yet and is ready to battle. This picture has a great connection because it shows a man climbing out of a dark place approaching the light. The narrator is in the dark and is trying to climb and fight this battle.

Picture 8 : This a creepy but simple picture, it just represents the demons the narrator has come across.
Picture 9: this picture is a woman screaming in agony. It relates to the poem because it is talking about how the narrator has let these demons drain his soul and we can connect that to agony.

Picture 10: This a motion picture of a man punching a punching bag until he knocks it down. The last line of the poem is “So I shall use what’s left to make them fall”. He is referring to these demons that he is battling and how is fighting to get rid of them. It connects to the poem because he is trying to knock down these demons as the man in the motion picture is doing to the punching bag.

Iambic Redemption is a poem about a man struggling to fight even when the whole world is against him and his inner turmoil is shown through metaphors with demons: “The cursed demons I have come across” (Massada). The poem addresses a psychological phenomenon since the man is facing an internal conflict within himself. He addresses this to the reader because he is placed in a setting of doubt and anguish in terms of who he is a person and whether or not he should fight again. The poem is a serious contemplative outlook on the perspective of a man who’s lost, such as: “I walk with pride, although the scar is seen”, “Although I could give up, somehow I feel” (Massada). Towards the end of the poem however, his tone shifts from a gloomy angry state at the fact that he is lost to a fight and he is willing to not back down from it. The whole poem itself is explained in iambic pentameter where each single line in a stanza is stressed towards the end. AABB rhyme scheme. It is a closed poem as it follows basic rhyme patterns and stanzas. This poem contains metaphors, similes, hyperboles and personification such as: “As I have let them slowly drain my soul”, “Alone I stood, against the stare of death”, “With head to head, I felt its gruesome breath” (Massada). The poem in summary is intense, dark, and proud of what it set out to accomplish for readers – it is a concrete poem telling the story of a man seeking to overcome his demon, toss aside his problems, and fight the world even though the odds are against him.

Capital Punishment

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Capital Punishment, also known as the death penalty, was used in extreme cases where the accused commited a series of charges that was punishable by death. Currently, some parts of the US still use the death penalty, whereas in Canada, a bill was passed in 1976 and abolished use of the death penalty. Over 700 people were killed in Canada during the reign of C.P and the last two people who died were executed privately: “Two minutes after midnight on Dec. 11, 1962, Arthur Lucas and Ronald Turpin became the last people to be executed in Canada,” (CBC). Both individuals were charged with murder after they commited a previous crime and thus, they were executed.

In Two Fishermen, a man is sentenced to death after protecting his wife from a molester. An aspiring journalist, Michael, searches for the hangman responsible for the man’s execution to conduct an insight on the executioner himself. Considering that this story was set in the early 1900’s, it is likely that Canada and the US would be similar in terms of execution. However in terms of publicity, Canada’s last public execution was in 1869 with a man charged of killing his father and step-father. Referencing the story, “he had killed old Matthew Rhinehart whom he had caught molesting his wife when she had been berry-picking in the hills behind the town” (Callaghan, 1). While this news would not be considered shocking during the reign of capital punishment in Canada during that era, it would be alarming to hear that it is the first public execution since 1869.

It was not justified, as Thomas was simply defending his wife from a sexual assault. While killing was not necessary, his actions in attacking the perpatrator was understandable. Not only that, but the attacker himself hurt Thomas Delaney – allowing it to have been a case for self-defense: “Thomas Delaney had taken a bad beating before he had killed Rhinehart.” (Callaghan, 1). No one should get hung for protecting another being and especially not for defending oneself. However, murdering for the sake of it simply creates a vicious cycle that needs to be put to an end.