Category: English 9
“Break”- Katya Chernous
Break
Humanity is like a tightrope
a tightrope so thin, that every step counts
But be careful not to bounce
Since you may cause a break in the rope
In which everyone has hope
A shielding curtain wall, which makes everyone seem tall
But that is not the case at all
We blind ourselves from the ravaged reality
Society they call today
Life is what they say
But who is truly living?
We stand on this tightrope, hoping it doesn’t break
cause if it does, the crack it’s going to make
Will uncover everyones lies,
And the deep dark truth will arise
The poem by Katya Chernous called “break” is an insight to the Human Condition. It’s theme statement is: Too much fear can often lead to permanent blindness to reality. The poem interprets that us humans, are walking on this imaginary tightrope of denying and lying of what actually is happening in the world and the reality of it. It interprets that if the tightrope was broken by humanity, the truth will come out and changes will begin to happen. Humans are scared of change. For example where it says “We blind ourselves from the ravaged reality.” It also reviles how we choose to ignore the sad reality and where it says “We stand on this tightrope, hoping it doesn’t break.” Were secretly hoping that life isn’t actually going into a bad direction, when truly deep down, everyone knows that it is. The inquiry question that this poem addressed is: Why does fear choose to take over humanity and blind us from reality? How is fear so powerful? Especially in current times.
Novel Gallery Exhibition
This is a virtual exhibition of the novel Little Brother. These are four images/symbolic objects that relate to the novel in some way.
How to Prepare Kids for Life on Social Media
Link to article: http://bigthink.com/videos/virginia-heffernan-dont-raise-fools-how-to-prepare-kids-for-life-on-social-media
This article was extremely interesting and made me realize a lot of things. A lot of parents want to be 100% in control of their kids social media but this article/video made me realize that that’s not the best option. In todays society, technology is used so often, it’s hard to keep it away from children and teenagers. But the question is should they? I think it’s clear that everyone knows technology isn’t disappearing anytime soon. In fact its probably just the beginning of what human kind is going to create. We should be teaching our kids how to use this amazing invention. We should let teenagers build on Internet apps and social media such as Youtube, Snapchat, and Instagram because humans CAN build up skills using technology. This doesn’t mean that technology should overpower a teenagers life completely. But if the child has done there homework, and did their chores, I think that they should be able to access technology. Something that stuck to me from the video was when experience was mentioned. If you take away a big amount of technology from a child’s life, it will be extremely hard for them in the future. Like I said, technology isn’t going anywhere and is only getting more popular. Kids these days need to experience what “real life” is and technology is a great way in my opinion to prepare yourself for the future world. You can learn many things from the internet such as basic knowledge and questions you search up on google for school, to learning that your actions can have consequences. The big message I took from this video was that allowing children and teens to regulate their behavior like adults gives them room to naturally modify their own habits.
The Veldt Video Poem- Self Reflection
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Open in new tab The Odds of your Death
I was immediately drawn to this article when I saw it and clicked it right away. I was very intrigued about what would be written in the article. I feel like most people don’t necessarily think about how they are going to die but more of when they are going to die. This article opened me up to many questions such as: What would life be like if humans knew how they are going to die? Will the average lifespan become longer? Shorter? Would life become more depressing? Hopeful? Violent? Would people become more isolated from each other or work together in teamwork to use their survival skills? Unfortunately we will probably never find out but I would like to know. I also found it interesting because it reveals that you are most likely to die from driving in a car then flying in an airplane. Which when you think about it, makes sense, but why are humans always more afraid of traveling by plane then by car? I realized that humans are always more afraid of what they do least. For example, most people travel in a car everyday but only sometimes by plane. We don’t really see the dangers of driving in a car because we do it so often. This article was very factual and gave me a different outlook on life.
Link to article: http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/betting-on-exactly-how-youll-someday-die
“What have you done?”
This is a video poem called “What have you done?” written and filmed by Alexandra Newbery and I. This poem was inspired by The Veldt and how modern society and technology is making us humans, more isolated and distant from each other. We wanted to get the message across that even though, technology was made for more communication, it is overtaking humanity and we are losing touch with each other in the real world.
Technology,
What have you done?
Did you think it was just for fun?
Hypnotizing everyone
At what point will we lose each other?
We can’t even talk to one another
In hopes of more communication
we found ourselves stuck in isolation
How does the influence of technology impacts humanity?
Well, it’s the main cause of societies insanity
We choose to live in a virtual fantasy
Denying we live in a tragic reality
We’ve become so obsessed
While feeling so stressed
And people still ask
Why do I feel so depressed?
I always get a ring from my phone
But why do I still feel so alone?
Technology, tell me now
Was it really just for fun?
Is there a meaning of life? (Albert Camus’s theory)
We as a humanity, always discuss and ask the age old question, what is the meaning of life? Most of us have either thought about it or even just heard about it. This article pulled me in and interested me because I have so many questions about the topic and I don’t know much about it. I absolutely loved the style of the authors writing because even though they were talking about another philosophers theory, they made it their own. The article states that their is in fact no meaning of life according to Albert Camus’s theory but that doesn’t mean that there is no point living. This made me really wonder about the human condition and made me realize that us humans, try to make/find meaning in life, such as religion, society and science because we don’t want to admit it to ourselves that everything we are doing is actually meaningless. The author states that Camus suggests that we embrace the meaningless and actually do something with our lives. I found it interesting because even though he said that there is absolutely no meaning in life and we cant make one either, he still recommended that we get outside, enjoy the sunshine, go for a walk by the beach, play some football, have lunch at a café with a friend, refuse to give into despair, and embrace the meaninglessness of existence by choosing to carry on with what we enjoy doing despite the lack of meaning in our actions. The article started of quite hopeless but in the end turned more hopeful and insightful.
Link to the Article: http://bigthink.com/scotty-hendricks/the-meaning-of-life-albert-camus-on-faith-suicide-and-absurdity
The Friday Everything Changed: How one person can change many
Original Text: “The Friday Everything Changed” (By Anne Hart)
Secondary Sources:
Surfing Possibility: The Surfing girls of India
Malala Marches Toward the Nobel Peace Prize
Inquiry Questions:
Why do some people choose to accept their fate (determinism) while others try to create their own (free will)?
What are the consequences of an individual not pursuing his/her identity?
How does inequality get perpetuated?
How does the influence of others impact our lives?
How do we learn to see through another’s eyes? Or why is it important?
“The Friday Everything Changed” (By Anne Hart)
The Friday Everything changed is a story written by Anne Hart about a battle for gender equality in which the boys acquire the superior gender. The short story follows the narrative of the main protagonist, Alma Niles. It starts of by a school in a remote town receiving a water pump at a nearby train station. Every two days, the “strong boys” went to go get the water because they were recognized to be more “capable” of doing it then the girls. Having the boys getting the task for carrying the water, made the girls a target for the boys because they were known to be the “weaker” gender. The boys played softball, and the girls kept score. The boys had first pick for magazines, and girls got trampled over. One Friday, Alma Niles, raised her hand to ask Ms.Ralston “Why can’t girls go for water, too?” The protagonist becomes a hero because of her bravery and courage to stand up for herself and the rest of the girls. It is an act like Alma Niles that makes us question how much power us girls actually have and how much of it is shielded by today’s society. It only takes one persons courage, one small act, and standing up to what they believe is right to make a difference and a change in this world.
Sometimes, us humans, are blinded to the possibilities we have to make a difference in a situation. However there are numerous times where small acts led to immense changes. For Example “The Surfing girls of India.” The video shows a girl who has a passion for surfing but her amusement for surfing was not always accepted and welcomed by others. Even her own Mother was not accepting of her passion. She still pushes through all of the negativity and ignores the beliefs of society that girls are not meant to surf but have to get an education and raise a family instead. She then inspired other girls to surf and proved that females are just as powerful as males. Malala, another girl, standing up for gender equality, demanding an education for all girls and inspiring other women. Many people think of themselves so small, so powerless, and that even small acts cannot make a difference. Both “The Surfing girls of India” and Malala inspired other girls to stand up for what they believe is right and reminded them they they too have a voice that is just as strong as the boys.