Category: Grade 11

Fahrenheit 451 Reflection

For our presentation, I took the role of the discussion director.  I got my role as the discussion director after it was the position that interested the rest of my team the least.  Although I found myself a bit nervous to take on the role, I know that often, between those I am closest to, sparking a conversation is far from difficult for me.

One of the tools that I used lots while working on my questions and answers was creative thinking.  I didn’t want my answers to be bland and made without much thought.  I told myself that if the question I asked was “basic,” I would reach further outside of the box for an answer that was more complex and obscure.  Creative thinking is the exact tool that needs us to stop and think about possibilities, something that held so much importance for my role as the discussion director.

Another tool that was absolutely necessary for my part was communication.  I adore listening and understanding what others have to say.  So many things aid to form our opinions so, in a discussion, hearing the insights of others can not only be beneficial for saying what you need to say, but it can also add to what you think.  Communication is something so important, not only as a role in this project but as a role in our lives.  I grew up being afraid to talk in front of people I didn’t know too well, today, this is something that is still difficult.  This presentation though, for the most part, I was able to articulate all that I had to say.

To summarize, the use of multiple competencies was absolutely necessary to have while doing this project.  They not only furthered my own role, but they helped further the roles of my teammates.

A Piece by a Friend of Mine – Blog log #2 – Isabella B.

Blog Log: An Open Letter from a Teenage Muslim Girl

This article is written by Nazaaha Penick

For my second blog log, I decided that it would be interesting to talk of an article I would consider underrated.  Over the course of a few months, the writer of the article, Nazaaha Penick has become a good friend of mine.  Not only was she the first contributor to my online magazine, but she also is an excellent writer.  In this piece, she covers the sentiments felt prior to the hateful shooting that arrived in a mosque in New Zealand. Penick, being a young, Muslim girl, told her story from a perspective that many ignore.  It is a piece so personal that has left me in awe of who she is and what she stands for.  Personally, I love hearing the stories of others. The hardships, the goals, and the past of others are what leads to the comprehension and the connection between each of us.  Penick’s article found its place on a platform I created.  I can’t help the sense of pride established from having what you constructed mean something to other people.  Penick aimed to use Know-It-All to amplify her voice, and that is what she did.  And I hope this alone is as important to other people as it is to us.

https://knowitallmag.wordpress.com/2019/03/22/an-open-letter-from-a-teenage-muslim-girl-the-new-zealand-incident/

James Baldwin : Pessimist, Optimist, Hero – Blog #1

Article :  https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/arts/design/james-baldwin-david-zwirner-exhibition.html

I am intrigued by the life of James Baldwin.  A few years ago, I found the writings of him and, although I haven’t gotten a hold of any of his novels yet, I still see all that he has accomplished in his life as inspirational and powerful.  Something that I would love to adapt as a journalist one day.  He used his voice to fight and to help people understand the struggles they wouldn’t be able to without hearing the story of another. He paved the way for many people of colour as well as queer people, serving as an icon for both groups of minorities.   The writer of this article showcases that anybody can have an open mind and understand the hardships of others without relating to them personally.  His writing personal and idiosyncratic.  For humans, there has existed such a separation between different groups solely based on differences, an action that has ignited the most bitter of wars and conflicts.   This article though is proof that through literature and the sharing of trials and tribulations, we can begin to truly understand what it is that separates us from the next.  This can be seen in many worldly events.  When an interviewer invites someone to interview, for example, an interviewer like Oprah Winfrey, this is an invitation to the public to begin to understand.  This article for me was a journalist opening himself up to trying to understand the compelling, intriguing life and mind of no other than James Baldwin.