Weekly Conclusions

2025 - Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - Freshman year at college will definitely be something new, and I think reading this book will help me be calmer  through all the new experiences.  2026 - Lateral Thinking - Just to widen my thinking and creativity.  2027- The DefininG Decade - I think this book will help me optimize my twenties and really make the most our of them.  2028 - A Little Life - It'll be my senior year of college, and it'll help me be more resilient and form a wider perspective. I also think my relationships with my friends will be more complex by then, and it would also make it a bit easier for me to understand people in general.  2029 - Siddharta - I fear that if I don't read this book at least once more in my life, I won't fully understand or get to experience a full circle moment and really reflect on how far I've come since my senior year in high school when I read it for the first time 2030 - The Laws of Human Nature - It's a psychology bo...

When I thought of poetry my mind went straight to the Shell Silverstein books I read in elementary. Runny Babit, Every Thing on It, and Falling Up are just a few. I liked reading poetry when it was just reading simple short poems that were funny, sarcastic, and didn't require an analysis asking about the complexity of the whole thing. Now, I can't exactly say the same. Now when I look at any poetry I feel like I need to start annotating and that I need enough annotations so that my paper just looks like it has been annotated in 20 different colors to highlight everything me and what may appear like 7 other people noticed while reading it. Jk it's really not that bad but that's what made me write a short poem inspired by Shell Silverstein (without any annotations).                                   Silverstein's version - School  Rain and Hail,  Cold and Snow Are good excuses not to go....

6 yawns. That's how many times I yawned the first time we meditated in class. Did that number decrease as the week progressed and we meditated more? No. Did I take something away from that experience? Yes.  This past week, we spent the beginning of every class meditating. And I mean sure I paid attention to what the guy was saying 60% of the time, the remaining 40% I just spent that time planning my long-awaited weekend out.  here's the plan :  sat  - dentist appt - clean room  - hw  - iasa show - sleepover sun   - work on deca  - sleep ( bc I obv won't sleep at the sleepover) Looking back at it, I should've stopped planning and meditated to protect my peace. If you couldn't tell, that meant hardly anything went according to plan.  First, on Saturday my dentist appointment was pushed back by 2 hours so I just waited there doing nothing. Because of that delay, I had to start cleaning my room as soon as I got home bc my mom told me there was no...

The first semester of AP literature was different than I had in mind. I read a lot more than what I expected and got a lot out of it. Going in I thought I'd be drowning in long novels and books by authors whose diction I'd hardly understand. And even though I didn't actually understand half of Othello and was constantly waiting for the modern translation, I really enjoyed reading it and getting frustrated over how blindly someone can trust.  I never considered myself a reader or someone who would take what I read and give it too much thought outside of class but lit changed all of that. I remember reading The Stranger and questioning everything about my life. My friends were definitely sick of me constantly yapping about if there was any point to anything.  For the most part, this semester I learned a lot and grew as a reader as I engaged in genres that I wouldn't usually lead towards. Exploring new works of literature helped me broaden my thinking that reflected in my ...

 What if, throughout the whole story, the person you were placing your trust in to tell you the truth was lying about everything you knew about the story? Unreliable narrators can twist the truth, and mix up fiction and fact all while dimming the actual story. Which, of course, may beg the question: how much of what you know is true? And critics just love to point out unreliable narrators, as they give so much depth to the story. They make us wonder who told the truth and what happened. Making us unconsciously think about the book too.  Unreliable narrators An unreliable narrator is someone who tells a story, and for various reasons can not be fully trusted. He or she may alter the truth, eliminate important details, or misinterpret the events due to their bias or impaired mentality. It is like they are that one friend who always tells a story in a way to makes them appear like a hero when in reality things might be very different.  Why do narrators do this? Most of the r...

Shakespeare’s “The tragedy of Othello” is often seen as a tragic love story, however a closer look at his behavior shows that his actions were derived more because of his love with honor rather than by love for Desdemona. Even though his marriage seems to be built on pillars of love they seem to be more affected by the fact that being cuckolded will ruin his reputation than the fact that he actually got cuckolded.  As a Moor Othello is viewed as an outsider in Venice. Despite the respect he has gained from his military achievements, he still feels infuriated when questioned about his wife's faithfulness. He gains prestige and becomes a symbol of his hard-won acceptance when he marries the noble Venetian woman Desdemona. Othello views Desdemona as a symbol of approval as well as affection. Instead of acting out of jealousy, Othello reacts out of fear of losing his honor when Iago implies that Desdemona is unfaithful. The concept of shame drives him since his sense of self-worth is s...

  Watching Fat Ham was definitely a memorable experience. The play was much different than what I had expected but very entertaining to watch. Hamlet and Fat Ham both had several similarities and differences that made each play unique while simultaneously showcasing the theme of figuring out one's place in life.  The one thing that struck out the most was the different approaches in terms of vengeance.  Although Juicy and Hamlet were both “tasked” to avenge their fathers they both had different appeals towards their fathers. Hamlet almost immediately felt pain and sadness for his father and started curating a plan while Juicy felt more pressured or assigned to avenge his father because his father didn't approve of his mother and uncle. Juicy was such a complex character with so many dimensions to him which made his conflict to avenge his father not more difficult than it was for Hamlet.  For the majority of the play ( especially during his monologues ) Juicy is prese...

  Acknowledgments My AP lang journey has been a crazy rollercoaster. I started the year off by getting absolutely demolished by vocabulary quizzes and synthesis essays which really sunk me down to rock bottom. First and foremost, I want to thank Mrs. Valentino from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much for exposing me to literature that highlights other people's histories, cultures, and experiences; it has increased my empathy both as a reader and as a person. At first, I found it unexplainably difficult to connect with the materials in class but your input truly made it so much easier. Thank you for always surprising me with new facts that would quite literally drop my jaw and make me think more critically of the things that we don't always notice at first glance. As the year ends, I will truly miss your “Get here on time!”.   To my table mates, Hannah, Natalie, Divya, Arya, and Anna Sofia - thank you for the countless discussions, laughs, and feedback. Every day I...

Honor codes are designed and implemented to promote a culture of academic integrity and ethical behavior among students by placing a strong focus on integrity, trust, and responsibility. They also     promoted a culture of honesty among students and gives them a sense of accountability. Honor codes have difficulties, even with the best of intentions. The monitoring and enforcement of the code is among the primary problems. Even though honor codes depend on self-regulation and peer responsibility, it's frequently unclear how to address variations in enforcement and infractions. They can be vague at times with the intent of open ended understandings and outcomes. Due to their lack of clarity they result in inconsistencies in terms of how to handle misconduct. Without proper mechanisms in place, some students may exploit loopholes or disregard the code altogether, undermining its effectiveness.     Another issue is the pressure and stress that honor codes can place on s...

     YOLO - "You only live once".  Many people live by this life philosophy which gained popularity in the early 2000s. It's an abstract idea of how life gives you opportunities and that you must seize the day. At its core, it's an idea that expresses how you must prioritize the current moment over long-term consequences. While this ideology seems to be exciting it has several impacts beyond our personal lives and on our planet.  Because of its careless purchasing habits and disposable mindset, YOLO culture has a significant negative influence on the environment. Convenience is valued more highly than sustainability, which causes fast fashion and throwaway goods to contribute to excessive waste production and resource depletion. This mentality affects lifestyle decisions such as nutrition and mode of transportation, which exacerbates environmental problems like greenhouse gas emissions and deforestation. Additionally, the desire for ostentatious spending and sta...

In today's world, being eco-conscious is a commitment you make for the betterment and preservation of the planet, and finding sustainable alternatives is key. Paper wastage is one of the world's biggest problems right now because it's directly connected to 2 of Earth's important resources - trees and water. Currently, we primarily use white paper to print and to write, and even though that paper may be recycled it still uses a large component of water and harsh chemicals to bleach the recycled materials to get recycled into new white paper. On the other hand, there’s brown paper with the “before” picture of white paper that's been bleached. Brown paper, which is made from recycled materials and has an organic, earthy feel, is a good alternative to typical white paper, which raises environmental concerns. It gets the job done without the bleach-heavy process that gets discharged into our oceans. Using brown paper as an alternative to white paper has several positive ...

  https://www.theonion.com/christian-man-persecuted-simply-for-driving-90-miles-pe-1851260175 This satirical piece from The Onion employs various elements of humor to mock the perceived victimization of Joshua Weller, a Christian man pulled over for driving 90 miles per hour in a school zone. The entire scenario is exaggerated for comedic effect. Driving at an excessively high speed in a school zone becomes a symbol of persecution, creating a humorous contrast between the severity of the offense and Weller's reaction. The "Jesus fish" on Weller's back windshield serves as a satirical symbol. It becomes the scapegoat for his imagined persecution, poking fun at the tendency of some individuals to attribute negative experiences to their religious identity. Weller's decision to "emulate Christ" by accelerating instead of turning the other cheek introduces irony. This plays on the notion that true Christian behavior would involve accepting consequences peacef...

  Ah, school, a place where dreams are crushed, nightmares often come true, and creativity is not only shattered but also brutally murdered. Bells rule the land, dictating our every step, while the smell of food from the cafeteria fills the air with an interesting melody. Lets take a delightful trip through the educational circus, where the students walk the tightrope between sanity and schoolwork. First, the glorious art of standardized testing—who needs originality when you can effortlessly fill in the bubbles? We're not interested in your critical thinking skills; instead, we're interested in your ability to memorize facts quickly. It's like an exciting game of academic roulette in which the results of the multiple-choice draw will influence your destiny. Let's dive into the rhythm of the school schedules. Who doesn't enjoy the thrill of dashing between classes skillfully stumbling through the crowds as if in a sprint race? It's, like a dance, gracefully evad...

Troy High School has several has group and cliques. These groups are formed people who share similar interests, backgrounds, classes, or hobbies. We have the band kids, the overachievers, the academic scholars, the theater kids, and the athletes and even in that we have soccer, tennis, football, tracks, wrestling, and so many other sports. These “categories” that we’ve created help us all belong somewhere. They help us make a name and a creative space for ourselves.  Although we stand united as TC – Troy Colts we are all divided up amongst ourselves. Everyone at school has different styles that make us unique yet also so alike. Our dressing sense, the way we do our hair, the type of shoes we wear, all these things make different. Style becomes a powerful tool for self-expression, with each group adopting a distinctive aesthetic.  There is no doubt that fashion, music, and even slang have become powerful symbols that transcend merely clothing or   words - they ...

This week I finished reading both parts of the book "Maus". The graphic novel was definitely an eye-opener for me. Reading it really made me realize how traumatic it must've been for survivors to tell their stories and how no one will ever truly understand what they felt like other than the survivors themselves. As I read the book, I understood that the book was so much more than just a comic, it was a narrative of a person during and their life during, before, and after the Holocaust. One of the things I really liked about the story is the juxtaposition of cats as Germans and the mice as Jews and the euphemistic approach attached to it. But after understanding why Art Spiegelman chose to use cats and mice as an extended metaphor it made me sympathize so much more for those who survived and to what extent they had to go to survive. Spiegelman shows the absurdity and brutality of the Holocaust by portraying people as animals. And after analyzing the book in class and how V...

Last week in class we read and discussed a piece “Show and Tell” and how graphic novels can have well detailed illustrations to deepen our understanding. To apply this concept we read  “Maus” by Art Spiegelman. After reading “Maus” in class and analyzing the story I understood that there's so much more than what meets the eye when it comes to comics. “Maus” is a comic that tells a story about the Holocaust using extended metaphors with animals and how they symbolize different groups of people. The graphic novel represents Jews as mice, Germans as cats, Poles as pigs, etcetera.  As depicted in the comic, art is interviewing his father for a new comic about the experiences of his father during the holocaust. Over the course of all the interviews, art incorporates a flash back to a comic he had written after his mothers death about how she committed suicide. The illustrations show a gloomy atmosphere as he discovers his father, Vladek is crying on the floor over his wife Anjas de...

The play Sweat by Lynn Nottage focuses on the lives and experiences of working class americans in an industrialized town while explorering their fiscal and personal issues. The play surround its theme on issues such as economic decline, race, and the impact of industrial changes on communities rather than directly exhibiting nativis and xenophobia.   I n the play Tracey and Jason express their resentment towards Oscar who they perceive as someone whos taking away job opportunities by being racist to him and calling him racial slurs.  This competition for employment fuels nativist emotions with some characters blaming Oscar who they classify as an immigrant for their economic struggles. Even after Oscar says " I was born here" traccey continues to make his feel like an outsider when she says you wenret actually born here. T racey also exhibits Xenophobia when her bestfriends Cynthia gets the job that they both applied for and then justifes her unsupportive and prejudice behavi...

Langston Hughes' poem "Harlem," is a part of his book like poetry the "Montage of a Dream Deferred". The poem addresses and and explores themes of unfulfilled dreams and what he wonders they might feel like. The poems title signfies an important time in Black culture histroy because "Harlem" was a vibrant neighborhood in Manhattan, New York where music, fasion, art, dance and more had sprouted unity amongst the Black community of Harlem. The poem opens with an ipen ended questions of "What happens to a dream deferred?" applying a sense of lost hope and fear of what might happen if dreams are left alone as dreams. Hughes utilizes similies and metaphors throughout the poem to illustrate his wordering and ideas of the centeral idea- what might happened to a dream unfulfilled? he goes on to wonder whether they dry up, sag, or even go so far to explode demonstating the wide range of emotions that can be felt if a dream remains unfulfilled. 

    In the heart of the Roaring Twenties, lavish parties were the talk of the town. Among the glittering lights and glittering people, a love story unfolded that was far from the expected. Jay Gatsby had always been captivated by the charm and mystery that surrounded the enigmatic Nick Carraway. While his extravagant parties continued to draw crowds, it was Nick who drew Gatsbys attention.    Gatsby's love grew day by day, his heart aching for the man who represented everything he couldn't have. The old money society of the 1920s was unwelcoming of their love, and Gatsby knew it. But he couldn't help himself. One moonlit night, the clinking glasses and the jazz melodies, Gatsby found the courage to confess his feelings to Nick.   They met in secret, yet not well hidden in Gatsby's grand mansion. Gatsby poured his heart out to Nick, his voice trembling with emotion. Nick was taken aback, unsure of what to say, but he couldn't deny the tension between them. As the...

Generational Wealth. In class this week we discussed "The Great Gatsby" by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a classic novel surrounding the themes of wealth. Other than Gatsby luxurious parties and all the marital affairs throughout the book, one of the most interesting things in the book is the generational wealth and behavior of the wealthy. Wealth is flaunted as a status symbol- Gatsby's extravagant parties, luxurious mansion, and flashy lifestyle reflect the allure and pitfalls of material success. The main character, Jay Gatsby, accumulates wealth in his pursuit of the American Dream, driven by a passion to win back the love of Daisy Buchanan. That made me wonder- what is generational wealth? So just like any other highschooler curious about the concept I asked my trusty friend google. Google says, “The term ‘Generational Wealth’ refers to any assets passed down by one generation of a family to another”.    It got me thinking how generational wealth could be any sort o...

The roaring twenties also known as the jazz age had an enduring influence on today’s world. It was a time of rebellion and innovation. A transformative era that characterized and left a massive mark on todays society. The 1920s brought a new perspective and an immense change in modernizing the world in terms of fashion, music, liberation, societal norms, and so much more.  Modern women rebelled to traditional stereotypes and adapted to new lifestyles with bold accessories, bobbed haircuts, and short drop waisted dresses. The impact is fashion seen on runways today with sequences, fringed dresses, and capitative fashion styles. Designers still utilize the glamours and dazzling aesthetic of the time. Although Jazz is more commonly known as a soulful music genre today, it was more than just that, it was the start of a movement and cultural revolution. Jazz music and musicians broke traditional music conventions and rose to individuality and spiritual expression. Let’s fast forward to ...

  Surface tension is basically like when you go to the water fountain to fill up your water bottle during lunch and you spend those awkward 30 secs alone until you think about how your water doesn't actually spill right away when it's at the top and fully filled to the brim. That's because of surface tension. Basically what happens is water molecules cling to the surface of liquids like when you're on a ferris wheel and you and your friend are too scared to let go of each other's hands (that's based on personal experience). Those water molecules are friends who don't want to let go of each other's hands. The fear creates like this invisible force that makes it too hard for them to leave each other. By the time you realize this your water bottle probably has overflown and dripped all over the floor.  Capillary action, that's such a basic and easy concept to understand that I was actually surprised why I did not learn this sooner. When I think about it...

Our parents had different life experiences than us growing up and that’s what makes them so knowledgeable, i guess. Some people might go to the same Highschool or college as their parents, but everything isn’t always the same there, whether it be the people, the environment, or even just the society at that time. This week in class we read a piece by Sherman Alexie, a Native American writer, “Because my father always said he was the only Indian who saw Jimi Hendrix play ‘The Star- spangles banner’ at Woodstock” it is about his relationship with his father and how Jimi Hendrix played a part in their relationship. Sherman Alexi expresses his feelings about how he didn’t always know how to relate to his father when they talked about life and just general conversations. He talks about how his dad had musicians like Jimi Hendrix to relate to and how finding a musician to relate to helped him feel more connected to his father. This made me think about how many generational differences exist ...

The weather is a pretty common conversation starter these days when you don’t know what to say to someone, so I guess let’s start there. It wasn’t like super hot out last summer or anything but, some people say the earth is getting hotter and hotter because of Climate change and green or blue house gasses. I mean don’t get me wrong here, I love our planet but what’s the point? We’re going to end up on planet B anyway, right? It’s not like climate change and global warming go hand in hand. And so, what if the temperatures are rising faster than ever? they can slow down if they want to, ignorant humans don’t control that stuff and its totally not their fault. Plus, at least now marshmallows will roast quicker and smores will be made faster right. Well, this one science company, it like sends people and robots to space and just like looks at our planet and other planets, this NASA company recently confirmed that the past summer, summer of twenty twenty-three has been the hottest summer si...

     What do you think when you read the word "architecture"? At first, I thought that architecture just meant buildings or houses and schools. But after learning about the stories, symbols, and the true purpose behind architectural memorial sites and monuments this past week, I now understand the deeper meaning behind them. After reading & analyzing several monuments and memorials throughout history I learned how location, material, design, and color can influence a monument and its perception. These factors aren’t featured in monuments because they can enhance a monument or statue's appearance, but they can also elevate their presence. For example, the Lady Liberty, more commonly known as The Statue of Liberty.  The Statue of Liberty was designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and was a gift from France to the United States as a way of beginning their friendship and the shared idea of freedom. The Statue is made of copper and was originally brown, overtime ...