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Robert Xing Jack Safer

I think that one strength I have as a writer is being able to adjust to fit my rhetorical situation. I think I have done well to adjust my writing style to fit the assignment. I think that I am also able to write well when I am interested in the topic in which I am writing. Another strength to my writing is being able to fill out requirements such as length as the paper. My final strength is being able to write an organized fashion. I have many weakness as a writer. A major problem for me as a writer is not being very good at grammar. I feel even if I run every thing through grammarly it will still be wrong. I am not very good at identifying meter. I am not very good at incorporating writing techniques into my poetry. My writing I have many more negative writing traits then positive. I do feel however, that my writing has improved and will continue to prove throughout high school.

There were many writing assignments through out the freshman year. I have to say that the best writing assignment I completed this year was the research paper. I enjoyed writing this paper, because it was about my favorite time in history. I got to see in detail how World War II unfolded and super powers contesting against each other after the war. I think that another successful paper I wrote was the flashback to my visit to the Naval academy. I enjoyed writing this paper, because it brought back good memories from my vacation last summer. In this paper, I found it hard to make it the full 3 pages. The final good writing assignment I had was the writing assignment on Cinder. I did well on this, because I enjoyed reading the book and knew all the information. The paper I struggled with the most this year is the literary analysis. This assignment was difficult due to having to figure out an unique argument with textual evidence to support the claim. Another challenging assignment for ...

Robert Xing- #483 Republican, Democrat, or Independent? Cason- What was your most precious childhood possession? 

Many things have happened to me as a teenager. The most memorable of them is being informed that the earth is flat by Josh Wilson. There have been some real life lessons that I have learned as, do not ever talk politics in public, especially with your friends. Talking about politics is really easy way to ruin relationships with people you dearly care about. I have had quite a few friends that I do not talk too much because of politics. This is a lesson, I know, many people will never learn.  The other biggest thing I have learned as a teenager, is how awesome America and its history is. When I read American history, I can not help but feel so patriotic and respect those who have sacrificed to get America to where it is. This is something I learned while researching various topics in school. All the history classes end up talking about America in some way, shape, or form. This is my favorite thing I have learned at school and as a teenager.  

A lot of things just happened in Purple Hibiscus. I can not believe some of the stuff that happened in this reading. The thing that I fin the most surprising is Father Amadi falling in love with Kambali. This surprises me the most because Father Amadi is a Catholic priest, where priests are not allowed to get married. This does not mean that they will get married, but how inmate the relationship gets is absurd to me. The other aspect of the relationship is the age difference. Although Father Amadi's age is not given, he is considerably older than Kambali. The other most surprising section from this book is Kambali getting beat to near death.  Although Eugene is abusive, he still shows sign of love and care toward his family. This is why the level of damage done to Kambali surprises me. I could never imagine kicking someone I love over and over again, over the painting of a dead relative. This shows to me just how crazy Eugene is. I have not even talked about Eugene boiling his ch...

Robert Xing- 2A and Firearm Control Cade Capron- Political Post

I will be writing this post about the irony in YouTube's decision to add security at their headquarters. I got this information from deadline and it is is reliable because it includes the letter that YouTube has released to the public. The point the author makes is that YouTube is adding security and really just pointing it out. The article does not throw out in opinions, therefore there is nothing really to agree with. In response to the shooting last week, YouTube has decided to add security to their headquarters in order to protect their employees. YouTube has recently also been blocking videos of pro gun and Conservative views on their media. The irony here is that YouTube does not allow Conservative content on their site; even though they just added security  to protect their employees. The conservatives have been supporting the second amendment and more security at schools. The liberals have been arguing that security and the second amendment will only increase violence. Y...

Purple Hibiscus by Chiamanda Ngozi Adichie is a book that brings up the issue of what a post- colonial world looks like in Nigeria. Purple Hibiscus makes me wonder what life is really like in Nigeria. It makes me think about if anything in stereo type is true, if this story does reflect Nigeria. Purple Hibiscus also indicates physical abuse is not uncommon in tradition for abuse to occur. The events that happen involving Papa surprised me.   Adichie entails about how pressured the upper class kids to do well. Purple Hibiscus also tells the story of the corruption in Nigeria. The corruption in Nigeria creates an image that Nigeria is a place that no one to live in. The amount of coups and forcefulness makes Nigeria look like a place where order is not existent. Purple Hibiscus makes me question a lot I knew about Nigeria, while also supporting the stereotypes.

Track There was a time in when I could have been free from a time of pain The track is a tricky time that reminded me of a lime. The track took me by force and battered my experience. The track was known everywhere to be unbeatable. The track slapped everyday by your feet that sore. The track does not give in to your beating beaten feet. consonance,  personification, and enjambment

Jetpack Joyride used to be one of my favorite games. Jetpack Joyride is a game where you play as a character that stills a jet pack from a science facility. The point of the game is to get as far in distance as you can. The game only has one control, which includes only tapping the screen to give power to the jet pack. There are also special vehicles in which a each has a special power. This game was one of the first games I ever played, and I recently downloaded again. This has brought back nostalgia. Jetpack Joyride brings back memories of times that were less stressful. This game while it is a fun game, I like because it brings back memories of good friends in which I haven't talked to in years. These friends that played Jetpack Joyride as well. Jetpack Joyride has also brought a sense of no worries in the world, which was the case when I first played. This game has overall brought my mood up and made me happy to be alive.

My favorite launch day presentation was Graham Fraizer's thesis on the stock market going digital, and how programs are changing the world. I thought it was interesting that there is a program that can analyze tweets and but stock depending on what the analysis said. I had no idea such a program was a possibility. I agree with Graham on the fact that the world is drifting towards a world of robots running the world and making the decisions. I believe that Graham's presentation has opened an eye onto a world changing in favor of  technology that is taking up jobs and doing them better than ever before. Graham's thesis I thought was interesting also when he talked about the stock market do to tweets. I did not know that the stock market changed so drastically due to a few speculations. I did not know speculations and tweets could change life so much. 

I am doing my research topic on the German blitzkrieg from World War II. My favorite part of this story is the origin story. I like how after the lose of the Great War, the Germans have rebounded with an almost unstoppable force. The Germans avoiding the trenches that caused so much pain in WW I, invade almost all of Europe initially successful. See what happens next week on European history! This just sounds like a reality TV show. The Germans had such a brilliant strategy that astonishes me today and shocked the world when it happened. The Germans would use armored divisions to punch pockets in enemy lines. The armored divisions would shoot through them, exposing the flanks of the enemies. Then they would to continue to encircle the enemy forces, draining their supplies. The Germans would then pounce on the pocket wiping out the enemy forces. 

I have already finished  Absolutely true story of a part time Indian . I think that this implies that I enjoyed the book. I have to say; I enjoyed it overall, nothing in particular.  I do know that I do not really like the traditional story plot. I think that this book is meant to show what it is like to be socially awkward. This is done through Junior. Junior is a very interesting character. I like how he has a friend that is big and tough. I like that Junior is so poetic and enjoys writing stories. He is an overall awesome person, with great attributes. This book shows that even if you are good at lots of things; does not mean that you are free from bulling. On the other hand, this may not happen everywhere because of the "Indian Spirit." This could also just make this a book about Indian nature. 

Emma P.- Snow Day Cason- Different Oreo Flavors

Cade- Research Project Logan- Free Post 

        I recently read an article about a person's dream. This person slept for 15 hours, after a trip. In this dream, the person lived 17 years from the time he woke up. Whenever he actually woke up, he was extremely confused, because in his dream he had grown up and gotten a job. He lived 17 years in 15 hours.        The fact that someone lived 17 years in 15 hours is insane. This brings up tons of questions about the human mind. Why would the mind put someone through 17 years, in one night. What is the brain getting out of a 17 year dream, in one life. The human brain does complicated things; that we do not know the cause of. This is just one example that blows my mind.

      My research paper has been going very good, so far. My favorite part of this project is asking around what everyone's topic is. My personal research has hard to find sources to support an argument that I like. The project is enjoyable though, because you get to pick something your interested in. I have learned a lot of stuff about my topic and the topics related to it. I have not like having to annotate the sources or write note cards.        The fact that we can research anything in history is awesome. I love that we have unlimited research topics to chose from. This kind of project is different from any research project I have done before. I can not wait to get to interact with other projects! This project is going to allow everyone to learn something new from all kinds of eras and places. I have overall enjoyed this project, so far.

A few things I learned in the fall semester are: 9th grade means you can't do all your homework at school, , procrastinating is not doable, enjoy the free time acquired. In all of middle school, I did all of my homework at school, and I tried that for a while in the fall. This does not work. I also procrastinated in order to get everything done at school. In the fall, I did not get much free time between school and sports. I need to maximize the personal tasks done. A few goals I have for this semester are to continue to get all As and Bs, finish wrestling strong, pr in the 3200m in track, and do not get in trouble. The number one goal is to get all As and Bs. This a goal, because I wish to get  on the division head's list. I want finish wrestling with a few wins and getting my leather man's jacket. I want to pr in track, because I did poorly during cross country. I wish not to get in trouble for obvious reasons.

         If I ruled an island, I would establish myself as the leader. The second thing I would do is establish an armory. In this armory would be weapons capable of defending my island and keep a solid food source through hunting. This would keep my people safe and healthy. The second thing I would do would be to create shelters to live in. These shelters would keep my people safe from the weather. These things would make my people happy.          Once I make my people happy, I would continue to give myself power. The fact that  my decisions met the needs of the people; people are content with my ruling and wouldn't mind if I got more power. I would soak up as much power as possible, making myself king. I would then establish a navy and a army. I would set sail with my army and navy to conquer other lands.