As I Sit and Think...

I am very pleased with how the first marking period has gone. I do not think it is easy but I do not think it was difficult either. I find it challenging but not too challenging. I enjoyed doing this blog project and I'm very excited for the projects throughout the year. I really like the class I'm in for English; I think we have a really solid group that is comfortable sharing with the rest of the class. I feel like I'm already becoming a better writer and I only hope to keep getting better as the year progresses. I enjoy the discussions we have in class. The books have not been so bad yet. I'm proud of how I've been doing this year because I normally get Bs or Cs in English class so having an A is an accomplishment. My goal for the second marking period is to maintain my A and keep working hard. It might be a bit of a challenge because my sport will be starting soon and it can be hard trying to balance school and sports. I just have to stay focused and not give up. I believe hard work beats talent when talent won't work hard.

Music and Lyrics

Kanye West song Amazing relates to, To Kill A Mockingbird because at a point in the song Kanye says "It's amazing, I'm the reason Everybody fired up this evening I'm exhausted, barely breathing Holding on to what I believe in No matter what you'll never take that from me" I related this quote to Atticus. When he took on the Tom Robinson case, he was aware that there was a strong possibility that he would lose. Tom Robinson is a black man on trial for raping a white woman. As soon as people in the town of Maycomb heard that they automatically assume Tom is guilty. Atticus really wanted to help Tom. He stay with Tom to protect him from people that were after him. He presented a really excellent case, with superior evidence. He believed Tom was innocent and he did not give up hope. No one was going to convince him that Tom raped Mayella. Atticus took on a hard trial and people were really anxious to see what he would bring to the table. Unfortunately it was not enough to let justice be served.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PH4JPgVD2SM&ob=av2e

Don't Ask Don't Tell

If someone wanted to serve this country shouldn't they be able to? According to the U.S military "Don't Ask Don't Tell" policy, the answer is no. The policy was signed by former president Bill Clinton in 1993. This policy allows anyone that is openly homosexual or bisexual to be discharged or prevented from serving in the military. The full name of the policy at the time was "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue." "Don’t Ask" mandates that military or appointed officials will not ask about or require members to reveal their sexual orientation. "Don’t Tell" states that a member may be discharged for claiming to be a homosexual or bisexual or making a statement indicating a tendency towards or intent to engage in homosexual activities. "Don’t Pursue" establishes what is minimally required for an investigation to be initiated. "Don’t Harass" was added to the policy later. It ensures that the military will not allow harassment or violence against service members for any reason. During his presidential campaign, then-Senator Barack Obama stated in an open letter that he "called for us to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell". During 2009, President Barack Obama advocated a policy change to allow gay personnel to serve openly in the armed forces and stating that the U.S. government has spent millions of dollars replacing troops expelled from the military. The number of service members that have been discharged each year from 1994 to 2006 range anywhere from six hundred to twelve hundred. In 2005, the Government Accountability Office found that the cost of discharging and replacing service members because of their sexual orientation during the policy’s first 10 years totaled at least $190.5 million. This amounts to roughly $20,000 per discharged service member. A federal court in Riverside, California, ruled that the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bans gay men and lesbians from serving openly, is unconstitutional. The "don't ask, don't tell" policy violates the First Amendment rights of lesbians and gay men.With U.S. military and public opinion now firmly in opposition to “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” it is time to put an end to this outdated, discriminatory policy. It’s time for the best, most powerful military in the world to change its stance toward gay men and lesbians serving. I almost relate this policy to many schools that do not allow same sex prom dates. The schools encourage students to hide how they are and stay in the closet instead of embrace it. All people should be able to be open about their sexual orientation instead of feeling ashamed.

http://gaylife.about.com/od/dontaskdonttell/i/dontaskdonttell.htm
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gays-military-pentagon-announce-humane-approach/story?id=10194160
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-01-27/politics/obama.gays.military_1_repeal-policy-that-bars-gays-servicemembers-legal-defense-network?_s=PM:POLITICS

The Battle For Justice

Brown v. Board of Education in 1954 was a huge decision made by the Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate publish schools for black and white students and denying black children equal educational opportunities unconstitutional. This decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which permitted segregation. This ruling paved the way for integration and the civil rights movement. Brown v. Board of Education is among the most significant turning points in the development of this country. There were five cases that were combined under the Brown v. Board of Education. The five cases came from Kanas, North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and Washington D.C. Each case called for the same leagal remedy, justice. In Topeka, Kansas, a black third-grader named Linda Brown had to walk one mile through a railroad switchyard to get to her black elementary school. Even though her house was only seven blocks away from a white elementary school. Linda's father, Oliver Brown, tried to enroll her in the white elementary school, but the principal of the school refused. This case was first filed in in 1951 but the battle was not won until 1954. The ideals expressed in Brown v. Board had inspired the dream of a society based on justice and racial equality.

http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/brown/brown-aftermath.html
http://brownvboard.org/summary/
http://www.nationalcenter.org/brown.html
http://www.watson.org/~lisa/blackhistory/early-civilrights/brown.html

Gossip

The clip of Doubt that we watched in class relates to, To Kill A Mocking Bird, because gossip plays a big role in the book. Gossip can be defined as idle talk or rumor especially about the personal or private affairs of others. It forms one of the oldest and most common means of sharing unproven facts and views but also have a reputation for the introduction or errors and other variations of the information transmitted. Gossip is like a disease. It spreads and damages people's lives. It's just like whisper down the lane, by the time it gets to the last person things have been added and taken out. The whole story can become completely different. In a small town like Maycomb, things spread easily and very fast. Boo Radley is a prime example. In the beginning of the book he's perceived as the neighborhood creep. He hasn't been seen in years, he's been in trouble with the law, people will cross the street if they have to walk past the Radley home, and they will go out of their way to avoid the Radley home. Stephanie Crawford is the main gossip in town. she really fills the children in on Boo Radley. She was the one to start rumors about Boo. She claimed to have seen him peeking into her bedroom window one night. Also claiming that he eats cats and squirrels. In reality Boo Radley could just be a man that prefers to stay in the house and keep to himself. The Doubt clip talks about how once gossip starts you can not stop it, it goes everywhere. No matter what it will spread all over the place. People will believe what you tell them. The Boo Radley stories have gotten way out of hand! Everyone in town has heard of this man but the neighborhood has not seen him in years. Miss Maudie believes that he's a victim of a harsh father. She even went on to say that he was polite and friendly as a child. Scout, Jem and Dill even made up the "Boo Radley" game based on the stories they've heard about the Radley family. Their favorite part of the game to act out was an incident where Boo supposedly stabbed his father with a pair of scissors. As the book progressives Scout and Jem begin to see that Boo is not a monster and that he has in fact been playing along with the childrens games. Boo leaves things like gum in the tree knothole for the children to find when they walk by. The children soon lose interest in Boo Radley when they realize he is a kind person. Boo goes from monster to human being. It is important people to get their facts right before they pass along information. You could be spreading the wrong information and not even know. Gossip destroys lives and can potentially ruin relationships. How would you feel if you were your neighborhoods Boo Radley?

Harper Lee

Harper Lee is an American author that was born on April 28, 1922. She was born in Monroeville, Alabama to her father who was a lawyer and her mother that suffered from a mental disease. Harper Lee was childhood friends with Truman Capote who is also became an author. Lee expressed an interest in English literature in high school. She attended Huntingdon, for one year, an all-female college in Alabama. She was a member of the Literary Honor Society and the Glee club. Later she transferred to the University of Alabama and began to study law. She soon realized that writing was her true calling and moved to New York in 1950 to pursue her dreams of becoming a writer. After struggling for quite some time she was finally able to get her book, To Kill a Mocking Bird, published in 1960. It was voted "Best Novel of The Century" in 1999. Lee moved back to Alabama from New York. She declines all interview requests and rarely makes public appearances. To Kill a Mocking Bird was her first and last book.

http://www.biography.com/articles/Harper-Lee-9377021
http://www.teenreads.com/authors/au-lee-harper.asp
http://www.nndb.com/people/572/000025497/