Essay Planning

        B) There are a wide variety of relationships in this play including lovers, marriages, parents/kids, cousins, friendships, and religious. Choose the one that you think best represents the complexity of a modern teenager's relationship and provide quotes from the play that help you connect them to one another. Why do you think the relationships are so similar despite being centuries apart? What do you think Shakespeare would think about current teens? Why? Support your position with research and or examples from the play.

       I chose this topic because:
      - I think it connects to teens and since I am a teenager, I can connect to this as well.
      - Relationships can be similar; For example the relationship of a mother and child, boyfriend and girlfriend, etc.
      

    My Arguments:

      The relationship I chose was the one between parents and kids.  

Intro: 

Argument #1:

- most parents care about their children, this similarity makes the realtionship similar 

Argument #2:

Shakespeare would think current teens are stupid ( our love compared to his love, what we do, how we act, our personality )

Argument #3:
     
      -how this relationship is most connected from then to now. 

* how parents have similar tactics

* what the parent went through 

*what the parent feels 

Conclusion:

"What is Love"

Hello, my name is Balthasar. Love is a beautiful thing; if you get to experience love, you are very lucky. Love is hard, but at the end of the day it’s worth it and that person you love means the world to you. Love should be gentle it should have a caring feeling too it. I care for Romeo, and that is why I told him that Juliet is gone; that is why I helped him run from the police. You should be loyal to the one you love; you should support them throughout what goes on in their life. Romeo was going to get caught by the police, but I helped him because he is my best friend and I love him for who he is. He has been with me through everything and loved me even though I am a servant; he treated me like a brother and I paid him back. Everything shouldn’t be about sex or having sex, it should be about your relationship. I would rather be happy to spend time with the one I love by cuddling or watching a movie, rather than having sex. Love is lasting; you really just have to respect it. If you truly love someone and want to be with them, you will try your hardest to stay with them. Love is special; if you get to experience it you are truly very lucky because not everyone gets the chance to. Love is like a roller coaster; there are ups and downs. You still enjoy the ride as you go; it makes you stronger. Once you ride a rollercoaster, you are not afraid of riding another one because you already know what it’s like. I like to be gentle; love is not made to be rough. Love is made to cherish memories and enjoy things together; love is finding your happiness in someone else’s.  Love should have emotion to it; I cried when I told Romeo, Juliet is gone. There is an emotion to it because I can feel the pain that he will go through. You become a part of the one you love, and when they get hurt, you feel it. Love has so much to it, it is truly very important and you should cherish the one you love or are in love with because not everyone is able to get that. Overall, remember that love is a beautiful thing, cherish it while you have it and remember to be gentle; hold their hand through the rollercoaster and don’t let go because you never know how the ride will end.  

Mid-Term Reflection

        English till now has been a fun and enjoyable class; it is a different experience.  This year majority of my classes are paperless, which is very different from the usual way; a paper and pencil. Overall I think I have been doing fairly well this year, but below are details of what I think I deserve in English 10 till now.

A: My attendance is pretty good. I have been away some classes due to leadership or field trips. Overall though I am always in class on time and I never skip class for fun. If I am not going to be in class, I tell the teacher before hand so they know. I’m usually always on task in class, sometimes I will take breaks in between, but otherwise I’m always paying attention and doing my work. I always try to use my time wisely in class so I have less work, and that I am able to finish my assignment on time. I always respect my peers in class and try to help/participate as much as I can. I usually am involved with the class and act respectfully and responsibly towards the class. I try to talk as much as I can in class discussions or anything else we can take part in. I’m quite aware of my behavior in class and make sure I am respectfully acting towards others, and not being rude. Unfortunately I do not have proof for this, but if you ask others in the class you will know! Overall, I think I deserve 24 percent in this category.

B: Assignment completion has been very good for me till now. I usually have all my assignments handed in on time; sometimes my assignments will be done, but I forget to submit them! If I do forget so submit an assignment I make sure I have afterwards. There are assignments that aren't shown on the blog, but I have still done them regardless. All my assignments have been handed in, rather it be on my blog, or a comment. All fifteen assignments have been completed; when we have to comment I have commented on all. Overall I think I deserve 25 percent in this category. 

C:  I personally put a lot of effort and thought into all my assignments. I do all my assignments to my best ability and make sure I put full effort into them. I work very hard in class on my assignments, adding in as much detail and reasoning as I can. I have done my assignments with lots of effort and hard work; I always put a lot of thought and detail in them. I make sure I explain everything well enough and usually have personal connections in them as well. There are many peers in our class who also have the same kind of idea. They also write quite a bit and add have detail. May of my classmates write very well, and they are a good inspiration to writing. Of course some write less, but still explain there reasoning very well. Overall our class is pretty good and I think everyone has their own personal preference. I think I can improve by adding more personal connections and trying to describe it better. I think sometimes my writing can get confusing, so I need to make sure everyone can understand what I am writing. I personally feel that Erlynn is very good at writing, her work is quite inspiring. She puts a lot of effort in and explains things quite well. I think her being a teenager post was very good, and it explained teenage years very well. Of course there is always room for improvement and I am definitely working on that!  Overall I think I deserve 23 percent in this category.

D:  Class contribution is very important; learning from others and others learning from you is a great thing. I contribute to the class by posting comments, taking part in class discussions, helping people out with assignments, or even sharing ideas with peers. I always communicate with others in the class, and help them with assignments. There have been many times where people have been confused with an assignment or task and I have helped them out with it, or even shared an idea! I personally find it a good idea to discuss ideas and help out others because you both learn something together. I think I have helped people learn things in our class rather it be by a comment/post or by my actions. I’ve commented on blogs before, but I certainly do need to work on that. I don’t get to comment on too many blogs, but I will definitely improve on doing that. I usually help out peers and try to help them understand something when needed or when asked. Overall I think I deserve 22 percent in this category.

        Now if you add up every section the total percentage is 94%. I think overall this is a fair mark, but of course if you do not agree or think I deserve a different percentage, you are free to leave a comment below and explain why. (:

Romeo and Juliet Chorus Translation

Harina and I worked on this together, so we both have the same translation. We figured out what it meant together, and made sure we both were involved fully with the translation. 

Two households, both alike in dignity,

Two families both with the same honour, respect and wealth,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

In the city Verona, they live their lives; everything takes place here,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

A fight that has been going on for a long time, and is still happening in the present,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

Where their fight has made them lose respect, because people look up to them, and they do not get along.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

Two families, who are enemies, have children who unluckily become lovers

A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;

Two people, who are deeply in love, take their life for each other;

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

The deaths of their children end their rivalry that existed for many years

Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

Because of the children’s death, the parents started to get along.

The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,

The tragic unlucky love story of these two children,

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

And the parent’s constant rivalry,

Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,

That killed their children

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;

Is now the theme/subject of our play

The which if you with patient ears attend,

If you listen to the play carefully;

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

You will understand what truly happened.

To A Stranger (Part 4)

“To A Stranger” is a different kind of poem. Through the research we have done in our class, this poem is definitely about a past relationship with someone. We cannot say if it is a girl or a guy because he was known to be bisexual, therefore we cannot assume which gender it was.

I personally think he liked someone and then was restricted from speaking to them because in the poem the poet says “I am not to speak to you, I am to think of you when I sit alone or wake at night alone.” The poet says I am not to speak to you, which kind of sounds like he is restricted to talk to this person. Many times even if we are not friends with someone we still talk to them, and occasionally if you see them you will interact a little. I can say this because in my own experiences I have drifted away from people, but even today when I see them I still say hello, or start a conversation. Another clue that leads to why the poet may be restricted to talking to them is because he talks about being alone. He thinks about this person when he is alone, which is sort of weird because you don’t necessarily have to be alone to think of someone. I feel that the poet wants to keep it a secret that he is thinking of this person, which is why he thinks of them alone.

A part that explains his bisexuality is when the poet says “You must be he I was seeking, or she I was seeking/ you grew up with me, were a boy with me or a girl with me.” He does not state one gender, he says both; this describes that he is into both genders.

I personally think this entire poem is about a person who had a strong relationship with someone and then was restricted from talking to him or her for some reason. One reason you can know that they do not talk anymore is because he states the opposing person as a stranger; a stranger is defined to be someone who you do not know.

Although they are not speaking to this person they still want to keep them close to their heart, we know this because the poet states “I am to wait, I do not doubt I am to meet you again, I am to see to it that I do not lose you.” This indicates that they do not talk to the person, but they do not want to lose the relationship with this person. The poet hopes to meet this person again and cherish the memories they had.

Lastly in the poem you can tell that this person was quite special to the poet because he says “I have somewhere surely lived a life of joy with you.” He talks about living a life of joy with them, indicating that they were very happy with each other and enjoyed each others company. It seems in the entire poem the poet is showing that he is missing this person and cherishes the old times they had. The poet is trying to say that he awaits another meeting with them and hopes to keep the relation they had before safe and together; he does not want the relationship to end even though they are split apart.

Overall this was an interesting poem to read and you can truly make a lot of connections with it. In conclusion I think this poem is about a person they use to be very close with, but are now split apart from them; even though they are split apart, the person still is a huge part of the poets life and still means a lot to them.  

How Is Your Heart (Part 4)

“How Is Your Heart” is a very different kind of poem, it really just depends on the way you look at it. If you ask me if he should be content, I will say no. I personally think he should want more because he really doesn't know what he is missing on. 

 First off humans are social creatures; they need relationships. He does not know what the meaning of relationships is because he hasn't had healthy relationships. He does not know the true meaning of relationships and he does not know how to deal with them either. As a child he had lived through unhealthy relationships and does not know what it means to have a healthy relationship. Humans need relationships in life because we need people; otherwise we become lonely and sometimes depressed. He does not have healthy relationships with anyone. When you have healthy relationships you feel supported, you feel like someone is there for you and it makes you happier and more positive. I’m not saying that he needs to have a huge family, but just a small family and even one person can make a difference.

          The poet does not know what it is like to live a clean life. He had always lived in poverty and filthy areas. When he looks at the circumstance he is in, he is happy, but he doesn't know what being clean is like. He doesn't know what it's like to be clean, or in a neat place. I'm not saying he needs to be rich, but he should have a job, a healthy lifestyle, and a warm home. He should have a good lifestyle because he is in a bad situation right now. He should start a new life with a family and a new home. He may be content with what he has right now, but that’s because that is what he has always lived in. He is happy with living in a filthy motel room because he has never lived in a clean proper area. Motel rooms are filthy and have so many germs; the only reason he is happy with that is because he does not know what clean is like.

         Poverty can put you in depression. Through this poem we have seen how is father was. He is becoming his father. He is alcoholic, he's living in bad circumstances, and he doesn’t have healthy relationships. He should learn from his father and know what it is like instead of becoming him. He could be a much happier person if he decreased the amount of alcohol he drinks, if he got a job, and if he had a healthy family. His father had very bad relationships, which caused many problems, and also gave the poet a hard childhood. He should try to improve that in his adulthood; he should find a woman that loves him and kids who he can give a good childhood too. He should try to make his life better than live in unhygienic conditions.

         The poet has lived in poverty all his life therefore he does not know the true value of money. Money is not only to be rich; it can help you in other aspects of life. Yes, money cannot buy you happiness, but it can add some positivity to your life. Believe it or not money does help you in life, a lot.  He could have a simple job, with an hourly pay and that’s really all you need. With a little bit of money he could buy himself food, clean clothes, a nice small shelter/home, and just overall have a better life.

         I personally was very shocked to see the true meaning behind this poem. It definitely makes a huge difference when you know what the poem is about. I personally really liked this poem, and learnt that things may look simple, but there is a lot behind it.