One With Nature
Dylan Jarrett
Nature is all around us. It is important that we preserve nature, protect nature, appreciate nature. It's not necessarily important that we go live in and trek through nature. If there's one thing I've learned by this experience, that's it. It's not the only experience I've had. I have a friend who's backyard is nothing but woods. All we used to do was trek through the woods, the creek, and the pasture. Let's just say that it's never really been my thing. After my experience in the woods at T. L. Hanna, I can say that my opinion hasn't necessarily been changed. I managed to run into thorns everywhere I turned. I even managed to land myself in a pit of thorns that surrounded me completely. Don't ask how because I'm not entirely sure. While stuck in my painful prison, I found that the majority of the class had already returned to the head of the woods. It was just me and Jessica, trapped so far away from the exit. My clothes were caught and I was left in an awkward position with my leg hanging in the air. I lost my balance and collapsed in the thorns. Take my word, it's no place for an afternoon nap. As Jessica assisted me out, we discovered that we were trapped behind a wall of thorns. So we continued on further to the side of the woods where I could see the welcoming sunlight. We tripped and fell and crawled and lept until we were finally out of the woods. The only problem was that we were now at the head of the parking lot with our class nowhere to be found. After we found them we examined our scrapes and cuts.
Obviously, my experience was not the ideal one, however one cannot deny the beauty of nature. When you ride past the mountains with the sun setting, and the sky, a blend of purple, pink, blue, orange, yellow, and who knows how many other shades, you can't help but sit in wonder at the beauty of it all. When you pass by a lake or stream, and the trees hang over the water with the sun shining down and reflecting off the glossy surface of the water, you can't help but lose thought of all other "priorities" and plans. When you sit in the sand and watch the waves roll onto the shore as the full moon sits high above you casting its light on the ocean, you can't help but sigh and dream dreams that you can only wish will come true. Emerson said the "Nature never wears a mean appearance." I agree with this because when looking at nature I never feel threatened or disliked. Nature does not appear mean. However, once surrounded by nature, it is not the way it appears that frightens me. It is what happens. There can be pain, as in this experience. It can be difficult to maneuver once in the woods or hiking up a mountain. I don't believe that there is no joy, but there are always different circumstances. Emerson said "The flowers, the animals, the mountains, reflected all the wisdom of his best hour, as much as they had delighted the simplicity of his childhood." When I was in the woods, I couldn't help but remember the times with my friend in the woods when I was younger. It did remind me of a simpler time. In Walden, Thoreau speaks of finding simplicity of nature. "I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand;" When in nature, all things electronic and materialistic are forgotten. I was in such a struggle to move through this jungle, that I didn't even think about the convenience of electronics, or all the homework and plans I had that week. However, I still wasn't thoroughly enjoying myself.
Emerson and Thoreau had the right idea. Nature truly is a miracle. It is peaceful, tranquil, beautiful, and majestic. However spectating and trekking are two very different things. As I fought my way through the wrath of the woods, I thought how difficult it must have been to live this way. I guess that was what Thoreau wanted us to understand. When put in this situation either voluntarily or forcibly one realizes their strengths, weaknesses, and what they have yet to see or do in this lifetime. I think nature is extremely important for many things. The experience however, doesn't always prove the point.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Cut Away
10:20
Abigail Williams
Rude, Lustful, Evil, Cruel, Clever, Foolish
Beautiful for a Puritan, Seductive, Persuasive, Good actress,
Brave but Cowardly, Eccentric, Liar,
Lonely, Lost in the world, Forceful, Threatening, Acts innocent but is
actually a lot of trouble, misunderstood in some ways but mostly an evil whore
Seeks power, gets what she wants, Wants a relationship but is too bad for a real
one, Will go to extremes to hurt someone, vengeful, Poisonous in a sense, Won't take no
for an answer, Ironic that she is a reverends niece, witchy, practices witch-craft
for the love of a man.
10:29
Scissors
- Sharp, Red handles, pair of blades, hinge that connects the blades
- Smash it, Screwdriver, Pile driver, pull it apart
- Sharpened metal, plastic
- To cut stuff, stab in self defense, projectile, threaten people with, unlock doors, drag object out from under door, draw blood, hair-cut,
- "Some paper is itchier than others," "Wash your hair!" "I don't like the way you hold me"
- Pain, Helping Hand, Hard-work
Likenesses and Differences
Both can be harmful if they want to be, cause pain, useful in a sense, very threatening, both can be used forcefully, both associated with pain and cruelty, both can be very persuasive, scissors can be pulled apart at the hinge and Abigail was definitely torn in the end as she watched her lover be persecuted. You don't want to have a run in with Abigail just as you don't want to run with scissors, sharp
Scissors are more helpful than Abigail, Abigail is more subtle in her torture of others, Abigail is human, Abigail is lustful and scissors can't represent love or lust.
Cut Away
Abigail Williams is the main antagonist in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. She is the type of person that you don't want to get to friendly with. However one definitely wouldn't want to get on her bad side. She's cunning, evil, and cruel. When one goes to compare Abigail to an object, your first pick wouldn't be a Teddy Bear. The mind tends to wander towards more gruesome things. Abigail is mean, that eliminates anything soft, friendly, or endearing. Abigail is persuasive, that gets rid of anything plain, innocent, or boring. Since most weapons aren't complex, and deadly diseases aren't considered objects, this leaves one with a good old pair of scissors.
One of the first rules of safety is "Don't run with scissors!" Scissors are dangerous while useful. They are a diverse set of blades. Just as there are two blades, there can be two sides to a pair of scissors. Abigail is a dangerous ally or enemy. If you have a run in with Abigail, you won't walk away untainted. Just as one doesn't run with scissors, one definitely doesn't have a run in with Abigail Williams. Persuasion is an art that Abigail has mastered ever since she has been with her uncle, or maybe longer. When the town was in an uproar, Abigail never failed to twist things a bit further in her direction. She made people believe in the existence of witches, specters, and evil spirits. It takes a very persuasive and clever person to convince civilized people of such preposterous things. She was also a very talented actress. When someone needs something they generally ask. When that doesn't work, they use the aforementioned art of persuasion. Persuasion has many forms. When the innocent and simple forms don't work out as planned, people think irrationally and end up doing one of the more extreme methods. That's where a pair of scissors can come in handy. You don't want to be on the wrong side of an agitated person with scissors(especially if they're newly sharpened.) When in this situation you would almost always give the person what they wanted.
Two blades are attached to handles and screwed together so that they operate in a 'cutting' motion. Pretty obvious, right? Well, in order to separate the blades one would pull them apart forcefully. Or, for those of us who have average to less than average muscle strength, you'd get a screw driver. Abigail got in too deep by the time the trials were winding down. She practiced witch-craft to indirectly get back with her former lover John Proctor. However, Proctor didn't play along. He eventually landed himself in jail, sentenced to hang. Abigail was torn as she fled from Salem while the man she loved awaited his immanent death. He hated her because of what she had done to get him back. As you can see all it takes is some force to pull our scissors or Abigail apart.
Scissors must be handled with care. One slip and you could seriously injure yourself. Abigail did not like the way Proctor ended things. Once that relationship began, Abigail got a bit too attached and Proctor let her go. As a result, twenty plus people died. Abigail clearly must also be handled with care. As mentioned before, scissors can hurt you. They can cause pain due to their sharp blades. They easily break skin and draw blood. Abigail is the reason for all of the death in Salem. Citizens were hanged for being 'witches' and while this doesn't actually cause one's blood to spill, this lovely term does mean death. Abigail is a clever girl, evil of course, but you must give her credit for her ideas. She found herself in a sticky situation, and to avoid trouble, she quickly formed a plan. Not many people could have done this so smoothly and without great consideration. She knew exactly what the court wanted to see and she provided them with a wonderful show. So scissors aren't the only things that are 'sharp.'
Scissors aren't as simple as one might think. Who knew that they could be compared to such a complex person as Abigail Williams. Abigail is a cruel, cold, and dangerous girl. She is the cause of so much pain and suffering. When it came to these innocent people's lives, Abigail took these metaphoric scissors, and cut away.
Abigail Williams
Rude, Lustful, Evil, Cruel, Clever, Foolish
Beautiful for a Puritan, Seductive, Persuasive, Good actress,
Brave but Cowardly, Eccentric, Liar,
Lonely, Lost in the world, Forceful, Threatening, Acts innocent but is
actually a lot of trouble, misunderstood in some ways but mostly an evil whore
Seeks power, gets what she wants, Wants a relationship but is too bad for a real
one, Will go to extremes to hurt someone, vengeful, Poisonous in a sense, Won't take no
for an answer, Ironic that she is a reverends niece, witchy, practices witch-craft
for the love of a man.
10:29
Scissors
- Sharp, Red handles, pair of blades, hinge that connects the blades
- Smash it, Screwdriver, Pile driver, pull it apart
- Sharpened metal, plastic
- To cut stuff, stab in self defense, projectile, threaten people with, unlock doors, drag object out from under door, draw blood, hair-cut,
- "Some paper is itchier than others," "Wash your hair!" "I don't like the way you hold me"
- Pain, Helping Hand, Hard-work
Likenesses and Differences
Both can be harmful if they want to be, cause pain, useful in a sense, very threatening, both can be used forcefully, both associated with pain and cruelty, both can be very persuasive, scissors can be pulled apart at the hinge and Abigail was definitely torn in the end as she watched her lover be persecuted. You don't want to have a run in with Abigail just as you don't want to run with scissors, sharp
Scissors are more helpful than Abigail, Abigail is more subtle in her torture of others, Abigail is human, Abigail is lustful and scissors can't represent love or lust.
Cut Away
Abigail Williams is the main antagonist in the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. She is the type of person that you don't want to get to friendly with. However one definitely wouldn't want to get on her bad side. She's cunning, evil, and cruel. When one goes to compare Abigail to an object, your first pick wouldn't be a Teddy Bear. The mind tends to wander towards more gruesome things. Abigail is mean, that eliminates anything soft, friendly, or endearing. Abigail is persuasive, that gets rid of anything plain, innocent, or boring. Since most weapons aren't complex, and deadly diseases aren't considered objects, this leaves one with a good old pair of scissors.
One of the first rules of safety is "Don't run with scissors!" Scissors are dangerous while useful. They are a diverse set of blades. Just as there are two blades, there can be two sides to a pair of scissors. Abigail is a dangerous ally or enemy. If you have a run in with Abigail, you won't walk away untainted. Just as one doesn't run with scissors, one definitely doesn't have a run in with Abigail Williams. Persuasion is an art that Abigail has mastered ever since she has been with her uncle, or maybe longer. When the town was in an uproar, Abigail never failed to twist things a bit further in her direction. She made people believe in the existence of witches, specters, and evil spirits. It takes a very persuasive and clever person to convince civilized people of such preposterous things. She was also a very talented actress. When someone needs something they generally ask. When that doesn't work, they use the aforementioned art of persuasion. Persuasion has many forms. When the innocent and simple forms don't work out as planned, people think irrationally and end up doing one of the more extreme methods. That's where a pair of scissors can come in handy. You don't want to be on the wrong side of an agitated person with scissors(especially if they're newly sharpened.) When in this situation you would almost always give the person what they wanted.
Two blades are attached to handles and screwed together so that they operate in a 'cutting' motion. Pretty obvious, right? Well, in order to separate the blades one would pull them apart forcefully. Or, for those of us who have average to less than average muscle strength, you'd get a screw driver. Abigail got in too deep by the time the trials were winding down. She practiced witch-craft to indirectly get back with her former lover John Proctor. However, Proctor didn't play along. He eventually landed himself in jail, sentenced to hang. Abigail was torn as she fled from Salem while the man she loved awaited his immanent death. He hated her because of what she had done to get him back. As you can see all it takes is some force to pull our scissors or Abigail apart.
Scissors must be handled with care. One slip and you could seriously injure yourself. Abigail did not like the way Proctor ended things. Once that relationship began, Abigail got a bit too attached and Proctor let her go. As a result, twenty plus people died. Abigail clearly must also be handled with care. As mentioned before, scissors can hurt you. They can cause pain due to their sharp blades. They easily break skin and draw blood. Abigail is the reason for all of the death in Salem. Citizens were hanged for being 'witches' and while this doesn't actually cause one's blood to spill, this lovely term does mean death. Abigail is a clever girl, evil of course, but you must give her credit for her ideas. She found herself in a sticky situation, and to avoid trouble, she quickly formed a plan. Not many people could have done this so smoothly and without great consideration. She knew exactly what the court wanted to see and she provided them with a wonderful show. So scissors aren't the only things that are 'sharp.'
Scissors aren't as simple as one might think. Who knew that they could be compared to such a complex person as Abigail Williams. Abigail is a cruel, cold, and dangerous girl. She is the cause of so much pain and suffering. When it came to these innocent people's lives, Abigail took these metaphoric scissors, and cut away.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Reflections
Part 1: Thinking and Writing
Cut Away: My main purpose was to compare Abigail Williams to a pair of scissors. I first brainstormed all of Abigails characteristics. I then answered given questions about by objects. I compared and contrasted each and then put it into essay form. The writing was called a "metaphoric essay"
One With Nature: My purpose was to compare my nature experience with Emerson and Thoreau's philosophical beliefs. We had a period of free writing about our experience in the woods. We then found a quote from both Emerson and Thoreau that related to our experience.
Connections: In both of these writings, I started with a type of brainstorming. I also had a premature form of the essay before I went to the lab to type the final.
The brushstroke techniques were very helpful when writing my essay.
All of the brainstorming techniques were very useful as well.
Part 2: Process of Revision
Cut Away: When revising this essay, I made some simple changes to sentence structures. I also had to rearrange some of my topics. I also had to think very hard for my actual object of comparison. I changed many times before I decided on scissors. For my conclusion I originally had "Abigail really took these metaphoric scissors, took these innocent people's lives and cut away." This was awkward sounding so I changed it to "When in came to these innocent people's lives, Abigail took these metaphoric scissors and cut away." which flowed a little better.
One With Nature: The main flaw in my essay was comma errors. I didn't realize that until Mrs. Turner pointed it out. After reading through my essay it is clear that I don't thoroughly understand comma usage. I found two instances where I could revise but I feel like I am rather oblivious to the rest. I'll have to read through again but for now here are the two that I have revised. My other problem was transitions. I left one out from the first to second paragraph (click revisions.)
Part 3: Learning from your Classmates
Cut Away: My main purpose was to compare Abigail Williams to a pair of scissors. I first brainstormed all of Abigails characteristics. I then answered given questions about by objects. I compared and contrasted each and then put it into essay form. The writing was called a "metaphoric essay"
One With Nature: My purpose was to compare my nature experience with Emerson and Thoreau's philosophical beliefs. We had a period of free writing about our experience in the woods. We then found a quote from both Emerson and Thoreau that related to our experience.
Connections: In both of these writings, I started with a type of brainstorming. I also had a premature form of the essay before I went to the lab to type the final.
The brushstroke techniques were very helpful when writing my essay.
All of the brainstorming techniques were very useful as well.
Part 2: Process of Revision
Cut Away: When revising this essay, I made some simple changes to sentence structures. I also had to rearrange some of my topics. I also had to think very hard for my actual object of comparison. I changed many times before I decided on scissors. For my conclusion I originally had "Abigail really took these metaphoric scissors, took these innocent people's lives and cut away." This was awkward sounding so I changed it to "When in came to these innocent people's lives, Abigail took these metaphoric scissors and cut away." which flowed a little better.
One With Nature: The main flaw in my essay was comma errors. I didn't realize that until Mrs. Turner pointed it out. After reading through my essay it is clear that I don't thoroughly understand comma usage. I found two instances where I could revise but I feel like I am rather oblivious to the rest. I'll have to read through again but for now here are the two that I have revised. My other problem was transitions. I left one out from the first to second paragraph (click revisions.)
Part 3: Learning from your Classmates
Throught reading Jessica's essays I have come to realize that analogies, similes, and metaphors, are easier to insert than I thought. After reading it I've done my best to add more to make my paper flow.
Ironically enough, I learned from Natalie's paper to stay in present tense. I don't really pay attention to that rule but I always manage to follow it. I read through Natalie's essays looking for a good example of lesson that I could learn in them. Natalie has the problem of going to past tense. Therefore the main thing I saw in essays were Mrs. Turner's notes "make sure you stay in present tense." A constant reminder for future essays.
In Meredith A.'s essays I learned that you can use different voices when writing. Meredith has a very sarcastic tone in her essays. It adds humor and makes the experience more enjoyable.
These things are important to include in writing. They make the essay come to life.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Boomshine!!
The greatest game EVER!! Well not really, but it's fun. There's a bunch of dots all foating around the place in different directions and speeds. You have to click on one and it expands and when it touches another one it causes it to expand and you try to create a chain reaction and it's great!!! whew, I feel better now!
k bye
k bye
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