Journal 24

This journal is about how I plan to study for semester exam. My plan for studying for exams is to cram every night. I am so busy  with cheer leading and competition that I have no time. My most important final to study for would be psychology, AP us and chemistry. O and of course this lovely class English 233. I am really stressed about these finals because my schedule is so difficult and there is little time to study. I think I will pull through though. I have confidence that I will get my gpa from a three point nine zero six to a four point zero. I  am in a lot of waited classes so it might help my gpa go up. I wish cheer was not so time consuming because school is really important but I probably would be fat and not do work if I was not invloved in cheer. My plan is to study this weekend for AP us and then study for pyschology on monday. On tuesday I will have to only study for strength training. On wedensday I will have to study for chemistry and algebra. That is my hardest day. On thursday I have zoology and english. Zoology will be hard because it is Ms. Lee's class and I am almost positive that she teaches like a college profeser because I fail all those tests. Anyway I hope my stragedy pays off. I guess we will see next week. Goodbye for now. This is the end of journal number 24.

Journal 23

Journal 23 is about being Self- Sufficient. We have to be self sufficient a lot in life. A person can not and should not rely on someone for everything. Of course there are exceptions to this rule. For insistence if a person has a disability or a disease then they have the right to be not be self sufficient. Anyways with us being   honors and accelerated students we definitely have to be self sufficient. We have to do our own work and rely on ourselves to get work done. There is a little more pressure since we our honors students. More work is accepted of us and we have to do it all alone. When it comes to citing sources and stuff we have to be even more self sufficient. You have to make sure your work is correctly cited so you do not get in trouble for plagerizing or taking someone's work. I try to be self sufficient in things other than school. It is hard though because some people do not agree. For example in cheer, I want to be self sufficent, I want the best for my stunts and for my jumps. Others want to focus on themselves or as a group. I think sometimes being self sufficent can hurt you. If you only worry about yourself. I think that you can become selfish and selfishness can lead to so many things. It can lead to being rude and hurting people. It can also make you become a loner and leave you with no friends. No one wants that but sometimes you can not help it. It can become addictiong to do things yourself. Then you can not handle certain things when you have to do group work or a project at work. I think I have just enough of self sufficency. I can do things myself and in groups. Of course I would prefer to work on my own or maybe just one partner.

Reaction to Self Reliance

This blog deals with the writing “Self Reliance” by Emerson and is a reaction to the analysis by George Kateb.

 I thought this analysis from George Kateb was interesting The analysis was very in depth and detailed from the expert, “Self Reliance”. It was clearly meant to expand the ideas from Emerson as well as add details and thoughts. Although the article was a little long I thought it cleared up some of the confusing parts in “Self Reliance”.  It should be able to clear it up because it was thirty-five pages. The length was so long because Kateb had many ideas and reactions from the original words from Emerson. Kateb most likely looked up to Emersons writing. Otherwise why would he want to write a long reaction on this.  Kateb writes, "Every sentence seems a declaration of faith. He seems to stand behind every utterance with his whole being, and risk his being by the completeness of his candor.” (Kateb). This shows the understanding of the work and the seriousness Kateb felt when writing this reaction. I find it a little odd that he was so into an essay. Throughout the essay the reader can see Kateb believes in Emerson’s writing and wants to live by it. Personally I would not call this writing something to base life off of but everyone is different.

After seeing this article I think Emerson and Kateb seemed like a pretty classy guys.  He says, "An almost exasperated Walt Whitman can therefore say of Emerson: 'He does not see or take one side, one presentation only or mainly, (as all the poets, or most of the fine writers anyhow,)—he sees all sides. His final influence is to make his students cease to worship anything—almost cease to believe in anything, outside of themselves'" (Kateb). He shows he believes in other ideas and people, not just himself. This shows a lot of class because most writers would say there ideas are the only good ones and the right ideas.

I think Kateb wanted to interpret “Self Reliance” in a way where everyone can relate. I personally relate when Kateb says "One relies on oneself”(Kateb). With some recent experiences in my life I have realized that if you want things done you can not rely on others. You sometimes have to do it yourself; even if it means following a different path. This was the point of the reading, for a person to relate to it and maybe get some little thing out of it.  

Overall this writing was pretty good. I think it could have been a lot better if it was not a book. Like I said before thirty-five pages is a little much.  I think he showed Emersons writing in a different and a creative way. I think it was not a waste of time to read this and was a relatable article. Kateb got his ideas across and I respect him for that. “Self Reliance” is a well written paper and I can understand why it was written about and is still read today.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind." In Emerson's Transcendental Etudes. Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 2003. Quoted as "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc.

Journal 22

Snow.Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow.Snow. Snow. Snow is white and soft and wet. It is in different shapes and  can be east. However snow is also sloppy and slippery and wet. I think snow is pretty when it first falls then it gets brown and slouchy  That is ugly. It is also difficult to drive in which can be dangerous for drivers. This year I do not think that we will get any snow days. The new superindent is from a cold and snowy state, therefore the snow that falls here will be nothing for him. Not saying that is a bad thing, because I do not want to make up days in May. I just really do not want to drive in the wet and cold snow. Most people around here love and want snow. They are crazy in my opinion. Who wants to be cold and have to bundle up with three coats? Not me. If you want snow so much go to Colorado or North Dakota or somewhere were 45 degrees is a hot day. I want summer. Not snow. I want pools, not ice. I want ice cream, not hot chocolate  I want to wear skirts and not jeans everyday. There is one plus to snow. That plus would be boots. I love boots. They go with legit anything and you can not wear them in the summer. But snow is not necessary for boot weather. We just need cold for boots. Gosh I love boots. Boots with jeans. Boots with yogas. Boots with leggings. Boot with anything. I really sucks when we have to have cheer practice and there is snow. There is a better chance of slipping and falling. With it being competition season, the dangers of falling and breaking a leg is much greater. Anyways. Snow is okay. If you like it, good for you. If not, whatever. Yepp. Goodbye. Snow. Snow. SNow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. SNow. SNow. SNow. SNow. SNow.

Journal 21

• Journal #21: Write your reaction to the following Emerson quotation:

There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till. (Emerson, "Self-Reliance")

I can not relate to to this because I am not a man. Therefore this blog does not pertain to me. However since you will probably poke my eye out I will write. Not because I am afraid of you but because I do not want to lose three points.
This quote means everyone has a problem or struggle in life. Everyone has a point when they break down and can not go on any longer. We all have that point were nothing goes right and we give up. I think this quote is saying we need to keep going and not let little things or stress keep us from great things. I also think its saying do not get carried away. When you are at the top you have to rememeber you started and you have to not be arrogent or ignorance. Emerson seems to get people and this quote is impressive. I think he understands human nature and gets both sides of people: those at the botttum and those at the top. Instead of saying man he should say people so both sexes can relate. I really hate when people say things to just one sex. Overall I think this is a really good quote and explains life in a good point of view.