"The Declaration of Independence"

     From all the thing I have read in any of my English classes, I am glad to have read an important historical piece of literature. As a class, we read "The Declaration of Independence". We discussed the SOAPST, or the speaker, occasion, audience, purpose, subject, and tone. The speakers were the colonists, the occasion was July 4, 1776, the audiences were King George III and the American colonists, the purpose was to persuade and to inspire and inform, the subject was independence, and finally, the tone was demanding, inspiring, and conclusive. Three aspects that I will describe are the speaker, occasion, and the subject. Although Thomas Jefferson was the main author of this piece, his words were from the colonists themselves. They all had a say in it, wanting independence from King George III, who from miles away was controlling their lives, in a harsh matter. After years of torture and obedience, they finally put their feet down, and demanded independence. The occasion was July 4, 1776. On this day "The Declaration of Independence" was published and read throughout everywhere. This day marked the independence of America, and is celebrated until this day. It has turned into a holiday. The final aspect that I will be discussing is the subject. The subject is independence and all there is to this piece is independence. All the colonists' voices have been put together for one cause and at the end the only and most important thing they got out of it was independence. Throughout the world, one's main wish is to be independent, and nothing else.

What's Next?

"What to expect from the iPhone 5 [Google+ Hangout]" 

Salvador Rodriguez, LA Times 

Published August 25, 2012

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-iphone-hangout-0120824,0,2538826.story 

     Smartphones are being used throughout the world everyday, by almost everyone. With all these smartphones out on the market, competition among each company just becomes larger and larger. Companies begin updating and advancing their smartphones, coming up with newer versions of the devices. One smartphone that the world is familiar with, and that keeps advancing and updating, is the iPhone. Since the iPhone first came out, each year the company has been announcing newer versions of the phone, with newer features and looks. This year the iPhone will once again have a new version. It is said that on September 12 the new version will be released, and can be pre-ordered, and on September 21, the device will be in stores. It is only obvious that this newer version will have new features. A few features said to be on the new iPhone are a wider screen, competing with other smartphones, a smaller dock connector, and 4G LTE connectivity. The name of the device is still undecided, but the main features are predicted, and if you wish to find out the rest of the features, just stand in line like everyone else, and wait until your turn. 

"Graduation" by Maya Angelou

     One of Maya Angelou's works that we read in class was "Graduation", an essay about her graduation ceremony and her experience of graduating. The three aspects of the SOAPST I will be discussing are the speaker, subject, and the tone. While Maya Angelou was an African American herself and did not have as many privileges, she still attempted to accomplish much more than imagined. Since she is a playwright, producer, dancer, actor, poet, and much more, she is reliable to us. We can use Holden Caulfield, from Catcher in the Rye, as an example as to why Angelou is more reliable, because Holden had a mental disorder. Therefore, we cannot trust everything he talked about, since we know how much he would exaggerate.

    The subject of the essay was her graduation experience. Since it was an accomplishment of hers, she was glad to see the day where she would graduate. With all the excitement, she was anxious to graduate and be free from the school which was torturous to her. Through the story, we see how not only her excitement but her classmates' excitements die down, because of the truth of their reality told to them from the white man. Even if they were disappointed and brought down, she still managed to be hopeful. What was meant for a happy day almost became a disappointment.

    The tone of the story includes her being predictable, excited, confused, angry, and inspired. On the day of her graduation, in the morning, she is predictable because she already has expectations of what the day will bring and how it will end. She is excited, because it is her day today since she is graduating; it is also one of her achievements for which she is proud of. Her excitement goes to confusion and anger, because of the white man's speech. He tells them how the white schools are better and how much more possibilities they have, unlike the black students. While this is enough to disappoint both the students and parents, Maya Angelou still manages to have hope. We are also shown how proud she is of her race. She is inspired to keep trying and is hopeful she will get somewhere someday. 

The Future: Predictable or Not?

-"In 1995, prophetic fifth graders predict Internet of the future" by Deborah Netburn, The LA Times  

-Published on August 19, 2012 6:00 a.m. 

-http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-prophetic-internet-of-the-future-20120817,0,488396.story  

     In all of world's history there have been a huge amount of advancements that people have brought up. One of the largest advancements that people have created throughout the years is technology. From a simple cutting tool up to a device where you can do almost anything on, people have invented means for us to live a simpler, easier life. In 1995, a group of fifth graders, along with their teacher, created a video to let kids know about the Internet and how you can do so much on it. " 'By the time we are in college, the Internet will be our telephone, television, shopping center and workplace,' the kids say" (Deborah Netburn, The LA Times). It turns out these kids were able to predict the future correctly! The Internet IS all this to us and more. We can go on the Internet and find numbers to call, watch live shows and channels, shop through clothing sites, and have our own businesses through it. These kids make it seem like the Internet is possibly the best invention yet, but is it really? In 1995, the Internet was something new to children and to most of the world. It was not a huge part of their lives, and they used it only occasionally. Also, it was not as fast as today's Internet, and people were not as patient to sit and wait for hours until something came up. They simply checked what they needed to check and only sometimes did they use it for entertainment. The fifth graders in this video saw the Internet as a wonderful creation, but little did they know how much affect it has on us, 17 years later. The Internet has become part of our daily lives and one does not complete anything without it. We abuse this privilege we have. These kids were happy with what they had so far, and thought that when they transfer to college, the Internet will be good to them. They were right about what the Internet will become, but they did not know the truth about it being all that stupendous, or not. This video was put on YouTube years ago and made many years before that, and it just shows how predictable even a group of kids can be about the future, with all these technological advancements taking place. 

Here is the video made by the "prophetic" fifth graders: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m4KZHDVWRE&feature=player_embedded

 

Favorite Book

From all the books I have read throughout my life, one book that fascinated me from beginning to end is Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Since the beginning of the book, although I had no clue what it was about, it interested me, because I love reading or watching things about the old times, especially the 1950s. A high school student named Holden Caulfield experienced life in the 50s, although his was not quite the best. He did not live with his family, instead with a boy who had the perfect teenage life. He always felt the need for someone. His younger brother had passed away, because he was sick. Although we do not see it until the end of the book, his brother's death had had a huge impact in his life. He learned that nothing lasts forever and that whatever you love, will eventually disappear from your life. This made him lose trust in almost everything, and having to experience such a horrid thing, at a young age like his, caused him to lose his mind and turn psychotic. I was able to imagine every scene of the book, fantasizing about living in that time. Life was more about just technology and teenagers had almost nothing to fear. They did not care about much other than fun. For example, kids in high school would dorm with each other, date who they want to date, go to watch sports and games late at night, go to movies that were projected outside and they can watch from their own cars, and many more things that we, in these years, are not always able to do. I wish that I can experience this type of life for at least one day. There was night life for teens my age and everything seemed very chill. All this was mentioned and described in this book, and I was happy to have at least experienced it through reading.