Jay & Nick

Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby are two men who are friends under unlikely circumstances. Nick has lived in his small eye sore house, a neighbor to Gatsby, during his time in West Egg but does not meet Gatsby until he receives an invitation and attends one of Gatsby's parties. They do not immediately hit it off until Gatsby discovers that Nick is a distant cousin of Daisy Buchannan, Gatsby's long lost love. Gatsby then takes more interest to Nick, hatching plans in his head to win Daisy over by using Nick. From there Nick and Gatsby are inseparable.

Many readers believe that this is not a genuine relationship. It would be easy to say that Jay is simply using Nick in order to become closer to Daisy. They come from such different backgrounds, one would think it would be impossible for their classes to mix. Although that may be partially true, Gatsby does share a special bond with Nick that we might not be able to see yet. Gatsby always seeks Nick's opinion or approval before taking action, and also share similar qualities. They are still in the acquaintance phase of their relationship, but with out a doubt, it will soon evolve to more.

Thankful For a Classmate

In the spirit of thanksgiving, we are asked to be thankful for one of our classmates. I am thankful for Dominick Tagler. I am thankful that he lives close to me so that if there is anything that I need or I forget a book or an assignment, I can easily get a hold of him. 

Also I am thankful that he is my friend. Because I am a freshman in a mostly sophomore class I did not know many other people when I walked into class on the first day of school. When I saw he was in the same class as me, it was a sign of relief that I had a friend to talk with or do group work with. 

He is always kind to me which is refreshing, and when he makes a joke, I know he is always kidding. Being able to just complain to him or talk with him is always good. It's pretty funny when he is the butt end of a joke, but probably not to him.

And once again, at this time of year we are asked to look at more than ourselves and be thankful for things in our lives. To be thankful for a classmate, a peer, or a colleague is a way to begin to look within yourself to see what you are thankful for.

King, Still King

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."

These words were delivered 28 August 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. These words, along with many others were words that moved a nation. But how much effect does Martin Luther King Jr. have on the present? Is he still prominent figure in American society?

Today, Martin Luther King is more of a legend. Young people have heard about him, and understand what he did in a historical sense, but have no inkling of the emotion behind his work. We have come so far and things are significantly better than what they were. He saw a future for equal rights, not only for African Americans, but equal rights for all. 

You don't see people like Martin Luther King. He did not incite violence; his main focus was peace. Although people have respect for him and respect his work. If you think about what he did while the country was in such a volatile state, it can take your breath away.

"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation."

Golden Snowflake Poetry Battle: Part One

Fluttering

Fluttering

Fluttering

Down they fall

With such a magical grace

It is a beautiful sight to see them all

Drifts of white in everyplace

Blankets of down

Are what cover the ground

The brisk day

Ends in a frigid night 

Bells on the sleigh

Can be heard 

Through the silence

And quiet

You fell the chill

Of that winter spill

The crackle of the fire

And the warm desire

And like Lucy told Schroeder

A long time ago

Of the "Santa Claus,

And Ho Ho Ho,

and Mistletoe,

and presents to pretty girls."

It's the creed of the world

It's that time of the year

When no matter who you are

You have a heart full of holiday cheer

I Am a Plow?

I am a plow? With all due respect, I do not consider myself a plow.  I do not see myself with any similarity to a large, old, cumbersome piece of machinery, forced to work and labor all day in the hot sun. There is no powerful horse dragging me towards something with out any power of my own being. Instead of the hopeless and helpless plow, I am the horse that drags the plow.

I am the one in control of the machine that does the work. I go at my own pace, completely at my own will. I can stop when I choose, and start again when I choose. When I complete my task, I am allowed freedoms. I can rest, I can play, I can eat, I can work again. I am unlike the plow in the sense that I am pulling my own destiny, rather than being forcefully dragged behind something else. I am able to go in my own direction, than be led to a place that I might find undesirable. I make the decisions instead of following behind someone who is leading me.

Am I a plow? No. I am much different than that.

A Direction the Class Needs

My blogging this year is because of my third period American Literature class. My teacher, Mr. McCarthy, is having us blog once a week as an assignment instead of writing essays or typical writing assignments. I really enjoy this class - and I'm not just saying that to suck up, I truly do. Although it is a fun and more free form class, I believe there could be some changes to the class.

First of all, I don't see many problems with the class. We receive a fair amount of homework and do enough class work to help us understand the concepts being taught. One thing I think needs a change is the amount of reading we are assigned at a time. Usually, we are assigned at least 25-50 pages of reading a night, sometimes more. This may not seem like a lot, but when you can up to six other classes with assigned homework, not to mention projects, tests to study for, and extra curricular activities, it can seem like a load.

Besides the sometimes monotonous amounts of reading, the class is good. As students, we are given much more freedoms than in other classes, such as being able to sit wherever we would like and work with partners we are allowed to choose, which is a refreshing change. I hope the class remains the same all year because I am really enjoying third period American Literature.

Modern Slavery

When many people hear the word "slavery," the first reference they think of is African American slavery during the 1800's in America. Although the Emancipation Proclamation has been addressed and the 13th amendment has been added to the constitution, slavery still exists in our world today. 

In many communist and third world countries across the globe, there are many people who are forced to work and labor in a modern day slavery. When I think of modern slavery, I think of China. In the United States everything we own seems to have a "Made In China," sticker somewhere on it. Most of our imported goods come from China which are made by migrant workers.

Today, there are approximately 136 million migrant workers in China. On average migrants work 12 hours a day, 26 days a month. Living conditions are poor with up to six people sharing small, cramped bedrooms. Factory conditions are dangerous, and basic health and safety protections are rarely provided to workers. Many thousands of workers die every year as a result of contracting some kind of disease at work.

If this doesn't seem  like modern slavery, then I don't know what is. These people are forced to work for little to no pay, for long hours, to try to make a living for their families and themselves. All this labor and hardship, for what? The next "My Little Pony," horse or a "Nerf," football. We are forcing people to work for us who have nothing, to make us the things we take for granted.