Spring Break Post #3 (Essay?)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-charged-murder-trayvon-martin-killing/story?id=16115469#.T4sBLFEV2jN

Justice should always be served with no discrimination and no hesitation. This applies in the on going case of Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Martin was walking back from a convenience store holding candy and a drink in his hands, Zimmerman allegedly shoots Martin in self defense. For the rest of that month, no charges were filed. And Trayvon Martin's family and friends mourned while no justice was served.
It didn't take too long for the public to react. All throughout the month of March, there were several peaceful protests and online support. Dozens of people even wore hoodies and carried skittles and a bottle of Arizona iced tea to respect this tragic young death. Finally after millions across the nation cried for justice, the FBI decided to open its own investigation on the case. Lots of people believed Zimmerman should've been arrested a while ago, he killed an innocent teenager. But evidence was still inconclusive as to weather Zimmerman was guilty or not. And witnesses said two different stories.
The reason Zimmerman was not arrested in the beginning was because evidence was unclear. Multiple witnesses confirmed that Zimmerman was in fact attacked by Martin, so he fired his gun in self defense. Also, there was no physical evidence that Zimmerman was telling the truth either. Lots of media has brought attention the notion that Zimmerman wasn't prosecuted because he killed a black/African American boy. But now publicists are saying this case had absolutely nothing to do with racism. Nonetheless, George Zimmerman was actually arrested after 3 months that is--on April 11th, 2012, he was charged with second degree murder.
I still standby my saying that justice should be served no matter what. It didn't matter that Trayvon Martin was black and the George Zimmerman was hispanic. It didn't matter if Martin had past histories of suspensions or drug charges. The only thing that mattered was the truth. An innocent life was lost, due to a careless man with a gun. And the fact that the public supported justice through this whole case is really fascinating.

Spring Break Post #2 (Plagiarizing)

In Mrs. Galangs post about plagiarism, what the student did wrong was basically copy and paste someone elses words. He/She could've included the text as a quotation then in order to cite the source correctly. He/She also did not acknowledge that this text was written by a different author thats not themself. If the person wanted to incorporate a piece of text from this website, he/she should've written it like so;

To begin explaining this painting, its basically a mysterious nighttime scenery. "There is the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence, and a bright crescent moon," (A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings) 

There are many ways to avoid plagiarism. One way is to always cite your source, even if you just summarized what the article/text said. Also, make sure to only rely factual evidence instead of opinion (when researching), which should obviously come from you. And its okay to include other authors voices, if you put it in as a quote. 

Spring Break Post #1 (Good Blog Posts)

One blog post I enjoyed reading was Aidan’s. He wrote about the book “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. I liked the way he explained each of the three main characters, he started out by telling their background story then saying how they all connect. He also used quotes from the text to explain his thoughts on the characters. This probably helped him understand the point of view of each character in a better sense.
Another blog post I liked was Joyce’s. She summarized one of the many themes in “The Hunger Games” by Suzzane Collins. I thought this post was really good because she compared and contrasted Gale and Peeta. She listed reasons why Katniss would choose either one, but also why she would choose them as well. And she gave clear examples to explain her thoughts.
Some things I can improve on in my blog entries, is I can include more quotations. And I can also find a way to connect with the characters or plot more. I feel that if I find a way to know the character more, their actions will make more sense to me. So it’s a good method to use if you want to fully understand your book.

Much Ado About Nothing - Review

I really enjoyed the play "Much Ado About Nothing". It was a small production but it captured all the characteristics of the original writing. I thought it was really interesting how they changed the setting from the 1500s to the 1920s. I could tell because of the costumes and music. I liked how they played back ground music and they had lots of jazz playing, and a guy with a saxophone, that was cool too. During some of their monologues they had just a single spotlight, and I thought that added a dramatic effect. There wasn't too much going on in their set design, but that was necessary because they had lots of scenes and I understand that it would be hard to keep changing and adding in new sceneries. The costumes on the women were very 1920s and more modern looking. And they men wore mostly their military uniform because they had just gotten back from the war.
I've never read or seen Much Ado About Nothing before. But I really liked the plot. It was really interesting how there was a lot backstabbing and secrecy happening. I mean I guess they got back from the war and had nothing to do and so they just messed with eachothers lives. But in the end it all worked out. Hero and Claudio were married and Beatrice and Bennedict admitted their secret love for each other. And also, am I the only one who noticed that Don Pedro liked Beatrice? But she turned him down? That was kind of bittersweet, because she still ended up with Bennedict but I guess if I were Don Pedro, I would forever be jealous. But thats just me, and well, I didn't write the play, haha. Well thats about it, that was my review/random thoughts about Much Ado About Nothing, the play.

Romeo and Juliet: Response

Reading Romeo and Juliet is somewhat of a challenge, since there are many words I can't understand/difficult old English language. But from what I understand, there is a big scandal going on. A Montague has fallen for a Capulet, which of course is a forbidden thing in Verona. Romeo and Juliet know that they cannot love, and yet they still cannot help how they feel about each other. They've kept their love a secret because if their parents found out, they would be separated, due to the fact that the Montagues and Capulets are sworn enemies. I think this type of romance has a connection to modern times. Gay/Lesbian people are not allowed to marry in many states and countries. You can say that their love is also forbidden. But love is love, and nothing else should matter. If there are two people, no matter race, gender, sex, ethnicity, or family issues, and they love each other and would do anything for each other, I don't see a reason to hold back their love.

Romeo and Juliet: Response

My favorite character in Romeo and Juliet is Romeo Montague. Not only because he is the main character, and I'm supposed to like him, but because of his amazing qualities. Romeo is determined and has a sensitive heart. He was so heartbroken when Rosaline wouldn't be with him. But he was still determined, and he never actually gave up on her. Well, of course until Juliet Capulet. At first he was shocked she was a Capulet, but he couldn't help his feelings and he was determined to love her the way he couldn't love Rosaline. He will do whatever it takes to be with Juliet, even if it means his whole family will hate him. Romeo also has a kind and caring heart. Whereas his cousins Mercutio and Benvolio are more able to shake things off and forget, and move on. Although, Romeo is more sensitive. I personally believe Romeo and Juliet belong together because they're both young and naive. They both don't know much about the world, or love to begin with. They're just two wanderers who found each other out of misfortune.

Romeo and Juliet: Scene 1 Act 1

Dear my invisible cat,

Some important observations I've made so far are that the Capulets and the Montagues really despise eachother.  But the Prince of Verona is trying to bring peace among the two families (but obviously thats never going to happen). Also, I've noticed Romeo is very heartbroken because he can't have Rosalinda. He is dramatically upset.
My experience now with reading Shakespeare was quite interesting. I didn't think I'd understand much, and I was right..but I'm learning and thats whats important. If I were to give you advice on how to read Shakespeare, it would be to just think about what the context relates to in modern times, and try to connect with the text somehow. That way you'll understand it better.
So I really enjoyed reading the first scene out loud and kind of reenacting them. It was actually fun to see everyone participate, who normally wouldn't.

Thats all for now, Love Nawreen.