Music Review

One album I really like listening to is Gypsy Heart by Colbie Caillat. Something I like about her is that there is a moral or story behind every song. She focuses a lot on how you have to believe in yourself to accomplish something, and that you should be conscious of things you may be doing that are actually hurting you. I think this is really inspirational, and sometimes hard to find in a lot of the more mainstream music.

Three of my favorite songs in this album include "Live It Up", "If You Love Me Let Me Go", and "Try". "Try" is one of her more well-known songs.

"Live It Up" talks about how once you really think about it, often you find that the only thing holding you back from doing something is fear. People are usually uncomfortable with the idea of trying something new, or something that seems intimidating. This song perfectly captures the internal struggle when trying to decide whether you believe you have the strength to get over an obstacle, whatever it may be. It has a simple yet cheerful and uplifting beat, which is one of the reasons I like listening to it.

"If You Love Me Let Me Go" is about really making sure you make decisions that will overall make you a happier person, things that might be hard but will benefit you in the long run. In this case, she is talking about a relationship, but I think it applies to many different aspects of life. For example, maybe you have the choice to move to a place with better opportunities. Even though this might make you sad because you will leave behind friends etc., you have to think about what is better for you. I generally like the tune of this song.

"Try" is one of Colbie Caillat's more popular songs. It talks about how trying to change yourself to fit other people's expectations isn't necessary. If in the end you aren't happy, then what's the point? She talks about how all that matters is if you like yourself. I think a lot of people forget this in their everyday loves and feel like they are constantly under pressure to look or act in a certain way. I think this song is a good reminder to think about what is really important, and that's your own happiness and state of mind.

Overall, this is a great album, and although I didn't write about the other songs in this album, they are all pretty good and I would definitely recommend that people check it out.

Happy New Year!!

A Principle to Keep

I think a principle that I would like to keep no matter what the conditions are is compassion for others. Even when times are tough, you shouldn't lose your basic sense of empathy for other people and the conditions they are in. I think this requires being able to take a step back and stand in someone else's shoes to try and understand what is happening in their life. If you can show emotion about other people's situations and be kind to them, it shows that you are human. In The Road, conditions for everyone are horrible in the post-apocalyptic world. When trying to survive everyday is a struggle, the idea of having to carry the burden of someone else on top of your own isn't the most appealing idea. The man in the story is wary of helping others because he has to focus on keeping the boy alive, and keeping himself alive since the boy would likely die without him. However, the boy only wants to help others because he knows that times are tough and that if he was in a situation where someone came along and didn't help him, he would be devastated. The boy has compassion, and I think this is one of the reasons we as readers are drawn to him. Being kind to others, helping them, understanding what they are going through, being compassionate is something I think is important and makes other people feel more comfortable around you. I think it is something people should always strive to be, no matter what their own situations are.

Thankful for Classmates

This year has been amazing so far! I am thankful for everyone in our class for making it so great! I always look forward to eighth period because of how much fun we have. However, there are some people who have made my experience especially wonderful.

First of all, I am thankful for Sydney. Squid, you're hilarious and your laughter is contagious. Your stories of Chewie and infectious happiness always brighten my day. I'm glad I have someone to share stupid jokes with and text late at night when I can't remember the assignment.

I am also thankful Ayanna. She is always pleasant to talk to and has very wise things to add to our discussion. Ayanna, you always notice things in the story I didn't and help me understand things better. You are always smiling no matter how tired you are or bad your day was (I wish I could do this) and I love spending time with you. Thank you for making our class more interesting and our discussions more meaningful.

I am thankful for Marta - your witty one liners help make our class fun ("Mr. McCarthy, you're so basic!" I'm still laughing haha)

I am thankful for Dorothy for always sitting in my seat but moving eventually. Dorothy, I love being able to work with you for the group questions and listening to your ideas (they are usually better than mine). You're a great person to be around and I'm glad we have so many classes together this year.

I am thankful for Emiliano because he always has ridiculous jokes that make me laugh and he makes group work more fun. Thank you Emiliano for never failing to make this class more enjoyable.

I am thankful for Mackenzie because she is always excited about English and is nice to be around. She is really sweet and funny.

I am thankful for Nicholas - your Star Wars references make the class more entertaining and you always have something intriguing to add to our discussion. You are always really nice to me and easy to talk to.

I am also thankful for Erin - your sarcastic comments are always hysterical and make the entire class cry from laughter.

Cindy, you always have something insightful to say and its always interesting to listen to your ideas.

Fiona, I'm so glad we have a couple of classes together this year! It's nice to have somebody in my class that I see throughout the day and can ask for help. Thank you for adding so many great comments to our discussion.

Lastly, thank you to Mr. McCarthy for making this class fun as well as interesting and a good learning environment.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!!!

What did Margaret do?

In the end of Ernest Hemingway's "The Short and Happy Life of Francis Macomber", Margaret fatally shoots Macomber in the back of the head. She seems appalled by her actions and cries as Wilson reassures her that it will be alright, although rather sarcastically. I believe that this wasn't an accident and that Margaret shot her husband on purpose because it was in her interests to do so. She only stayed married to Macomber because he had a lot of money. After the first buffalo hunt, she notices the change in Macomber and how he is suddenly brave, and she realizes that he can and will leave her after all of the affairs she has had and her constant rudeness. She can now see that she doesn't have the power in the relationship, and it scares her. Upset by her failure in the the modeling industry due to her age, she becomes bitter and wants Macomber to feel like as much of a failure as she is because it makes her feel more powerful. The execution of her plan seems like it was a decision she made in the moment. It was clear that the buffalo was charging for Macomber and Margaret might have felt the instinct to protect him, but realized that it was an opportunity to rid herself of Macomber and inherit his wealth. Even though she starts crying, I don't think she was mourning the death of her husband. I think Margaret was just suddenly hit with the full impact of the realization of what she had just done. It is possible she felt a little shred of guilt. Wilson doesn't seem fazed by the events, and appears to have known her intentions. He humorlessly cracks jokes while Margaret sobs. Both Margaret and Wilson know that Macomber would have left her after he got the confidence from the buffalo hunt. I think that the pressure of knowing that she was more of a failure than her husband and that her source of money would soon be leaving her was too much for Margaret to handle, and it drove her to intentionally shoot her husband.

Six Word Stories

You're gone, but I'm still here.

Paramedics completed his text, "...love you."

Girl, 5, waiting to be adopted.

Her casket. He sobs. Finally sober.

The guilt won't let me sleep.

Peace gone, now there is war.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

Hero. Noun. A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.

Stooge. Noun (derogatory). A person who serves merely to support or assist others, particularly in doing unpleasant work, foolish

I think a hero is someone who thinks about others before himself. John Proctor was only thinking about himself and what he wanted when he had an affair with Abigail. In my opinion, this is one of the main reasons the witch trials existed. He threw away all of his morals, and fell deeper and deeper into his own lie. He lost the trust of his wife, and he gave Abigail false hope, which led her to do some crazy things in an attempt to be with him. However, he was willing to sacrifice his reputation to ensure his wife's safety. He took risks so that others could be saved from Abigail's elaborate plan, which he clearly saw through.

He was a very reasonable person, and he admitted his mistakes and tried to make peace with Elizabeth for the pain he had caused her. He knew what he had done was wrong, and I think it takes a certain kind of bravery to admit to your mistakes in the first place. Not only did he confess to Elizabeth right after his affair, he was willing to lose everything to save her life from accusations that were partly because of him.

He also wouldn't publicly confess because he knew it would destroy the names of others, including his children. John Proctor didn't judge anyone except himself, and refused to let anyone else bear the blame. I think this is noble because he could have easily saved himself, but he chose to do what he felt was morally right even though it resulted in his death. Although he made some mistakes, I think that John Proctor was a hero.

There Goes The Neighborhood

When the Europeans began to inhabit the same land as the Native Americans, the lives of the Native Americans changed dramatically. There were both positive and negative effects, although they were mostly negative for the Native Americans. When the Europeans first arrived, the natives were enamored by their tools, weapons, and ships. They welcomed them with open arms. They were eager to trade with them and their own quality of life slowly improved with the items they received from the Europeans. However, the Europeans were quick to notice that the Natives had treasures, land, and were an easily accessible source of labor. Their greed won over and they began to take advantage and trade their worthless things for ones of more value. They brought along diseases such as influenza, smallpox, and measles that the Natives had no immunity to. They forced the Native Americans out of their homes and off of their land and into slavery. Thousands died. I think that it was almost impossible for two extremely different groups of people to peacefully coexist at the time because it doesn't take long for one group of people to realize they are more powerful and educated. They can then decide that they want to be in power and gain more for their people. They take the steps needed for them to achieve that power, even if it means turning on people who helped them in the past. Things have definitely improved in the present day and while there is still violence over clashing beliefs, we are able to live in communities that are both civilized and diverse.