Reflective Essay

Over this past year, I have seen the strange resemblance of my life with the novels that I have read in English class. I have learned a great deal from the class activities and assignments. The ones that I enjoyed the most are the blogs, poetry, characters from novels as well as the analysis of paintings.

Out of class, I enjoyed working on blogs for assignments. Blogs creates more flexibility in my time schedule. I am in the wrestling team of Malden High School and being part of the team takes up a lot of my personal time. Everyday after school there is wrestling practice and blogs are the types of assignment that allows me to complete it on time. I also like working on blogs where we have to observe an image and get the message it is trying to depict. It is also entertaining to view different videos of English literature. The blog assignments helped me out a lot during the winter season when I was too preoccupied with wrestling.

There is also poetry that the class read from. I appreciate the poetry since it gives me a higher attention span to listen to the class. The poetry is like music to the ears. The way the words are written and placed into sentences gives rhythm and rhyme. It is different from reading from novels or from a math book since all those things are very bland. Poetry packs a larger punch for me since it keeps me awake, and interested, and it is not very easy to get me to be interested in anything in class.

Throughout this year, I enjoyed reading the tragedy Hamlet most by William Shakespeare. I feel that I share many similarities with the character Hamlet. Our personalities resemble greatly and reading the play allowed me to learn more with how to deal with life. I wrestle for wrestling team against other competitors like Hamlet wrestles with his depression and his obsession to avenge for his dead father. Hamlet’s mind was always occupied with trying to take revenge that it causes him to act impulsively. There are many times when wrestling adds pressure to me causing me to act abruptly. Hamlet often struggles with questions of life that cannot be answered with certainty and that applies to me as well. In the tragic play, Hamlet died avenging his father. From this moment on, I came to a conclusion for myself that life should be lived fully. I have thought that Hamlet and I are alike, but I am not living to avenge, I am living to achieve my future goals and succeed in life.

The analysis of the paintings, especially the Landscape with the Fall of Icarus which I enjoyed the most, was very exiting. The reason I enjoy these assignment is because there is no right or wrong answer. It allows me to be creative and play around with the colors, symbols, and figures in the artwork or literature. The paintings are viability more appealing than a paper with just questions and tasks that I must do, the assignments in school are basically bland, paper with words. However, looking at paper with color and images help me to focus better on the task, since it is more eye appealing my eyes will set my mind to finish the assignments. Out of all the assignments in class I enjoyed those with paintings the most.

Overall, I have learned a lot from being in Mr. Gallagher's class. I have improved my writing skills which will be invaluable to me in the future. I have also learned to see works of arts which includes paintings and literature in a different light. Before, I would just stare blankly at works of art but now I have gain some insight into how to see them as more than just images but as thoughts and ideas expressed through colors, shadings, images, and symbols that all add into the theme of the work. The abilities that I have learned in the class will carry forward into my college life. I enjoyed being in Mr. Gallagher's class even though I do not show much excitement during class, but I did enjoy it and I will miss the class when I am gone on internship.

Midterm Open Response

The narrator of the book characterize Susan ward's attitude of Milton as it being a remarkable place of peace and security. This feeling is continues throughout the passage. These feelings are biggest in paragraph's four. When she is first talking about the town of Milton and then when she is telling us how there wasn't another place as good as Milton for her.
In paragraph 4 the narrator characterize Susan's attitude as being a remarkable place by telling us that "how wrong those women in San Francisco had been convinced that their old homes did not welcome them on their return. The Narrator says that when Susan friend went home their town was not as good to them as Milton was to her then again the narrator tells us that “she was sunk in her affection for home. Even the sighs of mutability that sometimes jolt she loves this town even the sighs of change give her a rush.

Red Shift ( Blank poem)

Here I am at 8:15 P.M. diesel built frame.
The air is scented with the smell of hard work.
On the way to success, there's a street scape.
I drink the milk which strengthens your bones and teeth to have a healthy body,
and to stand in the streets looks the next best thing for me.
I’m 5’11, 150 pounds.
It’s how big your heart is that determines your size.
The huddle is formed on me.
I’ve grown through it, then as the team sits on Gatorade, now almost two years ago, standing, watching the game, and telling.
Who would’ve thought that I’d be here.
Nothing thought of me.
Everything gave to be a competitor.
Up in the stands, they root.
Now more than ever before, not that little freshman who is slow and un-athletic, but a senior in a plastic padded coat.
Eyes penetrating through my opponent’s soul, and he is scared.
Into position I go, not that kid I thought I was, but a teen that is going to have to go.
Careening into a field of defenders so to distract and to farther our positions.
Imagine so to go.
Not that man who from very first meeting I would never and never thought I could be.
Into the game, and so demanded to play and who will never leave me not for a moment, nor for an hour, nor even for an eternity which is only our human lot and means.
Only our human lot and means and that’s that.
I am a beast.
When will I die?
I will never die.
I will live to be the best.
And I will never go away.
And you will never escape from me.
Who am always and only a player, despite this game.
Despite who lives only to play.
I am only a kid.
And I am about to graduate.
I didn’t want this to end.
So soon I came into your life for the experience of a lifetime.
This is a fate, nevertheless, I love this game.
The world, a playing field,
And I will play to the end

The Stranger Class Discussion

Last week in class we started the class discussion on the book The Stranger. I was really impressed on the class’s different points of view. Many of the topic’s bought up in class were very interesting, but two things that caught my eye were the sun being a symbol for monsieur Meursault emotions. Another thing that was brought up that didn’t grab my attention while I was reading the book was how easy that Monsieur Meursault became friends with people.
In the book The Stranger by Albert campus, “campus makes Monsieur Meursault an emotionless character but to make up he makes Meursault talks about the sun to express his feelings”(said by Ronald Do). A great example of this in the book is page 58-58 when Meursault and the Arab are about to get in a conflict the passage reads “the sun was starting to burn my cheeks, and I could feel drops of sweat gathering in my eyebrows. The sun was the same as it had been the day I’d buried Maman, and like then, my forehead especially was hurting me, all the veins in it throbbing under the skin. It was this burning, which I couldn’t stand anymore, that made me move forward. I knew that it was stupid, that I wouldn’t get the sun off me by stepping forward. But I took a step, one step forward. And this time, without getting up, the Arab drew his knife and held it up to me in the sun. The light shot off the steel and it was like a long flashing blade cutting at my forehead.” The sun in this passage is expressing feelings Meursault towards his situation and the Arab. The reason that I agree with Ronald is because before something happens to Meuresault he starts to talk about the sun.

Another good point that was brought up in class was how Meursault becomes friends with people easy like Redmond who he just met and knows how a short fuse and just beat his girlfriend half to death and ask if Meursault want to be friends with him and Meursalut said sure it doesn’t bother him. I think that if meursault made better choice about his friends then he wouldn’t have got arrested and put in jail

Bruegel Blog a picture is wroth a thousand words

In Pieter Bruegel’s Landscape with the Fall of Icarus, Pieter Bruegel's use a great deal of detail to express Ovid’s story of the young Icarus and his un timing death, due to his own ignorant decision not to listen to his father. The painting is just a realistic piece that perfectly sets the setting of the story of Icarus. Bruegel’s bring his painting to life by using a wide variety of colors to detail his image. He use colors in way that makes you feel like you are there in person watching what is going on as it is happening. The first way that he does this is by making everything that you see in front of you more detail and dark colored than as you look farer away the image becomes less and less detail and more bright colored. The next way that he makes everything seen more realistic is by making the objects that are in front of you more bigger then the ones that are much farer away. The painter puts a lot dark colors to illustrate the death of Icarus but puts in some light colors to show life moving on.

The first thing that caught my eye was the farmer plowing his farm with what seems to me to be a donkey. The donkey is pulling the plow and it seems to be The farm is wearing a gray suspender with a red long sleeve shirt underneath. The painter painted the shirt red as a sign of death. The color red is symbolic to death, blood, and murder. The farmer seems to be forces on what his doing and nothing else. The next that caught my eye was the first ship. The ship was drawn big to because it was close it is also in motion out to sea this known because the sails are expand with wind. The next object that caught my eye was the shepherd who seems to be stirring out in to space also he does not seem to be aware of what’s happening around him like the farmer. The author put him doing this to show him staving up at the Icarus and Daedalus as if they were gods . There are 20 sheep’s that are white, 2 that are gray and 1dog the painter, puts in the sheep’s, and the dog to add to the environment. The next part of the picture that caught my eye was a island with a castle or a rock cave. I believe this to be the island that Icarus and his father were exile to. The reason that I believe this to be the island that they were banished to is because the painter went to a lot of trouble to make it look like dark unforgiving place. The next thing that caught my eye was the fading image of a beautiful city in the far up left hand corner this must have been the city that Daedalus and Icarus were banished from. Pieter Bruegel makes you believe this because he painted the city in light vibrant colors so that it feels like that city was perfect. The thing that slip my eye was the drawn of Icarus himself drowning. The only reason that I saw this man drowning is because I look up what the painting was about and it was mentioned. Next to the drowning Icarus is a men who seems to be fishing and does not noticed the men that is right in front of him is drowning. These are the three people that are mentioned in the story of Deadalus and Icarus. The next thing that capture my eye was the sun in the story it is said that icarus few up toward the sun which is why his wax wings melted but the sun is setting. The next thing that caught my eye was the a little drawn of a bird near the island that has a rock castle it is a drawn of a crow which relates to death. Another that I noticed is the if you look close next to Icarus and the fisher man there is a turtle in the water. The last then that eye noticed was how the place where Icarus is drown is the darkest place on the whole piece of paper.

The thing that vex me the most about this painting was the fact that even though it was supposed to about the story of Icarus. The title of the painting is Landscape with the Fall of Icarus c. 1558 Oil on canvas. The painter try to focus more on the landscape more then the fall Icarus. The fall of Icarus is just the inspiration for the painting it self that was why Icarus is shown but not in great detail. The story itself is what the paint was focus on more of what happen throughout the book rather then how Icarus died. He personifies nature to give the painting a more lively feel.

Bruegel, Pieter Landscape with the Fall of Icarus c. 1558 Oil on canvas is a outstanding piece of work it gives you close up look at what the story is going on about or in other words it paints the vision that is in your head piece by piece. I think that the painter painted this painting to let people know how he saw the story.

The painting itself is basically what I saw the story as. From Daedalus being banished from this incredible city that he longs for. which the painter painted perfectly because even I wanted to go there because of the beautiful colors. Also the painter made the littles things the biggest on the canvas. For example he made the farmer the Shepard and the fisherman the biggest things on the canvas when they had the littlest to do with the story of Icarus. The thing that I liked the most from this painting was how the painter did not focus Icarus died but rather how he lived

The Corn harvest

Mario R.
Prd.5
10/15/07
“The Corn Harvest”-
The Irony of a summer’s Harvest
In W. Carlos William’s poem, “The Corn Harvest”, Williams the mature differences between an inexperienced youth and experienced old age to convey an ironic interpretation of a summer’s harvest. Williams, who relies on the reader’s prior associations with golden harvests and golden summers as times to gather and embrace unity, purposely appears to separate the characters of his poem to create a distinction between youth and experience, contradicting the very essence of a harvest.
The author introduces the reader to the perspective of a young boy laborer in the first four stanzas of the poem. William’s writes: “Summer”(Williams 1)! In his use of exclamation, Williams’s creates a mood of excitement and vigor which immediately parallels the character of the boy, as he is relaxed and inattentive, “sprawled” (9) “sleeping"(10). To emphasis these lazy actions, Williams uses informal, standard diction in the form of short one lined sentences or words, such as the adjectives “sprawled” or “relaxed”. The short sentences or one-lined words put emphasis solely on that word, applying a stronger meaning to it. The author further describes him as “a young reaper”, which implies a supernatural and negative connotation, and in western society, usually associated with death and fatality. In other words he is hurting the rest of the harvesters. Another way that this can be taken is that w. Carlos Williams is having that the old men are being treated as machines so they are use to it but he is still young. Unlike other laborers in the fields, he is apathetic and solitary. He does not fulfill the essence of a harvest, as he chooses to remain alone and under a single solitary tree.
Much like the tree in the portrait, which separates the youth from his elders, Williams separates his poem in half, with one perspective on the boy then switching to the women elders. With the inclusion of gender differences, in addition to the obvious age differences, Williams creates from the portrait a clear distance between the characters. Williams writes: “whose shade carelessly he does not share/ the resting center of their workaday world”(Williams 19-24). The author indicates the absence of unity within the poem by establishing that he does not share their world. They are in the shade, which contradicts the significance of the sunlight of summer and also where the boy has chosen to rest.
Summer, as stated in exclamation by the author, is a time of excitement and is normally associated with a gathering, much like the harvest indicates. This association, however, is broken in the poem, as distance is created at a time where unity must reign supreme. Nearing the end of this poem, this introductory choice of words just seems sarcastic with so much detachment in the poem between humans, and the references to reapers and shade. To further assert this seasonal irony, Williams also incorporates subtle biblical allusions in his poem. For example, in his poem Williams incorporates the symbol of a lone tree under which different ages are separated. This tree could very well be interpreted as the tree of wisdom, in nonetheless; the Garden of Eden which overall adds to the irony of the perfect summer’s harvest by accentuating that this heavenly paradise will come to an end for the harvesters.
W. Carlos Williams’s purpose of writing this poem is to portray the ignorance’s of youth. The evidence that show this is in the first stance when he say’s the painting is organized/about a young // reaper. In other words the painting is about a young men and haves not yet grown in to mature he believe. This is said through everything that is written from the young boy taking a “noonday rest” (5) all the way to the “resting center of their workday world”. Something I thought was weird was that though out the whole poem there are no punitions it’s just a straight read it kind looks like he didn’t write it but more like when he saw the panting he made notes about it.

The plum plum pickers

In the story of plum plum pickers Manuel is a hard working farmer/slave who feels that the day drag on in a repeating routine. One of the reason that he believes this is because he is not very fond of his boss Roberto Morales who is a former slave but now takes advantage of his workers by taking a percentage of their pay for him self and Manuel is fad up with it. The author Raymond barrio purpose of the story the plum plum a picker is to show the morals of men. Barrio shows how some people do all the work and others wreak all the awards. Barrio does this though imagery, word context, and one word sentence. He shows the difference between two men one Roberto Morales and Manuel. Roberto is a former slave who was made boss by he’s employer and now takes advantage of his former co-workers.

The first way that barrio shows the morals of men is though imagery were he haves Manuel doing hard work and then he haves Roberto Morales doing nothing and takes credit for there work and also taking there money. In the 2nd paragraph after lunch Manuel gets back to work.
“The endlessly unending piling up of bucket upon box upon crate upon stack upon rack upon mound upon mountain.” In this passage Manuel is working hard for his pay even though he dislikes it. Then on the second page barrio shows Morales and his lack of morals trying to go against his word. “now announced Morales at last , un his friendliest tone. Now I must take two cents from every bucket… you promise to take nothing Manuel heard himself saying. Everyone turned in astonishment.” Barrio place this passage in to show the lack of morals that Morales have and also to show Manuel stick up for his morals.
Throughout the story Barrio use and variety of words to express manuals feeling about what is going on at that pacific moment. For instance when Barrio writes “All wafting through his feverish moments. Tiredness drained his spirit of will. Exhaustion drained his mind. His fingers burned. His arms flailed the innocent trees.” In this passage barrio use a beautiful word choice to explain what Manuel is feeling. Barrio is explaining the exhaustion of a hard days work. The heat from the sun and the back aching work he tells the audience of fever moments that his skin starts to burn and how he is wavering away the trees away to nothing. Then right after that Manuel faints and “Roberto happened and shook his head. “whatsamatter, can’t you see straight, pendejo.” In this passage barrio shows how Morales lacks morals.
Barrio uses one word sentence to indicate the differences between Manuel and Morales morals. For instance in the first paragraph he Manuel says “Animal.” In writing this word in this paragraph he lets people know that he works like an animal. Then later he haves Morales saying palms up. Which shows both of their morales one who works hard another who just wreaks the awards.

The last thing that he does is choice there names to show the morals of men he names Manuel, Manuel as in manual labor and morales is for moral-less for lack of morals. So these are the reason why I believe that the barrio purpose is two show the morals of men.

Act 2 sence 1 of hamlet Rosencrantz and Guildenstren

In the performance by player 1 can be seen as a forshadowing of events that are yet to come. I believe that hamlet picks this for the player to perfomer to performer because he is tring to under what he is going to do and what he will do he likes because this play is telling hamlet story for him.


To being, I will tell you the background of the story of Pyrrhus. Pyrrhus is the son of Achilles, who was killed by Paris during the Trojan war. Pyrrhus wants vengeance for his father's death. Since Paris is already dead, he seeks out his family--including Paris' father, Priam. So Pyrrhus is basically a spitting image of Hamlet--a son seeking vengeance for his father's death.

Anon he finds him,
Striking too short at Greeks: his antique sword,
Rebellious to his arm, lies where it falls,
Repugnant to command: unequal match'd,
Pyrrhus at Priam drives; in rage strikes wide;
But with the whiff and wind of his fell sword
The unnerved father falls. Then senseless Ilium,
Seeming to feel this blow, with flaming top
Stoops to his base; and with a hideous crash
Takes prisoner Pyrrhus' ear: for lo! his sword,
Which was declining on the milky head
Of reverend Priam, seem'd i' the air to stick:
So, as a painted tyrant, Pyrrhus stood;
And, like a neutral to his will and matter,
Did nothing.(lines 455-467)

Pyrrhus has his sword poised to kill Priam. when for some reason, he hesitates--frozen for a moment. This hesitation could be a symbol of Hamlet's own hesitation in killing Claudius and seeking his own revenge for the murder of his father, Old Hamlet. Eventually Pyrrhus acts and take his vengeance, and mercilessly kills Priam--hacking him into little bits. And it shows that Pyrrhus is a vicious sort. He is far less noble than his father, Achilles, who could show mercy. In these scene, reminds the reader of Claudius, who shows no mercy when it comes to getting what he wants. He kills his own brother for the crown and queen. He plots Hamlet's death when Hamlet seems a threat to him. This merciless hacking away at the corpse of Priam could also be a foreshadowing of the ultimate carnage that will result from Hamlet's vengeance.

While reading thought the others blogs wanted to comment on Linda from period 6 when she says that this is hamlet’s imagination and ongoing process toward insanity. I agree that hamlet is going crazy. But I also believe that he is genius because he is planning his vengeance by using someone else plan.

College Essay

“The real disgrace of poverty is not in owning to the fact but in declining to struggle against It”

-Thucydides (c. 460 BC- c.395 BC), ancient Greek historian.

We see a person on the corner begging for money and we would walk by that person as if we never saw them. A person comes to our car window asking for change and before he gets to the car there we roll up the car window. Then we see an advertisement to send money to a starving kid in another country and we would send them money. What makes that starving kid in another country different from the starving kid on the corner? Poverty is a growing problem in the United States. Poverty is the root of many other problems. For instance, being poor leads to malnourishment, health problems, and desperate measures such as crime. Furthermore, poverty breeds more poverty; it is a vicious cycle. People want to have a good life and go to school to make their lives better, but they cannot do that until their basic physical needs are met. The reason that I know is due to the fact that I myself face these problems, and it is hard to focus in school when you have a problem like poverty at home, I myself in tend to get college education and break free from the chains of poverty.

Ever since I was a small child, I have to face the problem of poverty. Neither of my parents had graduated form high school. I can tell you many stories like the time when my family lost our apartment and had to move into a three family shelter or when we had to go to a food pantry because we could not afford groceries. Experiences like these have had a large influence on my life for better or for worse.

Poverty is a local nationally, and worldwide problem. It is everywhere from California to china. Nationally, poverty is at a world new level. We, the “Greatest Nation in the World,” have millions of people without health care and homeless shelters that are over capacitated. Locally, it hits homes where there is no electricity or food in the refrigerator and kids do not have their parents because they are working all the time to support their four children. When you do not have electricity or food in your house, you tend not to want to be there, so you turn to your friends and sometimes you get caught you with the wrong people and start to do drugs and join gangs. When you have nothing to do at your house you find other ways to keep yourself occupied. Personally, I turned to sports such as football, wrestling and baseball to keep my mind off the troubles of home, but some of my close friends did not do the same--they turned to drugs, gangs, and crime, and I have seen the devastating effects of their choices. I will not let happen to me; I will get an education and break the cycle of poverty in my family.

What does poverty mean to me? It means hard times. The issues of poverty have to be addressed in our families and communities. People are in a rush to go to other countries to help people thousands of miles away, when the same problems exist in our neighborhoods. I believe that we have to fight the war on poverty at home first before doing it anywhere else. I do not yet how to tackle this problem, but that is why I am seeking an education.

Overall, poverty has not ruined my life but, in fact, made it better. The reason that I see it this way is due to the fact that is has made me strong. I am determined to create a better life for myself and my family through education and hard work. Taking into the account the wise words of Thucydides, I am not ashamed to admit the poverty in my own life, but I would be ashamed if I did not do something about it.

Hamlet Soliloquy Act 3:1

to be or not to be that is the question?

Out of the three movies I feel like the best performance of hamlet’s soliloquy in act 3 scene 1 to be or not to be was giving by Kenneth Branagh. The reason behind my choice is that I feel that hamlet talking into the mirror puts more action behind his words. The talking to the mirror seems to me a refection. He reflects on his thoughts to see what will be his next step in his great plan for vengeance.

“To be or not to be, that is the question: Whether ‘tis nobler to suffer; the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune; or to take arms against a sea of troubles; And by opposing, end them.” (81 lines 55-59) these are the words spoken by hamlet as he slow walks towards a mirror that is place in a room that is surrounded with mirrors which gives the feeling of emptiness. Hamlet asks himself in this passage if everything that he is doing is wroth anything at all is there more pride in dealing with the heartache, the pain, and the suffering then there is to end it all. The mirror is just a way to ask the only person that hamlet trust and that’s himself.

Branagh delivery of the speech is not a loud screaming but a soft whisper tone which gives the illusion that hamlet is talking to himself it is a suspense builder. There could not have been a better person to have played hamlet because Branagh resembles hamlet and he portrays Shakespeare work the way that it seem to have been meant to be done. I believe that the tone of the play is suppose to be a suicidal but it’s more of question of, if I kill myself then would everything be easier rather then I going to kill myself. Which just add to the suspense of the story what will happen if he kill himself?

Which hamlet describes in the next few lines “To die, to sleep --; No more, and by a sleep to say we end; the heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks; that flesh is heir to; ‘tis a consummation; devoutly to be wished. To sleep, perchance to dream – ay there’s the rub; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come ;”( 82 lines 62-68) In these lines hamlet compare death to sleep saying that they are the same but death is end for it all sleep only prolongs it. He also asks himself what happens after death do you dream, and if you do what do you dream of. To die would be an achievement to hamlet it would end all that he haves to deal with. This version of the soliloquy best fits because it shows how hamlet is thinking; it shows him being in a really deep thought.

The next reason that this was the best version of the soliloquy was because later on in the play when hamlet starts to talk about why we would choose to work hard, and dread life over just dieing. We are scary of death and are fear of death makes us cowards is the answer giving by hamlet. (Lines 79 to 90) during these lines hamlet wipes out his sword and soft music starts to play and the music starts to grow as his tone does. The sword represents his thoughts about himself and how he does not have the will to care out of his vengeance because of his fear of what will happen after death. The music raises the tone of the soliloquy from soft and quite to an angry tone where he starts to hate on himself for not doing what he is suppose to do yet.
In conclusion I believe that the third version of hamlet soliloquy was the best because of Branagh acting level was amazing, also he looks like a hamlet to me. Finally the music and sword help to bring the whole soliloquy together as for the mirror I don’t believe it wouldn’t have been as good if he was talking to mid-air as is in the other versions.

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