Peake’s 10’s Grade English Blog

1. Why do you think the State, the Fed, your teacher wants you to take the WASL? I think the state wants us to take the WASL so they can measure how teachers are doing, in terms of teaching their students the subjects they need to know. I think the Fed wants us to take the WASL so they know what subjects need the most help in being taught and so they can help the teachers design a better teaching plan so their students can meet state standard in academic subjects. Our teachers want us to take the WASL because it is a requirement of the state and for graduation. Many teacher’s don’t like the WASL though, but it does help them to know how well their students are doing and what they need to improve on teaching-wise.
2. What are the good aspects and not so good aspects of the WASL? Good aspects of the WASL include that it lets the state know how students do in each subject and it let’s the state know if students are meeting minimum academic standard in learning. Bad aspects of the WASL is that it ONLY measures minimum learning standards of the students, not their highest potential in learning. It also is bad for the students that don’t take tests well, especially in subjects such as math. They also ask questions that are worded poorly. Some of the questions on the WASL don’t make much sense and you wonder what they are asking you to do.
3. What do you think the WASL is supposed to accomplish and if we didn’t have the WASL, what would be the best way to accomplish these things? I think the WASL is supposed to allow educators to get an idea of how students are learning and if they are meeting state standard. I think if we didn’t have WASL we should accomplish these tasks by periodically sending portfolios of academic learning students have completed to the school board or where-ever the WASL goes, much like the portfolios Shorewood has already. This would show the state and other teachers how well students are doing in Washington State schools.

1. Why didn’t Beneatha want to be a doctor anymore?

Beneatha didn’t want to be a doctor anymore because she stopped caring about people and how their body’s hurt.

2. How did Asagai define “idealists” and “realists”?

An idealist is when you look at things from the point of view of a child, a person who keeps following their dreams. A realist is  a person who only sees the circle.

3. What does Asagai ask Beneatha to do?

He asks her to come live with him in Africa.

4. What fault does Mama find with herself?

Mama found out she aims her goals too high all the time.

5. What solution does Walter have?

Walter’s solution is to invest the mone into buying a liquor store.

6. Why didn’t Walter take the money Lindner offered?

Walter didn’t take the money because they have always earned their own way in life and didn’t need any financial help.

7.  What metaphorical significance does the small plant have for the Youngers?

The small plant signifies the struggles their family has been through, and it’s become a part of them and also signifies strength.

Well, I just can’t believe that woman would leave the scene without leaving her number for me to call. That is just so irresponisible of them. First of all, the car those people drove was absolutely atrosous. Black with flames on it. Now, I know y’all think those fancy painted cars are so cool these days but really. The sight of it. All of a sudden it just came speeding toward me at about 60 mph down the wrong side of the road. Next thing I know, my car’s totaled  and that woman just gets out of her car, completely fine, and runs away just as fast as she could. I called the cops right away of course. In fact, they just arrived she bout one minute ago. ..I just told them what happened and they’re sending one of them tow trucks to pick up my car. They took the license plate number of that womans truck and plan to catch up with her and get her to pay for the damage. Galee I should think she should, after all it was her fault. Hope she gets what she deserves.

Walter wants to invest the 10,000 dollars that the family got from his father’s death into a liquor store buisness with his partners Willy and Bobo. Yet, he faces problems with drinking, which makes it difficult for him to take command and get what he wants. The family dosen’t have a lot of trust in him, until Mama gives him the oppurtunity to take command of the household and invest that money in the bank. His sister Beneatha wants to become a doctor and needs some of that money to pay tuition. Also, the family all wants a house of their own. When the oppurtunity arises because of the money from that check, Mama goes and buys them a house in a white neighborhood. They face diffuculty because of prejudice against blacks and segregation though, and the “Welcoming Committee” isn’t welcoming. They are denyed the house. Then they find out that Walter didn’t invest the check in the bank at all and their dreams are dashed.

Yet at the end of the movie, the “Welcoming Committee” changes it’s ways and the family is granted the house. Mama’s dream is achieved, of owning a house of her own. Beneatha is asked by Joeseph to move to Africa and become a doctor, so her dream has a possibilty of coming true again. Walter however does not get that Liqour Store he’d been planning of starting up though.

This movie suggests people can always get ahead if they want it badly enough and if they work things out with others peacefully, and don’t give up.

1. Why did the author think the U of Chicago test revealed that he was racist?  Is he right?

The author thought the U of Chicago test revealed that he was racist because he shot at the black gunmen a few seconds faster than when shooting at the white gunmen during the test. I’m not sure you could consider anyone or yourself racist just from a test like that. I think the author may be right in some respects, but I think being racist encompasses how you act toward other races  and your attidtude toward them on a day-to-day basis more than basing  the decision off an on-line game.

2. Do these tests measure “unconscious” racism?  Why do you think so?

I agree that these tests measure unconcious racism because in the back of your head your probably always identifying people that are of a different race than you, and to automatically shoot at someone faster who’s of a different race, than automatically shooting at someone faster who’s of your own race does measure unconcious or subconcious racism to a degree.

3. Why does the author think that sexism may be harder to fight than racism?  What research suggests this?

The author thinks that sexism may be harder to fight than racism because in certain tests conducted like putting all blacks and whites who are males and females in jerseys and having people look at photos of them, people usually remembered what gender the people were in the photograph more than what race they were. Also, women are misconccepted as friendly and warm usually, and a women who is tougher is viewed as colder. When people people think these thoughts about women, we are stereotyping women and being unconciously sexist toward them. We catagorize males or females especially, with thoughts and feelings toward them that may be viewing them in an untrue way; making gender differences harder to overcome.

4. Paraphrase this quote: The challenge for women competing in politics or business is less misogyny than unconscious sexism: Americans don’t hate women, but they do frequently stereotype them as warm and friendly, creating a mismatch with the stereotype we hold of leaders as tough and strong.

Americans don’t dislike women but we do stereotype them as people who aren’t as strong of leaders as men are, because of the way we view them to be (warm and friendly). We associate being a leader with having a stonger and tougher outlook, opposite of what be regard women to be, therefore women in politics face more of a challenge to succeed in that field, than men do.

5. What is the real problem women face according to the author?  What do you think?

The real problem women face according to the author is being viewed as both a nice caring person and as being competent at the same time. I think that is true also. It’s sort of like a women is either not as smart as a man but is still nice, or the women is competent but is not a very nice person.

6.  How can this problem be confronted according to the author?  What do you think?

The author thinks this problem can be confronted is we open our minds to what women are really like, not just in a national viewpoint but them as a person too, and if we forget about the biases that unconciously exist in our minds.

Everybody’s DSP was really good. I think the music really made the videos better like with the DSP about steriods and during the fight scene. I think the funniest one was the DSP Emily’s group made, and it was also well made in terms of paper figures on a picture background. Making this project was fun and i really like working with I-Movie, but we should have had more time to work on the final presentation expecially since not many people know how to work with I-Movie. I’ve used it before, but to get a really good movie out of it you need a few days to work on the final presentation. Our group was kinda of time contrained since we only had 3 members and we commbined still pictures, audio, and video in ours. I think this was a good project overall though. Each group should have explained how our presentation demonstrated greed and ambition thought since sometimes, like with ours it didn’t feel like it came across clearly unless you understand the story.

Race in our school doesn’t feel like a huge problem, but it always remind me of segregation in the 60’s and the civil rights movement. I think about prejudice against African Americans by whites and also about Patrice Lumumba. Lots of times it’s like what the stereotypes are for every race, white, asian, african. I think race will get better with time as people learn to accept others mor e and more and also once they become adults. The experience of living in America is probably different depending on the color of your skin, but it dosen’t seem like as big an issue as it used to be. America seems pretty accepting of everyone in a general aspect. My experience of America and interacting with people of different race is good.

DIGITAL STORY TELLING PROJECT

-Grandma Rose died of tuberclulosis
-orphans need to money to live
-decide to go to northern Alaska to the Yukon Territory to mine for gold during Klondike Gold Rush
-survive the journey by living off the land while traveling along the coast
-hear about how rich they can become mining for gold from Mr. Maddox – family friend
-when they reach his mercantile he greets them warmly and welcomes them to stay with him above the store while mining
-when they mine for gold they find lots and bring it in to weigh it and get payed
-when they get there Mr. Maddox is excited by their find but he tells them its fools gold.
-he buys it from them for a low price
-this keeps happening for 3 weeks
-kids keep moving farther up the river looking for more mining locations
-they stay there for 2 months and they have collected 100 dollars to buy some land of their own by selling their gold to him
-(*at the price of fool’s gold – not at the price they would have had with real gold)
-they arrive at the store just as the blizzard sets in….. realizes he’s not there
-a note on the counter says that he was headed off to ____, the nearest town
-they try to head out in search of him in the storm but the snow, wind and the temperature make it impossible for them to leave the store
-they wait out the blizzard
-they snowshoe I the direction of the town
-they begin to get worried when they see mother grizzly bear tracks ahead of them (mother bear out of hibernation=BAD)
-they hear someone screaming
-find mr Maddox attacked by the bear
-take him to the doctors and he loses consiousness
-when they lie him down on the table, the gold drops out of his pocket
-spills on the floor
-sherrif comes in just at that moment, and asks what happens then sees the gold  realizes that’s real gold after they tell him its fools gold
-he tells kids its real gold
-they show him the money he paid them
-next day the girl is crying and mr Maddox hears her (after waking up a minute before)
-he asks what happened to make her cry
-she responds with “I don’t know – you tell me”
-mr Maddox gets sent to jail

Jimi Hendrix:When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

I agree with quote. For one thing, if people always disagree and hate each other and fight huge wars with each other like WW2 and Iraq War for two examples, the world will never be peaceful. People are always wanting power over each other and competing to get it. If people learned power dosen’t count as much as it’s made out to be when controlling people and running a gov. for example, the world will be a much more peaceful place.

Expanding on the example of World War Two, issues between Nazis and Jews, with Hitler trying to get rid of all Jewish people goes to show that if total control and racism/hate towards people continues the world will always be in chaos. Totalitarian power dosen’t work. When different people come to respect each other’s differences and culture and issues and forget about having total power over everything, their country will come to know peace.

Even the whole hippie movement shows the power of love instead of the love of power to a degree. How united the people were shows levels of power wasn’t a concern. Peace and understanding of others were included in that movement, and not the love of power. It is possible.

The Love of Power against the Power of Love, again in the sense of one “race” over another was present in the Civil Rights Movement. During the time when slavery and prejudice against African Americans was big, white people had more control than Africans including over labor, living conditions, priviledges such as learning, social factors and politics. The Civil Rights movement showed when people came to accept and realize that these difference shouldn’t exist and in some cases didn’t exist like the difference of skin color we could come together and love one another without having one group of people get more rights than the next. The Power of Love and acceptance between different races overcame the Love of Power once again and once again the world was a more peaceful place.

Once there was a king who presided over England. He was evil, leaving his country in poverty, debt, and despair. By the end of his reign, thousands had perished and the country was in turmoil. He realized his time was near the end and grew jealous of the person who was next in line to be king. His greed grew and grew until it became overbearing. He decided to move to Scotland and rule the land there. Yet he was faced with one major problem. Scotland already has a king. King George didn’t let that stop him. After he moved to Scotland, leaving behind him a country in desperate need of order, he started right away drawing up a campaign to win over Scotland. He told lies about King Rupert III, saying he was leading the country into a hundred year war with England that would be nearly impossible to get out of. King George told the people of Scotland he would help them get out of that, and have the country rich with trade, money, and in great economic situation within 3 years of his rule. He was so cunning and warm toward the people that they believed him. King Rupert III was kicked out of his castle and was told his rule had come to and end. They saw what was happening to England and didn’t want their country to end up like that. King George was now in power. But by the end of his 3 years promise to his new country, Scotland faced a war torn country exactly like the one King George told them he would help them get out of. Scotland became a country in desperate need of help.

 I think  the first law, Never Outshine the Master, isn’t completely moral. It’s not wrong to make those above you feel more superior, especially in some cultures where it’s custom too;  but I think it’s also good to let your elders know or the “masters” know that you might excel and have more knowledge of some particular thing than they do sometimes. I think even if you display your talents too far  that they probably won’t inspire insecurity, or at least not fear, in the sense that the law is talking about. I think this law may work in some situations , but not others. This law should not work very well, since how can you attain the height of power if you make it so that your elders always feel they know more than you or superior to you ?