Journal #24: Finals preparation

There are many ways that one can prepare for finals.  First of all, you need to gather all materials needed in an organized matter.  You must organize it by class and by importance of information.  For example,  you can organize it according to date, importance, or the order on your study guide.  After all of the information is organized, you must get to work!  You should work on definitions, important facts, and answer example questions from previous homework or tests.  This will help a lot because your final exam will most likely be composed of previous test questions and homework questions.  Some other tips are writing definitions over and over until you remember them perfectly, you can make note cards, or you can make a silly song out of the information you need to know in order to remember it.  Another tip is writing out information in different colored pen or highlighting over your information. This will most likely help you remember information due to the many colors.  Color coated things help trigger the memory and also help the recording of information.  Another way to study for exams is asking your teacher what you should study more and what you do not need to study for your exam.  This will narrow down the topics of the semester and it should help with managing your time on what is most important to know.  You can learn about what you need help with.  Also, you should come before school or stay after school if you have any questions guarding the materials.  This will help you so much in preparation for your final exam.  You will learn all that is necessary and I am sure your teacher will tell you much of the information needed to do well on the exam.  I know that I will do all of these things when preparing for my final because I would love to have straight A's forever and ever.  I would really like to be an awesome student until I graduate with many honors.

Journal #23: Self- Sufficient

It is important to be self-sufficient, especially in high school.  You need to be able to take responsibility for your classes, homework, and other responsibilities.  In class, you must pay attention and learn the lessons you must know in order to complete latter homework.  This is a self- sufficient time in your life.  You must rely on yourself, and only yourself, to learn and school and make yourself pay attention.  You also must rely on yourself to do your homework as well.  You must first learn, then you must look back at the information and retrieve it from your memory.  This is a responsibility to learn in your life and you have to be self sufficient to process this important aspect of school.  Also, there are many other aspects of life in which you must be self-sufficient in.  When you learn to drive, you rely on yourself to keep others on the road safe.  You must make driving decisions yourself while you drive.  This is a self-sufficient process.  Also, going to college involves much of the previous self-sufficient processes. One must rely on themselves when trying to live on their own.  not only are they living alone, but they are also trying to keep up responsibilities.  This is a self-relying time in one's life.  Also, one must be self reliant because in the end, it will only be you.  You may have many friends in the world, but at one point in your life, you will be alone.  I know that is sad to think about, but it is an unfortunate truth.  Self sufficiency is a must need trait and quality one must contain in their life.  You need to be self sufficient in order to get through high school and college, and also in your future workplace.  Your peers and boss will expect things from you on time and well done.  If you cannot do this, you will be unsuccessful in your life and will never know how to function properly on your own.

Reaction to Kateb's Analysis of Self Reliance

After reading "Self Reliance" and Kateb's reaction to Emersons writing, the meaning of the passage can be better understood.  Kateb breaks down the writings of Emerson and it helps the reader learn of Emerson's point of views and opinions from this passage.  

"Emerson thinks that every important value, principle, idea (or derivative practice or institution) is permanently indispensable for life, even though any may be at odds with any other."(Kateb paragraph 7).

I agree with Kateb in this quote because that is a great point on Emerson's point on writing this essay.  He wanted to show that he values many virtues and believes each is important to life.  His opinions on important values or ideas show that he thinks they are valuable to life.  Kateb also says that he has important romanticism values and styles when writing.  Kateb shoes a very good understanding of Emersons points and can analyze it in a way to where readers can understand as well.   It is important to read this analysis by Kateb because it helps one to understand Emerson's writings.  

"Infancy conforms to nobody: all conform to it, so that one babe commonly makes four or five out of the adults who prattle and play to it. "(Emerson paragraph 5).

This is a quote from Emerson and it shows a romanticism quality of non-conformity. This is such a good quality to point out when looking at a romanticism writing because that is a value of these romanticism writers.  Emerson values that nobody conforms and that infancy does not last because you grow as a person.    Self reliance is important because it will encourage you to be more of your own person rather than conform to how others want you to be.  He also takes a look at virtues.

"Virtues are, in the popular estimate, rather the exception than the rule. There is the man and his virtues. Men do what is called a good action, as some piece of courage or charity, much as they would pay a fine in expiation of daily non-appearance on parade. Their works are done as an apology or extenuation of their living in the world, — as invalids and the insane pay a high board. Their virtues are penances. I do not wish to expiate, but to live. My life is for itself and not for a spectacle. "(Emerson).

This quote from Emerson also shows romanticism values.  Also, it shows that he has virtues, but lives his life in his own way.  He would rather not just have virtues to just have penances.  He values life and he thinks that it changes day to day and he needs to change in order to live and not expiate his life.  His life is for itself, and not for a spectacle.  This means that he is not living just for someone else's entertainment.  He is living for himself and will embrace and enjoy himself.  Self - reliance shines through in this aspect because he is making his life great in his own way.  He is self relying on making his life a great life for him and nobody else.

Journal #22: Snow

Snow is beautiful and it makes me very happy.  I have been patiently waiting for snow this year.  Yet, it is December and it was seventy degrees last week.  Snow is a part of my life because I like it so much.  I have prepared a little anagram for it.  S is for sledding.  I love sledding down hills and enjoying myself.  It is one of my important childhood activities, so I try to sled each year to relive my childhood loves.  Sometime, I can only sled at my house, which is very dangerous.  I sled down this hill on the side of my yard, but my yard is made up of trees.  One can assume that I have to try and dodge trees while I sled, and I often fail to dodge some.  This is why it is dangerous, but it is also what makes it awesome and fun.  N is for Nippy.  Nippy means that is really cold.  It has to be thirty-two and below for rain to freeze, therefore, to be able to have snow.  Also, when you are playing in snow, you get so freezing you think you get frostbite.  This word reminds me of snow and snow days.  O is for Oooh pretty!  This is my favorite part of the anagram because it is the most true about snow.  This is the first thing I think of when I see a fresh coat of snow on the ground.  It is break-taking to see the silent beauty of untouched snow.  W is for wise.  I think that snow is wise because it shows something that has been on Earth for a long time.  Snow teaches us to be wise when driving, to be safe when walking on ice, and to be be wise with your  choices.  Snow is what makes winter a good season.  A season without snow means that everyone is so sad and bored of cold weather with no positive consequence.  Snow makes Illinois awesome.

Journal #21: Quote from Emerson

"There is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better, for worse, as his portion; that though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till." (Emerson, "Self-Reliance").

This quotation makes me think about a time in everyone's life when they have a revelation. They realize that they should be happy and make the most of what they have in their life, because they realize envy is ignorance.  A man should not envy things because he really does not know what it is like to have those things and that those things will not make him happy.  Also it is showing that every person should know that material things will not make them happy.  Also, imitation is suicide because you should try to be an individual.   One must be themselves because the world is a scary place and if people are not true to themselves than they are going to be unhappy.  They will lose site of what is really important.  This quote speaks to the very threads of my soul.  It is gorgeous and makes me think that our lives are more important than some make them out to be.  A life of conformity will be a sad one according to this quote.  The universe is full of good if you embrace it and live the way you should-as an individual. It also says that one cannot grow until he plants his corn in a plot of ground in which he makes for himself.  To me, this means that one must first have a base to build their life and personality on.  Therefore, you must first figure out who you are and then you must grow and keep adding to your personality.