Learning to Embrace Learning

            Around the age of 4 and 5 we establish a routine of waking up early, every weekday for around 180 days of the year, and going to school. We construct this schedule for solely the purpose of learning. We learn basic subjects like Math, English, Science, etc. Every year it’s the same routine of learning a higher level in that specific subject. We are taught that these subjects will benefit us. And yes, they will, but only for the purpose of obtaining our degree in a university that has been in our hopes in dreams. That is what we are told to do since the beginning of this routine. Of course, all this is part of my big dream, but where am I going to learn all the real dealings outside of my education; the journey and the obstacles I’m going to face to obtain that degree aren’t going to be easy. Each year as I enter a new grade and have different teachers with different ways of teaching, I’m learning that in between every Math or English or Science lesson, the teacher is a person who is willing to teach us the reality of being outside of school. During my junior year of high school, Dr. Preston, my English teacher, taught us from the complicated novel “Brave New World”, to being safe on the internet, to ways that helps us calm our levels of stress. During this course the diversity of the lessons were a start to my endorsement for learning.

            Being honest coming into this course I expected something much more different than what I was exposed to. As I heard the title “Dr.” in my teacher’s name, I told myself this wasn’t going to be an easy class. I expected so many writing assignments, so many different books to read and tight deadlines. However, my expectations were completely wrong. The level of trust our teacher put into us in this course was insane for a high school teacher. He introduced us to portraying our work online, via a blog that anybody could see. With this came him trusting us to complete assignments on the blog. Speaking for myself, the amount of trust was earned, but not honored enough. I had the responsibility of using this platform to show my intelligence in a way that I know I’m capable of doing. Dr. Preston could’ve easily given us standard vocabulary tests, and reading assignments, but he treated as colleagues and relied on us. I believe my classmates and I took a slight advantage of his trust. We could’ve fully honored it by completing all the assignments that should’ve been on our blog. I’m grasping the possibility that there will be people and teachers, like Dr. Preston, who will give us such opportunity.  As we reach the end of this course, I’m using this as a valuable way to improve my growth in embracing learning and the way it is taught.

            My growth as a student and as a person has changed since the beginning of the year. Dr. Preston introduced us to articles, novels, authors, and true experiences that in a way I can relate to. In the article by Maria Popova she introduced us to John Steinbeck's, “ Good and Evil, the Necessary Contradictions of the Human Nature, and our Ground for Lucid Hope”. This article led me to find the part where it talks about the difficulty of breaking up with a friend. Breaking up with a friend is by far worst than breaking up with a boyfriend. As I lost a friend, it helped my growth as a person. I realized if somebody truly cared, they would be there for you no matter what, just like you were there for them. That is exactly what John Steinbeck talks about in his publishing. “The disloyalty wounded Steinbeck deeply and he distanced himself from his former friend.” The wound was profound, but the lesson was valuable. Nick Carraway from “The Great Gatsby” often served as a confidant for others and I feel like I’m a person who others can rely on. I feel like therefore my best friend and I grew apart, because I put myself in a place that was for her convenience.  Guy Montag, a dynamic character from the novel “Fahrenheit 451” by Ray Bradbury believed he was happy, but as things happened, he realized he was just pretending to be. I feel like I’m a happy person most of the time, but my true happiness is yet to arrive. Not only did this course help me in learning academically, but also in the real life. Having stories and characters to relate to, was a helpful reminder that I could get through anything.

In 6^th grade I was recognized for my writing and it was something I loved doing. As I entered middle school that passion for writing started fading away.   At the beginning of the school year, we learned that we had to write in a journal every day at the start of the period. I hesitated the first few entries, but as time passed I re-grasped writing as a tool to help me cope with my tough times. I even bought my journal to continue writing at home. Writing helps me ease my mind and untangle my thoughts. I never thought I would get into writing again, but I’m thankful I was reintroduced to it. Writing drives me to do better. As I continue in my learning experience, I will use writing every day to help me excel. Part of my hopes and dreams is to write a poetry book based on true experiences, so I’m thankful for the chance to bring this dream back to reality.  

            Plus, there was people who made this growing and learning experience good. Having my cousin, Daniela, in this class was a bonus. Along with Citlally, they made it fun. We would totally get distracted sometimes with all the laughter, but we would always put each other back on track whether it was inside of school or outside. However, at some point each classmate did or said something that made us laugh and enjoy being there at that moment. Along with moments of laughter, there was moments of learning from our classmates with their Masterpiece presentations. Maria’s confidence as she presented the topic of believing god helped me register that confidence is the beginning to it all. Daniela’s awareness for the question of cancer was affirmation that people truly care. Abby’s presentation about art and its connection with people taught me to make the best out something. She made us play Pictionary and the purpose of guessing the drawing brought us together. Evelin’s hope to become a writer and Miguel’s presentation of becoming a successful streamer showed me that dreams can become reality, if you have patience and learn from your mistakes. I think entering this course something we all had in common is that we didn’t know the things we’d be learning.

            This course and year have been nothing but a learning journey. I’ve learned that my teacher came back to high school after teaching at UCLA, because he believes in us. That aside from education there is reality to learn about and that there’s people willing to teach you. I faced challenges and overcame them. My hero journey just began, because I’m just learning myself. Although my journey will be a continuous one, as I learn things endlessly, I aspire to be a hero and mentor for someone else. I hope that I can teach them to embrace learning whether it’s in a math class or going through a breakup, because something valuable can come out of it, if you actually pay attention.

Ignite Talk

My big question is: why are people the way they are? Over break I basically googled my big question and read articles that seemed on the topic. I learned that many things can cause people to be the way they are including: childhood, traumas, experiences, or simply the way their brain works. This can apply to any character from past books we have read in class like F451, The Great Gatsby, and Brave New World. Characters from Brave New World are conditioned to do or not to do certain things. In this case, they are controlled to be someone and to act a certain way. The thing I will do next is ask people questions to see if there's any connections that affects the way they are now as a person. 

Brave New World Ch 18

The savage is making himself throw up because civilization made him
Bernard and Helmholtz leave because they are heading to the island the next morning
Mond refused to let the savage go to the island
The savage arrives at an abandoned light house
He whips himself when he finds himself being happy and recalls him not being the best person to his mother
reporter show up to the light house and he absused them verbally and physically
John whips himself even harder because he thinks of Lenina in a way
Someone who was watching him captures him whipping himself and in a few days so many people show up begging for him to whip himself
Lenina shows up and he rushes towards her and hits her and himself
johns emotions overwhelm the crowd

Brave New World CH 17

Mond shows the savage old forbidden books of God  becuase he says religion is also sacrificed
Mond says God isn't the same as machines, medicines, and happiness but the savage thinks its natural to believe in God
The savage says that God gives reason for denial which Mond says it's not beneficial
Mond and John disagree between society and individuality
Mond says that he believes a person can be shaped to serve society and that society leads everything
John believes that the individual controls all and the society should not try and dominate

Brave New World Ch. 16

They are in Mond's office and each with different emotions. 

After Mond asks him if he likes civilization and he says no, John continues to explain that he's one of the few who read shakespeare. only one of the few because they are taught to consume new things, not old. 

Mond explains the experiment in which the World State filled an island of Cyprus with Alphas, which eventually led into a civil war. 

Leisure increases chances to think which leads to more consumption of soma

Art and science have been renounce because of the stability

Bernard is anxious and fall to his knees and is taken to another room to be calmed down with soma

Brave New World Ch. 15

When John enters the hallway, twins from Delta come out as soon as they call out for Soma.
This makes him remember his mothers death and he believes soma is pure poison that caused her death. This angers the Deltas.
Helmholtz and Bernard rush to the hospital because the Savage is in need of help. the deltas get mad because he is throwing soma out of the window.
Helmholtz and Bernard fight off the Deltas but Helmholtz and the Savage and Bernard are taken into custody.

Brave New World Ch. 14

John gets to the hospital for the dying (Park Lane Hospital).
John is impressed with the sort of technology this hospital but he only wants to see his dying mother.
He starts humming the songs she used to hum.
John keeps his memories with his mother separate from the other memories.
The Delta kids are shocked because they see Linda.
John socks one of the kids and the nurse comes rushing in and all his memories of violent things he did come to his mind.
John is upset because when Linda starts waking up she whispers things about Pope.
When she begins to say something, at the end of that she basically dies. So John starts yelling for help.
He says God over and over again but nobody knows what that is.
A kid asks him if Linda is dead, so he knocks the kid and walks away.

Brave New World Ch. 10

The kids are playing some kind of erotic game
The director meets with Henry about Bernard
He basically says it’s better for Bernard to suffer than to other men suffer because of him
He announces that Bernard is a ‘jerk’
Everyone is disgusted because Linda is old and overweight
(To be continued)

Brave New World Ch.9 Notes

Lenina keeps on taking Soma.
Bernard seems as if he wants to get Linda and John back to London.
He convinces the world controller to let them come back to London and he states it’s a matter of ‘scientific interest’
Warden thinks Bernard is ‘very’ important because he know the World Controller
John thinks he is being let down by Bernard becaus he is no where to be seen, John breaks in and goes through everything until he finds Lenina asleep
He says a quote from Romeo and Juliet
When they talk about the zipper they are talking about how he’s supposed to undress Lenina’s onesie but while he is trying to do that he hears a helicopter sound and knows Bernard is back

Brave New World Ideas

1. Bernard tells John to explain his whole life story because he is having a hard time grappling with the idea of the Reservation.
2. It seems as if Linda sleeps with men, who forcefully only want to have sex with her. The people of the Reservation are angry especially the women because she is sleeping with all their men. John tries stopping the women from whipping his mother but when he actually tries he gets whipped too.
3. Popé brings mescal which is a type of tequila.
4. John really hates Popé because of what he thinks of his and Linda’s relationship. So through the years John hates Popé more and more. John goes to kill Popé but only stabs him like 2 times. Popé reacts oddly, calling him ‘brave’ and let’s him go.
5. One Shakespeare allusion is to “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare”. The other is to Skaespeare’s book “Hamlet”, which is only a passage from the book. Macbeth is also mentioned.
6. John felt alone because his mother was never really there to be his mother. When men would come over she would put him away because she just wanted to be with the men. also, unlike other children around him, he could read.
7. John knew that Jesus hung on a cross with his arms out and he wanted to feel that hanging in the sun.
8. Bernard tells John if he wants to go to London.
9. John reacts in a happy manner when he asks Bernard if him and Lenina are married.

BNW Ch. 8 Notes

Bernard is having a really hard time dealing with the reservation
John tells his story about when he was younger; he was locked away forcefully by a man who then proceeded to sleep with his mother
Popé is always over and brings tequila and sleeps with his mom
Meaning Linda sleeps with a lot of men
John really hates Popé and tries to kill him eventually but when he tried to he is with his mom
Bernard doesn’t feel for John but he is disgusted of Johns wound
(To be continued )

Reading Me

While I'm not in school the amount of time I spend reading is slowly diminishing. When I was in elementary school, I didn't spend one moment without a book. But then high school happened and I slowly began losing interest. I then started noticing these poetry book becoming so popular. I was so interested I decided to pick one up at the store called "Milk and Honey". I loved it so much, I loved the poetry. Poetry book are the only books I will spend my time reading. Especially, if the poems are inspired from true experiences. 

These types of stories have inspired to start writing my own poetry from my own experiences. And that one day my truthful poetry can help inspire other people to share their own stories in hope of continuing that inspiration. 

Brave New World Ch. 7 Notes

There's poverty and lack of modern things in Reservation.
The World State keeps people looking fit and young until they die.
Lenina is at an Indian dance and is alarmed when a young man comes out really whipped and then falls.
Bernard and Lenina encounter an Indian and he seems startled because he has never seen a white women before.
That man says his mother was from the Other Place a place outside of Reservation, but got separated from his father, which Bernard realizes that the Director is the man's dad.

Brave New World Ch. 6 Notes

Lenina thinks Bernard is very strange. Bernard is more reserved and introvert rather than going out and playing Electro-magnetic golf.
Lenina uses her conditioning and hypnopaedic sayings to not know what Bernard what saying because she is conditioned to do so.
Bernard wishes that Lenina and him wouldn't have done it on their first date. Lenina didn't understand Bernard's point of view because she didn't want the same emotional connection.
We learn that the Director is a bit of a hypocrite. He threatens to get Bernard in trouble.
Bernard realizes that the Director is planning to transfer him.
He begins to worry, but Lenina offers him Soma and he takes it making his worries go away.

Brave New World Ch. 5 Notes

Lenina and Henry are on their date to the golf course, and while eating they add Soma(drug) to their coffee. Soma keeps them happy.
Bernard goes to Solidarity Service. He sits next to Morgana but it seems as if he wishes he was sitting next to Fifi and Joana who are better looking people. The people seem happy with themselves unlike Bernard.
There's a meeting taking place and everyone consumes taking Soma and then they begin chanting. 
Bernard feels so alone. He is feeling left out and self-conscious.
(tobecontinued)

Brave New World Ch. 4

Lenina and Bernard talk about a planned trip to Nee Mexico
Bernard tries to express his feelings to her, but she’s late to a date with Henry.
During the date, they go on a helicopter ride and the city looks futuristic
Bernard begins to feel as if he doesn't belong because of his small size he believes he's inferior

Brave New World Ch. 3

The director takes them to a garden where there are naked children playing.
Centrifugal bumble-puppy
Sexual play is normale which it used to be abnormal
Bernard marx- karl marx
Life before the world state was tight control over reproduction
Instability caused by strong emotions led to war, diseases and social unrest that led to violence and death

Brave New World Ch. 2 Notes

There is loud noises and electric shocks are used to condition the Delta group. They are taught to hate flowers and books.
Hypnopaedia- sleep teaching
Sign of Model-T across the chest
praise Ford as their "god"
Alpha students are being taught to work harder than the others
Betas are being smarter than the Gammas, Deltas, and Espilons
"the greatest moralizing and socializing force of all time

Brave New World- Chapter 1 Notes

Setting: London
People are being conditioned or taught in a small, compared to the rest of the buildings, grey building “ Community, identity, stability”
The director is giving some sort of tour to students of Hatcheries and Conditioning. He started with the fertilizing room.
Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas, Epsilons
96 human beings being made when only can
AF?
Henry Foster and the directornexplain fertilization
The last day the embryos are decanted, so this whole process basically just mimics the womb
The fetuses undergo different treatments and experiments to be able to do different things.
 They are basically creating clones
Powerful use of technology

Brave New World

           I believe that we are totally heading in the direction of Adolous Huxley’s points in the Brave New World. Drugs have been a problem in society for so long, but the problem has gone up in the past couple of years. Drugs are being glorified throughout various sources including songs, social media, even through kids and teenagers at school. People are also on anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, different kinds of tranquilizers. Various drugs are quickly becoming normalized and very popular. Also, society is making it seem as if happy is the only emotion you can feel. This makes more and more people use the drugs to contain or prevent any other emotion.
           The media is also taking control of peoples lives. Some people can’t go 30 minutes without checking their phone. We take up our spare time by placing a device in front of our face for hours to replace our bordem. This definitely causes problems within people’s mental health. We experience things online that messes us up or even just spending so much time can affect us mentally. With social media comes technology. Different technology has been created and continues to be improved throughout the years. Cell phones, computers, printers, vehicles, software, etc. There’s prosthetic for people who need them. Pretty soon there will be real human arms with flesh and bones being created for a human. There’s operations for blind people who can make them see again or at least help them.