Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Abuse in Teenage Relationships

Abuse in teenage relationships is more common and more accepted among teens. One in ten teens in the grades 7 to 12 are being physically abused by a boy or a girl. It’s more common for the boy to be the abusive one. Abused teens are more likely to drink, have bad behavior, commit suicide, have an eating disorder, and have risky sexual behavior. There are three types of ways where you can be abused, they are; physically, verbal, or sexual. Some warning signs of these abuses are; sexual pressure, name-calling or swearing, pressure to use drugs or alcohol, controlling habits over friends and family, and insulting another person in front of another person. Abusive teen relationships have a long lasting mental and emotional effect on its victim and other people that care about them. Teenagers that have been abused in a relationship now is more likely going to be an abusive parent when they get older. Some questions you can ask yourself about your relationship are; act jealous and possessive? Have affairs? Constantly criticize or belittles you? Force you to have sex against your will? These are things you need to think about. If you are in a abusive relationship then you need to tell somebody so you can get help.

Monday, August 24, 2009

Abuse Scenario

Imagine That: You have a good friend who recently has acquired several cuts and bruises on different parts of her body. She says that she has been tripping and running into a lockers lately. You don't believe her. What do you do?
Well there are many different reasons why she would have cuts and bruises. She could be cutting herself, someone could be abusing her, and she could be playing a sport, etc. I could maybe ask her what’s going, but it might get her upset. I think that she has been getting abused by somebody. There are two kinds of abuse. They are; mental and physical abuse. Mental abuse is where someone plays mind games with you, or treats you bad emotionally. Sometimes when they don’t show they love you or care about you. Physical abuse is where someone is physically hurting you. Some examples of physical abuse are; hitting, burning, rape, or any sexual contact. In this case my friend would be getting physical abuse. She has bruises and cuts on her. If she has been getting abused by someone, then she would need to tell someone so she could get help with the situation. It is always good to get help even if your scared.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Speak 1 D.Q.'s pgs. 3-46

1. Analyze Melinda's reaction to the first day of high school and why her fears seem more intense than that of others. Analyze ahy she says, "I am Outcast.

  • People dont like her and people bump into her an the hallways. Also everybody is mean to her except Heather. Nobody really wants to hang out with her at school or after school.

2. Examine the meanings of the "clans" and the prevalence of high school cliques. Why do we sometimes not like people who are really good at things, like sports, music, art, or school? Is this fair? Are adults like this?

  • Some peopledont like it when people are good at things because there jealous of them. They want to be good at something too but cant. No its not fair to the people that others treat them wrong just because there good at something. Yes adults do this sometimes too.

3. Discuss the "first ten lies they tell you in high school." Compare with your first day of school. So you think Melinda's assumption that they are "lies" is valid?

  • Some of the lies that they told her werent true because the football team may not win state championship. Also sometimes the councelers may want to help the students. My first day of high school was not like that at all. I got to see all my old friends and I made some new friends.

4. Examine Melinda's characterization of the teachers. What do these descriptions reflect?

  • Her English teacher had orange hair and she was really quiet and shy. She really didnt know what to do with the class. The art teacher was really loud an bright and he basically gives the academics to his class.

5. Discuss Mr. Freeman's approach to teaching art. Have you had similar experiences in classes with this type of teaching style?

  • He was bright and he put everything out in the open. Mrs. Bray was really loud and outgoing and she was also really hyper. She introduced everything to us the first day of school and she gave us lectures.

6. Discuss Melinda's home life. How does communication break down in Melinda's family? What could each person do to improve it? If you were a parent, how would communication be in your family?

  • There family dont really talk to each other that much. They want Melinda to make good grades. They also use notecards to talk to each other but they only tell each other important things. They should all start talking more and doing stuff together as a family. My communication with my family would be good. We would talk to each other about everything and do family things together.

7. Discuss the interaction between Melinda and Heather. Are they friends? What brings them together?

  • Heather kinda gets on Melinda's nerves and she is always talking and she just never shuts up. she always wants to do something and she wants to be somebody in highschool. Yes they are friends. Heather was a new student and thats the only person that will talk to Melinda.

8. Are we sometimes different people on the outside than we are in the inside? How? Why is this true, do you think?

  • Yes. people may do something that they really wouldnt do, but they did it to be cool or make an impression.

"Speak" Vocabulary Words

1. Savant-A person of learning; espically one with detailed knowledge in some specialized field.

  • My uncle was considered a savant in English Literature.

2. Thespians-Dramatic actor.

  • My sister is a thespian because she said she would clean her room a week ago and she didnt do it.

3. Facism-A political philosophy, movement, or regine that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a government headed by a dictional leader.

  • There was alot of facism in Germany when Hitler was in power.

4. Predator-One that preys, destroys, or devours.

  • A lion is a predator to other animals.

5. Indoctrination-Instruct, with doctines, theories, beleifs. Can also be brainwashing.

  • They had been indoctrinated from an early age with their parents' beleifs.

6. Morphing-A special effect process used in film or video production in which persons or objects seem to change shape, form, etc.

  • When you download your pictures, you can crop, stretch, and draw using the morphing software.

7. Obscene-Offensive to morality or dencency, repolsive.

  • Pornography is obscene to most people these days.

8. Obstinence-Denying self any form of indulgence, appetite, or craving.

  • I tried to convince him, but he stayed obstinate.

9. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-PTSD is an anxiety disorder that occurs in the aftermath of a traumatic event.

  • When my friends mom died on her birthday, she had PTSD.

10. Potpourri-A mixture of flowers,herbs,and spices, that is usually kept in a jar and used for scent.

  • I have a bowl of potpourri in my bathroom.

11. Paparazzi-A freelance photographers who aggressively pursues celebrities for the purpose of taking candid photographs.

  • Paparazzi take pictures of Brittney Spears when she is partying and embarrasing herself in the clubs.

12. Inspiration-An inspiring or animating action of influence.

  • My mom is my inspiration everyday of my life.

13. Expiration-A coming to an end; termination close.

  • The expiration to our house contract is coming to an end.

14. Floundering-To make clumsey attempts to more or regain one's balance.

  • My brother is floundering in reading class.

15. Blathers-To talk without making sense.

  • My sister can blather all day if she wanted too.

16. Interim-A temporary arrangement,stopgap, make shift.

  • They hired a temporary manager in the interim.

17. Drones-A male bee, espically a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey, but it only mates with the queen bee. An idle person who lives off others. A person who does tedious or menial work.

  • The teacher is like a drone; they talk in the same boring voice.

18. Xenophobic-A person who is very fearful or dislking or foreigners, people from other countries, or strangers.

  • After the 9-11 tragedy, many people experienced exenophobia.

19. Sun Shadow Mandala-Mandala's are symbolic, circular designs that represent outer (sun) and inner (shadow) dimensions of a persons personality.

  • In 9th grade last year, I made a sun shadow mandala.

20. Redemption-The act or process of redeeming or the state of being redeemed.

  • No redemption for the greedy.

21. Abysmal-Extremely or hopelessly bad or servere.

  • The service in my bank today was abysmal.

22. Demure-Characterized by shyness and modesty; reserved.

  • When I was little i used to be demure but when I got older I grew out if that.

23. Bigoted-Ulterly intolerant of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one's own.

  • My mom is very bigoted.

24. Asphyxicited-To cause to die or lose consciousness by imparing normal breathing, as by gas or other noxious agents; choke; suffocate; smother.

  • In movies people usually kill others by asphyxication.

25. Classical-Of or pretaining to; or characteristic of greek and roman antiquity.

  • The greek characterization is very classical.

26. Cubism-A style of painting and sculpture developed in the early 2oth century, chatarcterized by the emphasis on formal structure, geometrical shapes.

  • We use to make cubism shapes in art class.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Exposition

Exposition:

The setting is inside a house on a rainy day. The mother goes shopping and she leaves the kids home alone. The characters are: the Narrator, Sally, Cat, fish, Thing one and thing two, and mom.

Rising Action:

The cat plays games that cause a mess in the house. Fish don’t think the cat or thing one and two should be there in the house. Thing one and thing two fly’s kites in the house and breaks stuff and mother is on her way home.

Climax:

The narrator catches thing one and thing two and tells cat to pack them up and send them away before mother gets home.

Falling Action:

Cat listens and packs thing one and thing two up and sends them away. Cat went along, but he came back to clean up his mess that he left at there house. He said “I always clean up after myself.”

Resolution:

Mother returns from shopping and the house is really clean. She asked if they had any fun while she was gone. The end!!

The Cat in the Hat!!

By: Challis Davis, 2nd Block


Friday, August 14, 2009

Harrison Bergeron D.Q.'s

1. What is the theme of the story?

  • You should fight for what you beleive in.
2. What do you think Harrison's rebillion reveals about his charcter and values?

  • He fights for what he thinks is right, he goes against the rules because he knows it will make a difference.
3. What conclusions can you draw about the society in which the characters live?

  • They want everyone to be equal in every way possible.


4. What do you think Vonnegut might be trying to say about today's society and the role a government can play in achieving equality among people? At what point does the government go too far?

  • Today the government is making unfair laws and not abiding by them.


5. In what ways is there tension between equality and oppurtunity in our country today?

  • There is racism and critism in our country that we really need to work out.

Vocabulary Words for Harrison Bergeron

1. Calibrated-check, adjust, setting on instruments used for measurment.
  • I calibrated the smart board for my teacher at school.

2. Consternation- sudden, alarming, amazement, resulting in confusion.

  • A look of consternation on the child's face caused her parents to panic.

3. Cower- crouch, recoil, flinch.

  • Lucky, my dog, would cower in the corner every time he knew he did something bad.

4. Hindrance- stopping, preventing.

  • Heavy traffic is a hindrance to my getting to school on time.

5. Luminous- radiating or reflecting light.

  • Sierrs's luminous complexion was the envy of all the other girls.

6. Symmetry- equal proportions.

  • Lines of symmetry are the easiest to remember in geometry.

7. Synchronizing- causing to work or operate at the same time.

  • The friends were synchronizing their watches so they would have the right time.

8.Vague- unclear.

  • When the student was called to answer the question, it was very vague.

9. Vigilance- watchful, alert, paying attention.

  • She watched with vigilance so nothing would get past her.

10. wince- to draw back or tense the body as if experiencing pain.

  • You can wince as much as you want but im going to keep hitting you.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

The Black Cats D.Q.'s

1. Discuss the significance of the following quote: "There is something unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paltry friendship and gossamer fidelity of man."
  • I think this quote is saying that pets are trying to get the heart of the owner. The pets have their own way of making the owner get attached. Once the owner gets attached sometimes you cant let go.

2. What is the significance of the cat's name, Pluto?

  • Pluto is the farthest planet away from the sun, its the ninth planet, and its the coldest planet.

3. Why did the narrator initially restrain himself from maltreating the cat while maltreating other animals?

  • He didnt mistreat the cat because it was his bestfriend and the cat followed him everywhere. The cat loved him.

4. Why does he eventually mistreat the cat?

  • He eventually started mistreating the cat because he realized that the cat loved him and he hated anybody that loved him.

5. Describe the narrator's feelings after abusing the cat. Why is that significant?

  • He felt bad but it really didnt bother him or get to his soul of what he did to the cat. He really didnt care because the cat loved him and he didnt like that and he knew what he did was bad.

6. How does the narrator define "perversness"? Do you agree with his definition? Do you agree that it is human nature?

  • You do something wrong because you know its wrong and you want to do it. Yes I agree with his definition because most of the time whjen people do wrong they know what there doing and they know its bad. No I don't agreen because its not right to do something that you know is wrong.

7. Discuss the significance of the following quote: "[I] hung it because I knew it had loved me, and because I felt it had given me no reason of offense; because I knew that in doing so I was commiting a sin."

  • I think that he knew what he was doing and that he just wanted to kill that cat to kill. He didn't care about the cat because it loved him and he didn't like that. So he decided to kill just to comit a sin.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Vocabulary from "The Black Cat"

1. Solicit- (verb) To seek for something by earnest or respectful request, formal application, etc.

  • I am soliciting for your help.

2. Mad- (adj) Mentally disturbed; deranged; insane; demented.

  • I was mad that my sister was getting all the attention from the family.

3. Succinct- (adj) Expressed in few words; concise; terse.

  • The best diaries are rich and yet succinct.

4. Phantasm- (noun) An illusory likeness of something.

  • What she thought she saw across the street turned out to be just a phantasm.

5. Docile- (noun) Easily managed or handled.

  • That dog is far from being docile.

6. Disposition- (noun) The predominant or prevailing tendency of one's spirits; natural mental and emotional outlook or mood; characteristic attitude.

  • I have a strong disposition for the man with the bad attitude.

7. Sagacious- (adj) Having or showing keen discemment, and sound judgement.

  • Uncle Max tried to stump Abby with riddles, but the sagacious child out done him with her clever answers.

8. Paltry- (adj) Lacking in importance or worth; trivial.

  • Her savings are a paltry sum.

9. Gossamer- (noun) Something delicate, light, or flimsy.

  • A spiders cobweb is very gossamer.

10. Fidelity- (noun) Faithfulness to obligations, duties, or observance.

  • The success of a relationship depends very much on the fedilty of both boyfriend and girlfriend.

11. Procure- (verb) To get by special effort; obtain or require.

  • The spy was trying to procure secrets by blackmailing officials.

12. Allusion- (noun) The act of alluding; indirect refrence.

  • John was hurt by an allusion of his failure.

13. Intemperance- (noun) Excessive use of alcholic beverages.

  • If you drink to much you might become intemperate and hurt yourself.

14. Maltreat- (verb) To treat in a rough or cruel way; abuse.

  • Cops that work in jails sometimes maltreat a prisoner.

15. Scruple- (noun) A moral or ethical consideraton or standard that acts as a restraining force or inhibits certain actions.

  • He could not cheat at any games as his parens brought him up with scruples.

16. Malevolence- (noun) ill will; malice; hatred.

  • It was a look of pure malevolence.

17. Atrocity- (noun) The quality of being extremely or shockingly wicked, cruel or brutal.

  • I congratulate the teacher for front paging the atrocity.

18. Debauch- (noun) A period of wanton self-indulegence, an excessive party which includes consumption of alchol.

  • At the highschool homecoming party there was debauch there and some of the students had to leave the dance.

19. Sentiment- (noun) A mental feeling; emotion.

  • Sometimes my friends and I have the same sentiment feelings about things.

20. Remorse- (noun) Deep and painful regret for wrongdoing.

  • I felt remorse when I caused someone trouble.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Best Thing that Happened To Me This Summer

The best thing that happened to me this summer is when we had our big party for the fourth of July. We had alot of people and it was mostly family but some friends came too. We had hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, and drinks. We also had cake because we celebrated my mothers birthday. After we ate, we went swimming, mud bogging, and we shot off a bunch of fireworks when it hit twelve p.m. We also played volleyball and football. We had alot of fun and it was great seeing some of the family that I have not seen in a while. Finally everybody started getting tired and we all went to bed and the party was over. Then next best thing that happened to me was when i got to hang out with all my friends. We went to the mall, movies, and the beach. We also rode the golf cart, swam, and mud bogged. This is the best thing that happened to me over the summer.