So....hi. :) Well....all y'all who read this are probably like "WTH? Did she die? Fall off the planet? WTF?" All I can say is...oops. :)
I'll be really, really honest here that life has been a bit on the complicated side as of late, and if I'm being really, really, REALLY honest, I've kind of been dialing it in a bit this quarter. I kinda lost my mojo there for a while. I don't know why. Just seems like this quarter has been weird for me. I dunno if it's the amount of classes, or the fact that a couple of them annoy me beyond the telling, but I've been having some motivational issues. I do, however, believe that whatever academic funk I fell into I have crawled out of and I will endeavor to do better about updating things. I'm bad, I know, smack my hand, whatever, moving on. :)
So....when last we left things it was the end of Week 2 and I had just posted Week 1's grades. We are now approaching the end of Week 6. Eek! I am so seriously, seriously behind.
So....week 2's grades went like this:
World Geography
Maps Assignment: 90%
Week 2 Discussion: 100%
Written Assignment Place Essay: 100%
Overall: 97.5%
Creative Writing
Week 2 Discussion: 100%
Week 2 Journal Entry: 100%
Week 2 Story Analysis: 100%
Overall: 100%
College Algebra
Week 2 Algebra Problems: 96%
Week 2 Discussion: 100%
Week 2 Test: 90%
Overall: 95%
Astronomy
Week 2 Exploration: 100%
Week 2 Discussion: 90%
Overall: 95.71%
Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design
Week 2 Discussion: 85%
Week 2 Lab: 100%
Overall: 98%
Week 2 was a while ago, but as you can see, things weren't sucking too bad. Yeah, you can tell by the tone that things have changed. Did you doubt it? PLEASE! I have College Algebra this quarter - things suck beyond the telling! So - highlights of Week 2 to post for you: My Place Essay from World Geography (on Seattle) and my Story Analysis from Creative Writing on Hills Like White Elephants by Ernest Hemingway (whose writing I hate with a fiery passion). Enjoy!
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World Geography - Place Essay (this was supposed to be an essay suggesting a travel destination of our favorite choice for someone. Naturally, I chose Seattle cuz....well...have you met me? :) )
A wonderful travel destination is the city of Seattle, Washington in the United States of America. Located in the lush evergreen mountains, Seattle is a city surrounded by clear, blue water and rich with culture. Native American and Asian cultural influences abound in Seattle, from the Japanese Gardens and Chinatown areas, to the many Native American tribes located in and around the city including the Sammamish, the Snoqualmie, the Puyallup, and the Tulalip. Seattle is also a wonderful place to visit for outdoor activities like hiking, mountain climbing, mountain biking, and kayaking. All of your outdoor equipment needs can be met at the large REI shop located in the beautiful downtown area, which features a rock climbing wall and the ability to try out the merchandise in the store before buying it.
Seattle’s rich cultural life includes the Pioneer Square neighborhood, with its underground tour of the city and its informative markers and museums relating to Seattle’s history as a pioneering town. The Seattle Monorail, Seattle Art Museum, the Pike Place Market, the Experience Music Project, the Ballard Locks, the Seattle Aquarium, and the many wonderful performances at Benaroyal Hall by the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Ballet make for wonderful places to visit and soak in some of Seattle’s art and cultural offerings. Favorite tourist destinations include the Seattle Space Needle and the Fremont Troll. The environment in Seattle is rich with the smell of coffee and clean air, and vibrant within the many interconnected neighborhoods and communities from the hippie culture of Fremont to the Victorian houses in Queen Anne, to the museums and edgy shops of the University District. Seattle has many small, independently owned shops, bookstores, and independent marketplaces that are encouraged to thrive by the city’s populace, which vocally opposes any infiltration by the more established larger chain retailers. Seattle works to maintain its independence and culture and makes a wonderful destination for anyone to visit.
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Creative Writing - Story Analysis – More Hills Like White Elephants (just to let you know that I keep it real everywhere).
1. In one or two sentences, summarize the plot of the story.
The basic plot of the story revolves around a man and a woman discussing whether or not the woman should have an abortion. Throughout the story, the man is basically rationalizing why getting the abortion is no big deal, and the woman is essentially following his lead.
2. What is the major conflict in the story and how is it resolved?
As stated above, the major conflict is the issue of whether or not the girl should get the abortion. The male character is playing the typical male role of father figure, characterized by Hemingway naming him, yet referring to the female character simply as The Girl. The male character basically browbeats and manipulates the situation into the girl finally agreeing to undergo the procedure.
3. What is the position of the main character at the beginning of the story and at the end? Is there a gain or loss?
Assuming that Robert is considered the main character in the story, his position at the beginning of the story is as a manipulator, trying to talk his girlfriend into aborting a child he doesn’t want. For all intents and purposes, he gains at the end by getting the girl to agree.
4. Explain how plot is entwined with character in this story. In your answer, share whether or not you feel the two characters are acting naturally to what happens. To what extent do their character traits actually determine what happens in the plot?
The plot and character are intertwined in the story by the entire story being about the characters and their discussion of whether or not she should have the abortion. I don’t think the characters act naturally to what happens, but I believe most of that is due to Hemingway’s not really fleshing out the characters very much. There’s nothing about them to make the reader invested in their struggle. Both characters come off as detached and indifferent to the entire situation. The characters traits entirely determine what happens in the plot. Robert plays the role of wheedling manipulator, Hadley plays the role of the weak female willing to do anything do make her man happy.
5. Can you imagine another good ending for the story? Why or why not?
As a hardcore feminist, I can imagine a lot of better endings for this story. Hadley actually growing a spine and a character and standing up for herself would have been lovely. Robert being less pushy and less unwilling to actually discuss the issue at hand rather than push his own agenda would have been nice too. I would have preferred a better interaction and more realistic dialogue in the story for the situation. But as the story is, it’s entirely Hemingway and his version of the male/female dynamic, which I personally despise.
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Okay so....that was Week 2. Week 3 went like this:
World Geography
Maps Assignment: 93.33%
Exam 1: 80.85% (something went wrong with this assignment online so this grade is null and void but....this is what I got on it anyway)
Overall: 88.98%
Creative Writing
Week 3 Journal Entry Discussion: 100%
Week 3 Written Assignment - Name Character: 100%
The Fiction Project - Outline Plot from Journal: 100%
Overall: 100% (sensing a trend here?)
College Algebra
Week 3 Algebra Problems: 88%
Week 3 Test on Chapter 1: 65%
Week 3 Discussion: 100%
Overall: I didn't get at the time and it's cumulative so....sorry.
Astronomy
Week 3 Exploration - Composition of the Giants: 86%
Week 3 Discussion - Jupiter the Great: 100% (for this discussion assignment we were supposed to hypothesize what would happen if the Earth were the size of Jupiter and how it would effect mankind's evolution. Aside from myself and one other person, everyone in the class claimed Armageddon would be upon us - depressing and scary people there.)
Overall: 93.81%
Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design
Week 3 Discussion: 95%
Week 3 Updating Joe's Deli Lab: 85%
Overall: 95.24% (this instructor is this quarter's Typography guy - he's an absolute asshat).
Nothing majorly interesting to share with y'all from Week 3. Sorry. On to Week 4!
World Geography
Week 4 Research Assignment - Rwandan Genocide: 94%
Maps Assignment: 100%
Discussion - Interpreting Movement: 80% (this was the worst discussion assignment ever. She did not clearly explain what she wanted and it was absolutely ridiculous. We all tanked it. Did she take into account maybe she didn't explain it well? Nah! We're all just too dumb. What. Ever.)
Overall: 90.79%
Creative Writing
Week 4 Journal Entry: 100%
Week 4 Story Analysis: 100%
Fiction Project - Build Characters: 100%
Overall: 100%
College Algebra
Week 4 Chapter Problems: 96%
Test on Chapter 2: 60%
Week 4 Discussion: 100%
Overall: 81.05% (I can do okay getting the problems done, but for some reason the tests just kick my ass)
Astronomy
Week 4 Exploration: 90%
Week 4 Discussion: 100%
Week 4 Quiz: 90%
Fundamentals of Web Authoring and Design
Week 4 Design Project - Site Architecture: 100% (his comments? "ok looks fine" Gee - thanks for the feedback)
Week 4 Discussion: 95% (his comments? "good work" No explanation on the discount on my grade)
Week 4 Lab - Joe's Deli: 90%
Overall: 94.75%
So....for Week 4's World Geography class we had to write a research paper on the Rwandan Genocide. I didn't get a 100% on this because I did no in-text citations (which I never do - I think they're tacky) but aside from that, I think I approached the subject well and honestly - judge for yourself:
World Geography - Week 4 Rwandan Genocide Research Paper
In 1994, the two main factions of the Rwandan people declared yet another war on each other, resulting in the deaths of over 800,000 people. The war was the result of decades of ongoing tensions between the Tutsi and Hutu tribes in Rwanda. As far as laying blame for the conflict, the main blame belongs to the Rwandan people themselves. Rather than attempt to work out differences between one another in a civilized manner, they chose to attempt to exterminate each other. The history of the region basically states that the Belgian government took over Rwanda from the Germans after World War I. They chose to offer benefits such as wealth, cattle and status to the Tutsi minority, and the Hutu majority was left as the lower income working class. This caused tensions that sparked conflicts between tribes well before the 1994 incident.
In answer to the question of whether or not the United States or the United Nations could have done anything to help, my answer would be no. This is a similar situation, in my mind, to that faced with the Palestinian versus Jewish conflict in the Middle East. Both sides are convinced that they are right and that there is no recourse other than wiping out the other. Rather than have United States or United Nations servicemen and women killed, I believe it is best to stay out of these kinds of conflicts and focus more on our own country and dealing with our issues before trying to police the world. It was suggested in my reading that the United States or United Nations could have threatened to impose sanctions to get the Hutu people to fall back into line, but based on this history of this region, I believe that it would only have been a matter of time before all out war was declared.
As to how I would handle living in such an environment, while the United States is not a third-world nation, we do have our own inner conflicts that still exist to this day. Living in a southern state in America, it is not hard to see that ethnic hatred and intolerance exist here. It would be remiss and ridiculous to assume that we are by any means free of the same kinds of hatred and violent predilection that exist in Rwanda. The Ku Klux Klan is still in operation, and more and more people are factioning themselves off and turning on one another based on race, religion, sexual preference, or economic disparity. Living in a country like Rwanda would be a difficult life, with no real options for education or future growth unless you were part of the more privileged minority. It is hard to speculate on what a life in these types of countries is like. If you are part of the majority, without power or education, then you will believe what your leaders tell you and act accordingly. If you are part of the privileged minority, then you will be raised with an “us-versus-them” mentality and a preconceived theory of entitlement over your fellow man.
As to why these kinds of conflicts arise, very simply they are based on ignorance, intolerance, hatred, and the absolute belief of one side that they are right and the other is wrong. Without the tolerance to allow all peoples to exist, regardless of whether or not your beliefs are the same, there will always be conflicts and war. Add to that issue the circumstances present in the Rwandan conflict of a privileged minority discriminating and trying to hold down the lesser majority, and you have the perfect ingredients for conflict and war. Deep-seeded notions of entitlement, hatred, intolerance, ignorance and anger are passed down generation to generation, and without the education and understanding that other conflict resolutions are possible; people become mired in a status quo of destruction and death.
I believe all people have the right to live freely. I believe all people are responsible for their own actions and that the circumstances in which you are raised are simply that, circumstances. It is up to the individual to believe what they are taught, or to try to find a different way. Some of the Hutu people believed differently than their brethren and tried to help the Tutsi people. The United Nations sent peacekeepers to try to show the people of Rwanda that there were other options besides war. Once those people made their determination that extinction was the only answer, I firmly believe the United Nations and the Unites States were right in pulling their people out of Rwanda. In situations like this, as in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, when people are determined no matter what that war is the only solution, it goes beyond anything any outside agency or governing body can control. I for one do not believe there will ever be peace in the Middle East. Both sides are completely certain that they are right and that the other side has no place in their world or their country. These people will continue to fight until they either obliterate the other or themselves. Similarly, the Hutu and Tutsi people in Rwanda have been having altercations and wars since their country’s beginning. The world can look on and say tragedy took place and lament the losses, but the fact is that those people chose to turn on one another, and the odds are, they will choose at some later point to do it again. The United States and United Nations can counsel, they can try to help people to see other options in a situation, but barring that, I believe it to be the height of arrogance and stupidity to interfere in an ethnic war not of our making or understanding.
Resources
Anderson, T. (2009). RWANDEN GENOCIDE. Rwandan Genocide, 1-3. http://search.ebscohost.com
(2009). The difficulty of trying to stop it happening ever again. Economist, 390(8626), 45-46. http://search.ebscohost.com
Baldauf, S. (2009, April 7). Why the US didn’t intervene in the Rwandan genocide. Christian Science Monitor, p. 6. http://search.ebscohost.com
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So....that was Week 4. For Week 5, it's a good thing I decided to go and update this because I had to go and look for my grades and found that my Web Authoring dick of a teacher did not grade my discussions properly - he gave me a zero for one saying I did no posts - dumbass. So....sent him a little e-mail requesting he remove head from sphincter, then grade (but actually nicely and respectfully asked he re-check - still - same overall sentiment). Ugh. Anyhoo....aside from that, here's how the rest broke down:
World Geography
Week 5 Discussion: 100% (this discussion was over whether environment, culture or both effect how a society prospers. I said environment. Whatever.)
Overall: 95% (this will be my mid-term grade so....solid A there)
Creative Writing
Week 5 Discussion: 100%
Week 5 Journal Entry: 100%
Fiction Project - Describe the Setting: 100%
Overall: 100% (again, solid A here. Nothing major to post. I'm not going to post my journal entries here because they're personal and as for the Fiction Project, I'm just going to wait and post the final result.) :)
College Algebra
Week 5 Discussion: 100%
Week 5 Test on Chapter 3: 55% (now, this was after I finally scheduled regular tutoring sessions for every week in this class - for some reason, I am having serious disconnect on these quizzes!)
Week 5 Algebra Problems: 95%
Overall: 82.41 (this - I think is actually close to C territory. I will be honest people, I simply want to pass this class, that is all - just pass it and not have to retake it. As long as I'm above 70%, I think I'm okay.)
Astronomy
Week 5 Exploration: 96%
Week 5 Discussion: 100%
Overall: About 93% (he graded something of Week 6's already so it's thrown off the cumulative. Still an A- though.)
So - again, nothing really postable this week and I'm going to have to wait for clarification on the Web Authoring grade. Ugh. :( See - here's how I know I've been down in a funk - last couple of quarters, I stalked my grades every week. This quarter - if I hadn't gone to update this and checked them, I would not have caught that discrepancy. It's weird - and totally unlike me. But, as I say, I think I have a handle on things now and the rest of the quarter should be better. Life has been really stressful and crazy and I have been fighting some depressive issues so - overall, I think I'm doing pretty good. And as I say - I have found my way back to the light. :)
I have a load of papers I have to complete for all of my classes and lots of quizzes coming up. As I say, we are nearing the end of Week 6 and Monday starts Week 7. I am going to try to be better about updating this as it's for my own good as well as to keep all you friendlies informed. :) Sorry I've been behind. Guess I did kinda fall off the planet there for a while, but I'm back now. :) Okay so....until Week 6's grades arrive - cheers! ;)
P.S. - It should go without saying, but, again, everything written here belongs to ME and ME alone!!!! Don't be a loser and steal my stuff. You don't have the snark, and you know it.
P.P.S - Almost forgot - things are going well in my 3D Animation class. My grade is an A, but I won't have anything to post really until our final paper and projects are finished - but it's all good! :)