Who is Responsible for Gatsby's Death

I think that Tom is really responsible for the death of Jay Gatsby.

Why? Because Tom planted the idea in Wilson's mind because Wilson accused him of killing Myrtle with the 'Big Yellow Car'. Tom told him that it wasn't his car and he said that is was Gatsby who was driving the car. That it was Gatsby who was to be punished.
I think Tom was misinformed, considering it was DAISY who was driving the car, not Gatsby. He told Wilson that it was all Gatsby's fault that his wife was dead. That is was Gatsby who deserved his wrath, not Tom.
And honestly, I think that's a load of crap. Because if Tom hadn't messed around with Myrtle, Daisy wouldn't have kinda-sorta-purposefully killed her,  Myrtle wouldn't have had the pearls from Tom, George wouldn't have asked her about them and hurt her, Myrtle wouldn't have ran out into the street, she wouldn't have died. No one had to die. No one had to loose their life, if Tom would've just been faithful, loyal, and an all-around nice guy!

Nice job, Tom.... Way to ruin everyone's life.

Nelson Mandela

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." -Nelson Mandela

I believe in this quote. I agree with this quote. This quote is perfect. As was the man who wrote it.

Education is important, understanding life and the things in which you can do with it is a major priority. Without an education, how will you experience the world? How can you understand the things that happen in the world and why?
If you understand the world, you can use it to your advantage. You can use it to sling-shot yourself into oblivion and be at one with the universe and with your inner self. You can use your knowledge to help other people and make the world a better place to live. You can pass your knowledge onto someone who is not fortunate enough to go to school, or to have an education. You can do so many things with an education it's beyond human understanding.

Just learn as much as you can, that way, when your time comes to be good enough; you'll be great.

My Feelings towards Daisy and Jay's "Relationship"

Okay, I'm sure you're wondering why I put quotations around "Relationship". Well, the reason is that I don't believe that they have one at the moment. I mean, sure, they had some fun in the past but as someone once said, leave your past where it belongs. And I hate to be repetitive but the past is just that, the past. You can't change it no matter how much you want too.

I've read the book (twice, this is my third time!) and I've seen the movie (also multiple times); and I know that at one point, Nick Carraway even tells Gatsby that he can't rewrite the past no matter how hard he wants too. And I think that that's true. I don't want to be a spoiler for the rest of my class so I will not continue with the thought that I just conjured up in my mind. But it was a very nice connection. Oh, how I wish I could tell you what I just thought about. NEW SUBJECT!

I think that is Jay Gatsby was a respectable man, he wouldn't even think about touching or seeing another man's wife. Wolfshiem even said that "Mr. Gatsby is an Oxford man! He would never think of looking at a friend's wife." Well, obviously he was wrong. Because Gatsby is 'all up on' Daisy. He's trying to 'get with her' and all that jazz. I don't think that Jay is a very respectable person at all really. He's 'shady', he seems very arrogant. Just the stereotypical rich white man from the 20's. He doesn't care for anyone but himself and the single person he cares about most. And that's Daisy.

The Great Gatsby is Beautiful!

I found this in Chapter 3 of the Great Gatsby:

"He had one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced, or seemed to face, the whole external world for an instant and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself."

This is where Nick Carraway sees Jay Gatsby up close for the first time in the book. Apparently, his smile seems to be both an important role and a sort of hope for imagination that seems to have vanished from Nick's life. During this first initial meeting, Nick describes Gatsby's lack of focus. That he has the ability to make anyone that sees this dazzling smile feel so specifically special that they feel very optimistic towards themselves. It makes them want to smile, and that's a very rare thing to find, even in today's time.

I think this passage is beautiful because it reflects Gatsby's personality a little bit. He's a very genuine person, he doesn't like to feel bad or sad or upset in any way. He likes to entertain people. He likes to make other happy and help them to forget about their problems. And maybe the reason he feels this way is because of the "Very sad thing" that happened to him so long ago. Because, maybe, when he makes other people happy, he forgets about his sorrows as well? Maybe.. Just maybe... That's why he throws so many parties, maybe he throws one every time he is reminded about the very sad thing. Or maybe it's just my imagination?

Ultimately, What Is Worth Fighting For?

In my opinion, there are many things that are worth fighting for. But it all comes down to what someone will fight for. Whether it be rights, a loved one, a job title, a drink that was spilled in the local bar. Some people will fight for anything and everything that gives them an opportunity to. I know many people who fight just for fun, to relieve stress, to take aggression and put it into something worth wild.

Not to mention, if you're going to "fight" for something or someone, what type of fight are you speaking of? A physical fight, a mental fight, an emotional fight, a verbal fight? There are many different kinds of fighting. I honestly don't think that there are any legitimate reasons to physically hit someone. Most think that "They hit me first" is a good excuse, it's not. Just because they hit you doesn't mean that you have to hit them back.

A mental fight is worth fighting when you feel strongly about a topic. (I don't like to talk about politics online, but this is a perfect example) For example, ObamaCare, the American Economy, the general well-being of a country. A lot of people don't like these things, or think they should be better or changed and they fight for it. They explore every possibility for the subject in question, they make sure (sometimes!) they know all the information before attacking.

An emotional fight is only worth fighting if you don't want to lose the emotionally attached item or anything like that. I mean, if you want to have an emotional fight, go ahead. It doesn't often affect more than a small group of people.

Verbal fights happen all the time, it's pure human hatred when these happen though. Someone is pushed and pushed and pushed and then they snap, which is to be expected. I mean there's only so much a person can take.

So, I guess it's all up to the person as to what is worth fighting for. For me, Family, Freedom, and Fairness are worth fighting for. Because your family and your freedom are all you have in this word, that's all that matters to me. My Family and my Freedom are the main two that are important to me, anyway.

What Was Most Memorable About Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby?

In my opinion, the most memorable moment in chapter one is when Nick was outside of his house, and he sees Jay Gatsby goes over to the gap between the West and East Eggs and just opens his arms to the Green light that was shining across the water. Nick knew that the light was being caused by Daisy Buchanan. And this makes him think that maybe there is more to both Jay and Daisy that what may seem. I think that that was the most memorable moment because it's starting the entire story, their entire romance, the entire plot, the entire book. It's all starting at this moment.

I don't know why but it gave me the chills.
Thumbs up to Chapter 1! :D

--Lauren

If You Controlled Every Single Detail of Your Personality, What Kind Of Person Would You Want to Be?

If I could control my personality, I would:
-Be one of the funniest people in the world.
-Be care-free and to not care what other people thought of me.
-Be smart, caring, compassionate, funny, wise, fashionable, likable, and trustworthy.
-Be able to trust more easily because I don't like being scared of letting someone see the real me.
-Be daring, that way life wouldn't be boring.
-Be witty, because that's always a fun thing to be.
-Have a lot of self-control, because then I wouldn't be so quick to jump to conclusions.
-Be patient, because then I wouldn't feel so rushed to grow up and get started with my life.
-Be nice in general. Because isn't that what everyone wants to be.
-Be leader, because they get things done.
But most importantly, I would want to be a friend. Because there are way to many people in this world that want to bring other people down because they feel insecure in who they are. I want to be a friend. Because everyone needs one. I don't care who you are, you need a friend at some point in your life, whether you want to admit it or not.

What Are Rich People Like?

Well, this is going to be a little bias, because I am considered 'rich' because I'm settled in the middle-class of society. My dad has a high-paying job and my mother is blessed enough to be a stay-at-home-mother. I have 3 sisters, a two-story house, and a tanning bed in the upstairs bonus room. You could say that I was considered 'rich'. There are many ways to measure a families wealth, but I'm assuming you want to know about the money aspect.

Well, according to me and the people I know, "Rich" people are not as snobby and stuck-up as people think they are. Granted, it's a horrible stereotype that many people in the lower classes depicted through the stories like Romeo and Juliet, The Great Gatsby, and other films that Leonardo Decaprio was in that rich people are heartless, they don't care for anyone but themselves, they are spoiled, they are selfish, etc. Actually, no. We aren't. We have more to give than just money, we have resources that we can loan out to people, and often do.

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Get to know the person before you make assumptions.

Is There Something You Would Change Your Whole Life For?

Yes, I would change my life for the ones I love. If they weren't happy with the way I was I would change for them. Because my family means everything to me. I want to please them. I want them to be proud of me. That should be what everyone wants, right? To be accepted and loved? 

But at the same time, I don't know if I would change it. Because if they don't love me for who I am... But for someone I've pretended to be, do I really want them to love me anyway? Or is it just something that I am going to have to do for them. To make them happy? 

Yes I would... I think. 

If You Had to Pick One Thing That You Wanted More Than Any Other Thing What Would It Be?

If I have to pick ONE thing, then it has to be I want people to read my book and absolutely love it! I want to be as big as J.K Rowling, Charles Dickens, Stephen King, and Dr. Suess. I want everyone to know my name as an author. I want to be able to walk out on the street and people run up and ask me to sign a copy of my book. That's what I want most in this world. Or at least right now it is. 

The reason I want this is because it's something that I've wanted since I was 6 years old. It's always been my dream, because it's what I'm good at. I love to write, I love to create, I love to think about a story-line to the point where I'm bored with it. I want to pick-and-pull apart stories until there's nothing left to think. I want to be able to analyze and summarize every book in the library system. Yes. That is what I want. 

Report Card Stuff

So this 6-weeks, I have 3 A's and a B on my report card. I'm hoping to keep up the amazing grades (They're amazing for me..) and have straight A's next progress report and report card terms.

My strengths this 6-weeks is my willingness to learn, I pay attention in class, I study, I do my work, and I do what is expected of me.

My weaknesses are that I do have a really short attention span, so it is pretty hard to focus for a very long time. I have a lot of classes this semester, 2 college and 4 high school EVERYDAY! So it's also hard to balance my time evenly throughout my free time. I never have time for anything that I want to do, so I really hate that!

Really they only thing I need to work on is my Time Management methods. Yes.

Campbell University

In my personal opinion, Campbell was a beautiful campus with many great qualities. However, it is not one of the schools I will be considering to attend. Simply for the fact that it is a very small school. I don't exactly want to go to a privet school either.
Campbell's food was amazing, on my list at #2 for good food, North Carolina State University is at the top of my list at #1!
Campbell had a beautiful campus, it was on the small-side but it was still a nice sized campus. There were many places to go and many things to do. The library looked absolutely beautiful and I could not even describe the building we sat in! It was glamorous and gorgeous to say the very least.
But, despite the campus being as beautiful as it was. Another reason I don't want to attend Campbell is I got a funny look everywhere I went. Like I was being forced away or told "You don't belong here." Everyone looked angry when we walked by them, granted they were all on the way to class so I can understand why. But that doesn't negate the fact that I still felt unwelcome.
Again, Campbell wasn't exactly on my list of "Top 5 schools I want to go to" but it wasn't the worst I've been too. I liked the campus, the people could have been a little bit more friendly but other than that it was a solid B+ from me!

1984 v. "Broken Sonnet" by John Yau

All these people are oh so miserable and they can't do a thing about it. It's like my favorite song, "What A Shame" By Shinedown says: "What a shame, You're living a life that you can't change." And I think that that's somewhat true. Of course, you can change your perception of life, but you cannot CHANGE your life. It's not possible. You can change your surroundings, you can change who you allow in your life, however, you cannot change life itself. That is not possible.

"1984" Prole Roleplay

September 23rd, 2013 

Earlyer today was a weird thing. A man came up to me and gestured to my body asking how much. I ran. He was scary and I didn't want no trouble. My ma told me that I'm 'posed to let them talk to me that way, but I don't. I'm only 16 years ole, I'm not old enough for those things. 

I 'member the bomb droppin t'day. It happens all the time so it not nothin' new. A man's leg was hangin from a rafter of a buildin, kinda gross me out! Anywhoser, I got hit in da head by a rock. That hurt. There be a bruise on my forehead from where it hit me. Maybe they'll start makin us wear those hard hats so no one gets hurted. 

I gots to go, ma has lunch ready. See ya!

--Lauren the Prole:P 

Another Quote from Ms. Delmaine!

"But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. A bad usage can spread by tradition and imitation, even among people who should and do know better." - George Orwell

I think this is true, simply for the fact that language and thoughts are so connected, they are almost the same thing only one is projected and the other isn't.  I also agree that Language and Thoughts can do a lot of things through them. You can change the world through your thoughts and words that you use. It's actually really shocking how much can change because of one person's words or thoughts. For example, take a female teenager. They change all the time because of people's thoughts and language towards them. If someone doesn't like them, usually they want to know why. That is what's wrong with this world, too many people care about what others think of them. Fear of being yourself. Too many people who are afraid of that, fear of judgement, from people that don't matter. And that is something that I will never, ever, understand. 

Mrs. Delamine's Thought Provoking Quote

"Every generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one that went before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it." What does he mean by this? Where is there evidence of this in the book 1984? Where is there evidence of this in our society? Do you agree with him and why?" --George Orwell 

I believe that quote. Because everyone feels like they need to be better than someone else in order to have a purpose, and that's not true. You shouldn't need everyone's eyes just to feel seen, because there's always someone watching you. Especially in the book 1984. Parsons is the perfect example! He's glorifying his kids for something that is a major crime in our society! They're running around setting people on fire and turning people over to thought police and everything else that's bad in everyone's mind, and they're getting praised for it! Like dang, seriously?

Mrs. Delmaine's Question of the Day: Write a Reflection About "No One Died in Tienanmen Square." Why Would It Be Necessary to White-Wash a Story?

The reason "No One Died in Tienanmen Square" was written is simply because that is what people tell themselves. It's a coping mechanism that we use to protect ourselves from a situation that no one wants to remember. No one wants to know that all those people died. No one wants to remember the heartache and the pain that comes with the memory. So they simply tell themselves that it didn't happen. It's what we do, it's how we live. It's wrong, but it makes us feel better as people.

Maybe that's what's wrong with the world today. No one remembers anything, simply for the fact that it's "Too painful to deal with".

My Week has been... (Requested by Mr. Barham)

This week hasn't been as bad as my others. None of my weeks since school started have been bad, exactly. They've just been long and tiring. This week hasn't been as bad, granted I'm still very very tired. I got a lot of quizzes and tests back this week, my grades are looking much better than they were last year. I can't even compare myself to the person I was this time last year, because I'm that different.
My struggles have been working though sickness, I have had a bug that I just can't seem to get rid of since Tuesday and it's draining a lot of my energy. There have been days where I wanted to go home, just lay on the couch and let my body work out the fever and the headaches and the stomach knot and the aches and pains of sickness.
I pushed through though, still haven't missed a day of school yet! Yay! But that will probably change by the end of the year, I always get the flu and am usually out for 3-7 days. Yuck.
So yes.That has been my week. Not very entertaining, but there you have it.



Hope this was satisfactory for you, Mr. Barham!

--Lauren

Winston's Journal

Dear Journal,

Today was exceptionally horrid. During the 2-Minute Hate this afternoon, people were shouting at Goldstein while O'Brien and I made a weird connection. I don't know how to explain it but it seems as though he read my thoughts. Maybe he's a member of the Thought Police, sent to collect those who didn't worship or slander the pictures on the screen depending on who's on the Telescreen at the moment.
I came home and decided to write in this journal. It's going to be a huge blessing to be able to write what I want with no one arresting me for my opinions and such. Big Brother is a Tyrant. Tyrants aren't desirable. If you aren't desirable then people will start to realize something and they'll overpower you. But, no one here knows the difference between right and wrong, maybe my opinion is wrong? Maybe I'm just being difficult and Big Brother is a God whom I should trust with my life and put my faith in?
Maybe? Maybe not. Oh, there's a knocking at the door. I must go now. Goodbye,

--Lauren.

Ms. Delmaine's Thought Provoking Quote

"Power is not a means, it is an end. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution, one make the revolution to establish the dictatorship. The object of persecution is persecution. The object of torture is torture. The object of power is power." --George Oswell.

I agree with the statement that power is never intended, however it is always an outcome. Simply for the fact that one has to attempt to grasp it, it is not given to anyone, you must take it. Everything has a purpose. However, considering the fact that sometimes the purpose has nothing to do with the action, it's not always justified. Power goes to people's heads. It's inevitable. And when people achieve power, others are hurt by it. Syria is a perfect example. The government has too much power, they're hurting their own citizens! People are dying, there are parentless children, and the country is falling apart. Why? Because someone abused their power.

Learning Styles

I am kinda weirded out by all the learning styles I have, and how accurate the results were.

Okay, so first I am a Tactile/Visual Learner:

• I like Images and Charts
• I have to move around and take breaks when studying or doing work. 
• I watch and observe and work with my hands. 
• I like written instructions and I write everything down. 
• When spelling big words I have to visualize the word and write it a bunch-a times. 
• I like things neat and organized. 
• I like Art and Movies. 

I am an Individual Learner:

• I'm Private and Independent in my learning
• I do Self Analysisisss-s-s-s... 
• I do (in fact) keep a journal 
• I 'Target' my steps. 
• I highlight everything. 

I am a Written rather than an Auditory.

• I skim the text before I read it. 
• I highlight and write things down
• I take organized notes during a lecture
• I use Outline more than Cornell
• I MAKE FLASHCARDS! (<-- All the time!)

I am an Integrated Brain Level.

• I talk in feelings
• I'm future oriented
• self-destructive (<-- In terms of Academic Confidence)
• Difficult to educate (<-- True Dat.)
• Slow learner (Again.. very true)
• Inner visions and feelings (I day-dream.. A lot)
• Easily distracted (Why do people always say that?! I'm not easily Distra- Oh look a kitty!) 

My personality type is an ISFJ:

• Quite and Friendly (<-- Most the time)
• Committed
• Loyal
• Creative
• I remember important people. 

There ya go! That's my learning style. What's yours?

--Lauren

Time Management

Mr. Barham wants to know what I know about Time Management. Well, here's my answer.

Time Management is a very lovely skill to obtain. However, I find it rather difficult to develop such a skill. I want to have good Time Management skills, but I always find a way to procrastinate towards the different tasks that must be done.
I have learned that Time Management takes a lot of work and materials. A planner to write your assignments and due dates in, organizational skills so you don't lose anything, and a  bunch of sticky notes ;) All these aren't unreasonable to have, but they aren't exactly "Easy" to use. And when I say "Easy" I mean that they require a lot of work. You have to know how to use them properly to get their full potential. And as I stated earlier, I am a huge procrastinator.

So, there ya go. That's what I learned about Time Management. Thanks for reading.

And Mr. Barham, thanks for teaching and putting up with all the stuff we throw at you!

--Lauren

Ms. Delmaine's Question of the Day

How do you feel about Olaudah Equiano's Narrative so far?

Well, considering the fact that Olaudah was a slave that bought his own freedom and proved everyone who ever doubted him wrong, I really like the book so far. Granted I could do without all the extravagant wording and things of that sort but overall, I like the book. Olaudah was a true genius, he could pick up a language simply by listening to those who spoke it. He didn't have to study at it, he didn't have to work for it, it came to him naturally and I think that's what made him so special. He was that of a white man's standard. And it wasn't very common to find someone who was of that standard.

Olaudah was a special person, he went though a lot in his lifetime. In being taken from his country and being separated from his sister, it's very hard to imagine what life would be like if I didn't have them beside me (especially if I were being taken into slavery). I couldn't do half the things I do today without my sisters. I have 3 and it's hard to explain what would happen if I lost even one of them, I can't begin to tell you what would happen if I lost all 3.

Olaudah is right now, in the part of the book I'm at right now, he is being transported from ship to ship and finally gets put on land. For a moment, he thinks he's going to be freed, but soon comes to realize that he's there to work. He is very confused and scared about what's going to happen that he soon become depressed and doesn't really know what to do with himself. He contemplates a lot of things about death and dying, but he never carries out any of them. He sees many deaths of those who he has worked with and it scares him into realizing that he has the power to overcome these awful things. He can do something about what has happened to him and he can change the world.

Let's just say that I'm very excited to find out what happens later in the book. <3

~Lauren

How can you form a more-perfect Union?

I would think that, in order to form a more perfect Union, that our country should make laws that are agreed to by the people involved. To create a perfect Union, you must appeal to everyone in various ways that are reasonable and responsible. Now, it's counterproductive to appeal to everyone's every need, however, if those who aren't happy would attempt to make things better, the Union as a whole could benefit from it.

A better Union could be formed by sacrificing and compromising. People in America need to stop thinking that they are entitled to something and that someone is just going to give them what they want. Americans need to learn that they need to earn it.