Callous vs. Callus

Our vocabulary word is:
Callous; insensitive; indifferent; unsympathetic; hardened 

the word Callus is the homonym of callous which means:
Callus; a hardened or thickened part of the skin

Julius Caesar fun fact!

Based on remarks by Plutarch, Caesar is sometimes thought to have suffered from epilepsy. Modern scholarship is "sharply divided" on the subject, and some scholars believe that he was plagued by malaria, particularly during the Sullan proscriptions of the 80s. Despite the commonly held belief that Caesar suffered from epilepsy, several specialists in headache medicine believe that a more accurate diagnosis would be migraine headache.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was a very important and powerful leader of Rome. Caesar was born on July 13th 100 B.C. and died on March 15th 44 B.C. There are several interesting and important facts on Caesar such as he was once a governor of spain for 3 years. He also has been known to be romantically involved with 3 other women. Caesar also had an adopted son. There are also much more amazing facts of Julius Caesar.

Julius Caesar Fact

Caesar gave his daughter Julia to Pompey in marriage to strengthen the alliance.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was a Roman general who played an important role in the gradual transformation of the Roman Republic into the Roman Empire. Caesar entered into a political alliance with Crassus and Pompey that dominated Roman politics for many years. Caesar's achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse Pompey's standing. The balance of power was upset later on by the death of Crassus. Political realignments in Rome finally led to a standoff between Pompey and Caesar. After Caesar assumed control of the government, he began many extensive reforms of Roman society and government. He centralized the bureaucracy of the Republic and was given the title "dictator in perpetuity". Led by Marcus Junius Brutus, a group of senators assassinated Caesar on the "Ides of March" (March 15 44 B.C.), in hopes of restoring the constitutional government of the Roman Republic.

Random facts about Shakespeare.

• Shakespeare's name may have meant "Shaker of Spears," indicating warrior ancestry.
• The river running through Shakespeare's hometown is the Upper Avon, not the Avon. In Shakespeare's time, the town was called Stratford, not Stratford-upon-Avon.
• The ceiling of Shakespeare's stages was called "The Heavens."
• In his will, Shakespeare left his wife his "second-best" bed.

Julius Caesar

When Julius Caesar conquered Britain, he wrote an entire book about what he saw there. Also, when he was on his trip to Rhodes, he was captured by pirates.

Shakespeare Trivia

Did you know that only 18 of approximately 37 plays were written during his lifetime?

Fact about Caesar

Caesar gave his daughter Julia to Pompey in marriage to strengthen the alliance.

Julius Caesar

Did you know that during the reign of Sulla, Caesar was not considered a big threat? By spending enormous sums of money for public spectacles, he built up a reputation and popularity among the public. He was also responsible for bringing Gaul- modern day France- into the expanding Roman empire. With extreme popularity and a powerful army, Caesar turned on Rome and by 46 C.E., had named himself dictator for life.

Fact about Shakespeare

He wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets!

Julis Caesar

In 79 BCE, Julius Caesar was awarded the civic crown for saving the life of a citizen in battle. He was on the staff of a military league. The civil crown were basically oak leaves. I don't know why he would want oak leaves. His general sent him on an embassy to Nicomedes, the king of Bithynia, to obtain a fleet of ships. Caesar was successful at Bithinynia, but subsequently Nicomedes was gay, and he had to sleep with the kind to persuade him to obtain a fleet of ships. When Sulla died in 78, Caesar returned to Rome and began a career as a orator/lawyer and a life as an elegant man-about-town.

Random Fact.

Did you know that in the notorious work "Dante's Inferno", once the protagonist was in the realm of hell, he could see that in the mouth of the devil were three people: Judas, the betrayer of Jesus, and the two conspirators of Julius Caesar, Cassius and Brutus. Interesting, no?

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar was stabbed to death.

William Shakespeare, one of the greatest poets of all time.

William Shakespeare, known for his many plays and poems, was born and deceased in April just three days apart (April 26, 1564-April 23 1616). Though he wrote many plays that we know of today, none of them he published himself, after his death two men that he so seemingly entrusted his plays to published them to the public. His history isn't sure and set in stone and the dates may be off on some of the publications of his plays but what we do know for sure is that William Shakespeare is one of the greatest poets of all time.

Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an english poet and playwright. He was married to Anne Hathaway who was seven years older than 18 year old William when they got married in 1582. After the birth of his twins he left few historical traces , legend says William fled town to escape prosecution for deer poaching.

William Shakespeare

There are many interesting facts of William Shakespeare, one is that since there is so little information of him people don't even know his actual birthdate. Also when Shakespeare first got married to Anne Hathaway they were actually 8 years apart. Another very interesting fact is that Shakespeare never published any of his plays

Interesting Facts on William Shakespeare

For a playwright as famous as William Shakespeare, there is little known about his private life. He has written so many plays and other works of literature, yet there is so little written on his life. His life remains a mystery waiting to be unraveled. Some interesting facts that we do know about him are:

• During his life he wrote a total of 37 plays and 154 sonnets
• He lived up to 52 years old
• Buried in the Holy Trinity Church, where he was said to put a curse on anyone daring to move his body from that final resting place.
• In Shakespeare's plays, suicide appears an unlucky thirteen times in total

Shakespeare or Anonymous Playwright?

All my life I have honestly never heard that his works could have been a hoax. His works and overall life had been based on public records. Supposedly being born on April 23, 1564, Shakespeare had a long life of fulfillment ahead of him. Or was it really him? Some articles stated that his works could have been stolen by various individuals either jealous or really competitive as a supposed writer. Though people might say that this legend of a playwright was or could have been a lost figure, here are some facts that caught my eye of the "legend's" life:

- By the time of 1612, Shakespeare had wrote a variety of sub-genres: comedies, histories, tragedies, and romances. Some of his famous plays include Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King's Men, Macbeth, and other famous plays that some go-hard Shakespeare fans know and love.

- Shakespeare's work has made a lasting impression on later theater and literature. In particular, he expanded the dramatic potential of characterization, plot,language, and genre. Until Romeo and Juliet, for example, romance had not been viewed as a worthy topic for tragedy. Soliloquies had been used mainly to convey information about characters or events; but Shakespeare used them to explore characters' minds. His work heavily influenced later poetry.

Though Shakespeare has been a mystery for all of us to figure out in the future, I would know that the work of this play writer has inspired many poets today in some way and that there will be many more poets to realize what this play writer had done to a forever growing piece of art called poetry.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is believed to be born on April 23, 1564 and to have died on that day in 1616. Shakespeare is mainly recognized/known for the many plays and poems he wrote during his lifetime. However, Shakespeare never published his plays while he was alive, in fear of other theaters using his work. Shakespeare's plays were at first performed in the Globe Theatre(both of them, the first was rebuilt). What I found interesting about Shakespeare's life is that he married a rich widow, which made people in society respect him more. What I also found interesting about Shakespeare's life is that his family was illiterate! So I found it very impressive for Shakespeare to be so gifted in play writing and poetry, when his family could not read themselves. I believe that Shakespeare is a very bold and gifted writer because many of his plays challenged the society around him with controversial ideas.

Shakespeare

Shakespeare created his play, "Hamlet," a short while after his only legitimate son, Hamnet, died.

Shakespeare's Taboos.

The renowned writer wrote about basically everything around his environment and society during his time, from gossip to politics. This may have attracted a following to his plays, but what I find interesting about his plays is the thoughts of taboos, or ideas that people try to avoid because of religious, traditional, or moral reasons. For example, we see the idea of incest being put into the plot in Hamlet, which some might find pretty gross. Others include racism in Othello, homosexuality in A Midnight Summer's Dream, and anti-Semetism in Merchant of Venice. Not only did he bring these topics into theaters of his time, which may have found his ideas to be wrong, he created a legacy of literature that was passed on into our century, where these taboos are somewhat still put into society. 

Shakespeare.

William Shakespeare was a verbal contortionist, he could bend his words, the way a contortionist bends his frame, Shakespeare was one of the most famous playwrights of his time, however, lately his credibility has gone into questioning... by me. "To be or not to be," that is the question, whether it is nobler in the mind to "borrow" ideas from previous plays or to have no plays at all. So Shakespeare could you "act" like a real artist for once in your life say, Van go, and lend me your ear. So, Shakespeare, what I'm trying to really say is you're not as great as popularly proclaimed. Oh and poetic talent is really easy to fake when "doth sentences dont make any sense ay."

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway (who was 8 years older than Shakespeare) when he was 17/18 and she was 25/26. They were wedded due to Anne's 3 month pregnancy of Shakespeare's child. Shakespeare conveys his love towards Anne Hathaway by inserting his account of love in his playwrights: A Midsummer Night's Dream and Twelfth Night. Also conveying his love on his deathbed-his last will out of love for his wife.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born on April 23, 1564 and died on April 23, 1616. He was an english poet and playwright and widely known writer in the english language and dramatist. He has written about 38 plays, 154 sonnets, and two long narrative poems. Most of his work was know between 1589 and 1613. The Romantics thought he was a genious and he was admired by Victorians.

Shakespeare never published any of his plays. The only reason we read them today is because his fellow actors recorded his work as a dedication.

Shakespeare

I thought that Othello was a board game, and it was quite interesting that it was one of Shakespeares plays.Othello was one of Shakespeares most popular plays throughout 17th century.Othello was  first performed in 1604 according to the Accounts of the Master of the Revels  . Othello was first put into print in 1622 by Thomas Walkley. At the first of November, a play in the banqueting house at Whitehall where they played Othello, was played at Hallowmas Day.Tragically, during a performance of Othello at Covent Garden in 1833, Edmund Kean collapsed on stage into the arms of his son who was playing Iago, and died a few weeks later.

Mabillard, Amanda. The History of Othello Shakespeare Online. 12 Oct. 2011. 

Shakespeare

William Shakespeare's life is still a mystery hidden between time and truth. His grave, date of baptism, and documents are the only things that support that he was an actual person although some doubt it. Some claim "Shakespeare" was a penname for a group of three men because of the three distinct styles of writing while others say it could have even been an incognito woman. The mystery still remains because his grave has not been opened. The epitaph reading-
"Good Friends, for Jesus' sake forbear,
To dig the bones enclosed here!
Blest be the man that spares these stones,
And curst be he that moves my bones."

What is buried underground is still a mystery. Whether he wrote the couplets, people have not looked beyond the casket to see if the remains are of William Shakespeare or simply a pile of rocks.

Who is Shakespeare?

We do not know much about Wiliam Shakespeare, but there are some facts that we do know about his life. We know that in 1592 he bcame a writer and actor. Also that he writes his plays in 'quarto texts', which is a sheet of paper folded four ways. The first of his dramatic works was the "First Folio" which was approximatley nine hundred page manuscript, which took about two years to complete. We know many facts about his life remains a mystery.

William Shakespeare

Yesterday we read a text about William Shakespeare and researching about him online I found out that around 1594, he became an important member of the Lord Chamberlain's company of players. Also, his success was noticeable when his literatures are now studied by historians, his literature was successful in London in his day, and he sold his plays in octavo copies or "penny-copies." Though there are some apparent information available, much of Shakespeare's life remain a mystery 'till today.

Source:http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323?page=2 and http://www.bardweb.net/man.html

William Shakespeare

Shakespeare's poems and sonnets are widely known around the world by millions of people, yet facts of Shakespeare himself remain a mystery to many people. As i researched Shakespeare i crossed something that seemed impossible to me, Shakespeare, a man that wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets that are very famous, never had a portrait painted of him while he was alive! All of the portraits we see nowadays were after his death and were purely from memory, earlier images, or imagination.

http://www.life123.com/parenting/education/shakespeare/facts-about-william-shakespeare.shtml

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portraits_of_Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare influenced in his life was able to create timeless works which did not only people in literature but thoroughly became deep rooted in culture. During his day and age, in grammar schools; their grammar, punctuation and spelling was much less standardized then we see now. With loose constraints Shakespeare was able to manipulate English in order to develop new words and terms in his writings. Such terms like “a foregone conclusion” and “wild goose chase” developed by William Shakespeare have come to help to develop modern English language.

William Shakespeare

Today, we read about the mysterious life of William Shakespeare because we are going to read his works for the next six or so weeks. Even though he is rather mysterious, I managed to find an interesting fact about him. I was very surprised to learn that Shakespeare put a curse on anyone that dares move his body from his final resting place. Effectively, the great William Shakespeare's body remains undisturbed.

Thursday

On thursday we read and analyzed the article of the real event that influenced the short story "And of Clay Are We Created." We read about the tragic event that took the lives of many columbians and left many injured. Ina graphic organizer we wrote ehat was going on in each paragraph and what literary elements the author used for his article. We went outside and were ablento work on the assignment woth fresh air and with a partner.

Help

How do we check the My Grade Book for our 6th period class?

Week #5 Reflection

This whole week we have been learning a new unit called "The Good Samaritan" Unit its an pretty easy unit. We read two texts so far that some or explain what a goo Samaritan is.We finished the text "And Of Clay We Are Created" which is about a news reporter help a lintel girl get out of some rubble. This story was very Intense and Shocking in many ways. So far I like this new unit. Lets hope that i do good on it.

Reflection : FridayT

On Friday we learned about narrative essays. We finished the text "And Of Clay We Are Created"

it was pretty intense. We also read this article about this police officer who had gotten shot right after he fed a kid in need. We watched the surveilance tape of when he bought the young child cookies it was a shame to know he was killed for no reason.

Reflection

On Friday we learned about a narrative. A narrative is a short story or fictional story that can be used to show an opinion or an argument. We were assigned to write a narrative. As you can see I'm huge on procrastination (being it's 11:00 pm on a Sunday night.) Our narrative is an adaptation to a news article we read in class about a "Good Samaritan" who did something nice for someone else but was not rewarded for his deed.

Thursday

On thursday we spent the class reading and analyzing the short story, "And Of Clay We Are Created". We read the short story as a class and wrote down what was going on in a graphic organizer. In the the graphic organozer we also listed what the author was saying and what literary devices they were using.

Friday, August 19th

In class on Friday we basically spent the whole day reading and analyzing the text "And of Clay we are created", organizing it into a table. Through this process we were able to better understand the text and get a better sense of the theme/ argument. We looked at the story in parts and looked at it as a whole, which is part of the steps to identify a story's argument. Identifying a story's argument is one of the reader's main goals to do. That is why after reading the text and analyzing what it talks about,the literary devices used, and the purpose of each paragraph, we now have to identify the story's argument.

Reflection

This week, we beggan to read a short story, "And of clay we are created," which is based on something that actually happened. This made me think about how writers can gain inspiration after real-life events happen. After reading a text like that, you think for a minute how that could have actually happened. This made me realize that things that happen in the world are unknown to many people, or people are just careless.

Thursday and Friday

On thursday and friday we began reading the short story by Isabel Allende called "And of clay we are created". So far I think that as good as the diction and the metaphors and such are, that it is not too happy. It makes me sad. This man has so much perseverance and he is so willing to help someone in need, and it gets me thinking, would I do that? Would I spend 3 days trying to save the life of a stranger? Would I look Azucena in the eye and tell her she was going to live even when i knew that she wouldn't? And would sit in mud and feel sad and famished until I either lost or saved this person? And for most of these questions I don't think I can honestly answer with a yes, because Rolf Carle didn't think about himself for one moment, but dedicated himself to saving her, which is why i love this story.

Reflection- 08/19/11

On Thursday the 18th and on Friday the 19th, we read through "And of Clay Are We Created" by Isabel Allende. We analyzed and identified literary devices, what each paragraph is about, and what the author is doing in that paragraph. This story uses an extensive use of many literary devices such as irony, imagery, and foreshadowing/flashbacks. By using many literary devices, the author thoroughly allows us to envision the setting, the mood, and the characters. It gives me a great anticipation of wanting to read it more by using hints of foreshadowing in the story. Overall, it helped me to break down the paragraphs and analyze each paragraph separately to have a better insight of the story.

Touchy.

The story "And Of Clay We Are Created" is an absolute exception in one of the many stories that I've read in English. I actually think it's better than "Flowers For Algernon", which I adored in 8th grade! Good times.
Well, anyways, the story doesn't just make me feel good about my life and how it's playing out, it also makes me think about catastrophic events that has happened through our times.. like Katrina, the BP Oil Spill, the constant fighting between Israeli and the Palestinians, even the riots in London. These events make these horrible events that Azucena faced.

So, will we see this in the future?

Reflection

On Friday the whole class was all excited for the whole whiteboard points system Ms. Amezcua just made up and wanted the no homework passes. That day the class was continuing the story we started last class. That story was very depressing to the whole class. From the story the good samaritan is trying to save the girls life.

Reflection

On friday, we read the story and analyzed every paragraph of "And of Clay We Are Created." I think that with this activity it really made me think more about the story in a way where I had to deeply analyze what literary devices was present and what each paragraph is doing for the story. On the other hand, the story really ties in with our new unit, in my opinion, since it shows how one person out of the kindness of their heart could help someone in need.

Reflection

On Friday we had read more of the short story we were reading. It didn't sound too bad at first but it kept interest by being very descriptive. Later on we had read more of it and the more we read, the more sympathetic i felt towards the Azecuna. It was really sad that she was going to die right there.

8/19/11

On Friday, in class, we continued to read each paragraph of "And of Clay We Are Created" and analyze as we went along. We discovered that most of the paragraphs that we read were used to describe what was going on or the imagery of the situation. I enjoyed doing this as a class because the entire class was able to work together to find out what each separate paragraph was doing for the story. The short story also reveals many details about the author/narrator, Rolf Carle, and
Azucena. I have already finished reading the rest of the story and the ending had me shocked (although the foreshadowing of the story made me think that it was going to happen anyway). I hope we are able to doing short story like this, but not as depressing as this one.

It's late...

Here is the time right now... 3:09... A.M. I just finished working on all the homework I haven't done for the past few weeks. I am hating AP world history vocabulary's "Significance." Anyways, I finally got my iPod back, and at the moment, I'm listening to Green Day's Boulevard of Broken Dreams. It's a kinda depressing song.

Anyways, onto the actual post. The class has been kinda depressing. We've been talking about death, and stories that include death in them. The short story we are currently reading is "And of Clay We are Made." The story is about a news reporter, whose name is Rolf Carle ( there is an accent over the e, but I can't find the button... D: ), and a girl named Azucena, which means Lily in Spanish. She is stuck in the rubble and muck after the volcanic eruption. Rolf tries to help her get out of the mud, when he has a flashback to his own childhood, during the era of World War II, when the Russians took his family to bury the dead. I really don't want to ruin the ending for anyone who hasn't finished the story yet, so I'll stop here. Goodnight... It may be early morning, but I am going to bed now, after working from 9 A.M. yesterday.

Class Reflection

We started the Good Samaritan unit this week. Even though we just started it, I am actually enjoying this unit. It really makes us think about everyday life, and how most of us take it for granted. We are reading "And Of Clay Are We Created" in class, and were asked to analyze the story to find out what the author's argument for it is. I thought the story would be lame and boring at first, but I completely proved myself wrong two paragraphs into the story. Isabel Allende's wise and thoughtful style of writing put me on the edge and made me feel different kinds of emotions as I read through the story.

Reflection

On Tuesday, we started the Good Samaritan unit. We read the text "The Parable of the Good Samaritan". Reading the text got me thinking, "What type of person would just ignore a person in need?", but then I realized that it happens everyday. Then we were asked to write a essay based on the question, "Do you agree or disagree that most people risk their lives to help someone in need?". I chose to disagree. Although some people would go out of their way to help someone, most wouldn't.

Reflection

On Tuesday we started our unit, the "good Samaritan unit" and now we are reading this story "And of Clay Are We Created" by Isabel Allende. It is a pretty interesting story that changes a lot. You think you know how the story is going at one point and then out of nowhere there is a total shift. Nonetheless, it got me thinking a lot. First about media and our numbness to dramatic situations. The story talks about how Rolf Carle is the only one trying to help Azucena who is stuck in what seems to be mud pit. It made me think about a lot of different things, mainly about media today and our possible numbness to crisis. While she is stuck and Rolf is the only one attempting to help, other reporters are breathing down Azucena's neck. The glaring lights and camera screens became her everyday existence. I think it represents media today accurately, we watch tragedies unfold before our eyes and most people just think "That's horrible" and then proceed to eat their dinner. That is just the unfortunate reality of human nature now.

This story also got me thinking about World War 2. We always learn about how the Jewish conditions were horrible and the Nazi's are evil. It is different when you read about this boy having to experience; having to take naked dead bodies turned to ashes in crematoriums, his abusive father unleashing his fury on his both physically and psychologically and seeing his mother being what seems to be sexually assaulted. This just gives you a new, heart breaking perspective on one of the darkest moments in human history.

On a lighter note; we started a "game" to encourage people to participate in class. The purpose is to get the most points and then whatever team does gets no homework passes or extra credit. It is a good idea the only thing with the game is that it does not seem to be helping too much at times and the same people seem to be talking, and is that not what teachers want to avoid? Just thinking out loud, plus I think that instead or everyday Ms. A should tally up all the points and pick a winner at the end of the week.

Good samaritan

We started the "Good Samaritan" unit on Tuesday. I learned that the term "good samaritan" came from a parable from the bible. "The Parable of the Good Samaritan" basically stated how a Samaritan had helped a wounded man after two men passed by him. And that is how we got the term good samaritan.

The Parable of the Good Samarian

On Tuesday we were given a handout of a very familiar story. This was a story that was read to me often when I was in my Catholic elementary school. This parable shows that there is always hope at the end of the dark tunnel (or that's what I thought). Beforehand, we had watched a clip from Seinfeld where a very healthy man had gotten mugged and the characters did nothing but watch and get entertained. The cop or other figure of authority came up to them and said that the city had a "Good Samaritan Law" which stated that if anyone was in danger, you would have to help him or her if needed be. We then had to find a theme which then led to writing an essay about this topic: Do you agree or disagree that most people risk their lives to help someone in need. I had to disagree. I mean, why would someone want to risk their own civilian life when they can get some other high authoritative figure to straighten things out? There was another important thought that came to mind while we had the discussion in class: Do people consider themselves caught in the crossfire of trouble, or do they not care at all when someone is in dire need as if it were invisible until they are involved? That, my pupils, is a question I will leave for you to figure out.

Reflection 8/16/11

In class yesterday we saw a clip and read a text of what a good Samaritan should be like. We saw a clip from a comedy show when a large man was being robbed and instead of the people helping him they laughed and recorded him. In the text we read about a man that was robbed and stripped from his clothing. Several people passed before anyone helped him, but what really surprised me was that a priest from a different origin wouldn't help him. Priests should people regardless of religion and race.

Tuesday 8/16/11 Reflection

Yesterday in class we learned a parable of the good samaritan. What I thought about the parable is that it is a good story about on how we need to be good people. I also learned some words like on how a jurisdiction is the right to interpret the law. I also found out that finding the argument is a main purpose of reading and that fiction is used to share insights about life. I found out that this information will be useful in the future.

Good Sumerian

Today, we started the unit about good Sumerian. It was quite amusing how most people had the same feelings as me. I learned how to make a essay about what I thought about that. I thought that generalization was a evidence for a reason, which was correct, but realized that there were many other things I can do for a reason. I am going to research some statistics and then put that in my essay to make my essay better.

Reflection

I am writing the reflection on the first day of the week so I won't have to worry about it. I always seem to put it off until later and then everything is stressing on that Sunday night. So anyways, today in class we took the vocabulary test. I didn't think it was that hard and I guess I enjoyed it because it was a good time to spend an hour (if you had studied) and it was funner than doing test prep. We also got introduced to new vocabulary and I alway seem to enjoy those lessons because Ms. Amezcua actually gives examples and explanation where as last year we just got the worksheet and it was all over. I think the new English chapter is going to be interesting. The idea of the "good Samaritan" is going to be hard. I don't really know what I believe in yet but I hope the decision will get easier. I really do.

Reflection

On Friday, we took our first summative test and I had a few difficulties with the test. The multiple choice section, I had no problem with, but the outline I had trouble with. Lately I've been noticing a pattern for exanple, how we take quizzes on Monday and testes on Friday. Overall, I thought the test was okay.

Reflection

On Friday the class took another test similar to last week's test. I admit for myself the test was easy since we have been going over this stuff over and over again. I did get to memorize the things we learned in class because of the tests we keep taking.

Reflection

On Friday we took a test. It was weird though, since we had to pass it around. Apparently Ms. Amezcua did not print enough copies for the whole class. We did not have to annotate though, which kind of saved my grade. But it was still a pretty weird way to take a test.

Reflection: Friday

On Friday, we took our first summative test and got some time to study some of the SAT words that we'll be taking a quiz on, Monday. When I took the summative test, it gave me a little difficulties on some of the questions and especially the outline. Overall, all we did Friday was take our summative test and study some SAT words for our quiz.

Reflection

This week made me realise that almost all the weeks are going to be the same. Mondays are vocab quiz days, and Fridays are quiz days. I think of this because last three weeks we had quizes on Fridays, and Mondays are starting to be vocab quiz days.

Reflection : Friday

We took our first summative is was much alike as the quizzes we have taken before.We went over some SAT vocabulary words. I learned a better undersranding of how to write a outline overall it was a good short class.

Class Reflection

On Friday we had a shortened day schedule, so in class we took another Formative Assessment on the Habits of Mind. Which I believe I did so much better on. We also corrected our packets we did in class and on our outlines and lastly we reviewed our new vocabulary words. Friday was a very productive day.

What should I talk about?

This past Thursday, our class finished the diagnostic test. It wasn't hard as much as it was repetitive. I mean, we had to read the same four articles... twice! In the time it took the class to finish the packet, I could have finished reading my book. Not to say the class isn't fast, in fact, they usually finish about the same time I do, it's just the fact that we dedicated too much time to doing this packet. If you had just dedicated perhaps two or three days instead of five or six, we might have already begun the next lesson on Friday. Oh well, what's in the past is in the past. Can't change it now...

Reflection: Friday

On Friday we took our "Summative 1 Test." The test seemed pretty easy when I took it, however, when checking mygradebook.com I only recieved an 80% on it. This frustrates me greatly because I really needed an A on it. I need to find a way to raise my grade to an A, and fast. The test was on everything we've done so far in class, so it was a pretty big test, I need to retake this test and the last one we took, "Vocabulary Quiz 'Cur'" which I scored incredibly poorly on it.

I believe the reason why I do bad on tests is because I overthink the questions. I always think of every possibility and every plausible choice and I reason with myself and try to think of ways each answer would be trying to trick you. Usually I'm not a good test taker but I pride myself in presentations and other forms of learning.

The days have blurred together. I am not entirely sure what we did on each day but I just remember some of the assignments. One day, we took a test (Friday, I think). Anyways, I dunno, I thought it was pretty self-explanatory if you had been listening in class and had looked at the outline before. Some other day, we were being introduced new vocab. I like it when Ms. Amezcua shows us pictures and videos explaining the words; it is way better when she uses Star Wars pictures because I've actually seen all the movies and I know the class enjoys it. I am not enjoying school lately but I don't really mind Ms. Amezua's class (Good job Ms. Amezcua!) because it is not that stressing and it is always fun.

CAHSEE prep!

Throughout the week, we were given a packet to prep for the CAHSEE. With all the other work given to us, I thought that this week went by easy. The test requirements were pretty tedious with certain tasks to pertain to and such. We ended the week with a summative that we had only a day to study for. I thought it was quite easy for me. Well, I cannot really think of anything else but to guess what could happen this week. Hopefully it will come and go just as fast as last week!

Monday 8/8/2011

This vocabulary quiz was harder compared to the ones I took in English 9 accelerated with Ms. Estrada. It had more words in it, the words were more harder, and some words had similar words in them. I didnt like how I was given both the practice test and vocab test at the same time, because it pressured me for doing both of them. I have a feeling that it would have been better if I was given them one at a time. However, I liked how I was able to know that CAHSEE was not super easy like some juniors tell me.

Class Reflection

I thought the CAHSEE Test Prep wasn't that difficult, until I found out what my score was on it. I didn't follow any of the pre-reading strategies, and I am pretty sure that was what led to my almost failing grade on the packet. The next time we get a CAHSEE test prep packet, I'll make sure to actually take the time to do the pre-reading strategies to ensure a better score, because despite the long process, they really do help.

No one said it would be easy.

Although this week wasn't that difficult for English, I think that I am being challenged in school. CAHSEE work might be a little tedious, but it's simple in my perspective. However, the scenario is still the same.  Balancing the homework for AP World History and Biology is hard as it is, might as well add some essay. I know this will only make me a prestigious student, but I mean I'm just a sophmore.

Reflection

On Monday, we did some CAHSEE prep again. It was pretty easy because of the six step reading strategy. It really helps me a lot when answering the questions about the text. I think that the CAHSEE will be easy because of all the practice we have been doing lately.

CHASEE prep

On Monday and Tuesday, we did even more CHASEE prep. It was just like the other packet; annotate, answer questions, annotate, answer questions on and on. But these questions were different, they were more specific and focusing on skills. The test is pretty straight forward, you just had to look at the text and the answers were pretty much smacking you in the face.

The part I do not like is the grammar section. The part that is like "Which sentence is the best" or something along those lines and I do not like them because I am not really good at grammar or spelling so I just use my best judgment. I suppose I do alright in them, but the essay outline that Ms.A asks for might be the most frustrating for me. Its quite a simple task, I understand it but she tells us to write our ideas and the thing with me is that all these different defenses and anecdotes pop in my head and I can not decipher what is important enough. So I guess the thing I need to work on is evaluating the importance of information.

Reflection

On monday, 8/08, we took a vocabulary test which in my opinion was fairly easy. Though I did struggle with defining the SAT words since I didn't really study the definition of those words very well. Also, we worked on our packet which is something I think is quite easy as well though there are some questions that are somewhat tricky, where I had to re-read the passage a couple of time just to figure out a logical answer for the question.

Write only one reflection post this week. Don't forget essay due Thursday!

8-8-11 Reflections

We took a practice test. I think it was super easy, you dont even have to read the articles! I used the six step set up stratagie and once I read the questions, I didn't have to read the texts, it went by fast!

Class reflection

In class today, we took a vocabulary quiz that was fairly easy. I am pretty confident that I got a good grade on the quiz. But after the easy part of the day, we did what I despised the most in English class; we had to read articles and answer questions for CAHSEE preparation. These articles were so time consuming. Considering that I am not a quick reader, I did not get to finish. What I hated the most was that the questions were easy and did not even require us to read the whole text. Hopefully, this is one of the last CAHSEE preparations for a while.

Monday 8-8-11

To start off the week our class we did a practice test which was pretty easy, because if you read the questions first you will not have the read the whole passage. What I noticed about the packet is most of the passages are the same. We also took a vocabulary quiz which was fairly easy because we studied the words last week. 

Reflection

In class we took our vocabulary quiz that we have been going over in class many times. It was pretty easy due to the fact that I studied. I believe I at least got a B. We also took a CAHSEE Practice Test to test our understanding of our new strategies. I didn't like how this test took so much time. Even though we could use our strategies, I still believe we can answer the questions without reading the whole passage.

CAHSEE Practice

Today in class first we took a vocabulary quiz which was pretty much easy because we had already covered and gone over them before hand. After we individually finished the vocabulary quiz, we took some CAHSEE Practice tests, so we could put the strategies we learned into action. I think the practice tests were overall easy, but I just didn't like how there was so much reading and how most of the questions could be answered without having to read the passages. Reading and annotating was time consuming so I didn't get to finish them all, but I think i came out with better knowledge on how to put the strategies to work as an advantage in test taking.

Common Theme Outline

Introduction:

1. "The Final Salute" is about a soldier who dies and leaves behind his fighting memory and all his loved ones. It talks about what his loved ones experienced during his passing away. "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" is about a son who is trying to reach out to his father who is near death, telling him to keep fighting and "Not to go gentle into that goodnight".

2. "The Final Salute" is an article by Jim Sheeler that emphasizes the pain people feel when honorable loved ones pass away. "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" is a poem by Dylan Thomas that emphasizes the need to fight and not give up in the moment of death.

3. The texts "The Final Salute" and "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" share the common theme that it is better to die going hard without giving up, leaving the people you left behind with the remembrance of your strength and bravery than to simply take for granted the last few moments of your life and embracing death itself.

Body:

1. "........I'm escorting a fallen Marine home to his family from the situation in Iraq." (Sheeler 2)

2. This quote shows how Lieutenant James J. Cathey died as an honorary man fighting for his people until his death, leaving behind the remembrance of his bravery and strength.

1. "Rage, rage against the dying of the light." (Thomas 1)

2. This quote is repeated throughout the poem, which shows that the author is trying to tell his father who is close to death, to fight to live and not just simply embrace death.

Conclusion:

1.The common theme is that it is better to die going hard without giving up, leaving the people you left behind with the remembrance of your strength and bravery than to simply take for granted the last few moments of your life and embracing death itself.

2. This theme is supported by the two quotes from "Final Salute" and "Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night". Both quotes emphasize the importance of fighting until death and leaving behind your last memories with bravery and strength to your loved ones.

3. Therefore, these two texts both share the common theme of putting up a fight and not embracing death, and to go down not with defeat but with bravery and strength to show to your loved ones.

Vocabulary

Today in class we had to take a vocabulary test based around the words with the root "Cur". I think that the test was very simple considering the fact that all we had to do was match the definitions with the words. However what made the vocabulary test a bit harder was when we had to either use 3 SAT words in a sentence or write the definition of the sentence because it required more 'Relate & Apply' knowledge by relating the SAT words to the test and applying my knowledge by writing the words in a sentence.

Outline

Intro:

1. "The Final Salute" talks about what a dead soldier leaves behind and some of what happened before his death. "Do Not Go Gentle..." is about what a son thinks his father should do in response to death.

2. "The Final Salute" is an article by Jim Sheeler that looks into the death and what happens to others when they find out about his death. "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" is a poem by Dylan Thomas that surrounds the concept of not giving up, no matter the circumstance.

3. The texts "The Final Salute" and "Do Not Go Gentle..." both share the common theme of how people who know that they will die, should try to fight against it.

Body:

1. "He fell back onto the words the military had told him to say, 'I'm escorting a fallen Marine home to his family from the situation in Iraq.'" (Sheeler 2)

2. This quote shows how Lt. Cathey was honorable in his death by fighting for his country and ultimately his life.

1. "Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night." (Thomas 1)

2. This quotes states that even though they know they are going to die, the continue to fight death and fight for their lives.

Conclusion:

1. The common theme these two texts share is that although someone knows that death is approaching, they shouldn't give up.

2. This is evidenced by the quotes given in the previous paragraphs which talk about how Lt. Cathey was honorable in his death by fighting for both himself and his country and how even though there are people who know that they made little progress in affecting people around them, they continue to fight death.

3. Therefore, these two texts both share the common theme of saying how people shouldn't give up no matter the circumstance.

Common theme

"Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and "The Final Salute" both share a common theme. The common theme they both share is about losing someone in their lives. "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" talks about a faimly member losing their father, and how he's trying to not give up and keep going in life. "The Final Salute" talks about a marine who lost his life in the Iraq war.

Friday

We took a class quiz that was based on ALP material. I'm all thinking to myself, "We took a quiz on this already, so it should be easier." It was, I also listed the reading strategies and my favorite one at the end of the reading portion. The quiz was what we did half of the class time and the other half was the class working on vocabulary.

Theme

The theme that I think is the most appropriate in both "The Final Salute" and "Do not go Gentle in That Goodnight" is just live your life out to the max. I think this is the theme because in the final salute a young marine died young. This is the theme I believe in "Do not go Gentle in That Goodnight" because all the people died with some sort of feat.

Thursday

On Thursday, we annotated the poem, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night", in class. It was done to prepare us for the upcoming eassy. The upcoming essay, where we have to compare themes on "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" and "The Final Salute." By doing this, we got an understanding on the poem, so we're able to compare the poems. But before that, we took pictures for our IDs.

Common Theme

The theme of both of the texts we had read is you should try to live life to the fullest. I believe this is the theme because in "Final Salute," a marine had died and he could have lived a longer life. This also appears to be the theme in "Do Not Go..." because it is about not dying without doing some sort of feat.

Tuesday

On Tuesday during class we learned what euphemism were. Each student got there own set of euphemisms and we read them and shared them and tried to find there meanings. There is several types of interesting euphemasims and we all chose one to write about in a blog.

Class Reflection on Friday and Thursday

On Thursday we did our read and annotated the poem "Do Not Go Into The Gentle Night" , we analyzed each line to find the meaning behind the words.This is going to help us on the essay we have to write about comparing "Do Not Go Into The Gentle Night" and "The Final Salute".Then on Friday we took a quiz similar to the last one to just review some things .

Friday

During class on friday we took what we've been learning these past weeks and we took a short simple quiz. I honestly think i did pretty good on the quiz since i've been paying attention to all the stuff we've been going over. In the quiz we were expected to list the steps of the six step start up and answers to the third degree, it was easy since i have all the steps memorized.

Shouting Groceries

The euphamism "Shouting Groceries" means vomitting. This phrase came up because when your throwing up your mouth opens wide open as if you were shouting and it makes loud vomit noises. The groceries part is because groceries is food and when your throwing up your letting out all the food you've eaten. Therefore your shouting out groceries, and its just another way to say vomitting or "throwing up".

Euphemism

Pacify- To Repress Or Destroy An Enemy.

The USA Military planned to pacify their enemy.

Class reflections

We did an "editing practice" where we were given a handout of other peoples blogs and told to edit them. I really like assignments like that because it shows how careless we can be when we are typing. We always learn something new about grammer and how english works. I think it really helps me because everytime I blog now, I read and reread my blog before I post it.

The Common Theme

The common theme between both texts is that "Death is always sudden, but when faced loved ones are devestated." In "The Final Salute" shows this theme because his death was unexpected and his wife was extremely sad. In the poem "Don't go Gentle In That Good Night" it illustrates this theme because the father does not want to die, and the sons are sad of their deaths.

Class reflections friday 8-5-11

We took a quiz on friday. It seemed pretty simple. I felt really confident when I finished. I really prepared myself for this quiz and I am pretty sure I'll be getting a great grade on it. Fingers crossed!

The common theme between the two texts is, death comes by surprise, so live your life to the fullest. They both show how death always come, but the poem really proves that you should try to live you life to the fullest, so that when you die, you die without regret.

Editing other people's texts really helped me pay closer attention to how I write and sharing in front of the class made me find mistakes I didn't notice.

The "Final Salute" is a really moving article and i enjoyed seeing the impact one man made on so many people.

Thursday

On Thursday we as a class analyzed the poem "Do Not Go Into That Gentle Night" and annotated it. We annotated what we thought each stanza was about by breaking into groups and looking carefully at the poem. This activity gave me a better understanading for what we were reading.

Common theme

I think the common theme to " Final salute " and " Do not go gentile into that good night " is that " To never leave a marine behind . " because the history of the poem was about how the son is tell his father not to give up, and that he's with him all the way .

Response to Literature

I thought that the theme for both Final Salute by Jim Sheeler and Do not go gentle into that good night by Dylan Thomas was that you can never go down without a fight even though you cannot control your destiny. This is found in the Final Salute from the way Katherine Cathey fought her way through her emotional road of her husband's passing. In the poem, Do not go gentle into that good night, the theme is evident throughout the poem of not letting yourself leave without a fight. This particular lesson can be applicable to anyone. It should be the way we use this lesson that will make it beneficial.

Friday's class

On Friday we took the quiz, which was very similar to last weeks. I hope that i did good on it because on the last quiz i missed two, and this one i hope i missed none. Right now I'm thinking I should have done this blog earlier because I do not really remember what else we did. From what i do remember we were looking at the genres of writing and when we had to list them all I only knew two. I guess that means i have some studying to do!

Thursday

" Do not go gentle into that good night ." We as a class read this poem then we split into groups to see what this poem is about . This poem is about the not giving into death so easily . This poem is very inspirational .

Thursday

On Thursday we went over the poem "Do Not go Gentle Into That Night". We broke up into groups and analyzed the texts and it found out the meanings. This gave me a better understanding of the text and the poem.

On Friday the class took another quiz that looked similar to the quiz we took last week. The quiz this time was easy because i learned how to memorize what was on the quiz last week. The strategy I learned was strategy #1.

Euphemism

Freedom Fighters - Rebels or Guerrilas

My best friend is a freedom fighters .

Euphemism "Doing the Funky Chicken"

Euphemism is a way to express an action in a less offensive tone .The euphemism "Doing the Funky Chicken" is a less formal way of saying you have to go to the bathroom . It refers to the business you do in there.

http://www.inherentlyfunny.com/cat-35-funny_euphemisms.html

On Friday...

We took a test that was quite similar to the one we took days ago. It was pretty easy to me and when I was done, I just thought to myself, "Wow, I really need this weekend." Besides day dreaming, I also took note of how important our strategies of the reading process is. It will help me so much when we take any big test that requires these strategies.

Thursday, August 4th

On Thursday, in class we went over the poem "Do not Go Gentle into that Good Night". Each two rows of desks were assigned a stanza to interpret the meaning. After having 10 minutes to analyze the stanzas, we presented each stanza. I think this was very helpful, because the poem's meaning became so much clearer when each stanza was interpreted. It made me understand this poem in different ways, and through this activity I attained the full meaning of this poem, which is going to be helpful in writing our common theme essays.

Pro- Choice or Pro- Life?

These euphemisms are describing whether or not you were to support or go against abortion. I would think that these euphemisms originated when the proposition of abortion came up. The fights and psychological thoughts that were going through the minds of citizens in various countries and cities could have led to a lifelong conflict that we also face today. We cannot control the mind of any woman who has thought of abortion. We can only listen to what they really want to do.

http://www.nutri.com/choice/

Not Tonight Josephine

The euphemism "not tonight Josephine" came from Napolean Bonaparte when he decline sexual intercouse from Josephine the Empress. There isn't actually any proof that he actually said this line


http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/260600.html

Euphemism

"To bite the dust" is a euphemism used as another way of saying some one has died. This phrase was used by cowboys and desperados. It is said to suggest death of deafeat or a violent end.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bites+the+dust

Friday

On Friday the class took another quiz that looked similar to the quiz we took last week. The quiz was easy and it helped me to memorize one of the strategies Ms. Amezcua taught. The strategy that I memorized and learned well was strategy #1.

Friday

On Friday we took a short quiz. It was almost exactly like the other quiz last week. I thought it would be very hard but it seemed much easier because of last week's quiz. The only thing that got me was the extra test-prep question we had to do. I feel i could have done better for that.

Thursday

On Thursday, Mrs. Amezcua gave us some other student's blogs to correct. It was really weird since I did not see much to correct. I was pretty bad at attempting to fix them. I only got three misspelled errors because I thought i was supposed to stay on the page. It would have been nicer to get more points though. We also read a poem called "Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night." I felt so lost since I could not find the meaning to it.

Reflection on Friday

During the quiz, I realized that the habits of mind and the ALP will never go away, which is good, but annoying. We basically took the same test, but a shortened version, which shows that we should learn automatically know what they are when people ask us what the ALP and the habits of mind are. As annoying as they are, the ALP and the habits of mind will stick with you until the end, hopefully.

Reflection on that one day

When we finished the CAHSEE packet, I realized that teachers and distric people want us to actually pass the CAHSEE, because it was made by them. In my opinion, if they want us to pass the exam so bad, they should make it easier. They give us shortcuts and tricks on how to have a better score, so I think that the exam will be challenging.

Reflection

The day we read the poem "Do Not Go Gently Into That Good Night," which is I believe Thursday, I felt in a way lost since I'm not very good with interpreting poems and I couldn't really understand the meaning of the poem. Although, thanks to my peers around me I was able to get a grasp of what the author was saying after they explained it to me and we went over the meaning of the poem with the whole class.

Pushing Up Daisies

The euphemism "Pushing Up Daisies" is another way to say someone's passed away. "He's pushing up daisies," is a way to avoid directly saying "He died." The reason people say this is pretty grotesque. Apparently, when you die and get buried, you're fertilizing the ground so small flowers and grass grow on your grave.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_does_Pushing_up_daisies_mean

http://www.quotations.me.uk/famous-idioms/159-pushing-up-daisies-idiom.htm

So a few days ago, we were correcting other people's blog posts. I didn't go up to the board for the extra credit but I still had a fun day. It was amusing looking at people get all excited because of a misspelled word or an extra space before a period . (<--- example) I really do not enjoy editing text but Ms. Amezcua made it entertaining. I still think teenagers are weird because they freak out when they see a grammar problem and they get bored with so many other things.

Challenge!

On Thursday, August third, we had the opportunity to correct several articles created by other students from Blogger. Although some may just skim through the text and correct mistakes here and there, Yuuki, for example, went all out on the white board. I am not trying to put him on the spot or anything, but I thought of it as entertaining and interesting on how he just kept going and that he had all the confidence ion the word to do so. It also made it hard on the people who were to correct the various articles afterwards (including yours truly). I thought that the class went on smoothly and it was a great way to end my day.

Common Theme

We can all say that the theme for "Don't Go Gently Into the Night" and "Final Salute" is die in honor, or when a loved one is lost never forget. To me I think its love and be loved, live your life the way you want to because you don't get a second chance, and "Don't Go Gently Into the Night" is a perfect example for 'Live your life the way you want to' because in the end the only thing left to do is fight, and keep fighting. Don't live with regrets, because you'll never know when its your time to go like in, "Final Salute". There are many possible themes for these two strong and well written texts but from my point a view its not all about dying its about living as well.

Euphemism: "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree"

"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree" is a fantastic example of an euphemism. What this means is that two things aren't so different from each other. Such as if I were to compare you to your father, and I wanted to say you weren't as different as you thought you were.
This euphemism dates back to 1893 and is commonly used to state continuity between family members. Personally for me, this euphemism doesn't come up as often as it used to, which maybe show us, that we are all falling farther and farther from the tree.

"Jump On The Bandwagon"

One euphemism that we use is "to jump on the bandwagon". This means to go along with whatever is "in" or to go with the trends. This originated when Phineas T. Barnum first said the phrase "on the bandwagon" ("jump on the bandwagon" did not come until later). When the phrase "jump on the bandwagon" was actually used it referred to the bandwagons that politicians used to campaign, the reason they used bandwagons was that they tended to grab the attention of the crowd when the traveling circuses would use them. The phrase was used by Theodore Roosevelt when he said "When I once became sure of one majority they tumbled over each other to get aboard the band wagon."(Letters, Roosevelt) That is why "jump on the bandwagon" means to go along with the crowd and to follow the trends.

CAHSEE Test taking strategies

On Thursday, we have learned about the CAHSEE test taking strategies.  Some of these were pretty obvious, but required review so we could actually use them, so it was useful. There were things that I had no clue about, such as predicting about the test before you even read the text. I have realized that these were test taking skills that I can use on tests in all my classes and even in my SAT, PSAT, and AP tests, so they will probably help me in my other classes as well, and I think it was good for me to learn these strategies. I thought that this was a worthwhile thing to learn, but some parts were a bit confusing, so I want a review of this later this year.

Grammar correction

On Thursday, we were given the opportunity to be given extra credit by correcting mistakes on the article. It was cool how we had to correct mistakes that the other people didn't realize, so I realized it got harder for the people  
that went after.  I was the second or the third person to come up to the board, so it was harder than if I were to go first, but easier compared to everyone else. It was exciting when I realized a mistake myself without anybody else`s help, knowing that you get extra credit for every mistake you correct. I honestly did not realize why everybody was laughing when I was up on the board, but it was really fun going up there. I wish there is going to be another activity like this.

On tuesday we worked on the CAHSEE packet. I really liked reading strategy one. Even though its a bit long, it really helps me analyze a text better and it helps me be more careful on answering the questions. If use this strategy on the CAHSEE, I think reading texts and answering questions about them will be really easy.

Common Theme

I think that the theme shared between "The Final Salute" and "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" is that it is never easy to accept a loved one's death. I believe that that is the common theme because in the article, it mentions how Sgt. Cathey's wife and best friend dealt with his death. His wife was left alone with her unborn son, with no one there to help her up in her time of sorrow. In the poem, the poet is telling his father not give up his life to death. Even though his father has already accepted his death, the poet still wants him to fight it because he doesn't want to accept his very near future.

Thoughts.

I was actually thinking about the poem "Do Not Go Gentle.." just now, and I couldn't help but wonder why the author mentioned the "wild man" in his stanza. I mean, crazy or impaired people have many difficulties in their lives; isolation, anti-social feelings and anger being some of the hardships they have to endure. I know suicide can be a choice for them, and some even went to that extent, because I have read articles of this topic in a couple of magazines/websites that I visit every now and then. I see where the author was coming from, but I think he should of considered that thought.