Ariela Ojalvo American Literature Blog

  Write about a time when you did something out of the norm. What was it and how did others react.  A time when I did something out of the norm was when one time I ate Panera mac and cheese with a strawberry GoGo squeeze in it. It was actually very tasteful and the contrast of flavors complemented each other. I don't know what brought me to do this but everyone in my surroundings was very confused, disgusted, and concerned. I was will my friends and they all just looked at me like I was crazy telling me how gross that is. I think it shows how no one is willing to make a change or go against the given and when someone does others react poorly towards that person. For this reason I try my best not to judge people who are different then the norm and instead try to look up to those kinds of people/admire them. I still continue to do this to this day and I do not regret my choice I made that day it is wonderful.   Summary: Today in class we continued to work on our hearts...

 Visual interpretation of the poem "Heart! We will forget him!"

  Dickinson uses the metaphor of a funeral to describe her inner struggles. What metaphor would you use to describe your own mind? A metaphor I would use to describe my own mind would be of a car wreck. I say this because I am often agitated, annoyed, and stressed out as most people are during a car wreck. Often I also feel like there is nothing I can do to stop my agitation and I am unable to take it back like how many feel in a car wreck because you are unable to unwreck a car. Another reason why I chose this metaphor for my own mind is because I easily get past my breaking point and when you are in a wreck you have passed your breaking point and hit the other car (the other car being the people I am closest to like my friends and family because they are the other people having to suffer from my agitation, annoyance, and stress). For these reasons the metaphor I would use to describe my own mind would be of a car wreck.   Summary: Today in class we learned more about an...

  Write about an adventure you would like to go on.  One adventure I would like to go on would be cliff jumping in Europe. I always have a desire to go to Europe because of the beautiful environment, food, and overall feeling. Cliff  diving has also been something very high on my list of things I want to do. I feel like cliff jumping would give me a fun thrill and make me face my fear of heights. The rock beaches in Europe would allow me to be capable of doing this and would add a very nice scenic view. I also just think that the entire adventure of the trip would be wonderful and breath taking. Overall one adventure I would like to go on it cliff diving in Europe.   Summary: Today in class we learned about the history of American Literature more specifically Emily Dickinson. We took notes on her and analyze one of her poems.  Reflection: Today I learned loads about Emily Dickinson, her history, and how to analyze her poems. Along with that we took notes ab...

  Describe something you will never fully understand. One thing I will never fully understand is the creation of something. It is hard to wrap your head around the fact that at one point in time there had to be nothing. What is even harder to wrap your head around is how did that nothing turn into something. Yes there are many theories and guesses but even if these were fully explained to me I don't think I would understand it because how did everything come from nothing. It's also hard to think about what truly nothing is. I know it is a vacuum but what does that look like and feel like. Obviously if I were in that vacuum I would die and everything. Its all a very interesting and cool topic to try and wrap your head around and truly understand. Overall the one thing I will truly never understand fully at least is the creation of something no matter what that something was.  Summary: Today in class we presented our creation myth posters. During the presentation we summarized o...

  Write about something that you wish you had more of. One thing I wish I had more of is time. I wish I had more time because considering school, college, and working I would want to have more time for retirement. By the time people are retired they are burnt out and no longer want to or can travel and do what is most important in life. I would want more time because then I can have decades to do as I please and fulfill my desires of life. I think that time is a thief and another reason I would choose time to have more of is because by the time my grandchildren are going through the most important things in life -like graduating, getting married, having children, getting a job, and much more- I will be dead and wont get the chance to see these beautiful parts of life. My last reason of why more time is what I would want more of is right now it would be helpful for me to  to manage my responsibilities, pursue personal goals while I am still young, enjoy leisure activities, or t...

 

  What is the most creative thing you have ever made? Share what it was and explain why it stands out as your best work. The most creative thing I have ever made is a sweatshirt. I cut and sewed scraps of fabric into different shapes like hearts, squares, stars, and kiss marks. Then I sewed these cuttings/scraps onto a grey sweatshirt there was a big pocket in the front lower middle of the sweatshirt, a hood around the neck, and slightly oversized to make it more comfortable. This sweatshirt stands out as my best work because after I made it I gave it to a close friend from a different school. She was very appreiciative towards my efforts and creations. She wore it to school numerous times and would tell me about how people would stop her in the hallway to ask where she bought her sweatshirt. This made more proud of this work then I have felt about any other things I have made. Overall I am very happy with this creation and the creativity I put into it.  Summary: Today in clas...

  Everyone has burning questions about life. Mysteries we wonder about but don’t always have clear answers for. Think about your biggest questions about existence, purpose, or the world around you. Write a blog post where you share at least two of your most burning questions about life and explain why these questions matter to you. Often times I sit and wonder about life in ways that don’t have answers and never truly will. One of my biggest questions is what happens after we die? It freaks me out to think about whether there’s an afterlife, reincarnation, or just nothing at all, and that one day I will just never be on earth again. Another question I always think about is what my purpose really is. Like, am I here for a reason, or am I just supposed to figure things out as I go? These questions matter to me because they shape how I see my future and the choices I make now. Even if I never find the answers, asking them makes me feel more connected to being human. Summary: Today in ...

 Describe a real-life situation in which jealousy negatively effected a relationship you experienced.  One real-life situation in which jealousy negatively effected a relationship I experienced was I was 14, I often feel jealous towards my two twin sisters. They are both older then me, stronger then me, have better grades then me, and they have always just kind of been a replica of what I would kill to be. This has always played a toll on our relationship as sisters because I always had a sense of desire to be more like them. Although I am unable to be them I have always wanted to and I think that this holds me and my sisters back from what our relationship could potentially be. Maybe the effects haven't been necessarily negative but my jealousy has always strongly effected my household and me and my sisters relationship. This is one real-life situation in which jealousy has negatively effected a relationship I have experienced. Summary: Today in class we conducted a slideshow...

  Describe a time you felt completely lost.  One memorable time I felt completely lost was the first couple weeks of my first job. My first job was working at an Italian restaurant called Eatalianos and I worked as a host there. I went in the first day open minded and aware I would be lost, but I did not think I would be as confused as I ended up being. I was confused by everything: which food was which, what went on which food, how to log in to my employ account, how to do to go orders, how to pack the orders, how to ring someone up, how to answer the phone, how to do reservations, and more. I felt lost and like I would never understand. However aside from what I believed at first I soon picked it up on how to work everything and the restaurant grew on me. I got more and more comfortable with everything and really ended up successeding.  Summary:  Today in class we presented our powerpoints on the origin myth we read in class called "The Jelous Father."  Reflec...

  Analyze how you’ve adapted to the demands of this course over the past week, and evaluate one strength and one challenge you anticipate as we progress, justifying your insights with personal examples. How I have adapted to the demands of this course over the past week is I have started to look for some of the charicteristics of a creation myth in everything I read. I have started looking for things like details about the creation of earth, humans, plants, animals; if what I am reading is a Biblical allusions; if the text has similarities to mythologies: if it Contains social values, customs, or cultural details : and if it Contains a theme. One challenge I anticipate as we progress is my struggles with reading and gaining interest in a text. One example of this is while I was reading during my DBQ for the AP World History Exam I had read all of the 5 documents provided and retain none of the information, this making me have to reread all of the documents therefore taking a...

  Write about a meaningful object or place in your life that carries a story. One meaningful place in my life that carries a story is my grandparents house in Miami. This house is so meaningful to me because of how many generations this house has been in my family. My grandparents moved into their house when my mother was 2 years old and they have had it since then. When I was young I used to spend every summer and thanksgiving in this house, my grandmother used to set up her Christmas tree months in advance so we could celebrate early with her. She also loved seeing me and my sisters excited about her decorations. Because of the years of memories, love, and wear put into this house it is very meaningful to me and I love going back to visit it.  Summary:  Today we focused on how to depict wether a story is a creation myth and the characteristics to look out for. Reflection: Overall today in class I learned about the gist of how to recognize how a creational myth is displa...

  Write about a time you felt connected to nature, like the kinship in Native American myths: One time I felt connected to nature like the kinship of Native American in Native American Myths was when I worked at a garden over the summer. I would take care of the plants as if they were family, cutting them when they were overgrown, watering them when necessary, finding the problem when there was an issue, and really taking care of them. I felt very connected to these plants because of the care, time and effort I devoted to them. During these few months I felt an extreme sense of kinship as the Native Americans once did. Overtime I grew an emotional connection to these plants. I also felt proud when they flourished and sad when they struggled. Overall this experience helped me get closer to earth and really feel kinship.  Summary:  Today in class we learned about the history of Native American Literature. We talked about the different writings they made and the similarity's...