Blog #9: Heaven and Hell Compare and Contrast Chart

Post #8: Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson is an actor/comedian who is most known for her acting in Pitch Perfect 1 and Pitch Perfect 2 where she played Fat Amy (yes that was her name). She grew up in Sydney, Australia before moving to the United States to pursue acting. After gaining fame from her role in Pitch Perfect, she began to advocate against the fat shaming of women in Hollywood. Even her name, Rebel, has gotten some criticism because of the uniqueness of it. Rebel has a very outgoing personality and isn't afraid to make fun of herself which makes her a perfect stand-up comedian. Even with all of the criticism of her weight, she is still one of the best comedians and one of the most funny actors to this day.

Quote: "There are so many glamorous actresses, but you know what? In the real world, nobody looks like that."

Fight Song:"All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PCkvCPvDXk 

Poem:

Alone in Darkness

the night falls in a heavy, suffocating cloak, lost are we.

the salvation for which you pine

flares once, then dies,

crushed by your obsession.

all hope must die.

your love is no more.

how could you leave me?

our dark thoughts surround us, crying,

we have lost our way.

Blog #7: Final Memoir

Savage No More

Reid Wilson

Ms. Wilson

English IVA

28 October 2015

I have read and understand the sections in the Student Handbook regarding Mason High School's Honesty/Cheating Policy. By affixing this statement to the title page of my paper, I am certifying that I have not cheated or plagiarized in the process of completing this assignment. If it is found that cheating and/or plagiarism did take place in the writing of this paper, I understand the possible consequences of the act, which could include a "0" on the paper, as well as an "F" as a final grade in the course.

Reid Wilson

Mrs. Wilson

English IV Bell 5

22 October 2015

                I was alone and I didn’t know why. All 6 members of the “Savage” group chat were gone without an explanation. Charlie left the group message. Sai left the group message. Paraj left the group message. The chat that had been buzzing the entire summer was dead. I felt something was off about the whole situation, but I ignored it. Half the day went by without any messages from the other guys as to why they left. As I got to the lunchroom, I made eye contact with Charlie and I knew something was really wrong. Charlie said, “Oscar got arrested last night and we are in some serious trouble.”

My best friend was arrested for an inappropriate text message. I started to panic. Was I an accomplice? Was I going to be arrested too? I knew eventually I would have to talk to a principal, but what should I say? Should I tell the truth? Before I knew it I was sitting in a conference room face-to-face with three administrators. I could tell by the looks in their eyes that no matter what I said or showed them, nothing was going change. Oscar was going to jail and I might be next.

Since I was one of the few people who saw the text messages, I had incriminating evidence. If I kept it secret I would for sure be considered an accomplice, but if I turned it in, I would betray my best friend since 8^th grade. I knew eventually the school would find out about the text messages since high school administrators have become Internet watchdogs, waiting in the dark to bust kids for a joke made in anger or sarcasm, even if it is harmless. The very next day I went to the principal’s office to turn in the texts I had, but before I gave them up, I made one thing clear.

“He’s a good kid Mr. Rice, he didn’t mean anything he said and I hope this doesn’t get him into any more trouble than he already is.”

The principal merely nod at me, solidifying the idea that no matter what I said, nothing was going to change. I tried and tried to convince him that Oscar was joking, but since I was a student and his best friend, they weren’t going to believe me.

It had been over 40 days since I last saw Oscar and I couldn’t wait to see him, but technically he wasn’t allowed to have visitors, so I had to stay outside or else police would rush to his house and put him back in jail for a year; no exceptions. It was a huge risk for both of us but we didn’t care. Nothing was going to stop us from seeing each other. As I pulled up and he walked out onto his front porch I noticed something different about him. He was way skinner than when he went to jail and had a large black ankle bracelet strapped to his leg. If he stepped of the porch, the ankle bracelet would go off and he would be taken away again. It was going to be a long time before things were going to be normal again but we didn’t care. I finally had my best friend back and I couldn’t be happier.

Thinking back on this day, there are very few things that I would change about the whole situation. Even though my friend had to go to jail for me to learn something, I feel like I am a better person today because of it. I learned that you have to watch what you say on the Internet or in your messages because you never know who might be watching. Every decision that I made before and after Oscar got arrested are decisions that I would make again. It’s only a mistake if you don’t learn from it and that’s why I’m thankful that I got to learn these lessons before something more tragic happened. 

Blog #6: Memoir Rough Draft

Reid Wilson

Mrs. Wilson

English IV Bell 5

22 October 2015

                I was alone and I didn’t know why. All 6 members of the “Savage” group chat were gone without an explanation. Charlie left the group message. Sai left the group message. Paraj left the group message. The chat that had been buzzing the entire summer was dead. I felt something was off about the whole situation, but I ignored it. Half the day went by without any messages from the other guys as to why they left. As I got to the lunchroom, I made eye contact with Charlie and I knew something was really wrong. Charlie said, “Oscar got arrested last night and we are in some serious trouble.”

My best friend was arrested for an inappropriate text message. I started to panic. Was I an accomplice? Was I going to be arrested too? I knew eventually I would have to talk to a principal, but what should I say? Should I tell the truth? Before I knew it I was sitting in a conference room face-to-face with three administrators. I could tell by the looks in their eyes that no matter what I said or showed them, nothing was going change. Oscar was going to jail and I might be next.

Since I was one of the few people who saw the text messages, I had incriminating evidence. If I kept it secret I would for sure be considered an accomplice, but if I turned it in, I would betray my best friend since 8^th grade. I knew eventually the school would find out about the text messages since high school administrators have become Internet watchdogs, waiting in the dark to bust kids for a joke made in anger or sarcasm, even if it is harmless. The very next day I went to the principal’s office to turn in the texts I had, but before I gave them up, I made one thing clear.

“He’s a good kid Mr. Rice, he didn’t mean anything he said and I hope this doesn’t get him into any more trouble than he already is.”

The principal merely nod at me, solidifying the idea that no matter what I said, nothing was going to change. I tried and tried to convince him that Oscar was joking, but since I was a student and his best friend, they weren’t going to believe me.

As I walked into the courtroom I could feel the tension in the air. I had never been inside of the gigantic brick building that they call the Lebanon Courthouse. Dressed in my brand new khakis and my J. Crew button up, I made my way through the metal detectors and into my seat in the main courtroom. As everyone began to sit down, the door on the opposite side of the room opened. Two police officers filed out behind Oscar who was dressed for the occasion. He began shuffling towards his seat in front of the judge, chains around his ankles and dressed head to toe in a bright orange jumpsuit that read Warren County Juvenile Detention Center. I couldn’t believe how skinny he was and how tall his hair had grown. He looked like he hadn’t eaten in a few weeks and it was obvious that they don’t offer haircuts in jail. The judge began talking but I wasn’t listening. All I could focus on was the chains around his ankles, chained like an animal, which he was not. Two testimonies and a lot of tears later, a decision was made on whether or not to let me out of jail and put him on house arrest. The judge ruled that he wouldn’t be released because of the risk he was to the public, meaning my best friend was locked in his cage for another few weeks and I had no idea when I would be able to see him again.

It had been over 40 days since I last saw Oscar and I couldn’t wait to see him, but technically he wasn’t allowed to have visitors, so I had to stay outside or else police would rush to his house and put him back in jail for a year; no exceptions. It was a huge risk for both of us but we didn’t care. Nothing was going to stop us from seeing each other. As I pulled up and he walked out onto his front porch I noticed something different about him. He was way skinner than when he went to jail and had a large black ankle bracelet strapped to his leg. If he stepped of the porch, the ankle bracelet would go off and he would be taken away again. It was going to be a long time before things were going to be normal again but we didn’t care. I finally had my best friend back and I couldn’t be happier. 

Blog #5: Memoir Topic Approval

Memoir Topic Approval

• The surface culture component of the Iceberg View of Culture addressed in this memoir is: Language
• The deep culture component of the Iceberg View of Culture addressed in this memoir is: Group Thinking, Social Interaction Rate, Concept of Self 
• This is because the way my friend got in trouble was by texting something inappropriate in a group chat. This social interaction is what caused him to go to jail.
• The turning point of the memoir is when I realize the severity of what happened to my friend and how it might affect me. This is the point in the story when I start learning about the importance of watching what you say on the internet.
• Im am going to show how I change after this experience by talking about how i've changed when I interact with my friends.  

Blog #4: Style Analysis Model

Lost and Found 

By: Colson Whitehead

The New York Times

• The surface culture component of the Iceberg View of Culture addressed in this memoir is: Food, Dress, Language
• The deep culture component of the Iceberg View of Culture addressed in this memoir is: Personal Space, Social Interaction Rate, Concept of Self 
• This is because the author is trying to define his personal New York where he will want to spend most of his time.
• The turning point of the memoir is when he starts addressing his personal New York City and how it varies from everyone's viewpoint. 
• The author shows he has changed after this turning point by discussing the differences between his view on New York City and the millions of different views others have of the same city. 
• A paragraph that demonstrates what I like about this writer's style is:

There are eight million naked cities in this naked city -- they dispute and disagree. The New York City you live in is not my New York City; how could it be? This place multiplies when you're not looking. We move over here, we move over there. Over a lifetime, that adds up to a lot of neighborhoods, the motley construction material of your jerry-built metropolis. Your favorite newsstands, restaurants, movie theaters, subway stations and barbershops are replaced by your next neighborhood's favorites. It gets to be quite a sum. Before you know it, you have your own personal skyline.

• The author uses Imagery to create a mental picture in the readers mind of what his personal New York City looks like. One thing that I found interesting about his writing is the variation in punctuation that he uses. By adding these things to my writing I will be able to articulate my ideas more effectively. 

Link to the memoir