Sunday, December 16, 2012

Modern Transcendentalists


A modern transcendentalist, whom I am very close with, is my sister, Monika. She is very appreciative of the natural beauty of nature, and she would love living a simple life. She has a strong appreciation for the sky, regardless of it being sunrise or sunset. If she sees that there is a beautiful sunset, she will watch the sun until it goes down. One day after swim practice, Monika was walking home from play practice and we met up without trying. She saw that there was going to be a beautiful sunset that night, so she sat down on the concrete and waited until the sun was gone. I continued walking home, because my cold, wet hair was disagreeing with the cold, windy conditions. Even though she was aware of the piles of homework she had waiting for her at home, she decided to watch the sunset and appreciate its forgotten beauty. Every time she sees the sky or something beautiful in nature, she is reminded of God’s goodness and the incredible miracles he preforms everyday.
Monika is also a unique person. She strives to be a happy person every day, and her positivity seems to radiate to everyone she meets. Unlike me, she is very confident and, for the most part, careless of what others think of her. Monika believes that everyone should be themselves because the world would be boring if we were all the same. It makes her sad when she sees girls at our school all acting the same, or worse all acting dumber to get attention. She knows that being who she really is will always outweigh acting like someone that she is not.
Another strong transcendentalist characteristic Monika has is her belief in simplicity and a rejection of monetary standards of success. She loves camping and spending time outdoors, because it takes her mind off of unnecessary things in her life. When you are at a campsite with your family and all of your best friends the only things you have to worry about are food, sleep, and what activity you want to do next. There is no pressure of school or drama, and Monika loves to be at peace with nature. She also dislikes technology, like her cell phone. She wishes she could have a more basic phone that could only be used for calling. Monika enjoys hearing people’s voices because it is much more personal than reading words on the screen of her phone. She also puts her happiness over the amount of money she earns. In the future Monika wants to have a job she loves instead of one that pays a lot of money, because she knows true happiness can never be bought. 

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Poetry Questions

What's one thing you've grown to understand, appreciate, or value about poetry that you haven't in the past? 


     Throughout this poetry unit I have grown to appreciate the emotion and sensitivity that poetry can bring to its audience. Now I understand poetry because I can view it as music without a melody. Before this poetry unit or assignment I thought all poetry was boring and only written for highly educated adults. Because of this poetry presentation assignment I have grown to appreciate the beauty in poetry. Poetry can cause you to have a completely new outlook on your day after reading and analyzing your poem. The assignment forced me to research background information on the poet which made me appreciate the poet and poem even more.





Thursday, September 6, 2012

The American Dream

     I define the American Dream as being a citizen of the United States and being able to freely voice your opinion. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in the United States. When my mom was growing up, she lived in communist Poland. To this day she is amazed when the Democratic and Republican Conventions happen, because at that time in Poland speaking so openly about the government would be illegal. My interpretation of the American Dream is different from other people's because my mom is a big influence to me.