Roanen's English Blog

 Prompt Response: Right now, I probably use the word "bro" the most. It is a term of address used to refer to a friend or person. It has become part of my everyday vocabulary because it is what most people say when they refer to people or their friends. I typically use it when addressing my friends to talk to them or get their attention to tell them about something. I don't really know what this choice of word would reveal about me, as I pretty much have just gotten used to using it because everyone I know also does. Summary: We worked on vocabulary today. Reflection: I learned a lot of new words today in class. It also helped me understand the different parts of speech and how they are used in sentences.

 Prompt Response: My experience in American Literature has been very good so far. Assignments haven't been hard and I am able to turn my work in on time. I actually enjoy writing narratives so I thought that the Origin Myth creation assignment was very entertaining. I am pretty much doing everything well and I'm not concerned about anything that is going on. I may need to improve my writing skills a little bit but overall there isn't much bad to report on. I think that it has been a very good time and I look forward to what we do in the future. Summary: We worked on analyzing 10 Emily Dickinson quotes. Reflection: This deepened my observational skills and really made me focus on the deeper meaning of everything.

 Prompt Response: I had my first girlfriend last year and that had a huge impact on my life. I had never had a girlfriend before so it was an eye opening experience to what it was like. I learned with her what managing a relationship was like and how I should handle it. I also learned what to look for in people that I would want to spend my time with. I still think about her and how she fundamentally changed how I view a lot of people. Summary: We worked on our Emily Dickinson poem drawing. Reflection: I got to brainstorm more about the deeper meaning of the Emily Dickinson poem that we were working on.

 Prompt Response: Last year I had a girlfriend that I liked, but things didn't really work out. My mind was telling me that it would be bad to stay with her. My heart told me that I really wanted to stay with her, In the end, logic won and I broke up with her. I was struggling over the decision for a very long time, it was tough, but I am a logical person so my mind went through the facts and made the final decision that it was time to let go. Summary: We worked on Emily Dickinson's Heart, We Will Forget Him analysis. Reflection: I learned more about how the words that Emily Dickinson uses in her poems are associated to more alternate meanings.

 Prompt Response: Last year I was slacking on my studying for AP World History. I got very close to the AP exam date and I hadn't studied at all. I was greatly overthinking it because I thought that I was doomed. I studied just the night before the AP exam and I kept thinking it was going to be way too hard for me. I kind of psyched myself out by thinking I was going to fail the exam. But I took the exam the next day and it was actually very easy. Summary: Worked on Emily Dickinson poem analysis. Reflection: I learned more about Emily Dickinson's writing style and how deep the meaning of her poems can be.

 Prompt Response: One thing that makes me different from other people is that I'm an atheist. I hear people talk about their faith often and it makes me think about what other people believe. I personally don't believe in anything but I respect the fact that others have something they believe in. I don't really share this so most people don't even know that this thing makes me different. That is what makes me different from other people. Summary: We read a poem made by Emily Dickinson Reflection: This helped me gain insight on how poems are written and structured. I also learned about how Emily Dickinson's writing style differs from the normal.

 Prompt Response: I would like to go on an adventure in another country and do some sightseeing. I don't ever go anywhere interesting anymore so it would be cool to get some excitement. Going somewhere completely new like a foreign country would be a very cool adventure to go on. I could see so many new things that I didn't even know existed. I could also experience so many new cultures that I've never seen before. That's why going on a trip to another country would be a great adventure to go on. Summary: We presented our Origin Myth Posters. Reflection: I learned about other people's Origin Myths. This gave me insight on how other people structured their myths.

 Prompt Response: The most creative thing I have ever made was a painting in art class in middle school. It was a painting of a landscape that I made with watercolors. I'm not very good at making art but there was something different about that painting. I put a lot of time and effort into that painting to make it the best I could manage. In the end, I was happy with how it turned out and I'm glad I had that assignment that allowed me to create that. Summary: We worked on our Origin Myth Posters. Reflection: I just worked on my poster, I didn't learn anything that day.

 Prompt Response: One question I have about our lives is: Is there any other intelligent life out there in the universe. I think about this question all the time because it is so interesting to me. How cool would it be to talk to a completely alien species. What would they look like? Or what things would they be interested in? Another question I have is what came before the big bang. The big bang created everything in the universe, so what was there before it. How could something like that just happen from nothing? I think about this too because the answer is such a mystery, and there could be endless reasons for it. Summary: We worked on our origin myth posters in class today. Reflection: Creating an origin myth poster is a good way to simplify my story and make it accessible for all. It puts it in a short form that is easy to share and doesn't take too long to go through.

 Prompt Response: I think that I've adapted to the demands of this class very well. One strength is that I like to write, and that I enjoyed creating my origin myth. Writing my own narratives has always been a hobby I've wanted to get into. I haven't really run into any challenges in this class. It's been coming to me pretty easy so far. I'm able to complete all of my work quickly and get it in on time.  Summary: We took a test on origin myths and continued to work on ours. Reflection: I enjoyed making my origin myth and it was nice to write a narrative. I did well on the test and I think I've got the elements of origin myths covered.

 Prompt Response: Creating my own origin myth helped me learn why they are so widely used. They are very entertaining to read and they give people something to believe in. They give convenient openings to describe events that happen in our world. In my origin myth, I chose to make the beginning of our universe a clash between two kingdoms. I felt that this was an entertaining hook that would make my story good. For my lesson, I made the demigods lose their parents and realize the importance of peace. They passed on the teachings of peace to the humans that they created, giving us this lesson. Summary: We wrote our own origin myths in class today. Reflection: I learned about how to utilize parts of origin myths to help build a story. This assignment helped me understand ancient culture and why these might have been utilized. 

 Prompt Response: One meaningful place in my life is Turtle Beach in Sarasota, Florida. I've been there so many times for vacation and it is the source of some core memories for me. We rent a condo for about a week and just have a fun time on the beach. It's a little sad for me though because we decided that we aren't going to go there anymore. I'm hoping to at least go back there one more time to reminisce. I will always remember it as one of my favorite vacation spots for the rest of my life. Summary: We completed an assignment about a Navajo Origin Myth. Reflection: I learned about a Navajo Origin Myth and it was very interesting to read. It taught me about what values the Navajo people placed importance in.

 Prompt Response: I went to the beach in Key West for New Years. There wasn't many people there so it was very peaceful. The water was shallow so I could see through it and explore the ocean. I walked around and looked at all the coral and sea plants that were on the bottom. I saw tiny fish swimming around while I was walking through the water. Seeing all of these things really made me feel like I was connected to nature. Summary: We talked about myths, religion, origin myths, and themes in class today. Reflection: I learned that myths and religion were very similar to each other. This helps me so that I know the differences between them and don't get them confused in the future.

 Prompt Response: Firstly, getting good grades is always a concern for me because I want the best chance to get into college. So I want to get all A's this school year. I want to get a job this year so that I can make some money to buy things that I want. I would also like to save some money that I make for the future, and for things I might need later. Lastly, I would like to read more books this year. I love reading books but I haven't had much time to read them recently because of things going on in my life. I would love to make more time this year to read all the books in my room that I haven't completed yet.