Blog | My Writings of Grade 9A | 9B | 10 | 11 | 12
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Nowheres (Compare & Contrast)
Reading Journal for Crime and Punishment
The Darkness of Mans Heart (Critical Theory: Moral/Intellectual)
Monetary Satire (Critical Theory: Economic Deterministic/ Marxist)
Forever After (Plot: No Exit)
Reading Journal for One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien Aos de Soledad)
Weep for the Flat, Rolling, Open Grass (Tone: Cry, the Beloved Country)
Aged Royalty Falls to Ignominy (King Lear)
Reading Journal for King Lear
Qu Fea!
La Visita de un Amigo
Federalist Papers Project
Executive Branch Project
Political Parties Project
Constitution Project
AP Government Summer Assignment
Key Terms
The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization (AP Macroeconomics Summer Assignment)
Csar Chvez
Undefeated UC Application Essay Responses
Un Problema: La msica rap
Demasiado para Hacer
Contract Points: Arabian Nights
Contract Points:
Contract Points: Willy Wonka
Contract Points: Groovaloo
Contract Points: Thebans
Contract Points: Wicked and The Drowsy Chaperone
Contract Points: In Our Company and Beyond
Current Events
You Cannot Stop the Beat (Dylan Thomas)
Abraham Lincoln Scholarship Entry
Darkling I Listen
I Shall Not Lose Thee
Essay Brainstorming
XC
Personal Statement for the JBHS Faculty Scholarship
Motive and Premeditation (Nature)
Announcing the Graduation
Personal Profile Letter
Graduation Farewell Speech
Harvard Addendum
Mantra Brainstorming
Nostalgia
Tale of a Modern Knight Living by a Strict Moral and Behavioral Code
Nurturer/ Cornucopia of Good Fortune (Peebles)
How Things Work
Rsum
Chuck Yeager: A Horatio Algers Scholarship Application
Water & Power, Emblem Club, First District PTA, Scholars
of Tomorrow, Womans Club of Burbank, Association of Realtors, Noon Rotary,
Senior Statement
Supreme Court Justices
Teacher Recommendation
Three Characteristics of Leadership
Letter of Appreciation to Mr. Campbell
Of Great Consequence
Jordan Speech
USC Quick Takes
Puesto en Este Mundo para el Consumo
Personal Essay for Yale
(Rather than make a lot of links that will go widely unused, I suggest that if one of these titles looks especially interesting, you use the search capabilities provided with your browser (probably ctrl-f or command-f) to find the appropriate title)
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya 2
AP English
June 2, 2006
Nowheres
George
Orwells 1984, Anthony Burgess A Clockwork
The
titles of the novels are central to their settings and themes. Brave New World refers to the machinery
and medicine available at the Reservation in a futuristic
The government plays an essential role in the nightmarish setting of each novel. In 1984, members of the Party have scant access to privacy. Big Brothers snooping telescreens are everywhere, and the Thought Police can monitor every step. Once the Thought Police detect Winstons unorthodox thoughts, they put him through torture. After he goes through Room 101, he is brainwashed so thoroughly that his disturbing confession of love for Big Brother is true. Winston comes to love his servitude, which is in a sense, insanity, for he also is able to believe that two and two make five. The governments lies and propaganda include artificial famine and wars supposedly for peace.
In 1984, Brave
A common topic of the three novels is the limitation of individual choice. Brave New Worlds theme is sciences progress and how it affects human individuals (in fact, it eliminates individuality). In Brave New World, the peoples bodies are common sexual property. The citizens engage in freewheeling, emotionless promiscuity (Burgess 266), which reduces human beings to feral, fornicating animals. The citizens do not choose faithful, monogamous partners. John watches a sexy, horrible film that he labels as base and ignoble (Huxley 170), similar to the brainwashing films forcibly shown to Alex. In A Clockwork Orange, the predominant young hooligan feels free to give the old in-out to anybody he wants to. The government steps in and tells him he does not have this freedom. In 1984, sex is treated completely the opposite of in Brave New World: it is utterly prohibited, except as a duty to the Party between married couples. Winston has to go far out of his way to rent a secret room where he and his lover, Julia, can meet. Girls are encouraged to join the Junior Anti-Sex League to promote general clean-mindedness (Orwell 12).
Instead of liberty, Brave New Worlds World Controllers aim is social stability, the primal and the ultimate need (Huxley 43). To achieve this stability, the government conditions infants to learn that death is harmless, but the deaths are contrived because the citizens look vibrant, robust, and unwrinkled up to the point of death. All three governments sacrifice art, science, and religion for stability. In 1984, God is replaced by Big Brother, a character who will live forever, as long as the Party controls the minds of its constituents. In Brave New World, God has been replaced by the mysterious entity Ford because God isn't compatible with machinery and scientific medicine and universal happiness (Huxley 234). In A Clockwork Orange, old Bog Himself (Burgess 191) is Gods new name. Alex passes to a region where you will be beyond the reach of the power of prayer (Burgess 95).
Each novel has a specialized vocabulary. Its jargon consists of either Newspeak, technical biological terms, or slovos of Nadsat (a Russified version of English). Each novels diction is crucial in creating the novels mood. 1984s concept of Newspeak engenders a mood of oppression. Newspeak is meant ultimately to render flavorful language and superfluous pleonasms obsolete by reducing the language to words such as doublethink and doubleplusgood. In 1984, old nursery rhymes are fading from memory, and buildings such as cathedrals have lost their importance in a world where Big Brothers Divine Right has replaced God. A Brave New World uses the terms Delta and Epsilon to refer to identically engineered laborers. They are created, not viviparously, as identical twins. With this method of birth, they cease to be truly human, and they gain mechanical qualities like Burgess clockwork orange metaphor. The first-person narrator in A Clockwork Orange uses rather informal slang to prove what a gangster he is.
A mother is a dirty word in Brave New World, a trivial matter of societal structure in 1984, and a rarely consulted externality in A Clockwork Orange. Alex spends more time with his droogs than with his mother. Winstons mother in 1984 simply disappears. In Brave New World, mother has a pornographic impropriety associated with the loathsomeness and moral obliquity of child-bearing (Huxley 151).
In A Clockwork Orange, the narrator has a horrorshow good time committing acts of terrible ultraviolence. Consequently, the government takes Alex out of prison, imbues him with a repulsion for violence, and takes away Alexs pleasure in slooshying the beautiful music of Beethoven, which is associated with firing squads. The doctor bratchnies had so fixed things that any music that was like for the emotions would make me sick just like viddying or wanting to do violence (Burgess 139). The educational method of association takes away Your Humble Narrators happiness. As in the other two novels, the government employs a brainwashing technique, despite his kicking, screaming, and resisting the straps. Alexs treatment is unique because his eyelids are clipped open, the better to bathe his mind. The theme of A Clockwork Orange is perhaps stated best in the question, Is a man who chooses the bad perhaps in some way better than a man who has the good imposed upon him? (Burgess 95). The vicious young hoodlum ironically is freed from jail to have his free will stripped away as the government implements the simple but very drastic (Burgess 82) Ludovicos Technique. The question is whether such a technique can really make a man good. When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man (Burgess 82). This statement leads directly to the novels title, which signifies that Alex is turned into a machine on the inside, although with a juicy flesh faade, rather similar to the apple peel-gilded orange on the cover of Freakonomics. The governments doctrine in 1984 is that the choice for mankind lay between freedom and happiness, and that, for the bulk of mankind, happiness was better (Orwell 216). In Brave New World, happiness is artificially induced by soma, and not meaningful because there are no dangers in the world and everybody feels the same happiness in the same way. Happiness is not so strong if there are not hardships with which to contrast it. The people are only happy because they are blissfully ignorant of passion and old age (Huxley 220). They are drugged into happiness through soma (less harmful, more pleasurable than alcohol), brainwashing, and torture. In Brave New World, the phrase everybodys happy now is repeated a hundred and fifty times every night for twelve years (Huxley 75). Repetition makes the citizens believe so, but it does not make these words come true. In Brave New World, the Savage defiantly claims the right to be tortured by unspeakable pains of every kind (Huxley 240); however, in 1984, Winston is unwillingly subjected to these pains.
All three characters are criminals in some way. Winston, a thought-criminal, takes any opportunity he can to rebel against the Party, and he and Julia are enthusiastic to join the underground Brotherhood. Alex, the most dangerous criminal of the three, delivers the coup de grce to a fellow inmate, kills an old lady amidst her cats, burglarizes, and commits atrocities such as the old in-out. John is a simple boy who unwittingly mentions the dirty word mother and who commits the sin of suicide at the end. Each character develops immensely, and by the end of the plot, none of the characters goes back to his old ways. The penultimate chapter of A Clockwork Orange ends with the words, I was cured all right (Burgess 179). Alex goes on to outgrow his childhood violence. Winstons whole thought process is transmogrified to the point at which Winston is dependent upon Big Brother for the answer to simple arithmetic. The Native at first is tricked into being excited about free love, but when Shakespeares works are outlawed, John returns somewhat to his old ways, except now even more of a masochist.
The Savage ends in
maniacal self-torture and despairing suicide. In A Clockwork Orange, Alex contemplates suicide in, I want to snuff it Ive had it, thats
what it is. Lifes become too much for me (Burgess 143). Alex becomes so
appalled by violence that the only suicide he will consider is one that would
make [him] like just go off gentle to sleep (Burgess 141). Winston himself wonders whether to be or not to
be. He ponders the possibility that a member of the dubious Brotherhood will
smuggle a razor blade into his cell before his tormentors agonizingly extract a
confession from him.
The classic novels titles all represent dismal settings; the novels governments and diction all show the potential horrors to befall the world someday, yet each novel does so with outstanding differences. The characters are all similarly denounced as exhibiting misbehavior in a world of compulsory conformity, and each one contemplates ending his life. It is difficult to find a healthy balance between liberty and stability, but the three novels here discussed provide a flagrant, pointed warning that we should avoid the copious stability offered in the worlds for which we are headed.
Works Cited
Burgess, Anthony. A Clockwork
Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World.
Orwell, George. 1984.
AP English 12A Benji Baker
Period X August 8, 2005
Reading Journal for Crime and Punishment
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July 12; 2 hours Pages 1-28 On the counter lay some sliced cucumber, some pieces of dried black bread, and some fish, chopped up small, all smelling very bad. It was insufferably closeHe was wearing an old and hopelessly ragged black dress coat, with all its buttons missing except one, and that one he had buttoned, evidently clinging to this last trace of respectability. Written concerning Marmeladov, Pg. 8-9 July 22; 3 hours Pages 28-100 But the poor boy, beside himself, made his way screaming through the crowd to the sorrel nag, put his arms round her bleeding dead head and kissed it, kissed the eyes and kissed the lips. Then he jumped up and flew in a frenzy with his little fists out at Mikolka. Page 48 July 29; 45 minutes Pages 100-130 And is it true, Raskolnikov interposed once more suddenly, again in a voice quivering with fury and delight in insulting him, is it true that you told your fiance within an hour of her acceptance, that what pleased you most was that she was a beggar Page 125, Raskolnikov July 30, 2005; 3.5 hours Pages 130-182 She realized, too, that even running away was perhaps impossible now. Ten minutes later, however, she was considerably reassured; it was characteristic of Razumihin that he showed his true nature at once, whatever mood he might be in, so that people quickly saw the sort of man they had to deal with. Page 163, Concerning Avdotya and Razumihin August 1; 3 hours 36 minutes Pages 182-250 Mother, sisterhow I loved them! Why do I hate them now? Yes, I hate them, I feel a physical hatred for them, I cant bear them near me. I went up to my mother and kissed her, I remember. To embrace her and think if she only knew...shall I tell her then? Page 224, Raskolnikov pondering August 3; 1 hour 49 minutes Pages 250-338 You keep lying, he said. You know perfectly well that the best policy for the criminal is to tell the truth as nearly as possibleto conceal as little as possible. I dont believe you! What a wily person you are! Porfiry tittered, theres no catching you; youve a perfect monomania. Page 281, Raskolnikov and Porfiry August 5, 2005; 1 hour Pages 338-378 A boarding-school, ha-ha-ha! A castle in the air, cried Katerina Ivanovna, her laugh ending in a cough. No, Rodion Romanovitch, that dream is over! All have forsaken us! August 6; 3 hours Pages 378-449 What do you want here? he said, without moving or changing his position. Nothing, brother, good morning, answered Svidrigailov. This isnt the place. I am going to foreign parts, brother. To foreign parts? To Svidrigailov took out the revolver and cocked it. Achilles raised his eyebrows. Page 417, Svidrigailov conversing with a little man wearing an Achilles helmet |
This passage portrays the strikingly abject poverty where
Raskolnikov lives in Raskolnikov was a student at a University, so why does he drink? Raskolnikov says he wants a fortune but he works at thinking and he doesnt seem worried about copecks and money. What is it that Raskolnikov is planning to do? Will his mom die? This passage is from Raskolnikovs dream. He has a hideous dream in which a poor horse is murdered. Raskolnikov is wondering whether he can carry out the vile, loathsome experiment he is planning. Can it be that I shall really take an axe? he wonders. It was actually not too hard to get back into this story after not reading for a week. I have finished Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and though the murder events are intense and gripping, I keep falling asleep because Im tired from work. After reading this section, I learn that Raskolnikov was indeed capable of manslaughter, as coldheartedly direct as the Half Blood Prince. I dont understand why Raskolnikov is so against the marriage between Avdotya (Dounia) and Pyotr Petrovitch Luzhin. It sounded good and Dounia is so poor that she needs Luzhins money. Dounias mom needs the credit. How does Raskolnikov make money? How does he have so much money that he never worries about having money? He doesnt even keep the trinkets, but buries them under a rock. When does Crime and Punishment take place? Raskolnikov needs to be more careful or I predict that he will give himself away because the police officials are suspicious of him and he keeps acting strangely. From the title of the book, I can infer that he still awaits his punishment. Is Luzhin really the bad guy that Raskolnikov maintains that he is? Does Luzhin like Dounia because she is so stuck in poverty that she will look upon Luzhin as her savior and benefactor? Will Dounia actually marry this man and place herself completely under his control? I tried to read this section carefully. I finally figured out that Dounia is just a nickname for Avdotya and they are one and the same girl. From this passage, I can infer that Razumihin is entranced by Avdotya. He stared at Avdotya Romanovna without the least regard for good manners. Nevertheless, Razumihin is a man of very good manners and remarkable integrity. Pulcheria, Avdotyas mom, approves of Razumihin. As for the rest of the section, it because evident that Raskolnikov does not love anyone. Nobody really suspects Raskolnikov, but he says such dangerous things that he is sure to give himself away. Who will Dounia marry? Will she simply stay single, an old maid for her life? Raskolnikov is smart: He frequently uses French phrases, such as Assez cause! However, it seems that he hates everyone. He lives cramped by himself. Raskolnikov is consistently anxiously and everyone attributes it to monomania. It is ironic how Raskolnikov is always suspecting other people of suspecting himself. Raskolnikov considers Porfiry a fool and a knave, yet Porfiry seems very astute. Will Porfiry trick Raskolnikov into confessing? Is Raskolnikov truly delirious or is he merely pretending to sleep? I was amazed at the audacity of Luzhin. I dont know
anyone who thinks he can waltz in and marry whatever poor girl he likes in my
own life. I dont have similar personal situations because today in Raskolnikov is already punishing himself with his guilt. He said himself he wishes Lizaveta had never come into the room so that he was forced to murder her as well. Lizaveta was friends with the religious fanatic Sonya. Raskolnikov seems as though he really needs to get the crime off his chest and confess to someone, but to whom? This passage is from yet another sweaty interview between Raskolnikov and Porfiry. Raskolnikov is clever and he never gives himself away, but Porfiry all the time is trickily insinuating that he knows that Raskolnikov committed the crime. I dont like Porfiry because he keeps trying to get Raskolnikov, with whom I sympathize, to confess. However, Porfiry is a good man because he says I genuinely wish you good to Raskolnikov. Porfiry is more concerned with justice being done than with capturing the murderer and making him suffer. Does Raskolnikov like Sonya? It seems apparent, except that I thought Raskolnikov was incapable of love. The end of this section of reading led to what I consider the climax: Raskolnikov finally confesses his crime. I was surprised that he confessed to Sonya before his own sister. Will he confess to his own sister? This section was sad. Katerina, Sonyas mom, was thrown out by her landlady and then Katerina died of consumption. In my personal life, I fell while playing tennis but the blood quickly congealed. Katerinas chest was all bloody and the blood kept coming. Even Razumihin suspected his buddy Raskolnikov! The latest interview with Porfiry was the most ironic to date. At first, Porfiry claims that Raskolnikov is completely innocent because another man has confessed. That reminded me of A Tale of Two Cities, where the innocent man takes the place of the hero Darnay and gets guillotined. At the end of the interview, Porfiry has reversed himself and instead of continuing to apologize for wrongful accusations, Porfiry tells Raskolnikov that he is indeed convinced of Raskolnikovs guilt and that Raskolnikovs sentence would be much more generous if he confessed in the next couple days. I think that Raskolnikov will confess because he has hardly anything to lose. He doesnt care about the money, anyway. Well, it was a good book, even though it took forever to read. As for the passage to the left, I was actually a little surprised when Svidrigailov killed himself. He was the bad guy and bad guys usually are harder to get rid of. I thought when he said he had another bullet left in his revolver, he was meaning to kill someone. He must have been angry after Dounia wouldnt let him rape her. Svidrigailov played a big role: he pushed Raskolnikov indirectly to confess because Svidrigailov overheard through the wall when Raskolnikov confessed to Sonya. Svidrigailov haunted Raskolnikov and then he even tried to use his secret information against Raskolnikovs sister, but failed. I dont really have significant questions about characters
or situations left because the Epilogue answered everything. Raskolnikov and
Sonya live happily ever after for the next seven years in Raskolnikov was an interesting character because he thought himself a great writer and a superhuman, comparing himself to Napoleon. I myself sometimes find myself considering myself above the law, such as when I ride my bike through stop signs. However, in the end, Raskolnikov confesses and relents to the power of the government. In my personal experience, I have found that the guilt is often quite as bad as the punishment, such as when you write something about somebody that they dont like and the punishment is just to erase it but you still feel bad for writing it. |
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Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya 2
AP English
November 27, 2005
The Darkness of Mans Heart
The moral/intellectual approach lends itself to The Lord of the Flies because Goldings novel deals significantly with morals. The Lord of the Flies is a true and significant piece of literature because Golding imparts morality, philosophy, and religion through telling the story of boys marooned on an island. Todays society has a semblance of order, but underneath it all, mankinds evil permeates everything. Goldings piece of literature conveys the message that human nature is malicious. This message is a lesson that we must always seek to control our malevolent instincts.
The Lord of the Flies contains the idea that humans are animals. Little boys on an island far away from the rules of civilization will regress into savagery and wild hunting instincts. On the island, survival of the fittest reigns supreme over reason and logic. Jack the hunter dominates the logic of Piggy, whose spectacles are gradually destroyed. Goldings philosophy is that the boys failure is due to the shortcomings of human nature. Without the order of the adult world, the boys regress into anarchy. The boys are in such a state of anarchy that they believe the anonymity of their painted faces justifiably allows them to commit murder in the dark, goaded by mob mentality.
The boys pick on Piggy, who is an easy target because of his conspicuous lack of savoir-faire. Piggy is overweight, wears thick glasses, and has asthma. However, Piggys social ineptitude does not merit the abuse of the boys because Piggy is, in fact, the voice of reason itself. Although Piggy is overweight, his cruel name is a misnomer, because he is not low, greedy, stupid, or vicious, as swine implies. He is a true, wise friend (202). Goldings moral here is that discrimination is unacceptable. Piggys glasses are first cracked, essentially blinding him in one eye. Later, the savage boys steal Piggys glasses, although the glasses would have been freely given if requested. Piggys glasses are important because they are the source of the signal fire that is the boys main hope for rescue. Piggy often wipes his glasses because he desires clear-sightedness. The boys could really use Piggys methodical logic, but their own vision is limited because they do not recognize his intelligence, and they ultimately kill him.
The boys eventually abandon their moral sense and join the anarchy and misguided fun of Jack. Instead of tending the fire, the hunters wantonly abandon their duty and hunt. Without laws and consequences for their actions, the boys kill pigs. Meat is an important part of a diet, but the boys relish the blood and the frenzied killing too much. They mercilessly desecrate the body of a sow, a mother pig who had been innocently feeding her piglets. The boys from then on are savages. They end up dancing wildly in the firelight, caught up in hypnotic dancing and chanting, and they mistake Simon for a beast. Simon falls to his death in the sea. Even Ralph, the fair boy (8), participates, signifying that any person is capable of murder. The savages are carried away and they kill Piggy, helplessly cradling the conch, which represents civilization.
Golding applies his ideas through the use of his evil characters, Jack and Roger. Jack is an eleven-year-old boy with a compulsion to kill. He feels hunted in the jungleas if somethings behind you all the time in the jungle (53). This is a psychological reason for why Jack is so concerned with instilling fear in others. Perhaps Jacks own fear compels him to lust for others blood. Jack has an opaque look in his mad eyes. Jack, an apelike, doglike hunter, uses fear to obtain his power, unlike Ralph, who uses hope. Roger is the boy with gloomy face and unsociable remoteness. His forbidding aloofness is a sign that he does not value civilization, and wishes to worship pagan idols such as a sows head upon a stake. The boys even offer the sows head as a gift to the beast.
Golding manages to place lots of religious material in his novel. Simon is a Christ-like figure because he is a carpenter (he helps with the huts), he picks the choicest fruits for the masses (the littluns), he struggles with the Devil (the Lord of the Flies), and he ultimately is killed by a mob. The boys kill Simon, the boy who best recognizes that the only beast on the island is the group of boys. Goldings Christian theme contrasts with the boys pagan myths. The boys are so lost that they fall to superstitiously believing in ghosts and believing myths about beasts.
It is up to the reader whether Goldings morals are acceptable. Is mankind truly irredeemable and doomed to cause destruction everywhere? The novels ideas pertain to our lives very much. As the little boys, in an illusion of mastery, wield whatever power they can, so does everyone act recklessly in an illusion of mastery. This novel shows the benefits of functioning society, civilization, and order. With the responsibility of adults, children cannot start raging forest fires and trample sand castles as they please. The Lord of the Flies makes me thankful for all mankinds progress from antediluvian savagery. Goldings novel is a reminder that if human beings shed the clothes of civilization, they are beasts at heart, and the strongest and fittest are bound to survive. Our modern society represents a power struggle between morality and wicked licentiousness, and the importance of precious ethics cannot be underestimated.
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya 2
AP English
March 9, 2006
M
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S
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Critical theories are approaches to understanding and interpreting literature. The Economic Deterministic/ Marxist theory was based on political and cultural ideas of the 1800s. The theory deals with the conflict between the capitalist and working classes. This conflict very much applies to Pygmalion, which satirizes the British class system. The author, Bernard Shaw, was a social reformer who wanted to effect change in society through his explanation of the economic status of the characters in Pygmalion. The story is widely concerned with wealth and the pretensions of the upper and middle classes. Economic status plays a key role in Shaws satire of the British class system because it represents the characters struggle to gain independence and it determines the characters conditions of poor education and lack of incentive.
In Marxist literature, the proletariats most often fail in their attempt to overcome their disadvantages. Poor and oppressed Eliza, a flower girl, has the remarkable opportunity to advance herself through Mr. Higgins outrageous experiment, contrary to the theorys usual renewed oppression. The economic theory states that matters usually do not have a fairy-tale ending, as is the case in Pygmalion. Eliza and Higgins never fall in love with each other and they do not end up married. There is, however, a transformation by which Eliza escapes a drudgery and misery that is not endless after all. Eliza originally suffers from inadequate opportunity, but she is given an unlikely, contrived chance to take English phonetics lessons. The voice of God instigates Higgins charitable handful of coins, which provides Eliza the wherewithal for Higgins ludicrous experiment and Elizas ludicrous transformation.
Eliza rises from the street, achieves an independent autonomy, and denies her status as either Higginss male artifact, squashed cabbage leaf, or live doll. Due to Elizas economic status, she is overwhelmed to find a large tip from the note taker, who turns out to be Mr. Higgins. Higgins judges Eliza based upon her economic status. I always been a good girlI dont owe him nothing (46). Eliza is quick to assert that she is not a prostitute, despite the stereotypes associated with her kind of class. She makes it plain that she is not in any debt to Mr. Higgins, although he has promised her, You shall have as many taxis as you want (45). He is one of the most static characters found in literaturehe thinks of the girl as a despicable guttersnipe flower girl even after she has lost her dreadful Cockney accent. Henry Higgins and Pickering are affected by their financial standing by being fashionable but idle. The men spend their time discussing phonetics because they have enough money that they do not need to get a menial job like the working class does.
Society has false
values of hypocritical middle-class morality. Doolittle exposes the pretensions
of what he calls middle-class morality, an excuse for never giving to the
poor. Doolittle prefers his own undeserving poverty, but then himself accepts
newfound affluence, despite a conflict with his earlier criticisms of
middle-class morality. Doolittles fondness for drink stems from the lowly
nature of his occupation as a dustman. Such drinking would not be tolerated, or
at least not openly acknowledged, by the pretentious haughtiness of middle
class, which has only a surface definition of respectability. Professor Higgins
owns an elaborate phonetics laboratory, but Eliza has little shelter except for
what the portico of
Economic status in Pygmalion leads to class struggle. The upper and middle classes are shallow. They care inordinately for appearances, language, and money. The primary influence on the characters lives is economic. Eliza knows nothing of proper grammar or ladylike carriage at first, but once she is a lady, she finds herself in a predicament because she has no income to support her new kind of lifestyle. Shaw satirizes the upper class, whose pretension originates from their wealth, because they make false assumptions. For example, Nepommuck fallaciously decides that Eliza speaks English too well, so she must be Hungarian. Marxs political ideas amount to socialism. Bernard Shaw shows a strong favor towards the lower class characters, who actually work their way up to success by the end of the novel. The Doolittles, despite their initial disadvantages of a Cockney accent and poverty, gain equality with some of the other classes, while the Eynsford-Hills move down the social ladder. Each role played in Pygmalion represents a distinct social standing; the economic status determines the disposition of each character.
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya 2
AP English
May 16, 2006
Forever After
Imagine life after death. Now imagine an insect fruitlessly attempting to escape a Venus flytrap. The characters in Jean-Paul Sartres No Exit find themselves in a similarly ensnaring predicament; for them, the afterlife is hell. As the Valet ushers Garcin, Inez, and Estelle into their hell cell one by one, their confinement, the major cause of the plots conflict, forces them to interact. Before long, the characters realize their clashing personalities do not coincide. Soon thereafter, they accept the fact they are doomed to stay there for eternity. Through the ensuing actions and incidents, the characters gradually reveal what their lives were like on Earth, and each character adopts the role of torturer of the other two. The most powerful aspect of the plot is the captives relentless conflicts with their environment, their personal sins, the other captives, and their new hopeless circumstances.
An integral feature of the plot is the hideous environment, which leads to tension. The characters experience conflict between erroneous expectations of hell and the realization that hell is other people. Garcin expects red-hot tongs and molten lead, racks and prongs and garrotes (41). There certainly are no amenities such as toothbrushes or even light switches. The stuffy, stifling room is so uncomfortable (13) because, although it has jagged points itself, the rooms contents have a frustrating pointlessness. The hotels method of aggravation employs a bronze contraption on the mantelpiece too heavy to move, a malfunctioning bell, repulsive sofas, and an ordinary paper-knife with no purpose other than to propel the characters to madness. Useful, practical things such as mirrors and beds are missing. The functionless furniture of the room is part of hells subtle design, a nonphysical plan the characters do not anticipate.
The characters cannot return to their former lives, except through haunting glimpses of the past. By the end, Garcin admits, Nothing of me is left on earth not even the name of coward (43). When the door opens, it is ten times hotter (42), and there is nowhere to go outside the room. When Garcin asks what lies at the end of the passage, the Valet responds, More rooms, more passages, and stairs. Thats all (6).
Garcin, the first to enter the room, experiences malaise and conflict within himself. Some of his inner turmoil is the result of his life on earth. He was shot when he was found trying to escape service in the war. He was on his way to set up a pacifist newspaper, but he feels he was shot because he is a coward. Not only was he a deserter, but he also treated his wife abominably (24). Garcin is a romantic (5) brute who wants to contemplate his sins in solitude, but Inez cannot refrain from candidly complaining about Garcins involuntary mouth twitch. The climax of the play arrives when Garcin has to make the crucial decision whether to leave through the open door or stay put for the rest of his existence. When Garcin demands the locked door be opened, it actually is. In a dilemma, Garcin cannot bear to leave Inez there, gloating (42). For him, it would constitute defeat to run away from Inezs rejection like a coward. Garcin makes a conscious effort not to act as a coward because, fittingly, he is afraid of such a label. Instead, he characterizes himself as peaceful sort of fellow (9). Garcin has a new goal after the door opens: make Inez have faith (43) in him, contrary to his previous assertion to Inez, Im not interested in you (21).
A
man-versus-man conflict develops because the characters do not get along in the
cramped, restricted confines of the
The play is not meant to portray reality. The characters do not live, but rather, they exist, incapable of sleeping or eating. Valet questions Garcins use of the word live in, So one has to live with ones eyes open all the time? (6), to which Garcin replies, Dont lets quibble over words (6). The characters cannot die because they are not alive. Inez, the perceptive one, says, It happened already, do you understand? Once and for all. So here we are, forever (46). This otherworldly environment sets the plays proceedings in motion, and it is a troubling admonition meant to deter the plays readers from eternal despair. Sartres work has an undertone of serious justice because the peoples past transgressions warrant their predicament. The lack of a way out and the incompatible individuals, the tension-mounting elements of the play, directly relate to the doubt and interest that make No Exit a riveting read. The captives conflicts with their environment, with their personal sins, and with the other captives are never satisfactorily resolved. However, the characters develop as they grudgingly come to face the sins of their past lives, and they accept the self-serve torment that awaits them.
AP English Benji Baker
Period 2 July 11, 2005
Reading Journal for One Hundred Years of Solitude (Cien Aos de Soledad)
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August 20; 45 minutes Pages 1-83 Its the largest diamond in the world. No, the gypsy countered. Its ice. Jos Arcadio Buenda, without understanding, stretched out his hand toward the cake, but the giant moved it away. Five reales more to touch it, he said. Jos Arcadio Buenda paid them and put his hand on the ice and held it there for several minutes as his heart filled with fear and jubilation at the contact with mystery. Jos Arcadio Buenda and the gypsy, Page 18 August 22; 1 hour, 15 minutes Pages 83-126 Arcadio gave a rare display of generosity by decreeing official mourning for Pietro Crespi. rsula interpreted it as the return of the strayed lamb. But she was mistaken. She had lost Arcadio, not when he had put on his military uniform, but from the beginning. She thought she had raised him as a son, as she had raised Rebeca, with no privileges or discrimination. Nevertheless, Arcadio was a solitary and frightened child during the insomnia plague, in the midst of rsulas utilitarian fervor, during the delirium of Jos Arcadio Buenda, the hermetism of Aureliano, and the mortal rivalry between Amaranta and Rebeca. Page 121 August 23; 1.5 hours Pages 126-182 She found Colonel Aureliano Buenda in the room that was used as a cell, lying on a cot with his arms spread out because his armpits were paved with sores. They had allowed him to shave. The thick mustache with twisted ends accentuated the sharp angles of his cheekbones. He looked paler to rsula than when he had left, a little taller, and more solitary than ever. He knew all about the details of the house: Pietro Crespis suicide, Arcadios arbitrary acts and execution, the dauntlessness of Jos Arcadio Buenda underneath the chestnut tree. He knew that Amaranta had consecrated her virginal widowhood to the rearing of Aureliano Jos and that the latter was beginning to show signs of quite good judgment and that he had learned to read and write at the same time he had learned to speak. Page 136 August 24; 1.5 hours Pages 182-256 Let me soap you, he murmured. Thank you for your good intentions, she said, but my two hands are quite enough. Even if its just your back, the foreigner begged. That would be silly, she said. People never soap their backs. Then, while she was drying herself, the stranger begged her, with eyes full of tears, to marry him The rotten tiles broke with a noise of disaster and the man barely had time to let out a cry of terror as he cracked his skull and was killed outright on the cement floor. Pg. 251, Remedios the Beauty and foreigner August 25; 30 minutes Pages 256-282 The truth was that rsula resisted growing old even when she had already lost count of her age and she was a bother on all sides as she tried to meddle in everything and as she annoyed strangers with her question as to whether they had left a plaster Saint Josph to be kept until the rains were over during the days of the war. No one knew exactly when she had begun to lose her sight. Even in her later years, when she could no longer get out of bed, it seemed that she was simply defeated by decrepitude, but no one discovered that she was blind. She had noticed it before the birth of Jos Arcadio. At first she thought it was a matter of a passing debility and she secretly took marrow syrup and put honey on her eyes, but quite soon she began to realize that she was irrevocably sinking into the darkness, to a point where she never had a clear notion Page 264 August 26; 2 hours Pages 282-358 The great strike broke out. Cultivation stopped halfway, the fruit rotted on the trees and the hundred-twenty-car trains remained on the sidings. The idle workers overflowed the towns. The Street of the Turks echoed with a Saturday that lasted for several days and in the poolroom at the Hotel Jacob they had to arrange twenty-four-hour shifts. That was where Jos Arcadio Segundo was on the day it was announced that the army had been assigned to reestablish public order. Pages 324-325 August 27; 1 hour Pages 358-402 Almost a year after his return home, having sold the silver candlesticks and the heraldic chamberpotwhich at the moment of truth turned out to have only a little gold plating on the crestin order to eat, the only distraction of Jos Arcadio was to pick up children in town so they could play in the house. Page 398 August 28; 1 hour Pages 402-458 After cutting the umbilical cord, the midwife began to use a cloth to take off the blue grease that covered his body as Aureliano held up a lamp. Only when they turned him on his stomach did they see that he had something more than other men, and they leaned over to examine him. It was the tail of a pig. They were not alarmed. Aureliano and Amaranta rsula were not aware of the family precedent, nor did they remember rsulas frightening admonitions, and the midwife pacified them with the idea that the tail could be cut off when the child got his second teeth In the afternoon, after twenty-four hours of desperation, they knew that she was dead because the flow had stopped without remedies and her profile became sharp and the blotches on her face evaporated in a halo of alabaster and she smiled again. |
This passage shows how isolated Jos Arcadio Buenda must be, that is, in what solitude he must be. He has never seen or heard of ice until Melquades and his fellow gypsies bring ice to Jos Arcadio Buenda. Jos Arcadio Buenda is fascinated by the ice and calls it a miracle and the great invention of our time. He pays ten more reales so his sons may touch it, although they are afraid. The story goes on and Jos Arcadio Buenda and his wife
rsula found the city of It is intriguing how Jos Arcadio Buenda is so devoted to alchemy. He cares more for science than his family. Is he the man who is going to go into solitude? Is he going to be stuck in jail? Does some character want to be in solitude? Is the whole town going into solitude? It is a peaceful town and there is only local authority so the citizens paint their houses whatever color they please. There is one character named Rebeca who disturbingly eats soil and peels paint off from the walls and eats it and she vomits dead leeches. rsula feeds her some sort of oranges concoction and Rebeca stops her unsanitary habit. There are a lot of complex relationships in this novel and sex is omnipresent, as I would expect from a Latin American book (after reading The Old Gringo and Bless Me, Ultima). There is a virile sailor who has tattoos on every square inch of his body who actually makes a living sleeping with women. In this passage, you read about Arcadio who has taken over the town Macondo where the Buendas live. He is a Buenda himself, yet his mother is forced practically to disown him since Arcadio is such a dictator he orders a woman to be beaten to death who has been bitten by a rabid dog. Arcadio is not the only solitary person in the family. The whole Buenda family is solitary, cut off from the rest of civilization, and cut off even from each other. I chose this passage because it sums up some of the events that have been going on in Macondo. The Liberals were defeated and Arcadio was put to death against the cemetery wall. Amaranta and Rebeca were fighting against each other over Pietro Crespi until Pietro Crespi was pushed to suicide. Rebeca took the blame because she had prayed that whatever happened, Pietro Crespi would marry none other than herself. Amaranta refused Pietro Crespis marriage proposal. Pietro Crespi was found at the desk in the rear with his wrists cut by a razor and his hands thrust into a basin of benzoin. The family is very large; there is a custom of sending
virgins to the bedrooms of soldiers in the same way that hens are turned
loose with fine roosters and so Colonel Aureliano Buenda had seventeen
sons. The family is almost too large, like the This passage also does a wonderful job of showing the abundance of similar names that can be quite hard to keep track of. This passage does a good job of showing how this book, although often realistic, is bordering on fantasy. Remedios the Beauty is a woman of such beauty that every man close enough to smell her falls under her spell and usually ends up getting killed as Remedios innocently, simply rejects one suitor after another. I would have predicted that Remedios would die unmarried, but it turns out at the end of the bit I read that Remedios is blown away holding onto some sheets by a big gust of wind. People of prestige come from I predict that Petra Cotes will end up with Aureliano because Aureliano cannot possibly like Fernanda any more than I do. Fernanda is a stuck up highlander who was raised as if she were going to be a queen. Although Fernanda was pretty enough to get Aureliano to marry her, Aurelianos future lies with Petra Cotes, who gives him good luck with the animals breeding. Is the railroad trouble or progress? Will Macondo stay solitary? It was rather sad to see that rsula went blind. She is the character I respect most because she is so old she doesnt even remember her age and she has done a decent job of raising so many children. rsula is able to find Fernandas lost wedding ring just by knowing Fernandas schedule so well and logically remembering what unusual things Fernanda had done in the day. It is rsula who rings the ring in Fernandas mattresses. rsula even can sense the suns shadow moving as it gets later in the year. Its a similar personal situation since I have to watch the nights getting shorter and the daylight dwindling as we move towards autumn and winter. The summer has been such an enjoyable time and I could go out late at night on my bike and not have to worry about bike lights. I can infer that everybody else respects rsula, too, because otherwise they would make fun of her for being blind. Either that, or nobody heeds old rsula enough to even to care that shes blind. I think its a clear enough prediction that rsula is close to death. The question is, will she be satisfied with the family she has raised when she dies? From the time that the train started bringing people in to
Macondo, the city started growing and the banana plantation prospered.
However, the gringos make the working conditions so terrible that all the
workers go on strike, as described in the passage to the left. Aureliano
Segundo leads the strikers against the injustices of the banana company. The
banana company in the end is too powerful and almost all of the workers
(around 300) end up dying in a machine-gun massacre. When Jos Arcadio IV
Segundo returns as one of the rare survivors, everybody pretends the massacre
never happened. To tell the truth, the massacre was not too disturbing,
because it was only what I would expect from the foreigners. I side with the
foreigners because they were looking to make a profit using cheap labor, not
provide health benefits for these lowly workers of Macondo. Go I chose this passage because it describes the heraldic chamberpot. The most gripping imagery up to this point has been Rebeca vomiting dead leeches. However, the newest winner of the memorable graphic nature award is the image of regular stool in a golden chamberpot. Renata checks the stuck up Fernandas chamberpot to see if Fernanda did not shit shit but shat sweet basil but she found that what was inside was pure shit, physical shit, and worse even than any other kind because it was stuck-up highland shit. Fernanda died in this section, which was a relief. Aureliano is not left in solitude because his concubine Petra Cotes is still alive. I predict that soon enough the terrible flooding will end and Macondo will be left barren, in nearly utter solitude. For the book to live up to its title, Macondo and its inhabitants are doomed, as if the years of persistent rain were not enough of a sign. This passage portrays the final downfall of the Buenda family. The end of the novel reminded me a lot of The Fall of the House of Usher. When Aureliano and Amaranta have a baby boy born with the tail of a pig, it is obvious that the Buenda family has intermarried too much and it has received its logical conclusion. The tail of a pig foretells the doom that is yet to destroy the family. Aureliano at last finishes translated Melquades parchments and the words are revealed to him: The first of the line is tied to a tree and the last is being eaten by the ants. Sure enough, the baby is taken away by hordes of ants and soon a storm comes and all Macondo is wiped out by the wind. Was it inevitable that the Buendas would die out? I think if Macondo had not been so solitary, the characters might have been able to find mates outside of the family. The pigs tail is a very freaky consequence for incest. If that happened in real life, I would be scared to death of touching anyone in my family. However, modern technology would easily remove the pigs tail. I cant really make predictions about the characters futures because everybody died. However, there is one part: They could hear rsula fighting against the laws of creation to maintain the line, and Jos Arcadio Buenda searching for the mythical truth of the great inventions, and Fernanda praying, and Colonel Aureliano Buenda stupefying himself with the deception of war and the little gold fishes, and Aureliano Segundo dying of solitude in the turmoil of his debauches, and then they learned that dominant obsessions can prevail against death and they were happy again with the certainty that they would go on loving each other in their shape as apparitions long after other species of future animals would steal from the insects the paradise of misery that the insects were finally stealing from man. Therefore it seems that the Buendas still have an afterlife as ghosts. |
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya -2
AP English
March 27, 2006
Weep for the Flat, Rolling, Open Grass
Alan
Paton creates a mood of suffering laced with hope in his novel, Cry, the Beloved Country. The story
focuses on the misery of
The
authors attitude of patriotism is apparent from the novels title, Cry, the Beloved Country. Paton
carefully depicts the setting through interspersed native Zulu and Xosa
language, which serves to set the storys exotic mood. Without the sense of
patriotism, the story would lose its influence.
Paton expresses his dominant mournful sentiment for the country by portraying the pain of a nation divided by apartheid. The black people are hungry and without money, clothes, or sufficient housing. Paton is sorry that the black men, who constitute a majority of the nations population, are a broken tribe, falling into the new ways of the white men who reap the mines profit without raising wages. Racial integrity has deteriorated, so the elder black men are puzzled and confused, while the young black men have fallen to crime. Paton raises ideas about social and racial discrimination and economic and political inequality. The native characters are limited by their lack of knowledge of farming and need to rent out their overcrowded houses just to have enough money.
Kumalo, a parson, feels passionately about his countrys fate. At times, his voice rises as though some anguish [compels] him (109). The Christian theme of the novel brings out the attitude that fear impoverishes always, while sorrow may enrich (108). Kumalo stresses religions importance because our Lord suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering (227). He has a desperate, moralistic calling to remedy our Christian civilization riddled through and through with dilemma (154), because whether we be fearful or no, we shall never, because we are a Christian people, be able to evade the moral issues (146).
Paton generally writes with a straightforward style, using simple sentence structure, which contributes to the austere, stark mood. The grief is blatant and innocent. The narrator is quite formal, although the dialogue is rather informal because the author uses a style of punctuation in which frequent dialogue is denoted by dashes, rather than conventional quotation marks. The formality indicates the storys stern severity, and the dialogue emphasizes the focus on the peoples angst without sentimentality. Patons writing is unembellished with ornate language:
A young man met them at the airport.
Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis?
Yes.
Im John Harrison, Marys brother. I dont think you remember me. I was only a youngster when you saw me last. Let me carry your things. Ive a car here for you. (136)
Cry, the Beloved Country contains some
instances of irony that amplify the novels dismal impression. For example, the
majority of the population of
The story borders
on being didactic. The author is so profoundly absorbed by his subject that he
spends the whole book explaining the terrible situation in
The story is not meant to have humor. It is very serious, solemn, and gloomy because it deals with a city where women are raped, crooks cheat the nave Kumalo out of his bus fare, and Kumalos son ends up killing a white boy. Kumalo, the respectable, humble umfundisi, [remembers] too that he had laughed, and that it pained him physically, as it pains a man who is ill and should not laugh (116). Cry, the beloved country, for the unborn child that is the inheritor of our fear exemplifies the recurrent, plaintive theme.
Nature reflects
and complements the characters situation. The black people of the city
Although the overall melancholic tone persists throughout most of the novel, the drought ends, and the novel closes with a tone of hope. Rain comes, and the white man notes, It is not only these rains though they too refresh the spirit. There is hope here, such as I have never seen before (267). Paton controls the hopeful tone by using dramatic irony. Least expected of all, the white man, Jarvis, bereft of his son and wife, donates his time and money to help Kumalo, who fathered the murderer of Jarvis son. The native chief mistrusts the white mens new farming techniques, but the reader knows the white mans competent plans for fertilizer and irrigation will bring prosperity to the valley. Kumalos faith is suggested when he realizes with profound awareness (274) he has great cause for thanksgiving. He is so fond of his country, his suffering is overshadowed, and these things were so dear to him that the pain passed, and he contemplated them in quiet, and in some measure of peace (61).
Benji Baker
Mrs. Caluya -2
English 12
September 17, 2005
Aged Royalty Falls to Ignominy
A sovereign shame so elbows himhis own unkindness,
That stripped her from his benediction, turned her
To foreign casualties, gave her dear rights
To his dog-hearted daughtersthese things sting
His mind so venomously that burning shame
Detains him from Cordelia.
The
proceeding quote embodies the story as a whole and represents the theme William
Shakespeare wishes to convey in his tragic play King Lear.
The
quote comes from Act IV, Scene IV, 51-57, Page 189. At this point in the story,
The section of the quote that lies between the dashes pertains to Lears various misdeeds. King Lear revokes his blessing when he interprets Cordelias plainness as pride. King Lear strips Cordelia of her dowry, preferring to indulge in the large speeches(19) of his other daughters who profess they love him all. In truth, Goneril and Regan, though married, love no one but themselves. King Lear expels Cordelia, rejecting her divided love and leaving it all to Cordelias husband, King of France. Cordelia is then subject to foreign casualties, namely, the French. In turn, King Lear is turned out of his own position of power. King Lear allows the greedy dog-hearted Goneril and Regan to digest Cordelias right to her third of the kingdom.
Shakespeares prevalent personification is prominent in this quote as it is elsewhere in the play. Shakespeare takes lifeless, abstract concepts and makes them dynamic. Shame comes alive as a force that elbows Lear. His unkindness is capable of stripping, deporting, and allocating rights. The shame of kindness stings him as if it were a bee or a prickly cactus. Shame is not an inert nonentity in King Lear; Shakespeare makes shame a predator feasting on Lears mind, simultaneously poisoning him and burning him. Shakespeare also denounces the dog-hearted daughters in Lears cry, Ingratitude, thou marble-hearted fiend, / More hideous when thou showst thee in a child / Than the sea monster!(59).
Shame
is a retarding force that holds Lear back from fatefully reconciling himself
with Cordelia. Lear is forced to hang his head in disgrace because he was not
careful in his judgment. The theme of King
Lear can be stated as If you are not careful in your judgment, falsity may
prevail over truth and justice. Lears mind burns feverishly as he
apprehensively anticipates his eventual reunion with the daughter he swore
never to see again. The play deals with suffering unto death. The quotes pain
is evident through Lears undeniable chagrin at How sharper than a serpent's
tooth it is / To have a thankless child!(61). King
Lears rage drives him as blind as
The
focal quote of
AP English Benji Baker
Period X July 11, 2005
Reading Journal for King Lear
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June 30, 2005 3 hours Pages: Introduction (ix-lvi) + 1-29 CORDELIA: Good my lord, You have begot me, bred me, loved me. I return those duties back as they are right fit: Obey you, love you and most honor you. Why have my sisters husbands if they say They love you all? Haply, when I shall wed, That lord whose hand must take my plight shall carry Half my love with him, half my care and duty. Sure I shall never marry like my sisters, To love my father all. Page 13, CORDELIA July 1, 2005 1.5 hours Pages 29-69 FOOL: Yes, indeed. Thou wouldst make a good Fool. LEAR: To take t again perforce! Monster ingratitude! FOOL: If thou wert my Fool, nuncle, Id have thee beaten for being old before thy time. LEAR: Hows that? FOOL: Thou shouldst not have been old till thou hadst been wise. LEAR: O, let me not be mad, not mad, sweet heaven! / Keep me in temper. I would not be mad! Page 67, FOOL and LEAR July 3, 2005 3 hours Pages: 69-119 A knave, a rascal, an eater of
broken meats; a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound,
filthy worsted-stocking knave; a lily-livered, action-taking, whoreson,
glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave; one
that would be a bawd in way of good service, and art nothing but the
composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pander, and the son and heir of a
mongrel bitch; one whom I will beat into clamorous whining if thou denyst
the least syllable of thy additionbrazen-faced varletIll make a sop o
the moonshine of you, you whoreson, cullionly barbermonger (despicable
fop)Thou whoreson zed, thou unnecessary letterI will tread this unbolted
villain into mortar and daub the wall of a jakes with himDraw, you rogue, or
Ill so carbonado your shanks! Pages 83-85, July 4, 2005 5 hours Pages: 119-261 LEAR: A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all! I might have saved her. Now shes gone forever. Cordelia, Cordelia, stay a little. Ha! What is t thou sayst?Her voice was ever soft, Gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman. I killed the slave that was a-hanging thee. Page 257, Act 5, Sc. 3, 325-330; LEAR |
After reading the beginning of King Lear, I am left wondering what will become of Cordelia. When will she get her rightful portion of the kingdom? When will she gain the dowry of a princess? I dont understand quite why King Lear is so upset with his daughter Cordelia. Why does she have to flatter him so in order to get an inheritance? How come her love for your Majesty, according to my bond is not good enough for the King? I predict that King Lear will regret disowning his own faithful daughter. I can infer that later in the story he will wish he had more people loyal to him because it seems like even nice people displease him and so he is bound not to have many friends. If I were King Lear, I would accept my daughters love. I would love my daughter back and obey her and honor her. It is right for Cordelia to love her father because so do the Ten Commandments suggest. My dads estate is supposed to be evenly split up between my family. This passage shows how the Fool is a jester who says stuff that sounds like gibberish but often has some meaning. The Fool is a companion to the King. He has to keep the King sane, because as the King says, he is starting to go mad. King Lear is quite old, but he is not wise, because he did not value the simple duty expressed by his youngest daughter Cordelia. He shallowly preferred the way his other daughters ambitiously, greedily, and falsely flattered him, by giving them all of his kingdom. I wonder if the Fool is going to die. I wonder if King Lear will treasure his Fool or if he will go mad and banish the Fool like he did to Cordelia. I wonder if the two will be separated. I predict that King Lear will go mad. Is the Fool really retarded or does he just speak in riddles? In my own life, I have tried to suffer fools gladly. Often, they have more knowledge than for what I give them credit. Based on the text, I can infer that Shakespeare is portraying King Lear as like a Fool and contrasting him to an actual Fool. Perhaps the King is lucky to have the cryptic advice of his Fool. In this section, I was astounded by the invectives used by
Will Edgar ever reveal the truth? Will anyone believe him? I predict that his father will die before Edgar ever explains to his father that Edmund the bastard is lying and cheating his way into their fathers graces, since King Lear is a tragedy. Is the tempest in this play a reference to Shakespeares The Tempest? Will the storm end before the tragedy is fulfilled and the conflict resolved? Will the King ever make it out of the storm alive? From personal experience I know that being caught in a storm when youre away from home is tough, such as when Im riding my bike home through the rain. Ive never been as bad off as King Lear, however, who has little of a home to go to. I have never been as angry as I chose this passage because it does a workable job of encapsulating the tragedy of the play. King Lear has reunited with his daughter and here relates his forgiveness and care for his daughter whom he so carelessly abandoned and banished. King Lear indeed might have saved Cordelia, were it not for Edmunds order of execution. The tragic part of the play is that Edmund retracted his death sentences after he was mortally wounded when the hero Edgar showed up and dueled. Im sorry that the King and his retinue of knights were turned out by Goneril and Regan. Goneril sounds like Gonorrhea. Regan sounds like Regal, which might mean that wants all the regal authority for herself. I can infer from the text that Edmund will not marry either Goneril or Regan while either sister is alive. To both these sisters [has he] sworn [his] love. Edmund cares only to rule with an iron fistto defend, not to debate. He cannot choose between the women just as sometimes I have been caught liking more than one girl at a time. I would never poison and stab out of jealousy as Goneril does in the end. As for predictions about the characters futures, I feel that this is up to the readers ideas of the afterlife. Personally, I believe that the characters futures are basically nonexistent now that theyre dead. What will happen next is the few remaining characters such as Kent and the Duke of Albany and Edgar will have to rebuild the Kingdom. |
AP Espaol Benji Baker
Period 5 3/19/06
Qu Fea!
Querido Representante Dario Frommer,
Hay demasiada basura en nuestra comunidad y es un problema tpico por los Estados Unidos. La basura contamina nuestros ros y ensucia el paisaje. Se necesita hacer algo.
Despus de la recin prctica de emergencia, el sSr. Peebles recogi la basura de la cancha de bisbol. Por eso, l no volvi a la sala de clases hasta que hubieron pasado algunos minutos.
Cuando los
estudiantes van afuera de la escuela durante
Yo protesto sobre la basura porque cuando manejamos, no queremos ver la basura de otras personas inconsideradas y groseras. La basura es una fuente de contaminacin para el medio ambiente. No queremos vivir en una papelera, y por eso no queremos ver las materias que han sido desperdiciadas y abandonadas.
A pesar de
rtulos, los que manejan se empean en tirar comida y recipientes de las
ventanas
Tengo ideas para remediar la situacin. Los
representantes y senadores pueden motivar al pblico para reciclar. Las compaas pueden crear comerciales para la televisin que
cuenten al pblico que consideren las consecuencias de la basura para el medio
ambiente. Los profesores de las escuelas pueden
ensear a los estudiantes la razn para tener en cuenta la naturaleza.
La basura es un problema mental de la gente que no
sabe los malos efectos de la basura. Tambin, es un
problema de la disciplina. A la gente, las reglas le ayudan guardar un medio ambiente limpio. Necesitamos
reglas firmas y efectivas que manden al pblico que no dejen la basura en
cualquiera lugar. Podemos poner en vigor las reglas con la ayuda de los
representantes y senadores
Para
terminar, la basura afecta toda la gente, pero las reglas que existen hoy en
da no son suficientes para eliminar la contaminacin
Preocupndome por el medio ambiente,
Benji Baker
AP Espaol Benji Baker
Periodo 5 18 de abril, 2006
La Visita de un Amigo
Querido Juan, mi buen amigo,
Qu pasa!
Juan, yo s que tienes planes de ir de vacaciones a Nueva York. Creo que Nueva York es una buena ciudad, pero prefiero que vengas a
mi pueblo en vez de Nueva
Juntos, podemos
ir a la playa y hacer surf de vela. Mi pueblo es muy cerca de las playas de
Si puedo convencerte a venir a pasar las vacaciones conmigo, iremos a los museos, los restaurantes, y los edificios ms interesantes. Por vivir en esta ciudad todo mi vida, todos los actividades mejores me son conocidos.
Siempre
puedes explorar otras regiones
Te cansars
de Nueva
Cuando vengas, me encargar de conseguir las entradas para el teatro y el cine. Vamos a contar chistes y conversar mientras que hagamos cola. Conmigo, comeremos los dulces saborosos y las comidas fritas. Nos vemos este verano.
Espero que vengas,
Benji Baker
AP Government Ben Baker
Period 4 October 17, 2005
Federalist Papers Project
1. Biographies
James Madison, author of around thirty
of the eighty-five essays that make the Federalist
Papers, was born in King George County, Virginia, on the date after my birthday,
1761 (March 16). In 1769, he left the family plantation in order to attend the
In 1784,
In the following year,
Alexander
Hamilton, major author of the Federalist Papers, was born as an
illegitimate son on the West Indian
In March 1777, George Washington
made
In 1780,
Shortly after the Constitution was ratified and the new
government took shape,
Alexander Hamilton died in a duel with Aaron Burr in July
1804.
John Jay was born in
After an education at Kings College, now
In the three years, Jay went on a diplomatic mission to
John Jay was forty-two years old when he wrote five of the
eighty-five essays of the Federalist
Papers, making Jay the oldest of the three authors. Illness forced John Jay
to withdraw from the project, which is why he wrote so few essays. He wrote
numbers two, three, four, five, and returning from his illness, number
sixty-four. Jay played a key role in the
In 1789,
In 1794, John Jay went to
In 1795, Jay
returned to be Governor of New York, a position to which he had been elected
during his absence. From 1801 to the end of his life in 1829, he lived in
retirement. His retirement included becoming President of the American Bible
Society, maintaining an interest in the anti-slavery movement, and keeping up a
correspondence with agricultural reformers about latest developments in that
field(A Brief Biography of John Jay).
2. The Historical
Printing: 1787-1789
The essays at
first bore the signature A Citizen of New York and later the pen name
Publius, based on a great defender of the
On October 27, 1787, the first Federalist
propaganda was published in
On January 1, 1788, J. & A. McLean announced plans to compile a published volume of the first thirty-six Federalist essays.
On March 2, 1788, the first 36 Federalist essays were published in a single volume, The Federalist, A Collection of Essays, with its preface written and corrections made by Alexander Hamilton.
On April 2, 1788: Federalist No. 77, published in The Independent Journal, was the final
essay to be published in the
On May 28, 1788, Federalist essays
numbered 37 to 77 were published in The Federalist, Volume Second,
with an additional eight new essays that had not yet been printed in a
On June 14, 1788, the final eight
essays, originally published as part of the McLean Volume Second, were printed
in The Independent Journal and The
On, January 13, 1802, George Hopkins not only announced his forthcoming publication of The Federalist, but also reveals Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay as the anonymous authors of the essays.
On December 8, 1802, the
In August, 1818, Jacob Gideon
published a version of The Federalist,
undertaken with approval by James Madison and including the first publication
of
Today, The Federalist is available online in an
electronic text constructed by scholars who have combined the different
wordings that various editions have incurred.
The
Constitutional Convention and the Papers
The idea behind the Constitutional Convention and its relation
to the Papers was that the Constitutional Convention created the Constitution,
which the Papers strove to ratify. The convention was called in the first place
because of two failed systems of government. The monarchy of
The Continental Congress called the Constitutional
Convention into action in the summer of 1787 in
The Constitutional Convention relates to the Papers because the Constitutional
Convention created the Constitution, which was the cause for the Papers to be written. Once the
Constitution was written, it remained for the Papers to popularize the Constitution enough for ratification. The
Constitutional Convention created the plan for the stronger government the Papers support. Hamilton and Madison
were present at the Constitutional Convention.
Motives
The Papers were
intended to refute the objections Anti-Federalists had made against the
Constitution and explain why it was necessary for the states to ratify the
Constitution. The Federalist Papers
explained specific provisions of the Constitution. The Papers lobbied for the ratification of a stronger central
government to replace the unworkable Articles of Confederation, especially in
light of the dangers of Shays Rebellion.
The Papers were
intended to argue all of the Federalists points. A strong central government
was needed with sovereign powers to handle our countrys problems, or our
nation will dissolve. A strong central government will provide order and
stability, will protect the peoples rights, and will protect the nations
commerce and society.
The Federalist would dispel the idea that the Federalists were
nationalists, because federalist implied a division of power between national
and state governments. Once The
Federalist was established, the name Anti-Federalists would connote only
opposition. Clinton and his backers had already written an article against the
Constitution signed, Cato. The Federalists faced much opposition, as
Effects
The effects of the Papers were both short-term and
long-term. The immediate effect was that people saw the good qualities of the
Constitution and so the Constitution passed inspection and was officially
ratified on July 2, 1788.
The Papers split people into two different sides,
Federalist and Anti-Federalist. The Federalists believed in strong central
government and loose construction. The Anti-Federalists believed in states
rights and strict construction. The Federalists won the battle of ratification,
but the Anti-Federalists eventually scored a key victory in the strict
enumeration of individual freedoms when the Bill of Rights was ratified and
went into effect on March 1, 1792. During the 1790s, two opposite political
parties formed, the Federalists and the
Democratic-Republicans.
The Papers are considered some of the most brilliant
political writing, ever. The Supreme Court occasionally calls upon the Federalist Papers in order to allow the
justices to see how some of the Founding Fathers and original leaders in our
government intended the Constitution to be interpreted. The Papers ensured the ratification of the
Constitution, a document that has lasted over two hundred years to this very
day.
Federalist Paper #1
Main Idea:
Author: Alexander Hamilton
Date of Publication: October 27, 1787
Paraphrasing:
To the People of My Own
The old system of government under the Articles is baloney.
It is time for you to mull over and ponder the proposed Constitution for the
Considerate, good, patriotic men
must be concerned and anxious for the ratification of the Constitution.
One of the difficulties in getting
the Constitution ratified is the interest of people who are already receiving
fees and salaries from State governments. People in State office positions fear
having their power and incomes reduced by the consolidation of power into one
unified central government.
Even men with good intentions may
oppose the Constitution, but I will not dwell on the people who are against
ratification. These people are merely mistaken by their own prejudices. The
members of political parties with two different views of a question have
intolerant spirits sometimes.
The national discussion and conventions for ratification will bring passion into peoples characters. The Anti-Federalists will claim that we thirst for despotic power and [are] hostile to the principles of liberty. In truth, we Federalists merely are enthusiastic about making an efficient government. Anti-Federalists are too fastidious and pretentious when it comes to saving the rights of the people. What we really need is a vigorous government that has the power to secure liberty for the countrys citizens. It is more likely for someone to pretend to champion states rights and later take over as a despot if there is no firm government in the first place. People ought to be cautious and suspicious of people who speak of nothing but caring about the peoples rights. People are, after all, inevitably self-interested.
From the observations I have described, I hope you see the truth and realize the extreme importance of the decision over whether to adopt the Constitution. After long consideration, I can tell you that adopting the Constitution is the safest way to pursue happiness. I plan to argue in the rest of the Federalist essays that the Constitution is your best bet to be free, dignified, and happy.
Through this series of papers, I will show how useful the union will be, especially in light of the insufficient nature of the Articles. I will discuss the similarities between the Constitution and your own State Constitutions. Adoption will lead to security for the true principles of republican government, liberty, and property.
Although
some people might think it is over-the-top to argue about the usefulness of the
Union since it should be evident, the fact is that people are afraid that the
PUBLIUS.
Federalist Paper # 3
Main Idea: John Jay writes that there are cogent and conclusive reasons for being united under a federal government, such as the safety of the people. Jay states that it is easier under a single powerful government, with the collective power of all the states, to observe the laws of other nations, avoid foreign attacks, and quell dangerous domestic interests.
Author: John Jay
Date of Publication: November 3,
1787
Summary: To the People of
The people of
The safety of the people is of
utmost importance. A friendly
The number of wars in the world is
proportionate to the number of just causes. It is worth asking whether a United
America or a disunited
An efficient national government would attract the best men in the country. Only those with the most extensive reputations would be chosen. The national government would have a broad selection basis and all the states would benefit from talented men. The resulting wise, systematical, and judicious national government would well represent the States to foreign nations. National treaties will be consistently executed in one manner, versus thirteen different manners. The national government will not make treaties based on local circumstances. What is good for one State may not bode well for the common good of all the States. Temptations of one State do not influence the national government.
The passions of one or two States more commonly cause unlawful violence than a mutual interest shared by all thirteen. The federal government, weak as it is, has never instigated an Indian war, although individual states have been involved in Indian hostilities that have led to the massacre of innocent people. The national government will be more temperate and cool.
The federal government will have the greatest capacity to aid a State if it truly has a just cause of war that affects the entire nation.
The acknowledgements, explanations, and compensations of a strong united government will have far more satisfying intensity than those of a small State or confederacy of little significance.
Federalist No. 10
Main Idea: Dangerous, violent interest groups necessarily form. The remedy is republican government, since the liberty that allows factions cannot be abolished. Republican government, superior to pure democracy, will control the effects of prejudiced interest groups.
Author: James Madison
Date of First Publication: November 23, 1787.
Among the numerous
advantages of a
The valuable improvements of the Constitution cannot be admired too much because they have not eliminated dangers and complaints still exist, even from upright citizens. These complaints have some validity because the majority gets its way despite the rules of justice and the rights of the minority.
Some of our misfortunes may be mistakenly blamed on the government, but the government is still partially responsible for the alarm held across the continent for individual rights. The factious spirit of interest groups has blemished the reputation of our public administrations.
By faction, I mean citizens, either majority or minority, who are united by a common passion or interest that goes against the rights of other citizens or the community.
There are two ways to remedy a faction: remove its causes, or control its effects.
The two ways to remove a factions causes are to destroy the liberty that allows a faction to exist or to give everybody the same opinions.
Men will always have diverse ideas; it is impossible to get rid of different interests if men are rational and have different degrees and kinds of property.
Interest groups are inevitably part of mans nature. There are different interests regarding religion, political power, land, and manufacturing. Passionate parties have formed whose purpose is more to vex and oppress the other than to cooperate for the common good. The most common source of faction is the unequal distribution of property.
Modern legislations duty is to regulate the various conflicts between different interests.
A man cannot judge his own case because he would be biased. However, parties are judges at the same time, and the most powerful party is expected to win.
A predominant party will be tempted to cross the boundaries of justice to apportion taxes and otherwise wield power. Enlightened statesmen, who will not always be in power, will not be able to adjust conflicting interests, but will only be able to deal with the effects of conflicting interests.
A minority faction will not be able to perform evil under the Constitution. The thing to worry about is securing the public good and private rights against a majority faction. Moral and religious beliefs will not be enough to keep the majority faction in control.
A pure, direct democracy will be subject to the violence of the majority because the minority or individual will always be sacrificed. A republican government, a government by representation, is the best way to cure factions. The representatives chosen to speak for the public will be best for the common good. Candidates may by intrigue or corruption deceive the people enough to win elections and then betray the interests of the people. A large republic, such as ours, will have a greater number of fit characters to be representatives and to choose fit candidates.
Representatives of a large number of electors will be out of touch, but representatives of a small number of electors will be attached to their small number and unable to deal with national issues. Federalism, provided by the Constitution, forms a happy combination of national and state legislatures to deal with great and local interests.
A large nation will have a greater variety of parties, which will block a common motive among interests. Factions will have a hard time spreading their views across a large nation. One religious sect would have trouble convincing every other religious sect of its views. Factions may influence their state governments, so states still hold plenty of sovereignty, contrary to Anti-Federalists claims.
As glad we are to be republicans, so should we happily be Federalists.
Federalist Paper No. 51
Main Idea: A strong government, with checks and balances, is necessary to ensure justice. The government, dependent on the people, must control the people and also itself. Multiple interests will be a safeguard against the formation of oppressively powerful parties.
Author: James Madison
Date of Publication: November 23, 1787
How shall we maintain the necessary separation of powers as the Constitution prescribes? The answer is that we must shape the internal government so that its several branches, by their relations with each other, may be the way to keep each branch in its place. Without exerting myself too thoroughly on this subject, I will set forth a few general observations in order to explain the principles and structure that our convention intends for the government.
In order to preserve liberty, each department should have an independent will. If it is possible, the members of each department should not be able to appoint members of other departments. This principle would require popular sovereignty, appointment by the people. Not all members of the departments may be elected directly by the people, however. The judiciary department especially would not benefit from direct election. The people, being unfamiliar with peculiar qualifications, may not be best suited to choose a judge with the best qualifications. Judges have life terms so they will not have to depend on the authority who is appointing judges. The member of one branch should be as little dependent as possible on the other branches for his salary, or his independence will be in name only.
The best security against a concentration of power in one branch is giving the different departments constitutional motives to ignore personal ambitions. Human nature is not perfect, so once you enable the government to control the governed, you must make sure the government can control itself. The foremost control on government is to make the government answerable to the people, but alone, it is not enough of a precaution.
Experience shows that each individuals private interest is a check on the public rights, and it must be so when dividing and arranging the different branches. Each department cannot have exactly equal power, because in republican government, the legislative department usually wields the most power. The legislative department therefore is divided into different chambers. The chambers are to be as little connected to each other as possible, by expecting them to perform different principles while still carrying out their common legislative function. The executive branch is weak so it may need its power beefed up. A boost of power may not be enough or safe, because the executive branch may not use its power as firmly as it should, or the executive department may abuse its power.
I persuade myself that the principles of the Constitution are at least as just and qualified as the principles of the several State constitutions.
One
way in which we guard against the greed of a single government is to split it
up into divisions.
A
second consideration of
The goal of government and society is justice. There is as much justice in a system in which the majority faction dominates as there is justice in anarchy. In a state of anarchy, even the more powerful factions will want to protect all different interests, weak and powerful.
In
Works Cited
About the Federalist Papers. 25 June 2004. 16 Oct. 2005 <http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/abt_fedpapers.html>.
A Brief Biography of John Jay. 16 Oct. 2005 <http://www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/eresources/archives/jay/biography.html>.
Alexander Hamilton. Microsoft Encarta. CD-Rom 1998
ed.
Constitution of the
James Madison. Microsoft Encarta. CD-Rom 1998 ed.
John Jay. Microsoft Encarta. CD-Rom. 1998 ed.
The Blessings of
The Federalist Papers (1787-1789): Timeline. 16 Oct. 2005 <http://www.sparknotes.com/history/american/federalist/timeline.html>.
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 4 March 6, 2006
Federalist No. 78
Federalist No. 78 is Alexander Hamiltons argument of the need for a federal judicial branch. He writes this as a part of the Federalist Papers, propaganda written for the purpose of inciting the people to ratify the Constitution.
After
discussions in previous Federalist Papers of the need for a strong government
and the necessary evil of factions, Alexander Hamilton presents the case for a
federal judicial branch. The current government of the time did not have a
strong judiciary system at all. The Articles of Confederation were defective
and were intended to form only a loose association among the different states,
without an established federal judicature.
The
key points of
The
rest of Federalist No. 78 deals with the benefits of the proposed judicial
system.
The complete independence of the courts is important because if the other branches are allied with the courts, than anything the other branches do will be accepted by the courts, which may jeopardize the publics safety. The judicial system is essential to keep the Constitution limited. The Constitution proposed constitutes a strong central government, but the judicial branch will act as a check because it will ensure that the government is limited. The judiciary system protects us from tyranny because it has the responsibility to proclaim acts void, such as bills of attainder and after-the-fact laws.
Federalist
No. 78 was written before Marbury v. Madison,
so the court had not yet claimed judicial review for itself. Nevertheless,
Without
the judicial branch, the legislative body may be tempted to use its own
preference in place of its constituents will. The Constitution is the supreme
law of the land and judges must respect it. The judicial branch is not
necessarily better than the legislative branch, but the Constitution and the
people of
Judicial wisdom can be applied to laws; justices may determine which is the better of two existing laws that are mutually exclusive. Statutes may be reworded in order to fix their meaning and operation. The last in order of time, or the most recent precedent, must be preferred to any results from a long time ago. If two acts contradict each other, the one that last gave the legislations will should be preferred over the first. However, the older precedent will only be honored as superior if the subordinate, or lower, authority gave the most recent precedent.
If the courts judge legislation and use their will instead of their impartial judgment, then they are having fun instead of giving reasons why legislation should be void. There should not be judges if they exist only to support or reject legislation and the judges totally disregard the constitutionality aspect of the legislation.
The justices will best be able to uphold a limited Constitution if they are granted the independence that necessarily comes with lifelong tenure. Judges independence is also needed because some dangerous people could come along and start spreading bad ideas, which the judges should stay clear from and not be affected by. It would take judges with a lot of guts and independence to stand up against a majority of people who want to break the law of the Constitution with legislative invasions.
The judicial branch is of vast importance in mitigating the severity and confining the operation of unjust and biased laws. The justices will soften the impact of bad laws, and will also discourage the legislature from making them in the first place. Many States have already felt the advantages of the honesty of the judiciary. The courts will displease the people who are biased in one partys favor with sinister expectations, but they have won the respect of all the unbiased people through integrity and moderation.
Judges who only hold their offices for a limited amount of time, as under an election system, will not be allowed the freedom to make their own decisions. If a judge is granted permanent status as a judge, he will have the independence necessary to give inflexible and uniform adherence to the rights of the Constitution. An even more important reason why judicial offices should be permanent is because free government has a tendency to have many, many laws. A judiciary system will protect us from the inconvenience of having too many laws. Lawmakers will be discouraged to make any old law because they know it can be declared void by a judge. Judgment will be arbitrary unless the judge spends a lot of time becoming familiar with the precedents of past cases. A judge should not make a decision only by his own reasoning, but by knowing how past cases have been decided. There are very few men who are qualified to be judges because judges have to be smart, upright, and willing to work for a salary lesser than possible.
A federal judicial branch is
important for the union of
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 4 3/26/06
Executive Branch Project
Vice President Richard B. Cheney
Secretary of State Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of the Treasury Secretary John Snow
Secretary of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld
National Security Advisor Steve Hadley
Secretary of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff
Attorney GeneralAlberto Gonzales
The Vice President is a politician whose primary function is to replace the president on the event of his or her death or resignation. Vice Presidents are often elected jointly with the president as his or her running mate, elected separately, or appointed independently after the president's election. The Vice President often attends funerals of world leaders on behalf of the president. In this capacity the vice president may thus assume the role of a De facto symbolic Head of state, a position which is lacking in a system of government where the powers of head of state and government are fused.
The Secretary of the Treasury is the principal economic advisor to the President and plays a critical role in policy-making by bringing an economic and government financial policy perspective to issues facing the government. The Secretary is responsible for formulating and recommending domestic and international financial, economic, and tax policy, participating in the formulation of broad fiscal policies that have general significance for the economy, and managing the public debt. The Secretary oversees the activities of the Department in carrying out its major law enforcement responsibilities; in serving as the financial agent for the United States Government; and in manufacturing coins and currency.
The National Security Advisor is the chief advisor to the
President of the
First office-holder: Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles
The Secretary of Homeland Security takes a risk-based,
layered approach to strengthening security. Secretary Chertoff
underscored the importance of international partnerships, such as the Container
Security Initiative, and the use of twenty-first century technology in
protecting our nations ports. The Container Security Initiative allows the
Department of Homeland Security to pre-screen cargo before it enters the
First office-holder:
The
First office-holder 1st Vice President: John Adams, 1st Secretary of State: Thomas Jefferson, 1st Secretary of Treasury: Alexander Hamilton, 1st Secretary of War: James Vincent Forrestal, 1st Attorney General: Edmund Randolph, (1st National Security Advisor: Robert Cutler, 1st US Trade Representative: Christian A. Herter)
Part Two
1. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is a body within the Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) which is tasked with coordinating United States Federal agencies. The OMB performs this coordination by gathering and filtering budget requests, by issuing circulars dictating agency management practices, and by reviewing agency regulations. Six positions within OMB, the Director, the Deputy Director, the Deputy Director for Management, and the Administrators of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, and the Office of Federal Financial Management, are Presidentially Appointed and Senate Confirmed positions. The current director of this senior management team of the White House is Joshua Bolten. With respect to the estimation of spending for the executive branch, the OMB serves a purpose parallel to that of the Congressional Budget Office for the estimation of spending for Congress, the Department of the Treasury for the estimation of revenues for the executive branch, and the Joint Committee on Taxation for the estimation of revenues for Congress.
2. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is the American intelligence agency, responsible for obtaining and analyzing information about foreign governments, corporations, and individuals, and reporting such information to the various branches of the U.S. Government. A third function of the CIA is to act as the "hidden hand" of the government by engaging in "covert actions" at "the direction of the President." It is this last function that has caused most of the controversies regarding the CIA over the years.
3. The National
Economic Council (NEC) is a
4. The Office of Personnel Management (or OPM) is an Independent Agency of the United States Government that manages the civil service of the federal government. The OPM was originally founded as the United States Civil Service Commission by the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act of 1883. It became the Office of Personnel Management in 1978 with the passage of the Civil Service Reform Act of that year.
5. The Office
of
Part Three
1. The Federal Reserve System is composed of a central Board
of Governors in
2. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an
independent
The FCC was established by the Communications Act of 1934 as
the successor to the Federal Radio Commission and is charged with regulating
all non-Federal Government use of the radio spectrum (including radio and
television broadcasting), and all interstate telecommunications (wire,
satellite and cable) as well as all international communications that originate
or terminate in the
3. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is an independent federal agency created by the Glass-Steagall Act of 1933. The vast number of bank failures in the Great Depression spurred the United States Congress into creating an institution which would guarantee banks. The FDIC currently guarantees checking and savings deposits in member banks up to $100,000 per depositor.
4. The Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC; 1887 - 1995) was
a regulatory body in the
The Commission's seven members were appointed by the President with the consent of the Senate. This was the first independent agency or so-called "Fourth Branch" agency. The ICC's original purpose was to regulate railroads (and later trucking) to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers.
5. The
Works Cited
www.whitehouse.gov/homeland/ridgebio.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/government/chertoff-bio.html
http://www.whitehouse.gov/nsc/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ United_States_Department_of_Defense
http://www.edhelper.com/ReadingComprehension_35_229.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vice_president
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fcc
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fdic
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstate_Commerce_Commission
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Economic_Council
http://www.itds.treas.gov/federalagencies.html
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 4 November 1, 2005
Political
Parties
Project
American Independent Party
Defend
Protect the right to life of the innocent unborn;
Defend Second Amendment rights;
Uphold traditional
marriage and family values
Leaders today: Minuteman Jim
Gilchrist, Diane Beall Templin,
Michael A. Peroutka
Democratic Party
Balance the budget
Insure that the economy will continue to expand
Do not cut funding for social programs
Limited tax cuts targeted to help the middle class and specifically reduce the burden of college costs
Protect entitlement programs from major cuts
Support gun control through upholding many different measures such as the
1994 Assault Weapons Ban and the Brady law of 1993 (requiring a waiting period
for the purchase of handguns).
Pass and keep tough legislation to get Saturday Night Specials off our
streets
Democrats focus on crime prevention instead of harsh punishments.
Counseling and rehabilitation for drug users instead of harsh punishments
A woman has the right to choose. Democrats advocate education and
counseling regarding abortions.
Protect Social Security, Medicare benefits, and welfare.
Provide affordable prescription drugs, especially for seniors
Greater environmental protections and a clean environment for future
generations
Eradicate hate crimes, promote tolerance with the
goal of the full inclusion of gay men and lesbians in the life of the nation
Address global health concerns (AIDS) as a humanitarian obligation and a national security imperative.
Mending, not ending of affirmative action programs
o Military: Cut military spending and reduce the size of the military
Improve
intelligence to find and stop terrorists.
Train and equip the military to enhance its capabilities to seek out and destroy terrorists.
Strengthen the capacity of intelligence and law enforcement around the world by forging stronger international coalitions to provide better information and communication.
Prevent
Increase public
diplomacy to promote understanding and prevent terrorist recruitment.
Cut off terrorist
funds
Cooperate internationally, support the UN, although Democrats foreign policy has recently shifted right, becoming more unilateral (ccmep.org)
Having gone to war, we cannot afford to fail at peace. We
cannot allow a failed state in
I agree with the Democrats stand on abortion, welfare, gun control, and education. I am a bit dissatisfied with the way President Bush is leading our country into such a gigantic national debt even though Republicans are supposed to want the government to play a minimal role. I am liable to vote for the Democratic Party because the Republicans currently control the White House, Congress, and Supreme Court. I do not want gridlock, but I think Democrats should have power in at least one of the branches. I will not pigeonhole myself into saying I am a staunch Democrat.
Green Party (of the
We need community-based economics, in which local communities look to economic development that assures protection of the environment and workers' rights, broad citizen participation in planning, and enhancement of our "quality of life". We support independently owned and operated companies which are socially responsible, as well as co-operatives and public enterprises that spread out resources and control to more people through democratic participation.
Libertarian Party
Laissez-faire
markets ideology
Lower taxes, slash bureaucratic regulation of business, and have
charitablerather than governmentwelfare.
End the
failed War on Drugs (legalize drugs), give law-abiding citizens greater freedom
to protect themselves (less gun control regulations), and punish violent
criminals rather than prosecute victimless crimes
Adults have the right to private choice in consensual sexual activity.
Replace nuclear war fighting policies with a policy of developing cost-effective defensive systems.
Accordingly, oppose any future
agreement which would prevent defensive systems on
Reduce Presidential War Powers
Repeal of the guarantees of tax-funded, government-provided education;
Repeal compulsory education laws;
Immediate reduction of tax support for schools, and removal of the burden of school taxes from those not responsible for the education of children.
Encourage the growth of private schools and variety in education, including home schooling
This is an intriguing party because it is socially liberal and economically conservative. I believe that liberty is the most important quality of American government, so I might be inclined to vote for the Libertarian Party, as long as liberty does not gain so much control as to make the government dangerously close to anarchy. I take pride in American government, however, so I do not want to cut down its role today and I do not want to sacrifice order. The book we are reading in English, Lord of the Flies, accurately portrays the shortcoming of human nature.
Peace and Freedom Party
Tax property for profit, not property for personal use. Remove property taxes on modest owner-occupied homes.
Repeal the sales tax.
Include aggregate of real property and stocks, bonds, etc. in a steeply-graduated property tax.
Restore the renters' tax credit.
Double registration fees on luxury vehicles.
Tax unearned income at a higher rate than earned income.
Eliminate or reverse income tax on low- and moderate-income families.
Re-enact
Tax the business activities of churches on the same basis as other organizations.
Take the cap off social security taxes, make the rates progressive so burden falls on the wealthy.
o Social: PFP stands for feminism and affirmative action to combat racial, national, and gender discrimination. Defense of the environment against the attacks of the polluters and clear-cutters. Federally-funded public works programs to rebuild the nation's infrastructure and restore the environment.
Convenient provision of safe, free birth control information and materials to men and women of any age.
Free abortion on demand.
No forced abortions or sterilizations.
Equal treatment and benefits under the law for all families. Guarantee equal child custody, adoption, visitation privileges, and foster parenthood rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.
Equal treatment for all people in the military regardless of sexual orientation.
The right to gay marriage and partners' benefits.
Accurate sex education courses in public schools. Truthful information about sexuality in society and history.
Environmental stance: Socialism is necessary to end the ecological destruction caused by capitalism.
No
Stop all
Dissolve all military pacts.
Convert from military to peaceful production; reallocate the resulting "peace dividend" for social benefit.
Abolish the Selective Service System.
No weapons in space.
Integrated, democratically-run schools with up-to-date plant and equipment and smaller classes.
Teach the history of workers' struggles and labor's creation of society's wealth and progress.
Multi-lingual and multi-cultural education at all levels.
A federal law requiring and funding equal average per-pupil expenditures by every public school district, with extra funds for students with special needs such as disability or economic deprivation.
Tuition-free higher education available to all.
Restore cutbacks in public education and public library services.
No school voucher schemes.
Absolutely no prayer in school
Reform Party
Create
a new, paperless, fair tax system.
Set
high ethical standards: no more gifts, trips paid for by special interests, or
free meals. Give Congress and the White House the same retirement plans and
health care as the average citizen.
Prohibit corporate
exploitation of offshore tax havens used to evade US taxes.
Campaign
Reform:
Reduce the cost of
campaigns by shortening the election cycle.
Vote on Saturdays and
Sundays - not Tuesdays - so working people can get to the polls.
Replace the Electoral
College process for electing the President with a direct vote from the citizens
- so that every vote counts.
Prohibit announcements
of exit polls until all voting has been completed in
Require
Members of Congress to raise all money from voters in their districts, and
require members of the Senate to raise all money from voters within their
States.
Limit Members of Congress to
three terms in the House of Representatives and limit Senators to two terms in
the Senate.
the
curtailment of social benefits such as welfare.
Call upon President Bush to develop and publicize an exit
strategy for
Repeal Homeland Security Act/Patriot Acts I and II
All future foreign aid will be targeted toward education (also self-reliance and health of citizens), not towards providing multinational corporations with cheap labor and corporate welfare
Nonintervention, which means
We
believe that the
Limited International Assistance: conduct audits on all foreign aid programs
This party was appealing when it was centristright in the middle of the Democrats and the Republicans. I might vote for a Reform candidate if he is really qualified for the job, and I agree with the partys principles and goals, so I would be very tempted to vote for the Reform Party if the candidate were worthy of my vote. I like that this party wants to reform the current government, but the party still leans to the conservative side, so I know nothing drastic will happen.
Republican Party
Do not burden corporations or individuals with excessive regulations
No need for campaign finance reformbig businesses (Republican allies) should be able to contribute as much as they want
Deficit spending is healthy
Change the nature of entitlement programs
Pro-Life, except in the case of rape or health of the mother (moderate R)
Concentrate on enforcement of gun control, not new regulations, since criminals will always have access to the black market. People kill people, not guns. Defend the constitutional right to bear arms. Repeal the assault weapons ban.
Adult trials for juveniles who commit adult crimes
Privatize healthcare.
Oppose gay marriage by creating an Amendment to make gay marriage illegal
Civil unions do not deserve marriage benefits
Oppose extending anti-discrimination laws to cover homosexuals
Government should not pay for arts funding; if you want it, you should pay.
End government-sponsored affirmative action programs
Military
spending is good for the economy
Vouchers for private schools
Allow prayer in school
Protect our neighborhoods
Team
Defeat terrorism
Follow US interests
Yes, I would vote for the
Republican Party because of its principle of tax relief and its stand on the
death penalty. I am most closely aligned to the Republican Party because I
think
Works Cited
http://www.aipca.org/history.html
http://www.ccmep.org/2004_articles/iraq/081204_imperial_democrats.htm
http://www.democrats.org/pdfs/2004platform.pdf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Independent_Party
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party_%28United_States%29
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_and_Freedom_Party_(United_States)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reform_Party_USA http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_(United_States)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Green_Party#History
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20040501faessay83306/ samuel-r-berger/foreign-policy-for-a-democratic-president.html
http://www.gp.org/platform/2004/democracy.html
http://www.libarts.ucok.edu/political/links/interest.htm
http://www.lp.org/issues/platform_all.shtml
http://www.lp.org/issues/foreign-policy.shtml
http://www.politics1.com/parties.htm
http://www.politicalresources.net/u-org_politics.htm
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june00/political_ads_1-12.html
http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/Platform.htm
http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/summary.htm
http://www.peaceandfreedom.org/what_is.htm
http://www.reformparty.org/foundingprinciples.htm
http://www.reformparty.org/platform.htm
http://www.rnc.org/
http://www.self-gov.org/celebs/NolanDave.html
Lader, Curt. Barrons
How to Prepare for the AP US Government and Politics Advanced Placement
Examination: 3rd Edition, 2002. Page 235.
AP
Gov Ben
Baker
Period
4 September
28, 2005
Constitution Project
1.
6 purposes of
b) establish Justice
c) insure domestic Tranquility
d) provide for the common defense
e) promote the general Welfare,
f) secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our
Posterity
|
2. Article I
Legislative Department Section 1. Legislative Power; the Congress Section 2. House of Representatives Section 3. Senate Section 4. Elections and Meetings Section 5. Legislative Proceedings Section 6. Compensation, Immunities, and
Disabilities of Members Section 7. Revenue Bills; Presidents Veto Section 8. Powers of Congress Section 9. Powers Denied to Congress Section 10. Powers Denied to the States Article II
Executive Department Section 1. Executive Power; the President; Term;
Election; Qualifications; Compensation; Oath of Office Section 2. Presidents Powers and Duties Section 3. Presidents Powers and Duties Section 4. Impeachment Article
III Judicial Department Section 1. Judicial Power; Courts; Terms of Office Section 2. Jurisdiction Section 3. Treason Article IV
Relations Among States Section 1. Full faith and credit Section 2. Privileges and immunities of citizens Section 3. New States; Territories Section 4. Protection afforded to States by the
Nation Article V
Provisions for Amendment Article VI
Public Debts; Supremacy of National Law; Oath Section 1. Validity of Debts Section 2. Supremacy of National Law Section 3. Oaths of Office Article
VII Ratification of Constitution |
#3. 27 Amendments
1st.
[1791] Freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition
2nd. [1791] Right to keep, bear arms
3rd. [1791] Lodging troops in private homes: no quartering of troops
4th. [1791] Search, seizures, proper warrants
5th. [1791] Self incrimination; due process; eminent domain; double jeopardy
6th. [1791] Criminal proceedings: speedy and public trial, right to counsel
7th. [1791] Jury trials in civil cases: right to trial by jury
8th. [1791] Bail; cruel, unusual punishment
9th. [1791] Unenumerated rights
10th. [1791] Powers reserved to the States
11th. [1795] Suits against States
12th. [1804] Election of president and vice president
13th. [1865] Slavery and involuntary servitude prohibited
14th. [1868] Rights of citizens: citizenship; privileges and immunities; due process; equal protection
15th. [1870] Right to vote shall not be abridged on account of race, color, servitude
16th. [1913] Income tax
17th. [1913] Popular election of senators
18th. [1919] Prohibition of intoxicating liquors
19th. [1920] Equal suffragesex
20th. [1933] Commencement of terms; sessions of Congress; death or disqualification of president-elect
21st. [1933] Repeal of 18th Amendment concerning Prohibition
22nd. [1951] Presidential tenure restricted to two terms
23rd. [1961] Inclusion of District of Colombia in Presidential Election System
24th. [1964] Suffrage not to be abridged by reason of failure to pay any poll tax
25th. [1967] Presidential succession; vice presidential vacancy; presidential inability
26th. [1971] Right to vote at age 18
27th.
[1992] Congressional pay
4. Powers Reserved for Federal Government: Entering into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; granting letters of marque and reprisal; coining money; emiting bills of credit; making anything but gold and silver coin a tender in payment of debts. The Constitutional powers of conducting foreign relations and coining money are exclusive rights of the federal government. Only Congress can tax imports. Only the federal government may keep a standing army or navy (States may only have militias, unless given other consent by Congress). Congress may borrow money (often through the sale of bonds), regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several States, establish uniform rules for naturalization and bankruptcies, establish post offices, provide for copyrights and patents, define and punish offences against the law of nations, and declare war.
Constitutional Powers of State Government: All of those powers the Constitution does not grant to the Federal Government and at the same time does not forbid to the States. State legislatures have the power to propose or ratify amendments.
Concurrent Powers: The power to levy an income tax, the power to inflict reasonable punishment that is neither cruel nor unusual, the power to constitute tribunals inferior to the Superior Court (either federal or State courts), the power to make laws which shall be necessary and proper (although federal laws will have supremacy over conflicting State laws), and the power to take private property for public use.
5. The Constitutional process of proposing and ratifying Amendments laid out in Article V was meant by the founders to be difficult so as not to lessen the force and meaning of the original document.
An amendment may be formally proposed either by a two-thirds vote in each house of Congress or by a national convention called by Congress at the request of two-thirds of the State Legislatures.
An amendment may be formally ratified by at least of the state legislatures or ratified by specially called conventions in at least of the states.
Congress has the power to determine the method by which a proposed amendment may be ratified.
The most common process consists of a proposal by 2/3 vote of each house of Congress and ratification by at least of state legislatures. The only amendment that did not use this method was the 21st Amendment, which repealed Prohibition.
AP GOVERNMENT
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT
BY BENJI BAKER
MILESTONES IN EARLY UNITED STATES POLITICAL HISTORY TIMELINE
THE DECLARATION OF
THE ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
THE CONSTITUTION
THE FEDERALISTS VERSUS THE ANTI-FEDERALISTS
Timeline
May 14, 1607:
November 11, 1620: Mayflower Compact signed. The document
contained some of the first written laws in
1689-1763: French and Indian War. It was a worldwide war
fought over the colonies in
1763: (First) Treaty of
March 5, 1770:
December 16, 1773:
September 5-late October 1774: First Continental Congress.
The Congress had delegates from all colonies except
January 1776: Thomas Paine writes (publishes) Common Sense. Paine influentially argued
that it was time for the colonies to revolt against
July 4, 1776: Declaration of Independence signed. It was
March 22, 1765 and October 19, 1765, respectively: Stamp Act and Stamp Act Congress. The Stamp Act placed a duty on anything made of paper. The Stamp Act Congress declared that colonial taxation could only be carried on by their own assemblies, another step in the process of attempted common problem-solving.
1775-1783: Revolutionary War. The War of Independence resulted in the overthrow of British rule in the colonies.
September 3, 1783: (Second) Treaty of
May 10, 1775, to March 2, 1789: Second Continental Congress. It was led by John Hancock and was comprised of delegates attending from all the colonies. The Second Continental Congress did not have legal authority, but it assumed the responsibility of governing military matters, finance, diplomacy, and legislation.
March 1, 1781: Articles of Confederation ratified. It was a loosely organized federal government with equal representation among the states. There were glaring weaknesses, but it was a start.
1782: Federalist Papers are written and circulated. Madison, Hamilton, and Jay spread their support for the Constitution with some of our historys best (although written in haste) political writing.
September 1786: Shays Rebellion. This uprising of farmers gave weight to arguments for a stronger central government.
Summer 1787: Constitutional Convention. It was the meeting
in
July 16, 1787: The Great Compromise. By a margin of one vote, the convention agreed upon the bicameral legislature (Senate and House of Representatives) which is the basis for our modern government.
September 17, 1787: Ratification of the Bill of Rights. It secured individual rights and freedoms and was key in some states decisions to ratify the Constitution.
December 15, 1791: Constitution ratified. This event was an
essential step in
1. He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
King George III ruled
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of
large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of
Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable
to tyrants only.
King George rejected the peoples petitions and imposed new taxes, at which the colonists took umbrage. Colonists believed they had the right to control their own local affairs without any new taxes, especially since they had no dear representation in Parliament.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
King George III tried not to let immigrants come into
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering, fundamentally, the Forms of our Governments.
King George III had granted rights through charters but then arbitrarily had taken them away, such as the Massachusetts Charter. The king gave written authority for each colony to be established, either as royal, proprietary, or the most liberal, charter. Charter colonies bicameral legislatures often made laws without the Crowns approval.
For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us;
Quartering troops was common practice in the colonial period, and the third Amendment stopped the quartering of troops against the consent of the owner.
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world
For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury
The Declaration of Independence clearly cherished civil
rights and liberties. Trial by jury was a right that had been secured in the
Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights. King George III was known to
imprison political critics without trial by jury, and often colonists would
have to travel to
2. Natural rights: We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with
certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
The separate and equal station to which the Laws of nature and of Natures God entitle them
The Purpose of Government: That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men.
to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Social contract: deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed;
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it
3. The European Enlightenment and historical events of the era influenced the Declaration of Independence by giving Thomas Jefferson new ideals to draw upon for writing his drafts. The Enlightenment brought people out of the Dark Age and it was a time of optimism for equal rights and limited government. The Glorious Revolution had transpired in which no blood was shed when the new rulers William and Mary took over the throne.
4. Hobbes, Locke, Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau were influential in the writings of and ideas within the Declaration of Independence because they were people of the European Enlightenment and they had written ideas about freedom, equality, and justice that struck Jefferson and other educated readers.
Hobbes wrote that people are naturally selfish and greedy, but they fear violence, so they agree to give their individual power to govern to the absolute state instead of living in a natural state of brutish chaos.
Locke wrote that if the government breaks the social contract through neglect of natural rights, then the people have the right to dissolve the government.
Montesquieu, Voltaire, and Rousseau were French philosophers were concerned with freedom, equality, and justice.
3. The Articles of Confederation
1. Confederation: A league or alliance united under a common goal. A confederal political system is one in which separate states retain most of their powers but are loosely united together.
2. There were 13 states in the confederation created by the Articles.
3. Each state would have one member, one vote, in Congress.
4. Under the Articles, Congress could make war and peace; send and receive ambassadors; make treaties; borrow money; set up a monetary system; build a navy; raise an army by asking the States for troops; fix uniform standards of weights and measures; and settle disputes among the States.
5. The Articles of Confederation had significant disadvantages and advantages because the Articles unfortunately provided for a weak central government but the first written constitution of the Republic proved to be a landmark in government and a necessary intermediary step between the Revolutionary War and the Constitution.
The
Articles left the federal government crippled. Congress had only the power to advise, not to enforce. Congress government by
supplication had been designed to be weak by the suspicious states that wanted
to keep their newfound control over taxation; Congress had no way to make sure
the states kindly fulfilled their civic duty and contributed even one quarter
of their tax quota. The Articles left the formidable obstacle of unanimous
ratification in the way of making amendments. Unanimous ratification would be
tough and timely to obtain because the colonies had little agreement or unity
among themselves. Representation was unfair because the Articles gave
The
Articles were significant as a foundation on which the later Constitution could
later emerge.
4. The Constitution
1. The
2. The
3. The Great Compromise called for one house in which each state would have an equal vote and a second house in which each states representation would be based on population. It resulted in the creation of the Senate and the House of Representatives. Unlike the Virginia Plan, the Senate would be chose by state legislatures instead of the House of Representatives.
4. A bicameral legislature is one in which there are two houses, such as Parliament. In the Virginia Plan, there was to be a house with members elected by popular vote and a smaller, more aristocratic house.
5. The issue of slavery was dealt with through the Three-fifths Compromise, which allowed southern states to count a slave as three-fifths of a person for purposes of apportionment of representation, allowing a balance of power between North and South.
6. None of the branches of government were supposed to be more powerful than another, but Congress might have been intended to be the most powerful because the founders were scared that the President might become a tyrant. The founding fathers intended for Congress to be the central policy-making body in the federal government. James Madison writes in The Federalist No. 51, In republican government, the legislative authority necessarily predominates. The Legislative Department is the first concern of the Constitution, being taken care of in Article I.
7. Separation of powers means that the President cannot make laws himself or appropriate funds or rule laws as unconstitutional. Meanwhile, the Congress cannot have the privileges of the President or the courts. The purpose of separation of powers is to make sure that one branch does not get too powerful to take over the nation and become a tyrant.
Checks and balances mean that there is a complex system in which each not-so-independent branch may restrain another branch in order to maintain a balance of power. The President has veto power, but Congress can override a veto by a two-thirds vote in each house. The President names federal judges but the appointments must be approved by a majority vote in the Senate. The courts may find the other branches guilty of unconstitutional laws or acts.
Federalism is a
system of government in which a written constitution divides the powers of
government on a territorial basis. Its purpose is to allow local and national
governments in which each level operates through its own agencies and acts directly
on the people through its own officials and laws. Local laws can best serve
varying local needs but federalism also provides for national defense, foreign
affairs, and federal aid in time of natural disaster, such as in
The Electoral college was a method for choosing the President set up by the Framers in order to select the President neither by Congress nor by a direct vote of the people. Each State would get presidential electors, as many as it has senators and representatives. The presidential candidatetechnically, the slate of elector-candidates nominated by his partyreceiving the largest popular vote in a State wins all that States electoral votes. The electoral colleges purpose is to formally elect the President and safeguard the White House from direct popular voting.
5. The Federalists versus the Anti-Federalists
1. The Federalists were supporters of the ratification of the Constitution. Their cause was to establish the Bank of the United Sates because they saw it as forwarding their interests and beliefs. The most influential Federalists were Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Marshall, Edmund Randolph, and many of those who had attended the Philadelphia Convention.
2. The Anti-Federalists were those who did not support the
adoption of the Constitution because they desired guarantees of individual
freedoms and rights that were not included in the original document. Their
cause was to object to the ratification process, to the absence of any mention
of God, to the denial to the States of a power to print money, and to other
features of the Framers proposals. The Anti-Federalists wanted the central
government not to be so strong and they needed a bill of rights. Their most
influential members were Patrick Henry, Richard Henry Lee, John Hancock, George
Mason, and Samuel Adams. Thomas Jefferson could have been one of their most
influential members but George Washington convinced
3. The Bill of Rights played a major role in the argument because the solitary Constitution did not provide for such basic liberties as freedom of speech, press, and religion, nor for the rights of fair trial. It was a make-or-break issue for ratification of the Constitution to take place because without an adequate, explicit protection of individual freedoms, the government might resort to oppression. The Revolutionary War might have been fought for naught if the government reverted to tyranny. As Patrick Henry said, I look upon [the Constitution] as the most fatal plan that could possibly be conceived to enslave a free people.
4. James Madison feared factions because they might gather too much power so that the self-serving majority would always win. He said factions were a necessary evil, but he feared their divisiveness.
5. The reasons for the swift adoption of the Bill of Rights were that without the Bill of Rights, the Constitution would fail, and also there was a need for restricting the power of the National Government. Many states had only ratified the Constitution with the promise that a Bill of Rights would be added, and added swiftly. If the Bill of Rights were not enacted, the Constitution would fail, and the inadequate Articles would remain, without anyone winning recognition or guarantee of individual freedoms.
6. Loose construction is a broad interpretation of the Constitutions provisions, in particular those granting power to government. Strict construction calls for a narrow interpretation of the Constitution. Federalists tend to be advocates of loose construction. Anti-Federalists are generally strict constructionists. The strict constructionists, led by Thomas Jefferson, argued that Congress should only exercise its expressed powers and implied powers absolutely crucial to carry out the expressed powers. Reading the Constitution with a narrow interpretation would give the States more power and keep government minimal. The loose constructionists, led by Federalist Alexander Hamilton, favored a liberal interpretation giving the Federal Government powers the Framers never explicitly stated. The argument arises because the Framers, in their conveniently short Constitution, never explicitly gave certain powers to the government. Part of the Constitution gives Congress the power to make all laws necessary and proper for executing its powers. This clause has been used to expand greatly congressional power, to the dismay of strict constructionists whose philosophy is that government is best which governs least.
7. #1. The introductory Federalist paper basically says that
#3. John Jay writes that there are
cogent and conclusive reasons for being united under a federal government,
such as the safety of the people. Jay states that it is perfectly and
punctually easier under a single government to observe the laws of other
nations and avoid foreign arms and influence. The
#10. James Madison warns in #10
that dangerous, violent interest groups might form who are united by some
common impulseadverse to the rights of other citizens or the interests of the
community.
#51 explains why strong government is necessary. James
Madison endeavors to contrive the interior structure of the government as that
its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of
keeping each other in their proper places. Justice is the ultimate goal of
government and civil society, and to achieve justice, constitutional means and
personal motives must be made available to keep powers checked and balanced
instead of concentrating in a single power. Men are not angels, so government
must depend on the people and also be obliged to control itself.
#78. Although the Constitution
never outright provides for the power of judicial review, #78 makes it apparent
that the Framers intended that the federal courts should have such power and
judicial discretion.
Works Cited
Articles of Confederation.19 Aug. 2005 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h361.html>.
Factions. 18 Aug. 2005 <http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~kimball/Mds.htm>.
First Continental Congress. 20 Aug. 2005 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h650.html>.
Mount, Steve. Constitutional
Topic: The Constitutional Convention. The
Revolutionary War. 21 Aug. 2005 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_war>.
Second Continental Congress. Online HighwaysTM ( 2002-2005). 20 Aug. 2005 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h656.html>.
Smith, Mary
Magruder. American Government.
Stamp Act Congress. 20 Aug. 2005 <http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h1221.html>.
Wood,
Ethel. Multiple-choice and Free-response Questions in
Preparation for the AP
Ch.5 Key Terms
1. Absentee voting: how a voter must vote if he or she is out of town. Absentee voting is difficult because states generally have stringent rules, such as requiring a voter to apply for a ballot in person.
2. Cross-cutting cleavages: formed by many factors: age, social class, education level, race, gender, and party affiliation, making it very important to control for other factors that may produce a counter influence.
3. Crisscross voting influences: education, religious involvement, race and ethnicity, age, gender.
4. Jim Crow Laws: prevented many blacks from voting until well past the mid-20th century, such as literacy tests, poll taxes, and the grandfather clause.
5. motor voter laws: the National Voter Registration Act that Congress passed in 1993, which allows people to register to vote while applying for or renewing a drivers license.
6. political participation: encompasses the various activities that citizens employ in their efforts to influence policy making and the selection of leaders. Political participation includes writing a representative/senator, working for a candidate/political party, or making presentations to the local school board.
7. registered vs. eligible voters: registered voters have registered so they can vote. Around 75% of registered voters voted in recent presidential elections, but only about 50% of eligible voters voted. Eligible voters are members of the voting-age population, who may or may not be registered.
8. universal manhood suffrage: voting rights for all white males
9. 15th Amendment: the last of the three civil rights amendments intended to protect the civil rights of the recently freed former slaves. It said that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
10. 19th Amendment: extended the vote to women in 1920.
11. 26th Amendment: changed the minimum voting age from 21 to 18.
AP Macroeconomics Ben Baker
Period 4 Summer 2005
Summer Reading Assignment:
The Lexus and the Olive Tree:
Understanding Globalization
1. The author is dealing with the problem of understanding a new world system, now that the walls of the Cold War have come crashing down. Thomas L. Friedman argues that the difficulty in the modern process of globalization is trying to get the Lexus without losing your olive trees. In other words, he means as technology makes us all interconnected, places us in the Fast World, and our standards of living increase, we need to be able to keep roots in our community, tradition, and culture.
Friedman describes the problems that can occur when everyones economies are so closely interdependent. When the Thai currency, the baht, collapsed in 1997, it triggered a global financial crisis.
Friedman
explains that today, the Electronic Herd is in control. The Electronic Herd is
basically consumers who invest around the world via the Internet. The
Electronic Herd has no mercy and all they care about is finding the best deal
or making the most profit. There is no leader of the Electronic Herd. No one
censors or controls the Internet. Friedman makes clear that if a leader refuses
to plug in to the Electronic Herd system, it will only cause terrible problems
for his country. There is no way to compete and keep up with the Fast World if
your country is not committed to the rapid change this new system of
globalization gives. When The Lexus and
the Olive Tree was written,
Friedman describes the instability of this new system. Capitalism is the prominent form of economy and countries no longer can thrive as welfare states or communist states. In the world of free markets, employees cannot count on lifelong jobs provided by their union or the government. People must learn more than one skill, Friedman writes.
Since
on the Internet, it only takes a few clicks to find the best deal, such as in
buying airline tickets, companies can exist all over the world and sell their
goods online. This means that high-tech companies can move to
Many countries of old now have to change their traditional ways if they want to come up to the worlds standard. The Internet is crucial for doing business, but if a country allows it for its citizens, it cannot stop its citizens from learning how the rest of the world lives. Societies that arent ready to break with the past, arent willing to let entrepreneurs come into existence, Friedman writes. A country needs the culture of reinvention to thrive but it cannot so reach for the Lexus that it loses touch with all of its olive trees.
What once was a diverse world with tons of languages and species of animals is becoming globalized. With globalization, countries are starting to look a lot more the same. You can go to a hotel in a faraway country and still wake up to find yourself looking outside your window at a banner advertising Kentucky Fried Chicken, as Friedman did. The issue of keeping the olive tree and the Lexus in balance is one of the main issues of the book.
2. One
major point that the author is trying to make is that the integration of
capital, technology, and information across national borders has brought a new
electronic global economy into power. Instead of the superpowers
The
Aside
from countries and Super-empowered individuals, the power today lies in the
hands of Supermarkets. These are the key global financial centers where the
Electronic Herd of investors gathers. Wall Street, Hong Kong,
A
second major point that Friedman is trying to make is that in the era of
globalization, we are all connected to each other like never before. Your mom
might be playing bridge with the French. You may be able to draw support for
your cause by sending out thousands of emails. People in
The
democratization of technology means that people have gone from thinking its a
neat idea to having a phone in your car to expecting, even demanding, to have a
cell phone while on a remote safari in
The democratization of finance brings more liberal lending of money. Investment banks started splitting home mortgages into $1,000 bonds which opened the doors for companies and investors who never had had access to cash before to raise money. People started investing in little known start-up high-yield companies, even though big commercial banks had traditionally not trusted them. In fact, low-rated junk bonds were almost just as safe as the top-rated blue-chip companies. Banks were given U.S. government guarantees to extend new loans to Latin AmericaAfter extending these loans, the banks, instead of just carrying them on their books, chopped these loans up into U.S. government-backed bonds that were sold to the public. This expanded the market, made the market more liquid, and put a pressure on countries. With the Internet, your country or your company is constantly being graded on performance.
The
democratization of information has given wide varieties of options to the
world. You can look up the weather in
3. I
feel glad to be informed of the issues and arguments discussed in The Lexus and the Olive Tree. I do not
believe that globalization is fair for some emerging markets that cannot
compete or for the people who are too poor to plug in to the system. Some
people are living on a dollar a day and they cannot afford the Internet or a
cell phone. Globalization is good for companies and firms because they must
creatively destroy themselves, constantly thriving to become more and more
efficient in order to stay competitive on the global market. Local monopolies
can be shut down by citizens finding better deals online from far-off
locations. However, globalization affects citizens possibly adversely because
people become too materialistic and they lose grasp of the ancient forces of
culture, geography, tradition, and community. Friedman wrote a disturbing
anecdote where a little Japanese girl visits
The
most intriguing theory of the novel is The Golden Arches Theory of Conflict
Prevention. It states, with various caveats, that when a country reached the
level of economic development where it had a middle class big enough to support
a McDonalds network, it became a McDonalds country. And people in McDonalds
countries didnt like to fight wars anymore, they
preferred to wait in line for burgers. Friedman is saying that in this world
of economic integration, the cost of war is quite expensive. Capitalist values
are spreading and the main strongholds of resistance are in the
I
enjoyed the chapter Demolition Man because it showcased how companies have
the power to save the environment. While globalization makes more people want
to study English than other dying languages and habitats are destroyed for
their resources, there is no hiding place anymore for bad corporate behavior
in a world of globally interconnected activism. The factories making
The book was actually kind of depressing because it has a chapter called Winners Take All that basically says the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Although globalization may bring progress overall, there is Michael Jordan making $80 million through basketball and endorsements while a guy on the same championship Chicago Bulls bench is making the NBA minimum of $272,250. There is a backlash against modernization. More and more manual repetitive jobs are being replaced by machines.
4. This
book relates to the study of economics because many pages are filled with
quotes from economists and anecdotes and explanations of the Cold War system
versus the globalization system. Friedman himself studies economics, as a
foreign affairs columnist for The New
York Times. He has had the opportunity to travel the world from
The Lexus and the Olive Tree did an excellent job of making me familiar with terms such as per capita income, OECD, and protectionism. Friedman showed me that the things economists look for in a country are now megabits per capita and high school grads per capita to see where countries with the highest standards of living are. The Lexus and the Olive Tree is very important for anyone who wants to understand global economics today. It teaches about hedge funds, junk bonds, Alan Greenspan, and how the Electronic Herd functions. The Lexus and the Olive Tree teaches that countries need to have human rights and freedoms in place and credible financial and legal infrastructures. Countries with advanced operating systems generally have been able to discourage speculative attacks against a well-entrenched currency, because their financial systems are robust andare able to withstand large and rapid capital outflows [and to mobilize] the often vigorous policy responses required to stem such attacks.
I was awfully reluctant to start this summer project, but when I grudgingly read the first few chapters, I realized that The Lexus and the Olive Tree would do a wonderful job in preparing me for AP Macroeconomics because this book is all about the study of economics. It displayed the way that Compaq beat out IBM by being faster at installing Intels newest microchips and the steps that IBM took to get back in the race.
The Lexus and the Olive Tree showed in
one of numerous examples how the 1999 Kosovo war came to a close in
seventy-eight days. Airpower alone caused the Serbian army to drive out,
because NATO made life miserable for the Serb civilians in
This book even brought up the intriguing idea of a global bank, which some countries are for and some remain opposed. Could a system work where we have a national consensus on the acceptance of global capital, market norms, and whatever goes with it?
This book says the first bull is always a local. Even though everybody has an E-mail address and a cell phone number and a fax and so on and everybody is connected, the locals are the ones who know what is going on. A home country still has lots of power over foreign investors, if it is wise.
The Lexus and the Olive Tree explains how to survive in a world without walls. You have to know about the Federal Reserve, mutual funds, the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The Lexus and the Olive Tree deals with economics when it states that wider availability of financial information and improvements in communications have tended to attract impulsive new players to the speculative game.
5. This
book helps you understand the world we live in because it enlightens you as to
how the Information Revolution has changed the world to todays online,
interconnected marketplace. Even the front cover of the novel has a map of the
world in the background, so the book is clearly devoted to understanding
todays world. Friedman writes in sections: seeing the system, plugging into
the system, backlash against the system, and
In todays world, everyone is connected via the Internet. This means that football hooligans can easily plan fights on open websites. Its a new era of organized violence. Just at the end of the school year, a food fight was organized online. The Internet is not controlled by any one personthere is no cyberspace God. In fact, God does not seem present in much of cyberspace if you take a look at all of the sex, drugs, and violence sites. Friedman writes about how it took bombardments with angry E-mails from all over the world to stop Amazon.com from selling Hitlers racist manifestos such as Mein Kampf. The Internet undermines local governments, as shown by how German citizens overwhelmingly ordered Mein Kampf from Amazon.com, making it a German bestseller in the summer of 1999. Mein Kampf, in fact, was banned by the German government. The Lexus and the Olive Tree really helps you understand how power is shifting in the world, often away from governments. Governments are tied down by economics. Economics is the new way of warfare.
Nuclear
weapons still are deadly. They might create an electromagnetic force that will
destroy any sort of electronics in a reasonable range. However, economical
weapons can be almost as devastating. Moodys downgraded
This
book really helped me understand about the
To live in this world, you must understand that if you want to expand your economy, youre going to have to keep the Golden Straitjacket on tight. Society may get so wrapped up in technology that everything is convenience-driven, but it is important to remember that a country cant just lose its identity and become part of the global economy in order to competitively strive to make the best Lexus. If individuals feel their olive tree roots crushed, or wiped out, by this global system, those olive tree roots will rebel. They will rise up and strangle the process. Understanding this world means understanding that mere participation in the global economy is not the key to success. You have to constantly be working industriously to build better and better products more efficiently and with more customer satisfaction. Many companies these days are marketing themselves as better answers or solid solutions or whatever because they want the customer to think they specialize in taking customer feedback and giving personalized care and instruction.
6. This book tied in with other academic disciplines such as political science, sociology, history, and languages.
The Lexus and the Olive Tree showed me how much economics plays a part in politics. Friedman has his own way of categorizing politicians, not on a basis of Republican or Democrat, but on a basis of economic policy. There are the Separatists and the Integrationists. The Separatists see globalization as something deserving to be cut off because it widens income gaps, leads to jobs being sent abroad, homogenizes culture into some global mush and leads to life being controlled by distant, faceless market forces. The Integrationists are on the other side of the axis and welcome the inevitability of globalization. On the other axis are the Let-Them-Eat-Cakers and the Social-Safety-Netters. The Let-Them-Eat-Cakers believe that people should reap the reward of their labor or suffer for their own ineptitude. The Social-Safety-Netters want to bring everyone into the system by helping people acquire the tools and resources to compete. Friedman goes on to categorize Ross Perot, Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton, and Dick Gephardt according to Friedmans matrix.
The Lexus and the Olive Tree undoubtedly
deals extensively with history. It talks about the civil war between Kosovo
Serbs and Albanians and how NATO is not as powerful as the desire to be part of
todays main global trends. The Lexus and
the Olive Tree studies in depth what changed to make the walls of the Cold
War come crashing down. Our capitalism and free markets worked so well that the
The Lexus and the Olive Tree delves into the realm of philosophy. Friedman has to answer questions such as: Where does God fit into all this? Is God in cyberspace? How do I raise my kids in this Fast World? By Friedmans postbiblical view, we make God present by our own choices. You are my witness. I am the Lord, quotes Friedman. We are unifying mankind through the Internet, and thus we want to have a value system and ideals and codes of restraint on human behavior. Friedman understands that for globalization to be sustainable, we need spiritual meaning and values with which to raise our children. The philosophy of The Lexus and the Olive Tree is that the faster modems and computers get, the more we have to cling to old-fashioned fundamentals that cant be downloaded from the Internet; they can only be uploaded by parents and teachers, priests and rabbis.
7. Reading The Lexus and the Olive Tree raised some questions in my mind that I hope will be answered by the AP course. Will globalization be Amercianization? Will the rich get richer and the poor get poorer in the future? Will income gaps increase? Is it likely that jobs at McDonalds may someday be replaced by machines? Theres a part of The Lexus and the Olive Tree where Friedman says that it is not a winning political message to yell: Im not going to take it anymore! Save American jobs! Ban voice mail! Potato chips, yes! Microchips, no!
What
I expect to learn in AP Economics is a lot of terms. I want to be able to
understand economics books and not be scared off by acronyms like NAFTA which
stands for something something free trade agreement. Even though its just an
AP course, I want to learn how beset to manage my time and money. This book
made me wonder if I should start buying everything online to make sure Im
getting the best deals. I think Im going to buy my tennis racquet online,
since its not on sale anymore. This book made me wonder whether the rest of
the world can swallow all this consumerism. Is globalization going to lead to a
dreadful World War III? For right now, Friedmans Golden Arches Theory sounds
solid enough, but what if
I
hope AP Economics teaches me how best to invest my money. The Lexus and the Olive Tree suggests that an efficient,
transparent, and honest legal systemwhere citizens can get an accurate picture
of how their governments policies are performing and investors can be assured
that private property and intellectual innovation will be respected and the
playing field will be relatively levelis essential for sustainable growth.
The book says that
I hope the AP Economics course teaches me about the history of economics. I want to know about everything that went wrong in the past so that I can learn about mistakes. The Lexus and the Olive Tree mentions briefly the crash of the stock market in the 1920s but it really focuses on the here and now, so I have questions about how past economists have floundered. The book shows that some past economical theories have been proven null in todays modern world where there are no barriers to entry, no protection form failure for unprofitable firms, and everyone (consumers and producers) has easy and free access to all information.
One
of the useful things that AP Economics could teach me is how to file my taxes,
since this is a practical skill I will need pretty soon. However, this is
probably not the type of material that the AP Economics test has questions
regarding. A question that the book raised in my mind is why do
so few people hold so much of the countrys wealth? What policies are best for
taking from the rich and giving from the poor? Since I am one of the poor
people of
The
AP Economics course is possibly focused on interpreting graphs and understanding
economic terms, but one of the most interesting topics discussed in Tom
Friedmans The Lexus and the Olive Tree
is economic warfare. What are the most devastating things that can happen to an
economy? What are the most important areas of funding to maintain? Is health,
education, military, or something else most worthy of funding? How much welfare
is too much welfare? I would like to learn what
8. There are myriad reasons to recommend The Lexus and the Olive Tree, but the major reason I would recommend the book to another student is because this book really makes you understand how economics works in our world today. The book is amazingly organized and everything flows perfectly. Each chapter sticks together with a central theme and each chapter brings some new database of expertise in some facet of globalization. Friedman uses analogies and anecdotes from his experience as a foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times to make economics both inviting and not frighteningly esoteric, as well as a good read.
Whatever
student reads this book, he or she will be transported all across the planet
studying firsthand accounts of the local economies. Friedman covers
A student who reads The Lexus and the Olive Tree is one that has an understanding of globalization. This student realizes that we are in a system where each countrys economy affects other countries. Whether globalization is irreversible is yet to be proven, since we do not know whether under a recession at the corecountries could be tempted to put up new protectionist walls against more imports to preserve their own shrinking job markets. A student who reads The Lexus and the Olive Tree will appreciate how economics guides our foreign policies and our politics. He or she will understand that power can be measured by degree of connectivityhow broadly and deeply your country has taken its PCs and linked them together into networks within companies, schools and entertainment sources, and then tied those intranets into the Internet and the WWW. Degree of connectivity is usually measured by how extensive a countrys bandwidth: the capacity of its cable, telephone wires and fiber optics to carry digital communications
This book will teach a student the best ways to manage his or her money. The student will know how safe or unsafe it is to invest in certain countries and certain markets and certain companies. Friedman shows how the impersonal system can be used to benefit people, even people living on a dollar a day. This book explains ways to succeed in this competitive world, such as being diverse, tolerant, and open to risk. Friedman teaches the student that todays globalization is unlike any other period of history in the sense that people all over the world can instantly be connected with each other and globalization brings opportunity and democracy, although maybe not stability since markets are so volatile. A student who might have read an outdated obsolete book about economics should read this book so he or she could understand how wealth is obtained these days. At the same time, the olive tree part of this book sends a reminder that cars and houses are worthless compared to the treasures of your heart, family, friends, memories, and passions.
Benji Baker
Sr. Reyes 5
AP Espanol
28 de mayo, 2006
El Tema: Csar Chvez
Viene
un tiempo cuando las trabajadores necesitan demandar
sus derechos. El hombre Csar Chvez (31 de marzo, 19271993) es un mexicano-americano que ha hecho mucho para apoyar los
trabajadores agrcolas migrantes en los Estados Unidos. l
dirigi muchas marchas, manifestaciones, boicotes, y huelgas para apoyar su
Causa. Especficamente, Csar Chvez inici un
movimiento de los trabajadores en 1962. La Causa,
Csar Chvez era el hijo mayor de Librado y de Juana Estrada Chvez. Su nombre vino de su abuelo, a quien llamaban Pap Chayo. Pap Chayo haba cruzado la frontera a los Estados Unidos en la dcada de 1880. En la dcada de 1930 (un perodo de una crisis econmica, la Gran Depresin), el padre de Csar perdi sus tierras por un hombre deshonesto. En 1933, cuando naci la hermanita Eduvigis Vicky, el seor Chvez le pag al medico con sandas (Roberts 11). La seora Chvez le ense a Csar que no deba pelear, sino que poner la otra mejilla.
Luego,
la familia Chvez perdi la casa adobe y la hacienda de Pap Chayo porque no
podan pagar los impuestos. La familia se junt entonces a los 300,000
otros hombres, mujeres, y nios que eran trabajadores migrantes. Vivi en las condiciones muy malas. No haba el agua
corriente. Las condiciones eran tantos malos en un
barrio de
El
La vida
En el ao de 1944, durante la segunda Guerra mundial, Csar luch en la marina. En 1948, su hermano se cas. Luego, Csar se cas tambin.
Csar realmente quera ayudar a su gente. Csar empez a conocer y a hablar con otros campesinos que protestaron en contra de los salaries y las condiciones. Cuando Csar ley libros, se dio cuenta de que los dueos les haban hecho muchas cosas ilegales.
Csar empez a trabajar con la CSO (Community Service Organization), la que ayudaba a los campesinos y a otra gente pobre. La CSO ayudaba a la gente a registrarse para el voto. Csar empez a organizar los mxico-americanos porque el voto era un poder muy importante y no importaba dnde hubiera nacido la persona (Roberts 21). Los campesinos migrantes se unieron y marcharon porque tenan las ideas similares. Cantaban canciones mexicacanas y eran de la misma fe. Los que marchaban participaron porque queran trabajo.
El
30 de septiembre de 1962, Chvez fund la National Farm Workers Association
en
Los
agricultures se enojaron mucho por la huelga que inici Chvez. Los trabajadores eran en peligro de perder sus trabajos que le
importaban tantos. Despus de que algunos miembros
Chvez tena el apoyo de Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, y an el Papa Pablo VI en Roma. Chvez le habl por telfono con el doctor King. La Papa dio sus psames por telegrapha cuando Chvez se muri.
Despus de unos
aos, el nobre
Chvez continu
con ms boicots y piquetes, aunque haba la violencia y las amenazas. Los National Farm Workers no crean en la violencia. Sus marchas, huelgas, y reuniones populares eran efectivos. Ganaron el apoyo econmico y poltico para La Causa.
Se volvi un hroe. Hay varios das fiestas, bibliotecas, escuelas, y calles que llevan el nombre de Chvez en su honor. El da fiesta de Chvez generalmente se celebra en el 31 de marzo, su cumpleaos. Chvez tiene su propia estampilla. El servicio postal estadounidense le dedic la estampilla en 2004 (Wikipedia).
Algunas veces,
para promover La Causa, Chvez pas tiempo extendido sin comida. Gan mucha atencin por esta accin. Chvez tena una meta muy fuerte. Crea mucho en la
dignidad y la justicia de los Latinos. Slo cuando la
gente se une tiene poder y puede mejorar su vida (Roberts 31). Esta es
la meta de La Causa.
Chvez era una inspiracin verdadera. Sus palabras estaban dichas con influencia.
Compaeros: as
No valemos nada solos, pero juntos valemos mucho.
La gente tiene que sentir su ser, sentir que s se puede que s se puede hacer! Csar Chvez
Chvez
Se
muri el 23 de abril en 1993 en
Bibliografa
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/aa/Chvez
http://www.bbc.co.uk/spanish/especiales/mundolatino/figuras_Chvez.shtml
"Chvez, Csar." Encyclopdia Britannica. 2006. Encyclopdia Britannica Premium Service. 4 June 2006 <http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9022718>.
http://www.Chvezfoundation.org/CsareChvez.html
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Csar_Chvez
Houele, Michelle E. Csar Chvez. Greenhaven Press,
http://www.incwell.com/Biographies/Chvez.html
http://www.pbs.org/itvs/fightfields/CsarChvez.html
Roberts, Naurice. Csar Chvez y La Causa. Childrens Press, Chicago: 1927.
Question 1
Focus: Academic Preparation
Rationale: The University seeks to enroll students who take initiative
in pursuing their education (for example, developing a special interest in
science, language or the performing arts, or becoming involved in educational
preparation programs, including summer enrichment programs, research or
academic development programs such as EAOP, MESA, Puente, COSMOS or other
similar programs). This question seeks to understand a student's motivation and
dedication to learning.
Question: How have you taken advantage of the educational opportunities
you have had to prepare for college? *
Throughout
my life, I have seized opportunities such as Math Field Day, Masterquiz
competitions, and lectures at Caltech. I have efficiently utilized my summers.
In 2000, I focused on writing at a one-week Early Academic Outreach Program at
UCSD focusing on writing. I completed a GATE Mock Trial course and a special
GATE Explorator class, which enabled me to visit various educational
locations around Los AngelesLACMA, tar pits, Chinatown, etc. I took a six-week
dance class in my pursuit of excellence in the performing arts, which allowed
me to be a part of one of the most prestigious show choirs of southern
I have
fit as many AP or honors courses into my schedule as possible, yet I have
retained the benefits of the wide array of extracurricular activities my school
provides. I have actively kept consistent attendance to benefit fully from my
proficient teachers. I embraced AP Physics because it presented a formidable
challenge for me. Through focused effort, I developed skills in critical
thinking and problem solving. Every one of my AP courses, without exception,
has rigorously impelled me to pursue knowledge, which has meant reserving my
weekends for homework. I have a special interest in Spanish, studying for all
four years of high school the language that over half of my school speaks. I
exchange letters in Spanish with relatives, and I read the Spanish scriptures
during mass. I have such an affinity for learning that I took eight periods in
my junior year, starting school at 7 am
and ending past 4 pm. I cannot
imagine not having taken any of those eight periods, and, in fact, I truly
regret that I could not somehow fit AP Computer Science in my schedule.
I have
made the most of my lunch period by attending various clubs. I am a devoted
member of clubs such as Math Club (two years), California Scholarship
Federation (four years), Key Club (four years), Mantra Magazine (two years),
and Odyssey of the Mind (three years).
Question 2
Focus:
Potential to Contribute
Rationale: UC welcomes the contributions each student brings to the
campus learning community. This question seeks to determine an applicant's
academic or creative interests and potential to contribute to the vitality of
the University.
Question: Tell us about a talent, experience, contribution or personal
quality you will bring to the
Running through the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
I have developed team spirit and camaraderie. My team members and I have developed a distinct sense of humor based upon familiarity with one anothers idiosyncrasies.
My loyalty disciplines me without needing Coach Peebles to lurk surreptitiously behind the eucalyptus trees to check on my effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, I have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to my profusely perspiring skin and parched throat. It is inevitable that I attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles I traverse.
Cross country gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. Every stride of the cross country program has made me a more confident leader.
I will contribute the personal quality of industriousnessan enthusiastic work ethic I have applied to the wide scope of my interests.
I have been blessed with many
educational opportunities throughout my life. I have taken advantage of the
many educational opportunities life has blessed me with
I
have taken advantage of educational opportunities by developing close
relationships with teachers and developing a special interest in math, English,
and extracurriculars. My school has provided me with educational opportunities
such as AP courses, honors courses, proficient teachers, and a wide array of
extracurricular activities.
Having
taken advantage of many different educational opportunities, I am academically
prepared for college. I have participated in GATE activities, Math Field Day,
the Masterquiz. Over the summer of 2000, I attended a one-week Early Academic
Outreach Program at UCSD focusing on writing. During the summer before ninth
grade, I completed a GATE Mock Trial Class. I have developed a special interest
in Spanish, taking language classes all four years of high school. My AP
Spanish class is in progress, and I become more proficient with the language
every day. I took a summer dance class in my pursuit of excellence in the
performing arts. I am so motivated and dedicated to learning that I took eight
periods in my junior year, starting school at 7 AM and ending past 4 PM. Taking
rigorous AP Courses has meant I have had to dedicate much time on the weekends
to completing homework. I have gone to lectures at Caltech. I took a trip to
Having
taken advantage of many different educational opportunities, I am academically
prepared for college. I have had the benefit of proficient teachers and a wide
array of extracurricular activities. I have participated in GATE activities, Math
Field Day, the Masterquiz. Over the summer of 2000, I attended a one-week Early
Academic Outreach Program at UCSD focusing on writing. During the summer before
ninth grade, I completed a GATE Mock Trial Class. I have developed a special
interest in Spanish, taking language classes all four years of high school. My
AP Spanish class is in progress, and I become more proficient with the language
every day. I took a summer dance class in my pursuit of excellence in the
performing arts. I am so motivated and dedicated to learning that I took eight
periods in my junior year, starting school at 7 AM and ending past 4 PM. My
busy schedule taught me to manage my time and deal with conflicts. I have had
many excused absences for races, choir competitions, and tennis matches, but I
have always taken advantage of my proficient teachers by maintaining excellent
attendance. Taking rigorous AP Courses has meant I have had to dedicate much
time on the weekends to completing homework. I have gone to lectures at Caltech.
I took a trip to
I
have read many books. I was part of the Summer Reading Club from preschool
until the start of middle school. I worked for the Summer Reading Club two
years ago and last year I volunteered.
For
transfers: What is your intended major?
Discuss how your interest in the field developed and describe any
experiences you have in the field such as volunteer work, internships, and
employment, participation in student organizations and activities- and what you
have gained from your involvement
I
have an interest in the field of science, humanities, and social sciences.
Question
2
Focus: Potential to Contribute
Rationale: UC welcomes the contributions each student brings to the
campus learning community. This question seeks to determine an applicant's
academic or creative interests and potential to contribute to the vitality of
the University.
Question: Tell us about a talent, experience, contribution or personal
quality you will bring to the
Talent:
cross country, ultimate Frisbee, singing, dancing, studying, reading, computers
Experience:
show choir, xc, tennis,
Personal
quality: industriousness, enthusiasm
I
will bring the personal quality of industriousness to the
This
personal quality is very meaningful to me and describes my nature quite
accurately. I have many different interests and I have found success in a wide
array of subjects. sensitivity to and respect for
difference My academic interests range from the social sciences to the
humanities and even engineering. Industriousness is key
to my nature. I helped to initiate a tennis conditioning program at my school.
I fervidly persuaded my coach to create a tennis conditioning program at my school in order to
strengthen our tennis team. Our boys team often does poorly in the Foothill
League and I believed it may be because we did not practice during autumn or
winter for our season in the spring. I have demonstrated leadership qualities
in and outside of the classroom.
I
am interested in pursuing a major in any area right now. My academic intentions
are rather undeclared. My creative interests include ultimate Frisbee, Reflections,
Odyssey of the Mind, etc. I will certainly contribute to the vitality of the
University because I am exuberant with mental and physical vigor. I will
proudly stride among Bruin Walk and past Pauley Pavillion. I intend to commit
myself to my peers. I plan to join an a cappella group on campus. I will
contribute Benjiness.
Cross
country is an experience that aptly portrays my industriousness. I am dedicated
to many areas of interest. The University will assuredly grow and thrive with
my striving to work hard in all my class, put forth the necessary effort,
study, and conquer any class. I have never been in a class that I did not find
useful. I have extreme difficulty in picking out my least favorite class. I am
always eager to go to school. I get up before six in the morning so I can make
it to school for choir at seven and I do not leave campus usually until after
four in the evening.
Running through the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
My team members and I have developed a distinct sense of humor based upon familiarity with one anothers idiosyncrasies.
My loyalty disciplines me without needing Coach Peebles to lurk surreptitiously behind the eucalyptus trees to check on our effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to our profusely perspiring skin and parched throats. It is inevitable that we attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles we traverse.
Cross country gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. Every stride of the cross country program has made me a more confident leader.
I will contribute the personal quality of industriousness
this program has taught mean enthusiastic work ethic I have applied in the
wide scope of my interests. I can tangibly bring my voice to an a cappella
group in the
Running through the horse trails of
My fellow
team members have made it a memorable odyssey. Along the streets of
Coach Peebles, with his philosophies and zany humor, has significantly contributed to my effort. My loyalty disciplines me without needing him surreptitiously lurking behind the eucalyptus trees to check on our effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to our profusely perspiring skin and parched throats. It is inevitable that we attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles we traverse.
My
involvement has furnished me with countless gorgeous views from the hilltops
and vistas of
Question
3
Focus: Open-Ended Question
Rationale: This question seeks to give students the opportunity to share
important aspects of their schooling or their lives - such as their personal
circumstances, family experiences and opportunities that were or were not
available at their school or college - that may not have been sufficiently
addressed elsewhere in the application.
Question: Is there anything you would like us to know about you or your
academic record that you have not had the opportunity to describe elsewhere in
this application? *
Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me. She motivated me by going beyond standard limits of high school math to take AP Calculus BC, by being valedictorian, and by being accepted to MIT. By tutoring, supporting, playing, and leading, Teresa has extensively shaped my character. She is pursuing a Ph.D. while I apply for undergraduate admissions. We are separated by seven years and three thousand miles, yet our love is undiminished.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
I was so committed to matching my sisters achievements that in my ensuing junior year, it took eight periods to satiate my thirst for learning. Although my full schedule was entirely worthwhile, I became familiar with the inevitable element of compromise. Singing and sports are equally essential parts of my nature, so I learned to manage my time among choir competitions, meets, and a plethora of matches.
I cannot thank Teresa enough for encouraging me to join choir, a decision which has made a prodigious, incomparable difference in my life. If I had not attended numerous Pop Shows in which my sister performed, I would not have taken the initiative to audition. Choir, in addition to Teresa, has taught me diligence, self-confidence, industriousness, and technique. Through choirmy passionI have developed from a reserved boy to a more outgoing young man and made the enduring bonds of lasting friendship.
Whether
hiking through
Eager with anticipation, I run down the hall to answer the nightly phone call. Without fail, Teresa informs us of the latest advancements in her graduate research. Likewise, I relate to her the exhilarating proceedings of my teenage life. I will use her example as I aspire to be an ideal leader.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me. She motivated me by going beyond standard limits of high school math to take AP Calculus BC, by being valedictorian, and by being accepted to MIT. By tutoring, supporting, playing, and leading, Teresa has extensively shaped my character. She is pursuing a Ph.D. while I apply for undergraduate admissions. We are separated by seven years and three thousand miles, yet our love is undiminished.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Teresa flew home and set a resilient, lucid example after Dad died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
I was so committed to matching my sisters achievements that in my ensuing junior year, it took eight periods to satiate my thirst for learning. Although my full schedule was entirely worthwhile, I became familiar with the inevitable element of compromise. Singing and sports are equally essential parts of my nature, so I learned to manage my time among choir competitions, meets, and a plethora of matches.
I cannot thank Teresa enough for encouraging me to join choir, a decision which has made a prodigious, incomparable difference in my life. If I had not attended numerous Pop Shows in which my sister performed, I would not have taken the initiative to audition. Choir, in addition to Teresa, has taught me diligence, self-confidence, industriousness, and technique. Through choirmy passionI have developed from a reserved boy to a more outgoing young man and made the enduring bonds of lasting friendship.
Whether hiking through
Eager with anticipation, I run down the hall to answer the nightly phone call. Without fail, Teresa informs us of the latest advancements in her graduate research. Likewise, I relate to her the exhilarating proceedings of my teenage life. I will use her example as I aspire to be an ideal leader.
Allow enough time for your first draft to sit for a while, be read out loud to a friend, be critiqued by individuals you trust - such as a friend, parent, teacher, and/or counselor - and be refined, polished, and finished.
Develop your own ideas and write it by yourself.
Present your information and ideas in a focused, in-depth, thoughtful, and meaningful manner.
Support your ideas with specific examples.
Include information about your personal qualities such as; leadership abilities, self-discipline, tenacity, maturation, commitment to others.
Show meaningful participation not just a list in activities that have enriched your education.
Think about and illustrate how you have demonstrated a sensitivity to and respect for difference (sustained community service).
Describe your experiences as a leader, the type of person who makes things happen, a catalyst who motivates others, who initiates something that meets a perceived need.
Write in your own voice, show what is special about you, and speak honestly the personal statement is not solely a sample of writing skills although appropriate grammar, level of usage and spelling are expected.
When appropriate, show your ability to take responsibility for your choices and behavior what you have or have not done and what you have learned from your mistakes.
Avoid comprising an exhaustive list of activities, honors, awards, qualities or accomplishments explain their relevance to your life.
Stay away from exaggerating problems, manufacturing hardship, whining, and blaming others.
Remember that no single perfect personal statement exists there is only the one that is right for you.
When all is said and donecheck to make sure your statement answers the basic question for the reader, What have I learned about you as an individual?
Avoid writing it specifically for one UC campus dont limit your options. The personal statement on your application will go to all the UC campuses that you chose to apply to.
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Throughout
my life, I have seized opportunities such as field trips, Math Field Day,
Masterquiz competitions, and lectures at Caltech. Over the summer of 2000, I
attended a one-week Early Academic Outreach Program at UCSD focusing on
writing. During the summer before eighth grade, I completed a GATE Mock Trial
course. The summer before high school, I enrolled in a special GATE
Explorator class, which enabled me to visit various educational locations
around
I have
fit as many AP or honors courses into my schedule as possible, yet I have
retained the benefits of the wide array of extracurricular activities my school
provides. I have actively developed close relationships with proficient
teachers through consistent attendance. I only miss class for excused absences
such as tennis matches, cross country races, or choir competitions. I embraced
AP Physics because it presented a formidable challenge for me. Through focused
effort, I developed skills in critical thinking and problem solving. Every one
of my AP courses, without exception, has rigorously impelled me to pursue
knowledge, which has meant reserving my weekends for homework. I have developed
a special interest in Spanish, studying for all four years of high school the
language that over half of my school speaks. I read the Spanish scriptures
during mass, and I exchange letters in Spanish with relatives. I took a summer
dance class in my pursuit of excellence in the performing arts, which enabled
me to be a part of one of the most prestigious show choirs of southern
I have
made the most of my lunch period by attending various clubs. I am a devoted
member of clubs such as Math Club, California Scholarship Federation, Key Club,
Mantra Magazine, and Odyssey of the Mind.
AP Espaol Ben Baker
P. 5 El ocho de enero
Un Problema
Hoy
en da, muchos jvenes escuchan la msica, porque es divertido y los jovenes se
ponen emocionantes cuando bailan a msica. En cambio, los jovenes no deben or
todos tipos de msica. La msica rap es una mala influencia para la juventud,
y por eso debe existir unas limitaciones. La msica rap est en favor de
pandillas, muestran escenas en videos sin el comportamiento apropriado, y
Una de las consequencias de la msica rap es pandillas. Los jovenes oan la msica y quieren ser un miembro de una pandilla. La msica rap tiene las experiencias de personas que han vivido una vida difcil. Los cantantes no deben ser lderes de la juventud. Pandillas deterioran nuestra sociedad.
Los videos de rapmuestran escenas sin reglas. La msica contiene referencias a las drogas y el alcohol. Permitir la msica es permitir violencia. Los videos dicen que toda la gente debe querer coches y dinero. Los videos son groseros porque tratan mujeres sin respeta.
Los nios no deben or las malas palabras. La msica rap generalmente tiene muchas malas palabras que son impropios para los nios. No quiero or las palabras negativas, pero la msica rap est llena de las. Por lo general, la msica rap no es listo ni inteligente. Es de personas de ira y odio.
La msica rap influye la juventud
en malas maneras. Las personas que la escuchan son
aficionados de el luchar. Los discos compactos de rap estn marcados
con advertencias a los padres para la material. Me gusta el ritmo de rap y me gusta la letra de Eminem, pero no hay
razn que los jovenes necesitan or las malas ideas de las cantantes. En realidad, las cantantes no cantan, sino gritan con rimas.
La juventud tiene muchas otras formas de msica que son limpios y bueno or. La
juventud no comprende que los temas de rap son equivocados para la sociedad.
AP Espaol Benji Baker
Period 5 8 de Marzo, 2006
Demasiado para Hacer
El
estrs es un sentimiento comn. Tiene
varios sntomas que pueden ser buenos o malos. Yo siento el estrs,
acto a causa de l, y tengo cosas que puedo hacer para aliviarme
Yo
siento el mayor estrs cuando tengo muchas cosas que hacer. Es
divertido tener muchas cosas que hacer, porque entonces una persona puede estar
ocupado en vez de aburrido. El estrs no es siempre
malo. Algunas veces, el estrs es necesario para
motivarme a cumplir mi tarea. Sin el estrs, tal
vez yo sera perezoso.Yo siento el estrs muchsimo cuando tengo que pagar
mucho dinero, olivdo movar el coche por el lavar de la calle, a m nadie me escucha,
o cuando siento
Cuando me encuentro bajo mucha tensin emocional, yo me siento
estresado. Acto con mucha ira. Yo me toco la cabeza y no s
Hay varias maneras de aliviar el estrs. Yo puedo escuchar la msica, dormir en la cama, o encontrar un amigo para escucharme. Despues de hablar con alguien, una persona siente confortada. Es fcil olvidarse de los problemas mediante la televisin. El estrs no significa nada si tenemos una persona con quien podemos contar.
Me alejo
Chamber Choir Benji Baker
Period 0 February 28, 2006
Contract Points: Arabian Nights
At the end of first semester, I attended the Drama Departments production of Arabian Nights. After many days without the full use of the stage, I wanted to see the chairs filled and see the fruit of all the rehearsals I had heard were going on. I knew the drama people were rehearsing a lot because my friends were in the play and one night during Men @ Work rehearsal I stumbled onto the stage during one of their rehearsals when I was coming from the National Honor Society banquet.
I decided
to go Friday night because I figured that would be the best audience, and I was
justified for such a line of thinking because the audience was full of people I
knew. Arabian Nights was a very
memorable event mostly because I knew a lot of the people in the play and in
the audience as well. Actually, the audience was so full of people that I was
lucky to have a seat at all. I arrived about half an hour early, and discovered
that there was such a thing as reserved seats. Even though I knew a lot of
people in the play, none of my connections had been so considerate to offer me
the privilege of a spot on the reserved seating list. I waited the half hour in
line and made an acquaintance with some guy who went to
In light of recent events involving my costume pieces, I have decided to gain some contract points. By attending the play, I merit contract points because I learned about music, stage presence, and performance. I also got to know some of my fellow choir members betterfor example, Landon, Zeke, and Caitlin were in the play.
The Arabian theme of the play was closely associated with the Arabian flavor in our Ojos As. The play featured bellydancing and the beating of tribal drums, which was rather reminiscent of our closer.
Most of all I was enjoying myself and being entertained, but I was subconsciously picking up experience on how best to convey a story from the stage, the effectiveness of eye contact, the importance of being loud enough to be heard, and how to carry off a successful show. The play was just as good as last years Metamorphoses, and I enjoyed the parallels between drama and choir, such as in the various moments when the play involves dancing, or singing by Maddy.
Benji Baker
Mrs. Rago 0,1
Chamber
5/28/06
Contract Points
I attended
Also,
The video took some time. I was astounded at how long the blackouts were. If there was one way in which I think our Burroughs show was a lot better than Burbanks, it was because we could not possibly have had such long blackouts. There were like minute-long transitions in darkness from song to song.
It was the last night, but their tech still had some problems, namely when the sound for the video to begin Act II did not work at first.
It was pretty windy afterwards. It was kind of chilly. They sold popcorn, but, of course, you could not take it inside.
Derek Butler, #3 Singles on their tennis team, had lots of solos. Good job, Derek!
Kory
Stevens, one of
I saw Kelley Byrne, whom I worked with last summer, was notable in Out of the Blues performance. She is their VP. The lead-in announcement to their set was rather amusing. It entailed some sort of clothes guy saying, Yes, we have green shirts, silver shirts, but Im sorry, were out of the blue
Since their
guys are not very original and cannot come up with anything worth doing on
their own, I noticed a lot of strikingly familiar Men @ Work material. Well,
its all in traditional good fun. Sound Dogs were only undefeated in
The House is Rocking was the theme song. It was very effective to have the lower choirs in the aisles, especially when they all crouched down and stood up at the same time.
There was a funny song, Grade 9, in which Eli got stuck in a trash can.
Chili con Carne was very long, but good otherwise.
Chorus to My Song outlined the bridge, harmony, chorus, etc. It even noted that there were seven words in the chorus.
Overall, the show was fun, and the entertaining Sound Dogs and In Sync definitely made it worth going.
Chamber Choir Benji Baker
Period 0 October 2005
Contract Points: Willy Wonka
During the summer, I attended the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory show. I thought the show was entertaining, especially since the students had added their own touches in various ways. The writing used lots of slang phrases and the actors performed with their own unique attitudes.
I realize
the show was way back in the summer, but I figured I could use some contract
points since I was on a cross country trip to
The writing is the part of the production that I would have joined had I been part of the cast, so I was most tuned to the script as I watched Willy Wonka. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a book by Roald Dahl, a childhood author dear to my heart, so I was afraid that changing the story might detract from its appeal. In the end, I noticed and was impressed by all the clever twists that the students had written into the script. I appreciated the familiar teenage vernacular.
The singing and dancing was classic show choir. I recognized the majority of the moves and songs. The most interesting parts in regard to the music were the lyrics and the chance to hear some of the freshmen sing.
The performances of the individual characters were very exciting. I had not been in touch with many choir people over the summer so it was fun to see everybody up on stage. My favorite part was when the Asian grandparents of the Charlie Bucket character start rocking out on their bed. It was similar to the book, yet it was just so hysterical to see Asian replacements for the very British characters I have always pictured in my mind. The grandparents were very energetically having fun, which was very ironic because they are supposed to be ancient and bed-ridden. When Charlie came home, the grandparents of course had to stop and become elderly folk stuck in the confines of their bed.
I was glad to be in the audience, which is a perspective I am not altogether accustomed to, being much more often on stage myself. I had lots of fun reuniting with people in the audience. I learned that when you are sitting in an audience, you really just want to be entertained and you want to see somebody doing something huge and exciting and full-out.
Chamber Choir Benji Baker
Period 0 September 2005
Contract Points: Groovaloo
Over the summer, I ushered for a show at the Falcon Theatre called Groovaloo. The musical pertained very much to show choir because it merged background hip-hop music with exciting break dance moves all over the stage.
I showed up forty-five minutes early since I was ushering. I familiarized myself with the seating and waited for the call to open the doors to the theatre. It was a very contemporary musicalindeed, it was a world premiere, as the program boasts. The show followed the lives of all the different characters. The cast consisted of around fifteen talented dancers. There was no single overall storyline, except that all these people came together to dance with each other.
The dancing was top notch and it made me want to learn break dancing right away so I could bust out all the crazy moves they were executing. The show never had a dull moment because when everybody was on stage, each character was doing something different. One would be hopping down from the staircase set up on stage, one would be spinning on his head, and some would be down in a circle below on the main stage. Many of their moves looked quite original and despite their difficulty level, I thought it would be neat if there were people in our choir that could perform the moves in our set.
The group of performers was good at getting the audience to participate. Everybody in the seats was very enthusiasticin fact, by the end everybody was giving a standing ovation.
The highlight of the night was this awesome move where a guy stalled for a second on nothing but his elbow. It was also pretty neat to happen randomly to run into Jen O. and Brendan Jennings, who were also attending the show.
Benji Baker
Mrs. Rago -2
AP English
5/20/06
Thebans for Contract Points
I attended Dramas performance Thursday night. It does not have much to do with choir, because no choir people were in it, but it does kind of relate to the performance aspect of show choir.
The only choir person involved was Michelle Ho, who did a lot of work on the TV, but she could not be in the actual play. Speaking of TVs, there were a lot of TVs, which we saw when we cleaned the stage after Spring Concert or something. Some of the TVs actually worked.
Tech Crew figured out what they were supposed to do for most of the play. Sometimes things went wrong, but in the end, Tech generally figured out how to fix it.
The program produced by Mr. Bailey was, as usual, very humorous and enjoyable to read.
The first act consisted of a guy who wanted to kill his dad and marry his mom. At the end, he ripped out his eyes.
The second act dealt with burial and a girl named Antigone. There also was a part with rock music where my friend Joel ran on stage for his short little stunt of acting.
Chamber Choir Benji Baker
Period 0 4/30/06
Contract Points: Wicked and The Drowsy Chaperone
When
we went to see Wicked in
The performers knew how to finish their song with a really long note, or an exciting high note, or some sort of pizzazz that would encourage the audience to applaud rapturously.
It was exciting to experience the large theater. I was interested in the Tony Award-winning set, complete with a Time Dragon inspired by the novel. I had the opportunity to see the theatre from the top balcony after a series of escalators, and also from right up close in the front rows. We had the chance to meet some of the performers afterwards.
I was not as impressed with The Drowsy Chaperone. It had a few comic moments. The performing was high-caliber, and Mrs. Griffin did an outstanding job, of course. Perhaps it was the rain or the people I sat next to, but I found myself falling asleep at first. It was exciting enough to keep me awake, but it was not very memorable.
The
two Broadway shows were a good chance to see the kind of options to which show
choir can lead someone. Perhaps someone from the VMA will end up performing on
Broadway. It was inspirational to watch Wicked
the night before our national competition. Being an audience member helped
remind me to perform for the audience the next day, keeping my head up and
acting with facials and singing. The singers had excellent diction, which made
the story easily understandable and enjoyable. Wicked was one of the highlights of my
Chamber Choir Benji Baker
Period 0 4/30/06
Contract Points: In Our Company and Beyond
I had the option of staying home and studying for AP tests, but I chose instead to watch Dance Productions In Our Company and Beyond. I have gone the past two years, so my attendance this year was just tradition.
For some odd reason, the first ten rows or so were taped off.
Our tech crew did a fine job of music before the show, lighting, etc. There was one spot where the music stopped early for Crista Mills tap dance number. I was kind of dismayed because Crista sits next to me in AP English and AP Spanish, and she does not deserve to have the music cut off early. It was rather pathetic to see her just dancing on stage alone without music, but the host, Chris Rockriver, took control of the situation and escorted Crista off the stage.
The best part of the dance production show was the people. The people were the reason I went to the show in the first place. I attended in order to support performers such as Carmen, Keeley, Maddy, Caitlin, and Kristina. Maddy was only in one numberBig Spenderbut it was the closer of the first act, and the music remains stuck in my head.
I was a little scared when I saw the first song and it was the same thing they did last year, but Chris Rockriver explained that it was tradition. The rest of the show proved to have at least a few original moments. There were the typical chain turns and pirouettes, but there were some excellent song selections.
The Oompa Loompas stole the show from the start. Nothing else could compare to the little elementary school kids dancing around on stage.
The dance team did the same little stunt they did at the Winter Rally. It has some cool moves.
The Britney Spears number was pretty hot.
I had no
idea Jaimie, a girl from my AP English class, was in dance. Nevertheless, she
did a very fun rendition of hula dancing, called Around the
I really
enjoyed the music of
Kristina and Keeley did an African song, which was enthralling from a multicultural aspect.
The youngsters in the audience definitely enjoyed the dance to Tarzans Trashing the Camp.
As I already mentioned, nothing can beat the little elementary school kids. However, my second favorite number was without a doubt, Fender Bender. It was creative and it had a DDR song called Sandstorm, which is probably the best song without words that has ever existed. It has a really long crescendo and its kind of techno. Anyway, the lights went off and the girls had glowsticks and they were raving or something and then they threw the lightsticks into the audience. This kind of activity was meant to incite audience reaction, although I was kind of bummed because they said shouting out of names was hazardous. I guess clapping is the best sign of appreciation
Coin Operated Boy was very cute because I knew the people in it.
Prayer for the Dying deserves props just because it was a song originally performed by Seal, who also sang Kissed by a Rose, which was a song we did for Men @ Work.
AP
Government Benji
Baker
Period 4 March
9, 2006
Current Event
Date: March 7, 2006
Topic: Abortion Ban Puts
Strategies in Doubt
Source: www.latimes.com
Summary:
Critical Analysis and Opinion: Antiabortionists regard abortion as a grave moral concernBut such language
outrages others in their movement, especially abortion doctors, who feel it
stigmatizes and alienates their patients. In response to this section, I
believe that abortion doctors should accept that their patients will be
stigmatized and ostracized. People who have abortions are going to be
criticized by religious people, because slaughtering fetuses is not something
pleasant. People in
The L. A. Times writer must not have gotten the memo that since it is a Supreme Court case, Roe v. Wade should not be written as Roe vs. Wade. Or perhaps that is the new small talk?
This law is so far-out radical that even some conservatives have to take a step back. If a doctor were to perform an abortion for a woman who had an unwanted pregnancy due to rape, the doctor would have to go to jail for up to five years.
No one I know has had an abortion, as far as I know. Even if a fetus might feel pain, I cannot hear its cries. I would let a woman have a safe abortion to save an unwanted baby from a life of unwantedness. Why would I want to save a baby of a mother who does not want the baby? Unwanted pregnancies lead to unwanted children.
Date: September 28, 2005
Source: latimes.com
Topic: DeLay's Indictment Could Have Broad Impact on GOP
Summary: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Republican-Texas,
was indicted on Wednesday due to unethical fund raising with the ambition to
build the partys majority in Congress and the country. DeLay, a prolific fund
raiser for the party is part of what Democrats call GOP ethical lapses. The
indictment is sure to cause commotion in the GOP because Tom DeLay was one of
Bushs most powerful lieutenants and his absence will likely distract Congress
from performing the peoples business. Republicans rallied around DeLay while
the glee of the Democrats is restrained for the most part. DeLay aggressively
won corporate support for his party, helping to build a new political machine
in
Critical
Analysis and Opinion: The Democrats are not going to drastically take control
in Congress now that only one man has been indicted. If Congress successfully
takes care of Katrina relief or immigration reform, then the electorate will
not view Congress as tainted by Republican wrongdoing. People used to have a
very high approval rating for Bush, but lately it has been decreasing a lot.
This scandal in Congress is going to make the whole government look bad,
including Bush and even the Democrats. However, I do not believe that the
average American will even notice this incident. The studious people with an
interest in government and my mom will know. The people watching on TV will get
the gist that there is corruption in the government but I do not think DeLays
indictment will have as broad an impact as the author of the article was
suggesting. However, DeLays indictment comes along with lots of baggage, such
as division over budget policy and the investigation of Senate Majority Leader Bill
Frist. The conviction and removal of DeLay will cause competition among the
potential Republican who want to fill his spot. The
GOP needs to be careful not to keep appearing so corrupt and unethical to the
people and focus on how they are going to deal with Hurricane Katrina, which
will have a much more broad impact than DeLays indictment. This indictment
came at a bad time, when gas prices are high and people keep dying in
AP Government & Politics Benjamin Baker
Period 5 January 31, 2006
Current Event
Source: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-013106fed_lat,0,5619791.story?coll=la-home-headlines&track=morenews
Topic: Fed Raises Key Interest Rate .25%
Date: January 31, 2006
Summary: Alan Greenspan is passing the torch to Ben Bernanke, who will become the new head of the Federal Reserve Board. The Senate easily confirmed Bernankes nomination Wednesday morning, and Alan Greenspans 18.5-year span of policy control is over. The Fed raised the short-term federal interest rate by an expected quarter-point hike. Higher rates can slow a housing boom, but the economy in January was rebounding.
Critical Analysis and Opinion: Our economics book said that
the head of the Federal Reserve Board is sometimes referred to as the second
most powerful man in the nation. I spent a while reading the various articles
available on latimes.com today because I had the time and there were lots of
different articles pertaining to politics in some way. Alito was newly
confirmed, Enrons case was finally getting underway although Enron seems like
such an old deal now, and the conservatives were looking hopefully for a successor
of DeLay. I chose this article because it is pertinent to information we
learned in economics, but it also is related to our government because our
economy is a large part of the government. People often hold the president
responsible for the economy, but most of the power to change the economy lies
outside of the presidents hands. Congress can act through fiscal policy by
altering government expenditures or taxes. The Federal Reserve acts through
monetary policy. Since the interest rate rose, investment will go down because
it costs more to borrow money, which entails lower Gross Domestic Product and
lower prices. The higher interest rate lowers prices, so this tool will allow
Ben Bernanke to fight inflation. I am interested to see what Ben Bernanke has
planned for the
2 Americans, German Share
Nobel Physics Prize for Work in Optics
From Associated
Press
8:49 AM PDT, October 4, 2005
STOCKHOLM Americans John L. Hall and Roy J. Glauber and German Theodor W.
Haensch won the 2005 Nobel Prize in physics Tuesday for work that could lead to
better long-distance communication and more precise navigation worldwide and in
space.
The prize was given to the three for their work in applying modern quantum
physics to the study of optics. Engineers have used their observations to
improve lasers, Global Positioning System technology and other instruments.
Glauber, 80, of
Hall, 71, of the
Hall and Haensch will split one half of the $1.3 million prize, with Glauber
receiving the rest.
"It's a huge surprise, a great pleasure," Hall said, noting the work
was a team effort.
Speaking from his office in
"I was speechless but of course very happy, exuberant," he said.
"Now, I am trying to get used to this."
He said the fruits of their work could eventually be applied to improving
communication across the globe and beyond. The research could also be useful in
helping spacecraft navigate more accurately on long journeys, or creating
better digital animation.
"Eventually, we may be able to enjoy three-dimensional holographic
movies," Haensch said.
"The important contributions by John Hall and Theodor Haensch have made it
possible to measure frequencies with an accuracy of 15 digits," the
academy noted. "Lasers with extremely sharp colors can now be constructed,
and with the frequency comb technique precise readings can be made of light of
all colors.
"This technique makes it possible to carry out studies of, for example,
the stability of the constants of nature over time and to develop extremely
accurate clocks and improved GPS technology."
Borje Johansson, a member of the
"First someone breaks down a barrier, and then things happen,"
Johansson said. "The common man can have great use of this."
Sune Svanberg, chairman of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said Glauber can
rightly be considered the father of quantum optics, and that his theories paved
the way for the discoveries made by Hall and Haensch.
Until Glauber published his theories in 1963, scientists had dismissed the idea
that the quantum theory, originally developed by Albert Einstein, could be
applied to the field of optics.
"There were completely different ideas back then about how to view
this," Svanberg said. "His results are fundamental for our modern
understanding of the behavior of light."
Hall works for JILA, an institute run by the
JILA originally stood for the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics.
However, JILA's fellows decided to keep the name but drop the meaning in 1994
as the scope of its research widened.
Of the six Nobels, the physics prize has perhaps the broadest scope of
research, making speculation ahead of the announcement difficult.
Alfred Nobel, the wealthy Swedish industrialist and inventor of dynamite who
endowed the prizes, left only vague guidelines for the selection committee,
saying in his will that the prize should be given to those who "shall have
conferred the greatest benefit on mankind" and "shall have made the
most important discovery or invention within the field of physics."
In the past decade, winning physics discoveries have ranged from explaining the
makeup of faraway galaxies to creating high-speed electronics that led to
breakthroughs in how information is transmitted worldwide at superfast speeds.
Last year's prize was given to Americans David J. Gross, H. David Politzer and
Frank Wilczeck for their explanation of the force that binds particles inside
an atomic nucleus.
The prize is the second Nobel to be announced this week. On Monday, Australians
Barry J. Marshall and Robin Warren won the 2005 Nobel Prize in physiology or
medicine for proving, partly by accident, that bacteria and not stress was the
main cause of painful ulcers of the stomach and intestine.
The awards for chemistry, peace and literature will be announced through the
end of the week, with the economics prize to be awarded Oct. 10.
The prizes will be awarded by
AP Government Ben
Baker
Period 4 October
5, 2005
Breaking News in the Physics
World
Date:
(Tuesday) October 4, 2005
Source: latimes.com
Topic: 2 Americans,
German Share Nobel Physics Prize for Work in Optics
Summary: On Tuesday, John L. Hall and Roy J. Glauber
(Americans) and Theodor W. Haensch (German) won the 2005 Nobel Prize in
physics. The men earned the award by applying
modern quantum physics to the study of optics. The $1.3 million award is
split, with 80-year-old Glauber of Harvard University receiving half and the
remaining half going to Hall and Haensch. Glauber actually received his portion
of the award for work he did in the 1960s, when he explained particle nature
of light under certain circumstances, which made possible the work of Hall and
Haensch. Hall and Haenschs research has made it possible to measure
frequencies with an accuracy of 15 digits, which is useful for lasers, GPS,
spacecraft, and digital animation.
Critical Analysis and Opinion: It
must be a tremendous honor for these three men to win the prestigious and
coveted Nobel Prize, especially for the broad category of physics. How
wonderful that a team of an American and a German could work together for the
betterment of society in the world, instead of warring and killing. Their advances in technology will lead
to efficiency, which will give us more of the precious and scarce resource
coveted as much as the Nobel Prize: time. The article resonates with me
especially because physics was a major part of my academic life last year and
this article recalled multitudinous memories and vestiges of formulas and
concepts to my mind. Roy J. Glaubers alma mater caught my eye, since I am
applying to Harvard. It would be amazing if I were accepted to be with such an
elite, prestigious group of scholars.
I can thank physics because Mr.
Madooglu helped me understand this article better than if I had not known that
the frequency of light determines its color. The Nobel Prize pertains to more
than just physics (and chemistry, peace, and literature). The whole politics
aspect of the Nobel Prize is what made me choose this article. The Nobel Prize
is a competition among all the different countries of the world, making it a
truly international event. The prizes are awarded in
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 5 March
28, 2006
Current Event
Date: March 27, 2006
Source:
News.yahoo.com
Topic: Senate Panel Approves
Immigration Bill
Summary: The Senate
Judiciary Committee approved legislation that will allow 11 million illegal
aliens to get
Critical Analysis
and Opinion: Illegal immigration is a touchy subject because illegal immigrants
do not want to be thought of as felons, and stereotypes lead to racism towards
Hispanics because it is often people from
In economics, we discussed a related topic that dealt with foreign
workers. Sometimes a domestic economy will seek to protect a certain industry
because that industry has powerful lobbying support. If the government tries to
protect domestic manufacturers, one industry may benefit because it will not
have to compete with so much effort against foreign nations. However,
protecting one industry causes unemployment in other
industries instead of saving jobs for
The Republicans are divided on this issue, which could be bad for them in
the upcoming elections. Evidently, the immigration issue is hot right now
because it is all over TV, and lunch ended two minutes early today because of
it. We had a discussion in AP Spanish about it.
Illegal immigration is inherently illegal, but the problem is that it
exists because the restrictions are not tough enough and because low wage labor
is necessary for industries such as agriculture, construction, and meatpacking.
Once illegal immigrants start making money here, they usually do not want to
return home; they want to stay in
I hope the illegal
immigration bill does not degenerate into an unorganized racist/victimized mob.
There were over 500,000 people who protested in
AP
Government & Politics Benji
Baker
Period 4 4/20/06
Current Event
Date: 4/20/06
Source:
http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-lausd20apr20,1,7544787.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
Topic: L.A. Schools Plan Splits
Capitol
Summary: Mayor Villaraigosa has a
plan to take over control of the LA Unified School District. A similar plan was
attempted to pass the California Legislature last year, but Villaraigosa was
opposed to that plan. In the currently proposed legislation, Villaraigosa will
control 80% of the council of mayors. The mayor introduced the measure on
Tuesday at his State of the City Address. Even if the measure passes, it will
be tied up in the courts.
Critical Analysis & Opinion: I
believe Governor Schwarzenegger supports LAs liberal Democrat mayor because
Schwarzenegger is desperate to win the upcoming gubernatorial election. This
sort of support for a Democrats issue is the sort of thing that would be a bit
surprising, except that it follows from the commercial in which Schwarzenegger
announced that he was going to increase spending on transportation or
something, which is not the most typical action for a Republican, who would
normally cut spending. Schwarzenegger is trying to survive an election in which
he is a Republican running in a fairly liberal state.
When
I read the statistic cited in the LA Times that there are 48,000 teachers in
the LA Unified School District, it dawned on me why the teachers union is so
powerful. The teachers typically will support the Democratic candidate, so the
Democratic party will try to do anything to maintain a good image in front of
the teachers, or at least as much as they can and still have enough to try to
unseat Schwarzenegger, who probably is not so willing to throw money at the
schools.
Mayor
Villaraigosa doesnt really have that much reason to take over the LA public
school system. There already is an LA Board of Education in effect. The mayor
has enough on his agenda, and I think he can influence the education system
without necessarily taking it over. One of the toughest problems in LA schools
is the language barrier, because it makes it tough when teachers dont know
whether to teach ESL or regular. LA schools also probably have more gangs and
graffiti and stuff, which is something Im glad I dont really have to deal
with at Burroughs.
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 5 3/2/06
Current Event
Date: 3/2/06
Source: www.latimes.com
Topic: GOP Moves Toward Spying Legislation
Summary: Senators plan to put more restrictions on the Bush administrations warrantless domestic spying program. The senators are divided and it will be an indefinite amount of time before they can resolve anything to a consensus. Compromise legislature was passed by the Senate by a vote of 95 to 4. The new law will allow people to make public and argue subpoenas. These subpoenas, or national security letters, could not be issued to libraries in their basic library functions.
Critical Analysis & Opinion: I chose this article because it pertained to some of the topics we were discussing in class, such as the Patriot Act, Katz v. United States, etc. I enjoyed the articles use of a Caluya word in the phrase ad hoc working group. The ad hoc group is an improvised group that has formed with the purpose of keeping the Patriot Act, but making sure once police have identified a terrorist, they obtain a proper warrant. The vote for new legislation passed overwhelmingly because both the Democrats and the Republicans voted for it. There were only four people that voted against the new legislation, and probably one person that abstained. 95 to 4 means one senator must not have voted, if 100 senators were present. One Independent, James Jeffords, voted against the bill. He must be about the only Independent in the Senate because senators are usually Democrats or Republicans. I wonder if he is the person who switched from being one party to being independent and it shifted the balance. The other three people who voted against the bill were Democrats. The Democrats were against the new legislation because they believed it did not go far enough to limit the Patriot Act.
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 4 3/23/06
Current Event
Date: March 23, 2006
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-me-senate23mar23,1,4172594.story?coll=la-headlines-politics
Topic: Feinstein Makes Differences
with Rival Clear
Summary: Feinstein is challenging Richard
Mountjoy, the Republican candidate for the California Senator position to be
voted on in November. Mountjoy calls Feinstein part of the cut-and-run group
that wants to pull troops out of
Critical Analysis and Opinion:
This election in November will be exciting because it will be one of the first
elections I can vote in, and it is an important one because it is a
congressional election, and Congress is just as important as the president. I
turned 18 on Wednesday, March 15 and I got the register to vote card, as well
as the selective service registration form. If I were to vote for Feinstein, I
would be voting for a woman who wants to replace Defense Secretary Rumsfeld.
According to the article, Rumsfeld has really messed things up in some
places, but Feinstein is asking for something like the recall of Gray Davis. I
always thought Gray Davis was not a great governor, and he never should have
gotten re-elected. My Halloween costume one year was a person with bulletholes
and bloodstains on a shirt that said Re-elect Gray Davis (it seems extreme now,
but it was dark on Halloween, and most people did not pay attention to my
costumeIm almost afraid some of them misunderstood my point and agreed with
my Re-elect Gray Davis button even though that wasnt really the message I was
trying to get acrossirony). Once Gray Davis got re-elected, it would be best
for him to finish the few years he has in office instead of calling a special
election to uproot him. It is a fairly safe bet that Feinstein will win
re-election because she has the incumbency advantage. Congress has sparse women
as members, and it would be interesting if Feinstein were to win at the same
time that the Democratic party nominated a woman to
the presidential ticket.
AP
Government Ben
Baker
Period
4 December
1, 2005
Current Event
Date: December 1, 2005
Topic: Heated session centers on abortion notification
Source: USAToday.com
Summary: The Supreme Court is hearing its first abortion
case in five years. The justices seem frustrated that the lower court did not
detail the
Critical Analysis and Opinion: The outcome of this case will
be interesting to find out in the summer, when the ruling is expected to be
given. Abortion is one of the most controversial topics of debate in
I believe the doctor performing the procedure obviously has to operate immediately if the pregnant teenager is in a life-threatening situation. Otherwise, the doctor would be guilty of malpractice and negligence for waiting too long. If a doctor does not have 48 hours with which to notify a parent, he is going to have trouble consulting a judge, because a judge is presumably not on the doctors speed dial.
If the pregnant teenager may be left infertile if the doctor does not operate immediately, the doctor should be allowed to operate. The doctor is not responsible for the girls situation. If the girl was involved in a rape situation, then she is not responsible, either. The pregnant teenager might deserve to be infertile if she was intending to use abortion as birth control, but the state should not be able to deny her the right to have a child, which in this case means the state should not be able to deny her the right to an abortion.
These extenuating circumstances are far and few between, so I believe it is a very good idea to have abortion notification for minors. Minors have no business being pregnant in the first place, and their parents need a chance to talk to their child. Minors have to have parent permission to obtain a tattoo, and with something as serious as an abortion, minors should at least have their family involved, even if the family does not approve of the abortion.
AP Government & Politics Benji Baker
Period 4 6/5/06
Last Current Event
Date: June 5, 2006
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/politics/la-na-treasury31may31,1,418908.story?coll=la-news-politics-national
Topic: Bush Turns
to
Summary: President Bush nominated Henry M. Paulson Jr., a Wall Street multimillionaire, to replace Treasury Secretary John W. Snow. The previous Secretary of the Treasurys resignation was expected. Bush says Paulson trusts the American people to save, spend, and invest their money as they see fit. The position does not hold much independent influence, and it is mostly a role of cheerleading for economic policies devised in the White House. Paulson hopes not to have to promote ill-advised policies.
Critical Analysis and Summary: This change will affect the dollar bills we hold in our pockets, because the Secretary of the Treasury gets his signature on the front.
The White
House made no public announcement when Paulson accepted the Treasury job
because he was still undergoing background checks. I understand that this
process can take a while, because I landed a job with
According to the article, Snow had been rumored as a candidate for involuntary departure. That must be a burn if Snow had to leave and he still wanted to do his job. I wonder what the tenure of a Secretary of the Treasury is.
Even Democrats were starting to support Paulson, so I guess there is a good reason why he is a CEO and he made $38 million from Goldman Sachs in 2005. I am glad that we have a well-qualified man going into public service. Paulson raised at least $100,000 for Bushs reelection campaign, which might have something to do with why Bush nominated him.
Current Events were a very good idea for this class, and they have been quite helpful for me. I feel informed.
AP Government & Politics Ben Baker
Period 4 1/17/06
Current Event
Date: Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Topic: Push for Forest Lawn line
Source: www.burbankleader.com
Summary: The City of
Critical Analysis and Opinion: This article caught my eye
because the title included Forest Lawn, a very beautiful place which my
family and I sometimes visit on bike rides. As I read the article, I discovered
that the issue affected not just Forest Lawn, but much of
The
residents should not be so quick to use the Ventura Freeway as an excuse,
because a new sound wall was just constructed to deal with the noise. The
freeway is not going to go anywhere, so residents will just have to deal with
it. In a few more years, the freeway will be older than anybody left living in
the Rancho District, anyway. Rather than choosing a topic of national interest,
this article was meaningful to me because I could relate very much to
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya 2
AP English
4/23/06
You Cannot Stop the Beat
The forces of time are powerful in our world. All men are mortal, and time is the most inevitable cause of death. Dylan Thomas makes his treatment of the forces of time evident by the phrase, once below a time (l. 7), which emphasizes time by a surprising variation of the common phrase, once upon a time. This is different from the clichs he uses, green as grass (l. 22) and sky blue (42). Dylan Thomas uses the elements of prosody, diction, tone, and imagery in order to support his theme, the forces of time.
The personified time is able to hold the speaker green and dying (l. 53). Personification gives time the human power to hold, to awake, to let him play and be golden (ll. 13-14), allow such morning songs (l. 43), and take him up to the loft. Thomas constantly refers to time in his poem because time is the cause of all the action in the poem. Fern Hill reflects Dylan Thomas childhood, and time is the direct cause of the boys aging. Times forceful effect is the loss of the speakers lamb white days (l. 46).
The meter has a regular pattern because each stanza has the same sequence of lines, but within the stanzas, the stanzas meters vary in length. Time can be vigorous in its incessant nature. As day relentlessly follows day, stanza repeats stanza in the same form; however, the days are not the same all day long, and likewise the stanzas vary from fourteen syllables in length to six syllables (hexameter) in length.
Time is a potent element, which the poems diction exemplifies. The first poem uses adjectives such as carefree (l. 10), simple (l. 23), spellbound (l. 34), heedless (l. 40), and young and easy (l. 52) to describe Dylan Thomas happiness while he had spent little time on Earth. When he was young, the sabbath rang slowly (l. 17), indicating a childs relaxed, unhurried freedom. The ws in the consonance of wanderer white with the dew (ll. 28-29) give the reader a whooshing sense of a childs awaking alertness and curiosity. His other poem exudes rage and death, representative of the complete other side of a human beings lifespan. Thomas felt differently at different points of his life. Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night contains a pun because Good Night could be a reference to Good Friday, the day on which Catholics observe Jesus death. Good Night could also refer to the expression for when someone sees someone about to go to sleep. The images of close of day (l. 2) and dying of the light closely correspond to old age and Thomas fathers death. Thomas has contradictory feelings about his fathers death, because he asks his father both to curse and to bless (l. 17) him. The diction and selection of details such as blind eyes could blaze like meteors (l. 14) heighten the tragedy of death. Thomas does not want his gentle father to calmly submit to death he wants his father boldly to confront the last wave (l. 7) in a head-to-head face-off.
The
speaker of Fern Hill has a playful tone because he enjoyed happy, lovely,
tuneful heydays (l. 5). He vividly describes holy streams (l. 18) and
spellbound horses walking warm (l. 35) in order to illustrate how he once was
consistently young and easy (l. 1). He alludes to
Dylan Thomas poems are a resplendent example of the forces of time. Time is so important that its omnipresent influence is felt through its effect on Thomas diction, imagery, and metaphors. Although Thomas decries times inexorable passage because it terminates his heedless ways, the way he says it is, wise men at their end know dark is right (l. 4), letting dark metaphorically represent death.
I felt a whizzing, slicing, blurry sensation and I involuntarily shut my eyes. After my brain stopped whirling, I opened my eyes. Through the intricate mysteries of time travel, I found myself seated at the Appomattox Court House. There, seated next to me, was a tall, skinny man with a stovepipe hat. He looked distinguished and he bore himself with an upright, self-assured carriage.
Why, sir, you must be Abraham Lincoln! I addressed him.
Thats
right, my boy,
I want to
congratulate you, sir. Robert E. Lee just surrendered the Confederate forces,
so you have effectively held the
Yes, but I do not want to gloat over crushing the Confederacy. I propose amnesty and as long as at least ten percent of the South is willing to reunite with the North, I say we should welcome them with open arms.
That is
what I admire most about you, Abraham Lincoln. You took the Constitutions
provision of commander-in-chief to new heights in a successful effort to keep
our
As I said
in my inaugural address about the momentous issue of civil war, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen have no oath registered in
Heaven to destroy the government, while I have the most solemn one to preserve,
protect, and defend it,
I am very
grateful to you for holding the Union together, because from where I come, the
Ah, I see
you have memorized a little of my Gettysburg Address. Now, where did you say you
were from?
Imfrom the future! The government you strove to protect has not perishedit has thrived. In fact
I was about to warn Lincoln to be extra careful if he ever went to Fords Theatre, when suddenly I felt a rush of wind around my ears, and I could sense that my travel in time was over.
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya - 2
AP English
January 3, 2006
Darkling I Listen
John Keatss poem, Ode to a Nightingale, uses sound, rhythm, and rhyme as he admires the beautiful song of the nightingale. The poems purpose is to describe an unearthly experience inspired by the nightingales music. Keats says very little about the bird, only mentioning, Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird! (l. 60). The poet can barely see the bird because the setting, some melodious plot (l. 8), is dark and vague. It is nighttime, and the only light is the little that the fairy stars and Queen-Moon are giving off.
Keatss meter is produced by variations of sentence structure that vary from the normal adjective-noun order. He places his adjective after the noun in phrases such as shadows numberless (l. 9), forest dim (l. 20). His inverted syntax is evident in the famous line, tender is the night (l. 35). Keatss dominant meter is a pulsing iambic pentameter. John Keats wrote Ode to a Nightingale in eight stanzas of ten lines each. Each line has ten syllables except for the eighth line of each stanza, which is special also in that it has a different indentation. The structure is a bit striking because instead of having the first word of each line perfectly lined up with every other line, the lines are indented in order to show which lines rhyme. The rhyming couplets have matching indentations, except that the eighth line only has six syllables, and is offset by a bigger indentation than any other line. The eighth line may be shorter in order to indicate that the stanza is about to fade away, in accordance with Keats theme of fading. Keats uses caesurae in line 31, where the pause after each repetition of away! emphasizes his desire to escape.
Keats uses alliteration in lines 15-17, in which beaker, blushful, beaded bubbles, and brim use the b sound as onomatopoeia, resembling the sounds of bubbles popping. Assonance is present in foam (l. 69), forlorn (l. 70-71), toll (l. 72), sole (l. 72), and Ode, in the very title. The long ō sound serves to express earnestness to his appeal and address to the nightingale.
The rhyme scheme is ABABCDECDE. The rhymes are consistent with the authors lofty, exalted mood. Keats uses rhyme because musd rhyme (l. 53) is lovely, soft, quiet, and rich as easeful Death (l. 52). His sweet rhymes are an imitation of the birds sweet tune.
The unearthly, sad, sweet song of the nightingale arouses lots of emotion in the poet. He addresses the nightingale, O, for a draft of vintage! (l. 11). The mood throughout is mysterious and admiring. The poem develops as though Keats is experiencing an out-of-body journey. At first, the author feels a drowsy numbness (l. 1), and at the end, the author is not sure whether he had a vision or a dream. He becomes so entranced with the birds voice that he drifts off into an unnatural state where he is unconscious of whether or not he is awake. The nightingale is so captivating that the author becomes forgetful of the aches of his forlornsole self (l. 70-71), becoming very aware of the forest into which he longs to fade, although it is too dark to see the flowers. Keats is unhappy with his own world of old ageHere, where men sit and hear each other groan (l. 24). Keats enjoys the full-throated ease (l. 10) of the nightingale in its happiness (l. 6) and ecstasy (l. 58) and pines to join it. Keats compares the nightingales music with the easeful nature of wine, old age, poetry, night, flowers, and death. The author is sitting alone, listening to the nightingale. In the end, Keats is lonely as even the nightingales song fades away. Instead of accompanying the nightingale in its mystical world, he is left desolate in a mundane world of old men, weariness, fever, and fret. The nightingales song switches from mirthful to plaintive (l. 75). Keatss sounds echo the sense, emphasizing the magic associated with the fading song of the nightingale.
On the surface, Keats is sitting on the grass talking to a nightingale. The poems deeper meaning is that the nightingales song is sweeter than the human soul. Keats is sad because he longs for what he cannot have: the luxurious happiness of the nightingale, which can fly, escape from its cares, and sing sweet music.
Ode to a Nightingale
John Keats
|
My heart aches, and a drowsy
numbness pains |
|
|
My sense, as
though of hemlock I had drunk, |
|
|
Or emptied some dull opiate to
the drains |
|
|
One minute past,
and Lethe-wards had sunk: |
|
|
'Tis not through envy of thy
happy lot, |
|
|
But being too
happy in thine happiness, |
|
|
That
thou, light-wingd Dryad of the trees, |
|
|
In
some melodious plot |
|
|
Of beechen green,
and shadows numberless, |
|
|
Singest
of summer in full-throated ease. |
|
|
|
|
|
O for a draught of vintage!
that hath been |
|
|
Cool'd a long age
in the deep-delvd earth, |
|
|
Tasting of Flora and the
country-green, |
|
|
Dance, and
Provenal song, and sunburnt mirth! |
|
|
O for a beaker full of the
warm South! |
|
|
Full of the true,
the blushful Hippocrene, |
|
|
With
beaded bubbles winking at the brim, |
|
|
And
purple-staind mouth; |
|
|
That I might
drink, and leave the world unseen, |
|
|
And
with thee fade away into the forest dim: |
|
|
|
|
|
Fade far away, dissolve, and
quite forget |
|
|
What thou among the
leaves hast never known, |
|
|
The weariness, the fever, and
the fret |
|
|
Here, where men
sit and hear each other groan; |
|
|
Where palsy shakes a few, sad,
last grey hairs, |
|
|
Where youth grows
pale, and spectre-thin, and dies; |
|
|
Where
but to think is to be full of sorrow |
|
|
And
leaden-eyed despairs; |
|
|
Where beauty
cannot keep her lustrous eyes, |
|
|
Or new
Love pine at them beyond to-morrow. |
|
|
|
|
|
Away! away!
for I will fly to thee, |
|
|
Not charioted by
Bacchus and his pards, |
|
|
But on the viewless wings of
Poesy, |
|
|
Though the dull
brain perplexes and retards: |
|
|
Already with thee! tender is
the night, |
|
|
And haply the
Queen-Moon is on her throne, |
|
|
Cluster'd
around by all her starry Fays |
|
|
But
here there is no light, |
|
|
Save what from
heaven is with the breezes blown |
|
|
Through
verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways. |
|
|
|
|
|
I cannot see what flowers are at
my feet, |
|
|
Nor what soft
incense hangs upon the boughs, |
|
|
But, in embalmd darkness,
guess each sweet |
|
|
Wherewith the
seasonable month endows |
|
|
The grass, the thicket, and
the fruit-tree wild; |
|
|
White hawthorn, and
the pastoral eglantine; |
|
|
Fast-fading
violets cover'd up in leaves; |
|
|
And
mid-May's eldest child, |
|
|
The coming
musk-rose, full of dewy wine, |
|
|
The
murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. |
|
|
|
|
|
Darkling I listen; and, for
many a time |
|
|
I have been half
in love with easeful Death, |
|
|
Call'd him soft names in many
a musd rhyme, |
|
|
To take into the
air my quiet breath; |
|
|
Now more than ever seems it
rich to die, |
|
|
To cease upon the
midnight with no pain, |
|
|
While
thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad |
|
|
In
such an ecstasy! |
|
|
Still wouldst thou
sing, and I have ears in vain |
|
|
To thy
high requiem become a sod. |
|
|
|
|
|
Thou wast not born for death,
immortal Bird! |
|
|
No hungry
generations tread thee down; |
|
|
The voice I hear this passing
night was heard |
|
|
In ancient days by
emperor and clown: |
|
|
Perhaps the self-same song
that found a path |
|
|
Through the sad
heart of Ruth, when, sick for home, |
|
|
She
stood in tears amid the alien corn; |
|
|
The
same that ofttimes hath |
|
|
Charm'd magic
casements, opening on the foam |
|
|
Of
perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn. |
|
|
|
|
|
Forlorn! the very word is like
a bell |
|
|
To toll me back
from thee to my sole self! |
|
|
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat
so well |
|
|
As she is famed to
do, deceiving elf. |
|
|
Adieu! adieu!
thy plaintive anthem fades |
|
|
Past the near
meadows, over the still stream, |
|
|
Up the
hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep |
|
|
In
the next valley-glades: |
|
|
Was it a vision,
or a waking dream? |
|
|
Fled
is that music:do I wake or sleep? |
Ben
Baker
Mrs.
Caluya 2
AP
English
April 8,
2006
I Shall Not Lose Thee
Alfred, Lord Tennysons poem, In
Memoriam A.H.H. 95 & 130, describes his grieving and his remembering
Arthur Henry Hallam, his close friend from
Alliteration
brings consistency to the poem with the repetition of initial consonant sounds.
The effect of the alliterative w
sound is a whooshing wind that coincides with the texts lights going out,
found in whenone by onewithdrewwent outI was all alone
(ll. 17-20). The consonance of the seventh stanza reflects the silence and
absence the poet feels. The repeated s
sound indicates the poets sensation of quiet in the words, strangelysilencesilent-speakingstrangelovesteststrangely
spoke (ll. 25-28). The s is reminiscent of light static or a
hushed breeze. Amid all the soft ss
is the cacophonous word broke, which genuinely breaks the silence. Further
consonance appears in the twelfth stanza in which the m sound reflects the poets meditation when he thinks how hard to
framematter-moulded formsThro memory that which I became (ll. 45-48). The f sound is frequent in freshlierfull-foliagedheavy-foldedflungfro (ll. 57-60),
which reinforces the text because the softly voiced f corresponds to when a light breeze began to tremble oer (l.
54).
The
poem also has a steadiness in its iambic tetrameter. Its regular beat may
symbolize the regularity of death as a common, natural occurrence. The rhyme
scheme, varied from a typical abab
quatrain, is abba. The rhyme scheme remains
reliable throughout, and matches the steady calm that let the tapers
burn/Unwavering (ll. 5-6).
Imagery
add to the poems ethereal beauty. Tennyson paints the
scene with great attention to detail. Of the first three stanzas, six of the
twelve lines begin with the word And, which produces somewhat of a parallel
structure that helps tie the preliminary description together. The illustrative
imagery enhances the poems ethereal mood. As the poem is entitled In
Memoriam, Tennyson is quite committed to memories of when he and his friend A.
H. H. were together. The memories are evidently embedded in Tennysons mind,
and careful word choice conveys the scene in detail to the reader. As for
auditory sense, not a cricket chirrd (l. 6), and when the two companions
sang, their songs peald from knoll to knoll (l. 14), penetrating the eerie
silence in which the brook alone far-off was heard (l. 7). Sensory imagery is
found in the descriptions underfoot the herb was dry (l. 2), genial warmth
(l. 3), and fragrant skies (l. 9). The ethereal attitude is best brought out
in phrases such as silvery haze (l. 4), bats went round (l. 9), filmy
shapes/That haunt the dusk (l. 10), empyreal heights
of thought (l. 38), Aeonian music measuring out (l. 41), doubtful dusk (l.
49), and distant gloom (l. 53). The contrast between the glimmering white
kine (l. 15) and dark arms evokes the clarity of the scene.
Contrast
also is also found in oxymorons. The silent-speaking words (l. 26) and loves
dumb cry (l. 27) emphasize the solemn, quiet tone, even though we would expect
words and a cry to make noise, not be mute. Verse 130 contains the paradox,
Far off thou art, but ever nigh (l. 13), which emphasizes Tennysons vague
words (l. 45) and his belief that the dead man touchd me from the past (l.
34).
Personification adds life to a
poem in which Tennyson mourns his friends loss of life. For example, the
trees laid their dark arms about the field (l. 16), a hunger seized my heart
(l. 21), a breezesaid The dawn, the dawn, and died away (l. 61), and East
and West, without a breath,/Mixt their dim lights
(ll. 62-63). The poet is acutely aware enough to feel the blows of Death, (l.
43) and sense the uncertainty of the doubtful dusk (49).
In
Memoriam 95 & 130 is structured by various changes of focus and tone. At
first, Tennyson recalls a night the two spent together. Then, he feels a
hunger (l. 21) for that glad year which once had been (l. 22). He is
consumed by nostalgia for the past, and he was all alone (l. 20) and in
loves inmost cell (32). Next, his trance [is] cancelld (l. 44) and he
starts moving on. A breeze fluctuates all the still perfume (l. 56), symbolic
of Tennysons acceptance of A. H. H.s death. The speaker realizes that life
still abounds, such as in the large leaves of the sycamore (l. 55) and the
full-foliaged elms (l. 58). Dusk ends and the lights broaden into boundless
day (l. 64), truly indicative of Tennysons moving on. In Verse 130, the
speaker addresses A. H. H. through an apostrophe, as if A. H. H. could answer,
even though he is dead. The speaker writes, I have thee still, and I rejoice
(l. 14). The tone here is one of hopeful tribute. Tennyson extols A. H. H. by
the figurative language, Thou standest in the rising sun,/And
in the setting thou art fair (ll. 3-4).
Alliteration,
imagery, and personification are some of the rhetorical strategies with which
Tennyson eulogizes his friend A. H. H.. Tennyson
grieves his loss, but he still has strong, passionate recollections of his
college friend that come across through the poems sounds. A. H. H. may be
dead, but he lives on in Tennysons memory. Tennyson writes to A. H. H., I
shall not lose thee tho I die (l. 16).
95 and 130 from In Memoriam A.H.H. by Alfred, Lord
Tennyson
95.
By
night we lingerd on the lawn,
For underfoot the herb was dry;
And genial warmth; and oer the sky
The silvery haze of summer drawn;
And calm that let the
tapers burn 5
Unwavering: not a cricket chirrd:
The brook alone far-off was heard,
And on the board the fluttering urn:
And bats went round in
fragrant skies,
And wheeld or lit the filmy shapes
10
That haunt the dusk, with ermine capes
And woolly breasts and beaded eyes;
While now we sang old
songs that peald
From knoll to knoll, where, couchd at ease,
The white kine glimmerd, and the
trees 15
Laid their dark arms about the field.
But when those others,
one by one,
Withdrew themselves from me and night,
And in the house light after light
Went out, and I was all alone, 20
A hunger seized my
heart; I read
Of that glad year which once had
been,
In those falln leaves which kept their green,
The noble letters of the dead:
And strangely on the
silence broke 25
The silent-speaking words, and
strange
Was loves dumb cry defying change
To test his worth; and strangely spoke
The faith, the vigour,
bold to dwell
On doubts that drive the coward
back, 30
And keen thro wordy snares to track
Suggestion to her inmost cell.
So word by word, and
line by line,
The dead man touchd me from the past,
And all at once it seemd at last 35
The living soul was flashd on mine,
And mine in this was
wound, and whirld
About empyreal heights of thought,
And came on that which is, and caught
The deep pulsations of the world, 40
onian music measuring
out
The steps of Timethe shocks of
Chance
The blows of Death. At length my trance
Was cancelld, stricken thro with doubt.
Vague words! but ah, how hard to frame 45
In matter-moulded forms of speech,
Or evn for intellect to reach
Thro memory that which I became:
Till now the doubtful
dusk reveald
The knolls once more where, couchd
at ease, 50
The white kine glimmerd, and the trees
Laid their dark arms about the field:
And suckd from out the
distant gloom
A breeze began to tremble oer
The large leaves of the sycamore, 55
And fluctuate all the still perfume,
And gathering freshlier
overhead,
Rockd the full-foliaged elms, and swung
The heavy-folded rose, and flung
The lilies to and fro, and said 60
The dawn, the dawn,
and died away;
And East and West, without a breath,
Mixt their dim lights, like life and death,
To broaden into boundless day.
130.
Thy voice is on the rolling air;
I hear thee where the waters run;
Thou standest in the rising sun,
And in the setting thou art fair.
What art thou then? I
cannot guess; 5
But tho I seem in star and flower
To feel thee some diffusive power,
I do not therefore love thee less:
My love involves the
love before;
My love is vaster passion now; 10
Tho mixd with God and Nature thou,
I seem to love thee more and more.
Far off thou art, but
ever nigh;
I have thee still, and I rejoice;
I prosper, circled with thy voice; 15
I shall not lose thee tho I die.
XC (150 word limit)
Which of your extracurricular activities has been most meaningful and why?
Running through
the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
My team members and I have developed a distinct sense of humor based upon familiarity with one anothers idiosyncrasies.
My loyalty disciplines me without needing Coach Peebles to lurk surreptitiously behind the eucalyptus trees to check on our effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to our profusely perspiring skin and parched throats. It is inevitable that we attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles we traverse.
Cross country gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. Every stride of the cross country program has made me a more confident leader.
XC (201 words, 200 word limit)
Which of your extracurricular activities has been most meaningful and why?
Running through
the horse trails of
My
fellow team members have made it a memorable odyssey. Along the streets of
Coach Peebles, with his philosophies and zany humor, has significantly contributed to my effort. My loyalty disciplines me without needing him surreptitiously lurking behind the eucalyptus trees to check on our effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to our profusely perspiring skin and parched throats. It is inevitable that we attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles we traverse.
My
involvement has furnished me with countless gorgeous views from the hilltops
and vistas of
XC
When
I am not coming in on Saturday practice for extra choir rehearsal, I am off
running through the horse trails of
Cross country is a team sport; my fellow team members have made it the memorable odyssey it has been. Along the way, I have picked up a plethora of valuable relationships and social insight, as well as many a golf ball and my fair share of medals. From the day I was an incoming freshman, upperclassmen molded me into a new way of life. We runners have developed our own distinct sense of humor based upon our familiarity with the idiosyncrasies of one another.
Coach Peebles, with his philosophies and zany sense of humor, has been a significant part of what I have gained through my commitment to running. Even though he does not run with us and censor our often unrepeatable conversations, we always have to worry about whether Coach Peebles may be stealthily lurking behind the eucalyptus trees to check on our effort. Coach Peebles does not tolerate a loss of proper conduct and if he hears profanity from exhaustion-loosened tongues, it means interminable push-ups until he is satisfactorily appeased. He is a just, not generous, instructor and if we do not pick up our cups, he no longer provides Gatorade for after our workouts. He has taught us several important life lessons besides the rule to dispose of our trash properly.
One of the greatest rewards from the cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to our profusely perspiring skin and parched throats. This has heightened our appreciation of water as priceless ambrosia at the end of a strenuous workout full of steep hills. I know I must speed up so that I am at the front of the pack where I will not be left in a faster runners dust trail. As we daily traverse through conniption fit-evoking horse droppings and sprinklers, it is inevitable that we attain honorable mud stains. Grass stains and even blood from Ultimate Frisbee. we step in every day. It is inevitable that our socks develop honorable mud stains from the wet ground and puddles we traverse. From running through sprinklers, we attain a splattering of mud droplets all the way up the back of our white shirts. Experience has taught us to take off our shirts if the airborne sludge is a problem. However, over four years, I have assembled an entire closet full of white running shirts. I do not have to worry about staining a shirt when I dive on the grass during Ultimate Frisbee.
To
be respectful, benefits of staying healthy. Bus rides, races, Ultimate Frisbee,
team dinners, and our trip to
My commitment to running and experience have enlightened me with the arcane aspects of athletic shoe shopping in order to avoid shin splints and knee injuries. I know to replace my shoes once the tread is worn out and support is gone. The necessity for buying the best racing shoes possible has.
My
involvement has furnished me with countless gorgeous views from the hilltops
and vistas of
I will strive to stay in shape, especially since soon I will be bereft of the benefit of my mothers nutritious home-cooked meals and may fall susceptible to the lures of dining halls. Cross country has been a passion of mine. It gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after sliding and scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. The cross country program has made me a better, more confident leader and every step of the way was worthwhile. I am in deep gratitude for the experiences from cross country I will always treasure and carry with me no matter where I am running.
From the day I was an incoming freshman, upperclassmen molded me, enlightening me
Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and describe that influence.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful chords that hopefully resonate with the judges from the start. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I am sharply striking poses and smoothly flowing with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me. She motivated me by going beyond standard limits of high school math to take AP Calculus BC, by being valedictorian, and by being accepted to MIT. By tutoring, supporting, playing, and leading, Teresa has been a determining factor of my character.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. By the time school started, however, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
I was so committed to matching my sisters achievements that, in my ensuing junior year, it took eight periods to satiate my thirst for learning. Although my full schedule was entirely worthwhile, I became familiar with the inevitable element of compromise I had to manage among meets, competitions, and a plethora of matches. Choir and sports are equally essential parts of my nature.
I cannot thank Teresa enough for encouraging me to join choir, a decision which has made a prodigious, incomparable difference in my life. If I had not attended numerous Pop Shows in which my sister performed, I would not have taken the initiative to audition. Choir, as well as Teresa, has taught me diligence, self-confidence, industriousness, and technique. Through choirmy passionI have developed from a reserved boy to a more outgoing young man and made the enduring bonds of lasting friendship.
Whether
hiking through
Eager with anticipation, I
run down the hall to answer the nightly phone call. Teresa, without fail,
informs us of the latest in her pursuit of a Ph. D. Likewise, I relate to her
the exhilarating proceedings of my teenage life. I hope to join her in
i'm applying to harvard and I would
like to get a career that involves math and English and preferably one in which
i get to travel...it would be neat to be a foreign affairs columnist for the
new york times or something...
since i'm not assuming you remember
everything from three years ago, i was the kid who always found spelling errors
and grammar mistakes and whatnot all around your room. i
turned in all my assignments and had well over a hundred percent.
i've gotten all A's, taking honors
english 3 years, this year AP with caluya
the application is due oct. 31, since
i'm applying early admission
my class rank is 6 out of 538 but
that's just because i did not take ap computer science or ap chemistry
i had honors english 10 A and B with
you, and i got A's
i won a city-wide essay contest in
which i praised the police and explained why the community should be grateful
for the police
i am an AP Scholar and I got a
National Merit Letter of Commendation and i've been a part of Mantra Magazine,
CSF, Key Club, etc.
i remember my Rules for Life poster. that assignment really helped me sort out my philosophy. i also remember all the expressions of the day. the vocab was easy for me. i
remember the soul mates forms we filled out--what qualities we considered most
important in a soul mate.
i have some of my writing posted on my website
somewhere, but it would probably take too much time for you to go find it
this year i'm taking ap
calc, ap english, ap econ, ap gov, ap spanish, and chamber choir.
fall-cross country
springtennis (team captain)
your class was most memorable for the
books we read because almost every book we read was one of your favorites and
it became one of our favorites, too. i enjoyed a
separate peace, to kill a mockingbird, and cyrano.
"Bodaciously
benevolent, boogie-down, bright Benji Baker"
i'm on varsity cross country and our
team is currently #1 in the league for the first time in many years. we are going to cif prelims and probably finals.
i almost had the opening solo for pop
show last year
this is my third year of choir, last
year in Chamber we went to nationals in Branson and i missed the State Odyssey
of the Mind competition so that I could compete in Branson and win 2nd place in
the nation! i also have been part of men at work for 3
years.
i'm a veteran of odyssey of the mind. i was captain of my team last year since i had so much
experience. i was on the structure team when we went
to worlds and got 10th. our skit consisted of a
character that was drawn into an 80's video game and had to fight
"garwors" and the "Wizard of Wor" himself. our structure held over 800 pounds and it was just balsa
wood and glue and it weighed i don't know, a few ounces or something.
i have worked at the library and at
verdugo summer daze camps
i love playing ultimate frisbee and
going to the beach and
i've traveled to
i'm happy that i had such a committed
dad who always went to GATE PAC meetings.
i'm enthusiastic and industrious, but
i'm working on being a better leader
i want to get a degree and possibly
go into government or work in some business...
i was in future problems solvers in
9th grade
i was in sound waves my sophomore
year and I've been in Powerhouse junior and senior years
i got a 5 on physics and a 5 on us
history
Although Chamber Choir and Powerhouse Show Choir are the same activity, I split them into different categories because Chamber emphasizes vocal music and Powerhouse emphasizes dancing. Grade 10: Sound Waves. Grade 11 and 12: Chamber and Powerhouse. Grades 10, 11, and 12: Men @ Work.
My varsity cross country team is currently first in the tough Foothill League for the first time in many years.
Odyssey of the Mind: My team won 10th in the World in my freshman year. Our structure, made of nothing but balsa wood and glue, weighed less than 18 grams yet held 830 pounds. In sophomore year, Odyssey of the Mind conflicted with a choir competition so I could not join.
Active Member Status in CSF means I attend regular meetings and I have fulfilled the requirement of 15 points by tutoring.
Activity: Religious. Description: St. Finbar's Youth Group. Grades 11 and 12. 1 hr/week; 15 weeks/year. I have volunteered every year at the St. Janes Fiesta and twice at the St. Finbars Fiesta.
Activity: Journalism/Publications. Description: Mantra Magazine. 1 hr/wk; 20 wks/yr. Grades 11 and 12. I helped edit the magazine and I was published.
Activity: Community Service. Description: Key Club. I have volunteered at the LA River Clean-up during Grades 10 and 11.
I volunteered 1.5 hours per week at the Buena Vista Library Summer Reading Club for the program's six-week duration.
I have volunteered in Grades 9 and 10 to help construct and
destruct
I was ASB Vice President in eighth grade.
I have always intended to take AP Computer Science, but the class was not offered my junior year. In other years, it has not fit into my schedule.
I only received a 3 on the AP English Language Test, but please note that the AP English Language class was not offered. I signed up for the most part because my English teacher recommended that I take the test, and I did minimal studying.
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya-2
AP English
October 3, 2005
XC
What
I do in the classroom defines only a part of me. When I am not in class or
studying, I am participating in cross country. When I am not coming in on Saturday
practice for extra choir rehearsal, I am off running through the horse trails
of
Cross country is a team sport; my fellow team members have made it the memorable odyssey it has been. Often it feels as though our workouts lead to nothing, for our displacement is nothing by the time we return to the exact spot from which we started: the Bin. However, along the way, I have picked up a plethora of valuable relationships and social insight, as well as many a golf ball and my fair share of medals. From the day I was an incoming freshman, upperclassmen molded me into a new way of life, even taught me a whole new way of speaking. In cross country, people often blurt out short phrases, since it is tough to carry out a conversation if you are truly working. We runners have developed our own distinct sense of humor. Since we have been together for four years now, everyone is quite familiar with the idiosyncrasies and fortes of each other.
Coach Peebles has been a significant part of what I have gained through my commitment to running. I have learned his philosophy and his zany sense of humor. He never gets mad at us without reason. I subscribe to the theory that government is best which governs least and Coach Peebles aptly fulfills this ideal. Even though he does not run with us and censor our often unrepeatable conversations, we always have to worry about whether Coach Peebles may be lurking behind the eucalyptus trees. Sometimes he drives by as stealthily as a sniper to check on our effort. I would not be surprised if he has surveillance from helicopters. It makes us better runners to fear losing his trust because it forces us to continue running even if we are tired. With exhaustion, it is easy for profanity to slip out of your mouth. Coach Peebles does not tolerate a loss of proper conduct and if he hears profanity, it means interminable push-ups until he is satisfactorily appeased. He is a just, not generous, instructor and if we do not pick up our cups, he no longer provides Gatorade for after our workouts. He has taught us several important life lessons besides the rule to dispose of our trash properly.
One of the greatest rewards from the cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to workouts that may seem like the Bataan Death March to out-of-shape non-runners. I have learned to carry a water bottle around school all day in order to stay hydrated. I have come to appreciate water as priceless ambrosia at the end of a strenuous workout. Then, when we are going up a steep hill, I am not groaning or moaning about the heat but I am perspiring profusely. I have breathed in so much dust it is fortunate for my for my lungs I do not smoke. The dust sticks to our sweaty skin and parched throats. Experience means that when my throat is dry and I am breathing viscous clouds of dust, I do not throw up my arms in despair and quit. I know I must speed up so that I am at the front of the pack where I will not be left in a faster runners dust trail. I know girls who would have a conniption fit if they understood how many horse droppings we step in every day. Cross country has taught me not to be afraid to get dirty. It is inevitable that our socks develop honorable mud stains from the wet ground and puddles we traverse. If we are running at a park where the sprinklers have just been (or still are) on, we attain a splattering of mud droplets all the way up the back of our white shirts. Experience has taught us to take off our shirts if the airborne sludge is a problem. However, over four years, I have assembled an entire closet full of white running shirts. I do not have to worry about staining a shirt when I dive on the grass during Ultimate Frisbee.
I
have gained important knowledge such as to be respectful, even to walkers who
do not move out of the way for runners on the track. If we do not behave
politely to passing horses, the horse may kick us, or worse, the rider may
complain and we might lose the privilege of running on horse trails. I have
matured my proficiency with a Frisbee; knowing how to equitably pass the disc
and cultivating the skills to win. Bus rides, team dinners, and our trip to
I have learned the importance and benefits of staying healthy. I know not to pound my feet down on the hard pavement going downhill or my knees will ache. I have lived through periods of shin splints, ankle problems, and knee injuries. I know to replace my shoes once the tread is worn out and support is gone. The necessity for buying the best racing shoes possible has enlightened me with the arcane aspects of athletic shoe shopping. I have gotten used to peoples tendency not to realize I have new shoes on if I have already been on the horse trail because after one distance run, my shoes will be conveniently broken in and sullied.
My
involvement has furnished me with countless gorgeous views from the hilltops
and vistas of
In college, I plan to focus on academics because classes and studying define a main part of me. Nevertheless, rest assured that my spare time will be spent jogging around campus. I will strive to stay in shape, especially since soon I will be bereft of the benefit of my mothers nutritious home-cooked meals and may fall susceptible to the lures of dining halls. Cross country has been a passion of mine. It gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after sliding and scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. The cross country program has made me a better, more confident leader and every step of the way was worthwhile. I am in deep gratitude for the experiences from cross country I will always treasure and carry with me no matter where I am running.
Running through the horse trails of
My
fellow team members have made it the memorable odyssey it has been. Along the
streets of
Coach Peebles, with his philosophies and zany humor, has significantly contributed to my effort, even without surreptitiously lurking behind the eucalyptus trees to check on our effort. Coach Peebles does not tolerate a loss of proper conduct and if he hears profanity from exhaustion-loosened tongues, it means interminable push-ups until he is satisfactorily appeased.
One of the greatest rewards from the cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, we have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to our profusely perspiring skin and parched throats. This has heightened our appreciation of water as priceless ambrosia at the end of a strenuous workout. It is inevitable that we attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and puddles we traverse.
My involvement has furnished me with
countless gorgeous views from the hilltops and vistas of
Benjamin Bakers Personal Statement for the JBHS Faculty Scholarship
My family background is Caucasian. My grandfather Baker was a filmmaking professor at UCLA. In addition, my father, my aunt Mary, and my uncle Ron graduated from UCLA. I will attend UCLA, starting this September. I plan to major in Engineering, although I may double-major in English, because writing is something immeasurably useful no matter what field I choose. Nevertheless, I attend weekly Math Club meetings on Friday because I have a passion for mathematics. Engineering is a perfect way for me to apply my mathematical knowledge and help design, create, analyze, and contribute to the world. After four years of college, I see myself attending graduate school, on my way to an exciting, meaningful career.
I have a fierce ambition to learn and to contribute to my school and community, as I have shown by intense involvement at John Burroughs. In my junior year, I committed myself to eight periods at Burroughs because I am so eager to be involved in all the exciting activities available at my school. The Vocal Music Association is very time-intensive, and during competition season we spend at least 15 hours a week for choir. I have been in Men @ Work for three years; I have been in tennis and cross country for four years. In addition, community service has been a self-rewarding way for me to care about the neighborhood. I look forward to college, where I will both benefit the community and also feel the communitys appreciation in return.
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. My enthusiasm and dedication have helped my Odyssey of the Mind team to place 10th in the world, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, my Men @ Work group to a National Grand Championship in NYC, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by leading stretches and setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, and although our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League, this years season has ended with a record much improved from last year. I was fortunate to win the Most Inspirational trophy.
Although I will also commend the faculty in my Farewell Speech at Graduation, this scholarship application gives me a magnificent opportunity to thank the faculty, at these those on the committee, for providing me with such an outstanding education. I really appreciate all the effort my teachers have put into their work.
From a financial standpoint, my father accumulated high medical bills while he was in the hospital when I was sixteen. My mom and I live frugally on investment income. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to UCLA as a new Bruin. My development in the next four years at college is worth your financial investment.
My various interests have prompted me to become involved with a wide array of clubs. I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. After being an active member in CSF all four years of high school, I have received the special designation of Sealbearer. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards.
Running through
the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the
influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and
indelible impact on me. Whether hiking through
This scholarship application gives me a good opportunity to thank the faculty, at these those on the committee, for providing me with such an outstanding education. I really appreciate all the effort my teachers have put into their work.
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen. From a financial standpoint, this meant high medical bills while he was in the hospital. My mom and I live frugally on investment income. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to UCLA as a new Bruin. My development in the next four years at college is worth your financial investment.
Works Cited
Bront, Emily. High Waving Heather.
Classic Poetry. Ed. Michael
Rosen.
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor.
De la Mare, Walter. Silver. Classic Poetry. Ed. Michael Rosen.
Dickinson, Emily. A slash of Blue.
Classic Poetry. Ed. Michael
Rosen.
Hardy, Thomas. Snow in the Suburbs. Classic
Poetry. Ed. Michael Rosen.
Herbert, George. Virtue. Fifty Great Poets. Ed. Milton
Crane.
Keats, John. Ode to Autumn. Fifty Great Poets. Ed. Milton
Crane.
Rossetti, Christina. Who has seen the wind? Classic Poetry. Ed. Michael Rosen.
Shakespeare, William. Sonnet 60.
Fifty Great Poets. Ed. Milton
Crane.
Shelley, Percy Bysshe. The Cloud.
Fifty Great Poets. Ed. Milton
Crane.
Vaughan, Henry. The Waterfall. Fifty Great Poets. Ed. Milton
Crane.
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya 2
AP English
January 3, 2006
Motive and Premeditation
I chose the theme of nature because I believe poetry aptly brings out the beauty of the natural world. I chose ten poems that suitably embellish this theme because they have intriguing moods and give action to nature.
The nature theme is common in many poems, and I sought to find poems with the best imagery. I admire the beautiful design of nature and I found poems that capture the glories of nature. Some of the first themes I thought of were too difficult to prove feasible. I could not find ten poems that only dealt with tennis or the sea, but using the theme of nature, I had plentiful poems from which to choose.
I wanted to make sure that I had a poem by Emily Dickinson because she is one of my favorite poets. Luckily, she wrote a poem that fit my nature theme like a glove and inspired me to endeavor in some watercolor painting.
I chose poems such as Who has seen the wind? and Silver to see if I could properly convey the sense of wind and silver.
I chose The Cloud because it included rain, mountains, rivers, the sun, the moon, and almost anything related to nature. After printing the poem, I realized that I already had ten poems, so I did not really illustrate The Cloud. Consider it an extra poem.
Many of the poems created images in my mind that I strove to transcribe to paper. I had trouble deciding which folder to use, because I found an excellent wooden-style folder, but it covered up the edges of my artwork. The wood seemed to fit my projects theme snugly, and I hoped my project would fit inside the folder.
Announcing the Graduation of Benjamin Baker on June
Fifteenth, Two Thousand Six
Hi, Relatives and Friends! I hope you all are doing well. I just wore the red cap and gown, walking across stage for graduation (fifth in my class). I also had the honor of reading the Farewell Speech.
This summer, I have
found employment with the
The highlight of my high school years is probably ultimate Frisbee. I have been lucky to play many intense games over the summer with the rest of the cross country team.
I
am part of the class of 06, known as the class that came in the midst of
construction, the class that had to wait until senior year to get lunch passes,
and the class that played in the Foothill League for the last time. SATs are
over, APs are over, and our high school education has come to an end. We all
remember the
I was fortunate to have the administration select me to read the Farewell Speech at Graduation. I will conclude my speech by singing a few lines of song that I find rather apt and fitting, So goodbye, farewell, so long forever! I sang this as a solo in my choir.
You will have to forgive me, but I have been writing a lot of scholarship application essays, and the following is a longwinded autobiographical compilation of what I have been up to, and where I am headed.
After four years of college, I see myself attending graduate school, on my way to an exciting, meaningful career. I will attend UCLA, starting this September. I plan to major in Engineering, although I may double-major in English, because writing is something immeasurably useful no matter what field I choose. Engineering is a perfect way for me to apply my mathematical knowledge and help design, create, analyze, and contribute to the world.
I have a fierce
ambition to learn and to contribute to my school and community, as I have shown
by intense involvement at
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have helped my Odyssey of the Mind team to place 10th in the world, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, my Men @ Work group to a National Grand Championship in NYC, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our Wizard of Wor [sic] skit and our eighteen-gram balsa wood structure, which held over 800 pounds. In the years since, I have used my experience to promote the club by gathering interest and leading Spontaneous practices. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by leading stretches and setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, and although our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League, this years season has ended with a record much improved from last year, and I earned the Most Inspirational trophy.
My various interests have prompted me to become involved with a wide array of lunchtime clubs. I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. After being an active member in CSF all four years of high school, I have received the special designation of Sealbearer. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards.
Running through
the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the
influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and
indelible impact on me. Whether hiking through
Sincerely,
Benji Baker
Benjamin Bakers Personal Profile Letter
After four years of college, I see myself attending graduate school, on my way to an exciting, meaningful career. At this point, I have many interests and talents. I look forward to college as a place where I will encounter opportunities; therefore, I have left my options open. I will attend UCLA, starting this September. I plan to major in Engineering, although I may double-major in English, because writing is something immeasurably useful no matter what field I choose. Nevertheless, I have always been at the top of my math classes and I attend weekly Math Club meetings on Friday because I have a passion for mathematics. Engineering is a perfect way for me to apply my mathematics and help design, create, analyze, and contribute to the world.
I have a fierce
ambition to learn and to contribute to my school and community, as I have shown
by intense involvement at
I have a wide array of honors such as Jordan Middle School ASB Vice President, 1st place winner of the Burbank Optimist Clubs oratory competition, 1st place desktop computer winner of the Burbank Town Management Centers essay contest, 3rd place in Burbank Water and Powers Water is Life poster contest, Most Valuable JV Tennis Player, Rookie of the Year for Men @ Work, and a history of outstanding citizenship.
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have helped lead my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, my Men @ Work group to a National Grand Championship in NYC, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our Wizard of Wor [sic] skit and our eighteen-gram balsa wood structure, which held over 800 pounds. In the years since, I have used my experience to promote the club by gathering interest and leading Spontaneous practices. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by leading stretches and setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, and although our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League, this years season has ended with a record much improved from last year.
I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. Math Club on Fridays is an important part of my life because it helps prepare me for my career in engineering. After being an active member in CSF all four years of high school, I have received the special designation of Sealbearer. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards.
Personal Statement Part Two: In Order to Know Me Better
Running through
the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the
influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and
indelible impact on me. Whether hiking through
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we live frugally on investment income. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
Graduation Farewell Speech
Good
evening, Class of 06. I am here tonight to say farewell to this school of ours, which I am sure
holds special memories for all of us. For me, Benji Baker, I will take leave of
cross country, tennis, Men @ Work, Powerhouse, and a wide array of lunchtime
clubs such as Key Club, CSF, Math Club, Odyssey of the Mind, Mantra Magazine,
etc. These four years have been a blast of good
timesgood times. We all remember winning the
I have been fortunate to have such excellent teachers give me my education. I have been lucky to personally have the organized Mr. Campbell, enthusiastic Mrs. Sullivan, passionate Mr. Kuglen, and strict Mrs. Caluya for English, and Mr. Peebles and Mr. Arguelles for math. I really appreciate the hard work of all the members of our staff, especially teachers I am sure many seniors have had this year, such as Mr. Marcos, Mr. Oliver, and Sr. Reyes.
We are the students of Oh-SIX, known as the class that came in the midst of construction, the class that had to wait until senior year to get lunch passes, and the senior class that played in the Foothill League for the last time.
Soon, we will be off to college, or engaging in whatever plans best suit our futures.
Adieu
to Memorial Field, to the student parking lot. Auf wiedersehen to the
Mezzanine, to the MPR, to the tennis courts, to the dance studio, the choir suite, the auditorium. Hasta luego to the science labs, the quad, and even
Dr. Madooglu taught us according to the laws of physics, what goes up, must come down. Very shortly, we will go up to shake hands and have our name read in front of all these red caps and gowns and our friends and family in the stands, and then we will sit back down. SATs are over, APs are finished, our procrastination is in the past, and our high school education has finally come to an end, as all good things must.
We will have mementos such as yearbooks, prom pictures, senior sweatshirts, and so forth to remember Burroughs, and most importantly, we will leave here with the elation of lasting shared experiences. We part only to meet again. I know there are some people I may never see again, but I also know technology will allow us to communicate and stay in touch with our friends despite the distances that may separate us.
It has been four years of good times, and we have outwitted, outlasted, and outplayed. My Heartfelt Congratulations and Good Luck to the Class of 06 in all future endeavors! Peace out, keep on truckin, and
Without further ado, I would like to close by singing a few lines of song I find rather apt and fitting, So goodbye, farewell, so long forever!
January 22, 2006
Benjamin Baker
623-20-2219
Re: Undergraduate Application Addendum
I applied Early Action, and the Committee on Admissions deferred its decision, so this letter will serve to disclose updates about my life.
New Honors:
Old Accomplishments:
Summer 2000: I focused on writing at a one-week Early Academic Outreach Program at UCSD.
Summer 2001: I completed a GATE
Mock Trial course. I won a scholarship from the National Junior Tennis League
to attend an all-expense paid trip to
Summer 2002: GATE Explorator
class, which enabled me to visit various educational locations around
Summer 2003: Family Reunion at
Summer 2004: Six-week dance class
in my pursuit of excellence in the performing arts, which allowed me to be a
part of one of the most prestigious show choirs of southern
Test Scores and Circumstances: I
know that Harvard only looks at the highest test scores from all sittings of
the SAT, but I want to explain what may have seemed to be a discrepancy between
my January 05 SAT 1 and my November 05 SAT 1. For whatever reason, I
inadvertently must have skipped a math portion. My November math score report
(included in this envelope) reflects that, although I did not miss a single
question, I accidentally omitted ten. My mind was full with thoughts of the
Coronation Dance later in the evening. I was a bit flustered when the test administrators
interrupted the test to check identification. I had just won the Co-League
Championship title, my aunt was visiting, and Pop Show tryouts were on my mind.
Benjamin
Baker
December 14,
2005
Mr. Benjamin Eugene Baker
bluedudeguy@hotmail.com
Dear Mr. Baker,
The Committee on Admissions has just completed its Early Action meetings
during which your application for admission was reviewed. After very
careful consideration, we were unable to take a definite action on your
candidacy at this time and therefore have deferred our decision until the
regular spring meetings.
Please be assured that your entire application will be considered again
thoroughly. While it is impossible to predict individual admission decisions,
in recent years students whose applications were deferred have been admitted at
various rates, at times close to those for Regular Action candidates. We
will communicate the Committee's decision to you in April.
We hope you will write to us if you have new information to add to your
application materials. Recent grades or test results, activities, honors, or
other accomplishments would be of interest to the Committee as it reviews your
application again in the spring meetings.
Please let us know if we can be of further assistance. You have our
best wishes for a rewarding and productive year.
Sincerely,
William R. Fitzsimmons
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid
This e-mail message is sent for your convenience. A letter sent by
post will confirm the decision of the Harvard College Admissions Committee.
This is a post-only email. Please do not reply to this address
Ben Baker
Submission to Mantra
Strolling, rolling, tolling, polling
The bell is tolling
The kids are strolling
Theyre old enough to be polling
I gather my stole
I hear the bell toll
I see the men roll
The baker rolls the dough to bake
The dough it rises with the yeast at stake
The Baker
The dough rises with a tender bounce
It fluffs with the yeast, weighs down with an ounce
Of sugar you fugger now sugger my lawn and diminish you stugger for mugger ma mawn
Cookies and bread and an ounce of sugar
Dare you to suckle a pig in the winter?
Make me a pie and stuff me a turkey
The children are anxious and perky
Classes and splashes
Dashes and sashes
Stoles and tolls
The kid outside strolls
The big evil stunner will blunder and founder
And marry your mom to a key
Mutterings
Say did you hear what they said?
Gee, no, was it great? Was it grand?
Did she get covered in bubbling sand?
No, but some sources say she was smitten
And bitten and gritten by bees
All aflight in the band
The Bike Ride
I snap open the lock and creak open the garage
Is that sun streaming downno its a mirage
My neighbor is leaving the people are sieving
My behavior is weaving and soon I am mischeiving
Son of a bumblebeeIm no good at Mantra Submissions
Im better at calculating Air Pollution emissions
And sucking my thumb nonchalantly I flaunt thee
And sitting alone ill at ease
I sit here alone ill at ease
Minding my tiddling disease
I try to find time
But waste it when chime
A blimey stymie fly me now hie me now go
The Frisbee is up and away must I flow
I run down the field to capture its flight
It arcs and it wavers and bobbles and smites
Out reaches my arm to knock the disc down
I contact and jostle and jump up for the prize
A flick of the wrist and away it then flies
Benji Baker
Mrs. Caluya -2
English 12
September 6, 2005
Mrs. Caluya gave us an assignment to write something the same length of the Gettysburg Address (227 palabras) that moves her. Here is what I came up with, and yes, it is <i>exactly</i> 227 words, not counting the title.
Benji Baker
Mrs. Caluya -2
English 12
September 4, 2005
Nostalgia
It was zero period on the second day of senior year, and I was in class before most of the rest of my peers even arrived at school. I was moved by nostalgia, reminiscing about last years amazing group of Powerhouse singers. Half of our tenor section has been replaced by freshmen. The newbs are unfamiliar with the customs of our classroom, except for the tradition that freshmen only very rarely make it into Powerhouse. Obviously, this will be a different year.
Mrs. Rago was droning on and on while I was anxious to prove myself, yet nervous to stick my stretched voice out into high tenor range. We were to sing a yawn-sigh, but I was faced by several dilemmas, such as Am I a tenor? The thing is, we have a bubble of tenor ones and only a paucity of the other male voice parts. I had barely gotten out of bed in time to make it to my seat by the bell and I had only spoken a short goodbye to my mother as I leftmy voice was not warmed up.
I long to hear the soaring, magnificent voices of graduates Kyle and Dustyn guide me through the sight singing and voice exercises. Past bonds and unity now yield to a fresh year. We are not yet solid. I move on, although tentatively.
Ben Baker
Mrs. Caluya -2
AP English
November 13, 2005
Tale of a Modern Knight Living by a Strict Moral and Behavioral Code
In reading The Canterbury Tales, I encountered the chivalry common in the codes of conduct in the Middle Ages. Accordingly, my teacher issued an assignment for which I would have to perform five chivalrous acts over the course of a couple weeks.
My first act, quite ad hoc, arose when the Burbank Leader photographer took pictures of the varsity cross country team. As the woman conversationally placed us in various poses, it dawned on me that this woman was a total stranger to me. Since I had no clue of even her name, she was qualified to be recipient of my first act. As she gathered her equipment to leave, I pondered what could be more chivalrous than to help a woman with a heavy tripod? Unfortunately, my team member James had already volunteered to grab the tripod. As one opportunity slipped away, squandered unknowingly in the considerate hands of James, my mind worked frantically. The assignment was due in just a few days and the other cross country runners had not completed the task yet, either. They were just as anxious to fulfill their duty, so I knew I had to act swiftly before the photographer lady left or another team member beat me in formulating a benevolent scheme. The impervious perimeter security of a Friday football game had trapped the woman on campus, which was perfect because it meant she could not leave anytime soon. More importantly, the woman needed someone to unlock the gate in order for her to be able to depart. That was it! I rushed to Coach Peebles, politely asked him for the keys, and took the initiative to unlock the gate. The lock was difficult to open from the inside of the gate, but after a fair amount of maneuvering, the woman stepped out into the freedom of the sidewalk, about to proceed to her car. However, she was not truly free until I had detained her and bustled my way into my backpack to delve for the homework sheet awaiting her signature. The woman had no qualms about signing because she could fathom the formidable distance she would have had to walk if not for my facilitating her exit.
I completed two tasks for teachers: one for Sr. Reyes and one for Mr. Peebles. The act for Sr. Reyes came about because it was the last period of the last day before the assignment was due. I had been hoping for a sudden revelation of something marvelously chivalrous to do, but I had waited to no avail. Using my limited Spanish vocabulary, I communicated as best I could to Sr. Reyes that I wanted to organize the stack of books in his room. Sr. Reyes consentingly acknowledged me and so I fastidiously straightened the pile of books. Sr. Reyes is very concerned with the aesthetic appearance of the books because he often reminds us that our AP class should be capable of putting the books away neatly. Sensing that my work may not be quite worthy of Mrs. Caluyas lofty expectations, I walked around the room with the humility to pick up trash. I protected some weak soul when I picked up a copy of The Lord of the Flies that had been left on the floor. Once Sr. Reyes had put his own things in order and the room eventually was spick and span, he was free to furnish his grateful signature. For Mr. Peebles, I put a calculus book on everyones desk. I gallantly sacrificed my nutrition in an honest effort to facilitate the distribution of textbooks.
I do plenty of kind things for my mom, but it was not easy to find something special for her that I would not normally do. I had very good reasons for not doing the things I would not normally do. I detest washing dishes and I know if I once broke down and washed the dishes, I would have to wash dishes the rest of my life. Luckily, fate sent me an opportunity in the form of a pencil with a broken tip. I seized it, took it from its supine solitude on the telephone desk, and sharpened it. I returned it to the desk, ensuring that my mother would have a handy, functional pencil with which to jot down notes if someone called her or to record a time in the appointment book to keep her mind straight. As iffy as this may sound, I kept in mind that the virtuous actions did not have to be on a grand scale and therefore I was determined not to have to exert any more effort than I would need to get an A. The assignment taught me the noble quality of courage which hereby allows me honestly and seriously to state that the pencil-sharpening incident may have been a bit sarcastic. Nevertheless, I exemplified utmost goodness when I moved our two cars for street sweeping.
I would change some of the acts I performed, now that the Order of Chivalry assignment has taught me some disturbing things about myself. I did not take the assignment seriously enough to receive its potential benefit. I was sad to notice that it is not customary for me to volunteer to help my teachers because I do not want to appear as a teachers pet. Somewhere down the line, I decided that it was in my best interest if I concentrated only on improving myself while snubbing the importance of other peoples well-being. I consider myself a nice person, but this assignment showed me that I do not do out-of-the-ordinary deeds. Mrs. Rago would have embraced me with appreciation had I bought her some Kleenex, but I was too parsimonious.
The assignment was a positive experience because it made me feel warm inside to know that I had brightened somebodys day. Since my action was nothing but a small, everyday behavior, I did not have to worry about getting the short end of a deal. My reward was consummate just from seeing the recipient of my deed smile. Even though Mr. Peebles initial reaction may have been bewilderment and dismay at my doing an exploit he had not requested, he recognized my good intentions in meeting a caveat of the assignment that prohibited his asking for something to be done.
Doing humanitarian actions for other people enriches society and makes the world a better place. Imagine if everyone tried to do five thoughtful things they would not normally do every daythe results would manifest themselves in lower crime rates and a satisfied populace. Chivalry is not just a mundane assignment, but a natural goal of mankind that applies to progress and refinement. In our society, we must work against the misconception that a person is nave to do something for no credit. A true hedonist finds personal pleasure in the collective betterment of our community through active graciousness. The assignment transcends schoolwork to the level of altruistic charity, seeking nothing but the content inherent in making a difference. Hopefully, even if only a classroom of teenagers attempts to generate positive feelings in the world, the students example will shine forth and love will emanate and spread across the globe.
Nurturer
When we look at other people, we see the results of their upbringing. Parents efforts have a tremendous influence on their children. Children acquire similar traits and personality qualities. I have been fortunate to have two incredibly supportive parents. A good parent is caring, inspirational, and patient.
For an example of a good parent, I do not have to look any further than my own immediate family. My mother makes a wonderful parent because she has invested a lot of time into bringing me up. She attends church with me and we share the news of the day at the dinner table every night. She attends all my choir competitions and my tennis matches. She volunteers at my cross country meets.
A parent should know his or her proper place. A good parent will correctly interpret when the child wants to be left alone in a peaceful environment to do homework and when the child needs attention.
My dad made a great parent because he was committed to running errands for me. He made my life run efficiently and smoothly and I almost took for granted all the things he did for me. He had a wide wealth of knowledge and I could count on him for the answer to any sort of problem with homework, employment, finances, etc. My sister (Teresa) and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
A very important quality in a parent is the ability to listen. Some parents work or find other parts of their life that are more important than spending quality time with their children. I have been blessed to have my parents retired for the majority of my life. My mother works as a homemaker, and so she has been around the house whenever I need her. In this sense, she is extremely reliable because I can always find her, which makes getting parent signatures for guidelines a breeze.
A good parent recognizes a childs different needs at various stages in life. Toddlers are brave because they must take the courage to walk, even though this is a skill that they must acquire by practicing and not by automatic instinct. Often a toddler stumbles when he or she lets go of the couch or the parents hand. Sometimes the toddler falls on his face and starts crying. Even when toddlers have grown into teenagers and adults, they still rely on their parents for support, whether for financial aid, college advice, dating wisdom, etc.
The most important quality in a parent is, of course, love. Any problem can be worked out as long as the parent remains loving, listening, and setting a good example. My mom and I have a special relationship because she is very involved in my various activities. An exemplary parent spends time with a child for understanding. My parents reward me (with donuts) for times such as when I gain recognition as an AP Scholar or as part of Mu Alpha Theta National Mathematics Honor Society. I can count on a fine parent to congratulate me when I get a solo in choir. A parent is most effective when respected by the child. My parents have instilled such loyalty in my family we have a strong sense of trust and love for each other discipline is not an issue of concern for us.
Cornucopia of Good Fortune
I have been
blessed in my life to have many opportunities and privileges. I have had
amazing choral instruction from Mrs. Mary Rago, who has created a music program
at Burroughs that has put together amazing performances. I have been able to
sing and dance every morning, which I am grateful for because the Burbank
School Board does not pay for our program. The arts are something invaluable
for students and I am glad my family and I have been able to pay the $2000 a
year for Chamber Choir, which includes a national trip. The trip this year is
to
I am grateful that my counselor allowed me to have eight periods in one day, which gave me the opportunity to accomplish many of the different things I wanted to do. Singing and sports are equally essential parts of my nature, so I learned to manage my time among choir competitions, meets, and a plethora of matches. I was able to do two periods of choir in the morning and still come out for sports practice after 3:00 every day. It was a bit of a sacrifice to run on my own, but it meant I could fit Spanish 3 into my schedule, which has enabled me to take AP Spanish this year. I am grateful for the education I have received because now I can partially understand the news on the Spanish channel on television, which is exciting.
I have many thanks in my heart for the various clubs that have given me purpose and focus during my high school lunches. I have found acceptance in groups such as Charades Club, Key Club, Mantra Magazine, Math Club I also am privileged to be captain of the varsity tennis team. My seniority paid off and I have been one of the three people at the school that are granted the right to play varsity singles. I enjoy clubs and awards, but what really matters is the people in my life.
I am very appreciative of all the warm friendliness I received for my birthday on March 15. I am eighteen years old now, and I look forward to a life in college, where I can use all the skills I have acquired since freshman year. I anticipate making wonderful new acquaintances, while keeping in touch with the friends I have made.
Running
through the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all
the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound
and indelible impact on me. Whether hiking through
HOW THINGS WORK
By Gary Soto
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15 |
Today it's going to cost us twenty dollars |
1. Do you think the author Gary Sotos poem is autobiographical?
2. How much is $20 worth to the speaker?
3. Why does the speaker buy a softball, book, coffee, sweet rolls, etc.?
4. By to live in line two, does the speaker mean to live life to the fullest or just to survive?
5. Does the use of the simile like rain in line 7 imply a cycle?
6. How does the personified tip wet the new roots of a child in line 7?
7. Who is the belligerent cat(line 8)?
8. Why will the cat let go of the balled sock when there is chicken to eat? (line 9)
9. What effect does the wording thrown into their faces have? (line 15)
10. How logical are the cause and effect statements in lines 16 and 17?
11. Is the speaker discussing economics or how life functions in general?
12. What is the significance of the speakers audience, his daughter?
13. Is it certain that money remains liquid and changes hands?
14. Why does the speaker end with I guess? Does he doubt his own theory?
15. Are tips and small purchases enough to keep a society working?
RESUME
Benjamin Baker
(818) 848-2884
bluedudeguy@hotmail.com
OBJECTIVE: I want to use my experience to enrich
EXPERIENCE:
Buena Vista Library (2004) Summer Reading Club Assistant 6 weeks; 25 hrs/wk
Partners in Care Foundation (2003) Project/Office Assistant 6 weeks; 25 hrs/wk
EDUCATION:
4.7 GPA
Graduation Date: June 2006
SKILLS:
ACTIVITIES:
Choir (3 years: Sound Waves, Chamber/Powerhouse, Men @ Work)
Cross Country (4 years) (Co-League Champions)
Tennis (4 years) (Varsity Team Captain)
St. Finbars Youth Group (Community Service)
REFERENCES: Mr. Brian Kaloustian (558-5453) (Summer Youth Employment Coordinator)
Mrs. Jill Sullivan, Mr. John Peebles, Mr. Kevork Madooglu, Ms. Sheila Masters
Past Employers: Mrs. Sandra Allen, Mrs. Laura Brownell, Mrs. Brianna Scamardo
Available upon request
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accomplished, collaborated, encouraged, established, facilitated, founded, managed, etc.
I agree with General Chuck Yeager's quote, "If there is such a thing as the 'right stuff,' it is experience."
Chuck Yeager is an outstanding Member of the Horatio Alger Association because he has dared to break barriers. I chose Chuck Yeager, an exemplary role model, because I admire his dedication, a mutual trait between us. I have spent four years putting hours of effort every week into becoming a well-conditioned athlete. I run cross country throughout the summer and fall, and I play tennis during the winter and spring. I appreciate the speed record that Yeager broke because from cross country I have plenty of experience in trying to break records. I have been ASB Vice President in eight grade and I have been librarian and section leader in choir, but I look forward to applying Yeagers virtuous leadership abilities to my life, since I know I will have further leadership opportunities. I would love to apply Yeagers virtue of leadership to my life.
I admire Yeager because my dad, a pilot, imbued me with a love for airplanes. Yeager has founded his own consultant business, Yeager, Inc. and has published two books. I hope to emulate his success.
I chose Chuck Yeager because I myself was planning to join the Air Force until around the end of middle school. I did not believe I would find a way to pay for college unless I enlisted. Somewhere down the line, however, I realized that I would rather live safer and possibly have to work harder for my education. I certainly have put in work, filling my schedule until even with experienced time management skills, I find myself overloaded.
Chuck Yeager has the ability to soar in the sky and the bravery to break barriers and go into uncharted territory.
Chuck Yeagers virtues include leadership, mechanical ability, and knowledge of airplane systems. He has founded his own consultant business, Yeager, Inc. and has published two books. I certainly will try to apply his virtues of leadership and writing to my life. I want to emulate his success in writing because one of my lofty goals in life has always been to write a bestselling publication.
I have gained lots of experience from my seventeen years, especially from the years I have spent in high school. I chose Chuck Yeager, an exemplary role model, because I admire his dedication, a mutual trait between us.
I can truly state that I have dedication similar to Chuck Yeagers. I have spent four years putting hours of effort every week into becoming a well-conditioned athlete. I run cross country throughout the summer and fall, and I play tennis during the winter and spring. I appreciate the speed record that Chuck Yeager broke because I have plenty of experience from cross country about trying to break records. I may not have amazing accomplishments as far as breaking records as Yeager does, but I have my fair amount of accomplishments nonetheless.
I chose Chuck Yeager because I myself was planning to join the Air Force until around the end of middle school. I did not believe I would find a way to pay for college unless I enlisted. Somewhere down the line, however, I realized that I would rather live safer and possibly have to work harder for my education. I certainly have put in work, filling my schedule until even with experienced time management skills, I find myself overloaded.
Chuck Yeager has the ability to soar in the sky and the bravery to break barriers and go into uncharted territory. My dad was a pilot and he imbued me with a love for airplanes.
Chuck Yeagers virtues include leadership, mechanical ability, and knowledge of airplane systems. He is an outstanding Member of the Horatio Alger Association because he has dared to break barriers. He has founded his own consultant business, Yeager, Inc. and has published two books. I certainly will try to apply his virtues of leadership and writing to my life. I want to emulate his success in writing because one of my lofty goals in life has always been to write a bestselling publication. I have been ASB Vice President in eight grade and I have been librarian and section leader in choir, but if I can apply Yeagers leadership qualities to my life, I know I can have further leadership opportunities.
I plan to finance my education by getting accepted into a prestigious school such as Harvard. Harvard has a policy where applicants whose families have incomes less than $40,000 receive tremendous financial aid. If I am not accepted, I plan to go to some other college and I will take out loans and hopefully find a part time job.
Please describe in detail the adversities you indicated in Section 4 above, questions 1-8. If your adversity is strictly financial need please describe how your financial situation has been an obstacle in your life. Include what you have done to overcome and cope with these obstacles. (250-350 words) REQUIRED
My father passed away August 25, 2005. He was 65 years old and he died from congestive heart failure. He had a hernia and he had gone through triple-bypass coronary artery surgery. My dad was very involved in the neighborhood and I dearly miss him because he worked hard to make my life run smoothly. I have faced adversity since his death because my mom and I have had little money to live with since it is all tied up in the estate. I have overcome the obstacles of grief and financial need by striving to do my best in school. I can cope with these obstacles because my sister has given me tremendous support. My mom and I still manage to live a rather normal life. We have to be careful with how we spend our money, but if we are wise, our money can go a long way.
One of the main virtues I have learned from my four years of cross country training is the ability not to complain. Obviously, it is tough to lose a parent, especially when a parent is as close to a child as my dad was to me. My dad and I were on good terms at the end of his life and although he did not have much energy to go on family vacations, he was an integral part of my life at home. He is sorely missed and I will continue to feel the lack of his motivating presence as I go through prom and graduation and all the ceremonies I hoped he would attend. Nevertheless, I have learned to celebrate his life. My dad was an engineer and storyteller, widely involved in the community.
Financial need has always been a stress factor in my life. While my peers are often spendthrifts with their money, I have always been rather conservative with my money. I dearly wish to attend a good private university; however, I dread the exorbitant costs of tuition and housing. I hope to find the wherewithal to fulfill all the goals I have set for myself.
March 28, 2006
Dear Mr. Steve Soghomonian,
As an ideal candidate, I believe I
am well qualified for the entry level position available at the City of
Your organization is looking for a clever person who has a background of study in the fields of engineering and science (electrical, civil or mechanical engineering, biology, chemistry, environmental science). I have taken Honors Biology, Chemistry, and AP Physics during high school. I scored a 5 on the AP Physics B exam, as well as a 5 on the AP US History exam. As a hypothetical ideal student, I also have a solid foundation in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and mathematics that I have acquired from four years of college.
I, as the ideal candidate, have much to offer for your local utility organization. I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have led my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world in a competition of creativity, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, even though our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League. As a public works department, I am sure you are searching for someone capable of managing lots of equipment and employees. I assure you I will contribute much to your company and I am worth any financial investment involving my being hired.
I have been accepted into the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC with a $10,000 Leadership Scholarship. I have also been accepted to UCLA. I have been accepted to UCSDs Engineering Department. I applied to Harvard and Yale and have yet to hear back from them.
I already have three years of work
experience under my belt, all from high school. I have been very
occupied during college working to achieve a double-major in engineering and
writing, two loosely connected disciplines. In the summer of 2003, I worked as
an office clerk/project assistant for Partners in Care Foundation. In the
summer of 2004, I worked at the Buena Vista Library and facilitated the Summer
Reading Club. In the summer of 2005, I worked as a Counselor(-in-Training)
at
I have a wide array of honors such as AP Scholar, National Merit Letter of Commendation, Jordan Middle School ASB Vice President, 1st place winner of the Burbank Optimist Clubs oratory competition, 1st place desktop computer winner of the Burbank Town Management Centers essay contest, 3rd place in Burbank Water and Powers Water is Life poster contest, Athlete of the Meet, Most Valuable Doubles Player, Most Valuable JV Player, Rookie of the Year for Men @ Work, and a history of outstanding citizenship.
I have managed my time among varsity tennis, varsity cross country, and two choirs (Powerhouse and Men @ Work). I am willing to work at any hours because I already have experience coming in to school at 7:00 AM every morning and going to choir competitions that endure past midnight.
I have done my
research thoroughly and am prepared to work in the energy department. I am
convinced that your public utilities department could use a man such as myself to efficiently run the utilities in
Sincerely,
Benji Baker
Community Involvement
I have altar served and lectored
for St. Jane Frances de Chantal Parish. I have facilitated
Obstacle
My dad designed rockets and
military weaponry for the Navy in
I chose to apply to Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and the gifted community of bright people strongly appeals to me. Harvard does not release its official decision of undergraduate admissions until March 30. I was accepted to UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater. I was also accepted to USCs Viterbi Engineering Department with a $10,000 Leadership Scholarship, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
I have chosen a future career in
Engineering because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented
careers. My dad designed rockets and military things for the Navy in
I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life. I am grateful for all the people in my life, and I feel a fierce desire to contribute to my community. The evidence for my passion for my community is clear through how involved I have been in my school.
I did six weeks of community
service at the Buena Vista Library for the Summer Reading Club, I have
volunteered to clean the LA River, and I have altar served and lectored at St.
Janes Parish. I am a part of St. Finbars Youth Group, which provides
extensive service to the community. We do car washes, soup nights, fiestas,
etc. I did community service by organizing Holiday Baskets of food at
In my junior year, I committed
myself to eight periods at Burroughs H.S. because I am so eager to be involved
in all the exciting activities available at my school. I was Librarian and
Tenor Section Leader in Sound Waves. I have been a part of Powerhouse/Chamber
for two years. We are the advanced mixed group at my school and we have won
countless first places. We look forward to our imminent national competition in
I already have three years of work
experience under my belt, all from high school. In the summer of 2003, I worked
as an office clerk/project assistant for Partners in Care Foundation. In the
summer of 2004, I worked at the Buena Vista Library and facilitated the Summer
Reading Club. In the summer of 2005, I worked as a Counselor(-in-Training)
at
I have a wide array of honors such as AP Scholar, National Merit Letter of Commendation, Jordan Middle School ASB Vice President, 1st place winner of the Burbank Optimist Clubs oratory competition, 1st place desktop computer winner of the Burbank Town Management Centers essay contest, 3rd place in Burbank Water and Powers Water is Life poster contest, Athlete of the Meet, Most Valuable Doubles Player, Most Valuable JV Player, Rookie of the Year for Men @ Work, and a history of outstanding citizenship.
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have led my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world in a competition of creativity, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our balsa wood structure and Wizard of Wor skit. In the years since, I have used my experience to lead the club. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, even though our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League.
I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. Math Club on Fridays is an important part of my life because it helps prepare me for my career in engineering. I have been in CSF all four years of high school. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards; therefore, I am an active member and an official sealbearer. I am also in National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta National Mathematics Honor Society. I have been a member of Key Club in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the influential people in my
life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me.
Whether hiking through
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we have low income. Finances for college are more challenging with my dads death. We live frugally on investment income. During my dads illness, we were not able to do repairs on our 1941 home. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
Students Statement
I am applying for the First District PTA Scholarship because I believe I am qualified based upon my academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, citizenship, leadership, and work experience. I have much ambition for my future education, in which I will learn the skills to be successful in life. I chose to apply to Harvard (decision date: March 30) because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and the gifted community of bright people strongly appeals to me. I was accepted to USCs Viterbi Engineering Department with a $10,000 Leadership Scholarship, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
I chose to apply to Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and the gifted community of bright people strongly appeals to me. Harvard does not release its official decision of undergraduate admissions until March 30. I was accepted to UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater. I was also accepted to USCs Viterbi Engineering Department with a $10,000 Leadership Scholarship, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
I have chosen a future career in
Engineering because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented
careers. My dad designed rockets and military things for the Navy in
I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life. I am grateful for all the people in my life, and I feel a fierce desire to contribute to my community. The evidence for my passion for my community is clear through how involved I have been in my school.
I did six weeks of community
service at the Buena Vista Library for the Summer Reading Club, I have
volunteered to clean the LA River, and I have altar served and lectored at St.
Janes Parish. I am a part of St. Finbars Youth Group, which provides
extensive service to the community. We do car washes, soup nights, fiestas,
etc. I did community service by organizing Holiday Baskets of food at
In my junior year, I committed
myself to eight periods at Burroughs H.S. because I am so eager to be involved
in all the exciting activities available at my school. I was Librarian and
Tenor Section Leader in Sound Waves. I have been a part of Powerhouse/Chamber
for two years. We are the advanced mixed group at my school and we have won
countless first places. We look forward to our imminent national competition in
I already have three years of work
experience under my belt, all from high school. In the summer of 2003, I worked
as an office clerk/project assistant for Partners in Care Foundation. In the
summer of 2004, I worked at the Buena Vista Library and facilitated the Summer
Reading Club. In the summer of 2005, I worked as a Counselor(-in-Training)
at
I have a wide array of honors such
as AP Scholar, National Merit Letter of Commendation, Jordan Middle School ASB
Vice President, 1st place desktop computer
winner of the
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have led my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world in a competition of creativity, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places.
Looking forward to college, I believe I have much to contribute,
Benji Baker
As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our balsa wood structure and Wizard of Wor skit. In the years since, I have used my experience to lead the club. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, even though our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League.
I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. Math Club on Fridays is an important part of my life because it helps prepare me for my career in engineering. I have been in CSF all four years of high school. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards; therefore, I am an active member and an official sealbearer. I am also in National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta National Mathematics Honor Society. I have been a member of Key Club in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the influential people in my
life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me.
Whether hiking through
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we have low income. Finances for college are more challenging with my dads death. We live frugally on investment income. During my dads illness, we were not able to do repairs on our 1941 home. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
Scholars of Tomorrow Personal Statement
I have chosen a future career in
Engineering because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented
careers. My dad designed rockets and military things for the Navy in
I chose Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and I would be very interested to go to school with the smart people that get accepted there. Harvard does not release its official decision of undergraduate admissions until March 30. I was accepted to UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater. I was also accepted to USC, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
My teachers have influenced me in my career choice because I have had some excellent teachers who interested me in math and English. Teresa, my sister, has been the most important in my personal development. She has always been there for me, even after she left for college. We still keep in touch with nightly phone calls.
My strongest abilities are industriousness, listening, and dedication. I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life. I am grateful for all the people in my life, and I feel a fierce desire to contribute to my community. The evidence for my passion for my community is clear through how involved I have been in my school.
I did six weeks of community
service at the Buena Vista Library for the Summer Reading Club, I have
volunteered to clean the LA River, and I have altar served and lectored at St.
Janes Parish. I am a part of St. Finbars Youth Group, which provides
extensive service to the community. We do car washes, soup nights, fiestas,
etc. I did community service by organizing Holiday Baskets of food at
In my junior year, I committed
myself to eight periods at Burroughs H.S. because I am so eager to be involved
in all the exciting activities available at my school. I was Librarian and
Tenor Section leader in Sound Waves. I have been a part of Powerhouse/Chamber
for two years. We are the advanced mixed group at my school and we have won
countless first places. We look forward to our imminent national competition in
I am the captain of the varsity tennis team at John Burroughs. I have been in cross country all four years and I was part of the varsity Co-League Champions this year. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won 10th in the world for our balsa wood structure and Wizard of Wor skit. In the years since, I have used my experience to lead the club. I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. Math Club on Fridays is an important part of my life because it helps prepare me for my career in engineering. I have been in CSF all four years of high school. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards; therefore, I am an active member and an official sealbearer. I am also in National Honor Society. I have been a member of Key Club in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the influential people in my
life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me.
Whether hiking through
As far as financial need goes, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we have low income. Finances for college are more challenging with my dads death. We live frugally on investment income. During my dads illness, we were not able to do repairs on our 1941 home. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me. She motivated me by going beyond standard limits of high school math to take AP Calculus BC, by being valedictorian, and by being accepted to MIT. By tutoring, supporting, playing, and leading, Teresa has extensively shaped my character. She is pursuing a Ph.D. while I apply for undergraduate admissions. We are separated by seven years and three thousand miles, yet our love is undiminished.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
I was so committed to matching my sisters achievements that in my ensuing junior year, it took eight periods to satiate my thirst for learning. Although my full schedule was entirely worthwhile, I became familiar with the inevitable element of compromise. Singing and sports are equally essential parts of my nature, so I learned to manage my time among choir competitions, meets, and a plethora of matches.
I cannot thank Teresa enough for encouraging me to join choir, a decision which has made a prodigious, incomparable difference in my life. If I had not attended numerous Pop Shows in which my sister performed, I would not have taken the initiative to audition. Choir, in addition to Teresa, has taught me diligence, self-confidence, industriousness, and technique. Through choirmy passionI have developed from a reserved boy to a more outgoing young man and made the enduring bonds of lasting friendship.
Whether
hiking through
Eager with
anticipation, I run down the hall to answer the nightly phone call. Without
fail, Teresa informs us of the latest advancements in her graduate research.
Likewise, I relate to her the exhilarating proceedings of my teenage life. I
hope to join her in
Running through the memorable horse
trails of gorgeous
My team members and I have camaraderie; we have developed a distinct sense of humor based upon familiarity with one anothers idiosyncrasies.
My loyalty disciplines me without needing Coach Peebles to lurk surreptitiously behind the eucalyptus trees to check on my effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, I have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to my profusely perspiring skin and parched throat. It is inevitable that I attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles I traverse.
Cross country gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. Every stride of the cross country program has made me a more confident leader.
Womans Club Personal Statement
In three years, I see myself in an
Engineering job helping the world by analyzing problems and writing papers to
explain the world as I see it. I have chosen a future career in Engineering
because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented careers. My dad designed
rockets and military things for the Navy in
I chose to apply to Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and I would be exhilarated to be a part of its gifted community of bright people. Harvard does not release its official decision of undergraduate admissions until March 30. I was accepted to UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater. I was also accepted to USC with a $10,000 Leadership Scholarship, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
My teachers have influenced me in my career choice because I have had some excellent teachers who got me interested in math and English. Teresa, my sister, has been the most important in my personal development. She has always been there for me, even after she left for college. We still keep in touch with nightly phone calls.
My strongest abilities are industriousness, listening, and dedication. I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life.
I deserve this scholarship because I am well qualified. I did six weeks of community service at the Buena Vista Library for the Summer Reading Club, I have volunteered to clean the LA River, and I have altar served and lectored at my church. I am a part of St. Finbars Youth Group, which provides extensive service to the community. We do car washes, soup nights, fiestas, etc.
I am the captain of the varsity
tennis team at John Burroughs. I was Librarian and Tenor Section leader in
Sound Waves. I have been a part of Powerhouse/Chamber for two years. We are the
advanced mixed group at my school and we have won countless first places. We
have been practicing after school for our national competition in
As far as financial need goes, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we have about $14000 annual income. Finances for college are more challenging with my dads death. We live frugally on investment income. During my dads illness, we were not able to do repairs on our 1941 home. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me. She motivated me by going beyond standard limits of high school math to take AP Calculus BC, by being valedictorian, and by being accepted to MIT. By tutoring, supporting, playing, and leading, Teresa has extensively shaped my character. She is pursuing a Ph.D. while I apply for undergraduate admissions. We are separated by seven years and three thousand miles, yet our love is undiminished.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
I was so committed to matching my sisters achievements that in my ensuing junior year, it took eight periods to satiate my thirst for learning. Although my full schedule was entirely worthwhile, I became familiar with the inevitable element of compromise. Singing and sports are equally essential parts of my nature, so I learned to manage my time among choir competitions, meets, and a plethora of matches.
I cannot thank Teresa enough for encouraging me to join choir, a decision which has made a prodigious, incomparable difference in my life. If I had not attended numerous Pop Shows in which my sister performed, I would not have taken the initiative to audition. Choir, in addition to Teresa, has taught me diligence, self-confidence, industriousness, and technique. Through choirmy passionI have developed from a reserved boy to a more outgoing young man and made the enduring bonds of lasting friendship.
Whether
hiking through
Eager with
anticipation, I run down the hall to answer the nightly phone call. Without
fail, Teresa informs us of the latest advancements in her graduate research.
Likewise, I relate to her the exhilarating proceedings of my teenage life. I
hope to join her in
Running through the memorable horse
trails of gorgeous
My team members and I have camaraderie; we have developed a distinct sense of humor based upon familiarity with one anothers idiosyncrasies.
My loyalty disciplines me without needing Coach Peebles to lurk surreptitiously behind the eucalyptus trees to check on my effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, I have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to my profusely perspiring skin and parched throat. It is inevitable that I attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles I traverse.
Cross country gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. Every stride of the cross country program has made me a more confident leader.
Personal Statement
for the
April 7, 2006
Dear
After four years of college, I see myself attending graduate school, on my way to an exciting, meaningful career. At this point, I have many interests and talents. I look forward to college as a place where I will encounter many opportunities. I have left my options open. For some colleges, I applied to the Engineering Department; for UCLA, I applied to the Humanities Department. I am considering majoring in English because writing is something immeasurably useful no matter what field I choose. I also have always been at the top of my math classes and I attend weekly Math Club meetings on Friday because I have a passion for mathematics. Engineering is a perfect way for me to apply my mathematics and help design, create, analyze, and contribute to the world.
I was accepted to UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater and it has an appealing community of intelligent, gifted people. I have acceptances from UC Berkeley and UCSD. I was also accepted to USCs Viterbi Engineering Department, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
I have an ambition to learn and to
contribute to my school and community, as I have shown by intense involvement
at
I did six weeks of community
service at the Buena Vista Library for the Summer Reading Club, I have
volunteered to clean the LA River, and I have altar served and lectored at St.
Janes Parish. I am a part of St. Finbars Youth Group, which provides
extensive service to the community. We do car washes, soup nights, fiestas,
etc. I did community service by organizing Holiday Baskets of food at
I already have three years of work
experience under my belt, all from high school. In the summer of 2003, I worked
as an office clerk/project assistant for Partners in Care Foundation. In the
summer of 2004, I worked at the Buena Vista Library and facilitated the Summer
Reading Club. In the summer of 2005, I worked as a Counselor(-in-Training)
at
I have a wide array of honors such as AP Scholar, National Merit Letter of Commendation, Jordan Middle School ASB Vice President, 1st place winner of the Burbank Optimist Clubs oratory competition, 1st place desktop computer winner of the Burbank Town Management Centers essay contest, 3rd place in Burbank Water and Powers Water is Life poster contest, Athlete of the Meet, Most Valuable Doubles Player, Most Valuable JV Player, Rookie of the Year for Men @ Work, and a history of outstanding citizenship.
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have led my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world in a competition of creativity, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our balsa wood structure and Wizard of Wor skit. In the years since, I have used my experience to lead the club. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by leading stretches and setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, even though our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League.
I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. Math Club on Fridays is an important part of my life because it helps prepare me for my career in engineering. I have been in CSF all four years of high school. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards; therefore, I am an active member and an official sealbearer. I am also in National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta National Mathematics Honor Society. I have been a member of Key Club in 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade.
Running through the memorable horse
trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the influential people in my
life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me.
Whether hiking through
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and our family has low income. Finances for college are more challenging with my dads death. We live frugally on investment income. During my dads illness, we were not able to do repairs on our 1941 home. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
Sincerely,
Benji
Baker
In three years, I see myself in an Engineering job helping the world by analyzing problems and writing papers to explain the world as I see it. After training from some college in engineering or the humanities (I am leaving my options open), I will have the leadership abilities and knowledge necessary to have a meaningful job.
I have chosen a future career in
Engineering because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented
careers. My dad designed rockets and military things for the Navy in
I chose Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and I would be very interested to go to school with the smart people that get accepted there. I have not heard from Harvard yet. I chose UCLA because it is my dads alma mater.
My teachers have influenced me in my career choice because I have had some excellent teachers who got me interested in math and English.
Teresa, my sister, has been the most important in my personal development. She has always been there for me, even after she left for college. We still keep in touch with nightly phone calls.
My strongest abilities are industriousness, listening, and dedication.
I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life. I need this scholarship because I am not rich; my family income is around $14,000, and my selected school is UCLA.
50 Words or Less
I see myself three years from now in a career involving Engineering or Writing. I will go to a four-year private university for my training.
I have chosen a future career in
Engineering because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented
careers. My dad designed rockets and military things for the Navy in
I chose Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and I would be very interested to go to school with the smart people that get accepted there. I have not heard from Harvard yet, because I have been so busy with extracurriculars that I have not gotten a chance to check online. I was accepted to UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater. I was also accepted to USC, but I most likely will choose UCLA over USC.
My teachers have influenced me in my career choice because I have had some excellent teachers who got me interested in math and English. Teresa, my sister, has been the most important in my personal development. She has always been there for me, even after she left for college. We still keep in touch with nightly phone calls.
My strongest abilities are industriousness, listening, and dedication. I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life.
Finances for college are more challenging with my husbands death. We live frugally on investment income. During my husbands illness, we were not able to do repairs on our 1941 home. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know my income will not cover college expense for Benji. Benji will contribute much to any college. I must at the same time plan for my living on my own in the years to come. His development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
I deserve this scholarship because I am extremely well qualified. I did six weeks of community service at the Buena Vista Library for the Summer Reading Club, I have volunteered to clean the LA River, and I have altar served and lectored at my church. I am a part of St. Finbars Youth Group, which provides extensive service to the community. We do car washes, soup nights, fiestas, etc.
I am the captain of the varsity
tennis team at John Burroughs. I was Librarian and Tenor Section leader in
Sound Waves. I have been a part of Powerhouse/Chamber for two years. We are the
advanced mixed group at my school and we have won countless first places. We
have been practicing after school for our national competition in
As far as financial need goes, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we have about $14000 annual income.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Of all the influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and indelible impact on me. She motivated me by going beyond standard limits of high school math to take AP Calculus BC, by being valedictorian, and by being accepted to MIT. By tutoring, supporting, playing, and leading, Teresa has extensively shaped my character. She is pursuing a Ph.D. while I apply for undergraduate admissions. We are separated by seven years and three thousand miles, yet our love is undiminished.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
I was so committed to matching my sisters achievements that in my ensuing junior year, it took eight periods to satiate my thirst for learning. Although my full schedule was entirely worthwhile, I became familiar with the inevitable element of compromise. Singing and sports are equally essential parts of my nature, so I learned to manage my time among choir competitions, meets, and a plethora of matches.
I cannot thank Teresa enough for encouraging me to join choir, a decision which has made a prodigious, incomparable difference in my life. If I had not attended numerous Pop Shows in which my sister performed, I would not have taken the initiative to audition. Choir, in addition to Teresa, has taught me diligence, self-confidence, industriousness, and technique. Through choirmy passionI have developed from a reserved boy to a more outgoing young man and made the enduring bonds of lasting friendship.
Whether
hiking through
Eager with
anticipation, I run down the hall to answer the nightly phone call. Without
fail, Teresa informs us of the latest advancements in her graduate research.
Likewise, I relate to her the exhilarating proceedings of my teenage life. I
hope to join her in
Running through the memorable horse
trails of gorgeous
My team members and I have camaraderie; we have developed a distinct sense of humor based upon familiarity with one anothers idiosyncrasies.
My loyalty disciplines me without needing Coach Peebles to lurk surreptitiously behind the eucalyptus trees to check on my effort.
One of the greatest rewards from the strenuous cross country experience is the ability not to complain. After four years, I have become accustomed to viscous clouds of dust sticking to my profusely perspiring skin and parched throat. It is inevitable that I attain honorable mud stains from the wet ground and the puddles I traverse.
Cross country gives me the fierce drive and adrenaline to jump up after scraping my way down a precipitous hill in a race. Every stride of the cross country program has made me a more confident leader.
In three years, I see myself in an Engineering job helping the world by analyzing problems and writing papers to explain the world as I see it. After training from some college in engineering or the humanities (I am leaving my options open), I will have the leadership abilities and knowledge necessary to have a meaningful job.
I have chosen a future career in
Engineering because my family has had a history of mathematical-oriented
careers. My dad designed rockets and military things for the Navy in
I chose Harvard because it is a world-renowned school of excellence and I would be very interested to go to school with the smart people that get accepted there. I have not heard from Harvard yet. I chose UCLA because it is my dads alma mater.
My teachers have influenced me in my career choice because I have had some excellent teachers who got me interested in math and English.
Teresa, my sister, has been the most important in my personal development. She has always been there for me, even after she left for college. We still keep in touch with nightly phone calls.
My strongest abilities are industriousness, listening, and dedication.
I have much ambition for the future because I have spent my education to this point in preparation for making it into a good college, where I will learn the skills to be successful in life. I need this scholarship because I am not rich; my family income is around $14,000, and my selected school is UCLA.
$23,291
Notice Date March 10, 2006 Parent Contribution $2,701
Student Contribution $6,036
Housing Selection On-Campus Financial Aid Eligibility $14,554
|
II. |
|||
|
Activity |
Position Held |
Hours |
Grades |
|
Show Choir |
Sound Waves Librarian/Section Leader Chamber/Powerhouse Advanced Mixed 1st Runner-up at Fame Branson (05) and NY (06) |
1440 |
10-12 |
|
Men @ Work |
Soloist in Grand Champion in |
210 |
10-12 |
|
Cross Country |
Varsity Co-League Champion (05) Athlete of the Meet |
1000 |
9-12 |
|
Tennis |
Varsity Team Captain #2 Varsity Singles #1 Doubles (11th Grade) Most Valuable Doubles Player Most Valuable JV Player (9) |
800 |
9-12 |
|
Odyssey of the Mind Competition of Creativity |
Leader of Spontaneous practice 10th in the World for the Odd Pod Structure Category (9) |
40 |
9,11-12 |
|
Mantra Magazine |
Published; Coffeehouse Assistant |
40 |
11-12 |
|
Future Problem Solvers |
|
10 |
9 |
|
Math Club |
|
20 |
11-12 |
|
Community Service Below |
|||
|
|
Active Tutor; Sealbearer |
24 |
9-12 |
|
St. Finbars Youth Group |
Member (Duties: Soup Nights, Thanksgiving Dinner, Car Wash for Elderly, Fiesta) |
30 |
10-12 |
|
|
Altar Server, currently Lector |
24 |
9,11-12 |
|
Key Club |
Paid Member |
20 |
9-12 |
|
LA River Clean-up |
|
8 |
10-11 |
|
|
|
5 |
9 |
|
|
|
8 |
9 |
|
Haunted Hike at Stough |
Performer/Decorator |
14 |
9 |
III. Academic Achievements
I have maintained straight As all throughout high school. I have been able to complete many AP courses in addition to choir, sports, and four years of Spanish. My school has an unusual choir program because our Powerhouse choir is one of the most noteworthy show choirs in the nation because we have taken many First Places in Southern California as well as two First Runner-Up trophies in national competitions during my two years in the advanced group.
My score of 3 for AP English Language and Composition may be considered unusually low, but my explanation is that my school did not offer a course in AP English Language and Composition, and I did minimal studying. As for the new SAT I that I took in January, I accidentally failed to bubble in answers for ten Grid-in questions (as the score report I received indicates), which affected my score a little.
I am ranked fifth in my class. While my GPA may not be the highest, I contend that my coursework was as tough as anyone elses because I managed my time among choir and sports. I did not have the opportunity to take AP Calculus until my senior year because my middle school did not offer Geometry and so I did not skip 6th grade math. I could not fit AP Computer Science or AP Chemistry into my schedule and still take the classes I took. For the classes I did take, I was typically at or near the top of my class.
I am a National Honor Society and Mu Alpha Theta Honor Society member. I am a designated AP Scholar and recipient of a National Merit Letter of Commendation.
Benjamin Bakers Personal Profile Letter
After four years of college, I see myself attending graduate school, on my way to an exciting, meaningful career. At this point, I have many interests and talents. I look forward to college as a place where I will encounter opportunities; therefore, I have left my options open. I will attend UCLA, starting this September. I plan to major in Engineering, although I may double-major in English, because writing is something immeasurably useful no matter what field I choose. Nevertheless, I have always been at the top of my math classes and I attend weekly Math Club meetings on Friday because I have a passion for mathematics. Engineering is a perfect way for me to apply my mathematics and help design, create, analyze, and contribute to the world.
I have a fierce
ambition to learn and to contribute to my school and community, as I have shown
by intense involvement at
I have a wide array of honors such as Jordan Middle School ASB Vice President, 1st place winner of the Burbank Optimist Clubs oratory competition, 1st place desktop computer winner of the Burbank Town Management Centers essay contest, 3rd place in Burbank Water and Powers Water is Life poster contest, Most Valuable JV Tennis Player, Rookie of the Year for Men @ Work, and a history of outstanding citizenship.
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have helped lead my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, my Men @ Work group to a National Grand Championship in NYC, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our Wizard of Wor [sic] skit and our eighteen-gram balsa wood structure, which held over 800 pounds. In the years since, I have used my experience to promote the club by gathering interest and leading Spontaneous practices. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by leading stretches and setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, and although our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League, this years season has ended with a record much improved from last year.
I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. Math Club on Fridays is an important part of my life because it helps prepare me for my career in engineering. After being an active member in CSF all four years of high school, I have received the special designation of Sealbearer. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards.
Personal Statement Part Two: In Order to Know Me Better
Running through the
memorable horse trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the
influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and
indelible impact on me. Whether hiking through
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen (8/25/04) and we live frugally on investment income. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
VI. SUMMARY OF WORK EXPERIENCE
Buena Vista Library (2004) Summer Reading Club Assistant 6 weeks; 25 hrs/wk
Partners in Care Foundation (2003) Project/Office Assistant 6 weeks; 25 hrs/wk
My home responsibilities sweeping the walkway, scrubbing the bathroom, drying the dishes, setting the table, moving the car for street sweeping, cleaning my room, etc. take about an hour a week.
VII. Collegiate Plans
I was accepted to and plan to attend UCLA, to which I chose to apply because it is my dads alma mater and it has an appealing community of intelligent, gifted people. I have acceptances from UC Berkeley, UCSD, and USCs Viterbi Engineering Department.
Junior Commerce
|
Activity |
Position Held |
Hours |
Grades |
|
Show Choir |
Sound Waves Librarian/Section Leader Chamber/Powerhouse Advanced Mixed 1st Runner-up at Fame Branson (05) and NY (06) |
1440 |
10-12 |
|
Men @ Work |
Soloist in Grand Champion in |
210 |
10-12 |
|
Cross Country |
Varsity Co-League Champion (05) Athlete of the Meet |
1000 |
9-12 |
|
Tennis |
Varsity Team Captain #2 Varsity Singles #1 Doubles (11th Grade) Most Valuable Doubles Player Most Valuable JV Player (9) |
800 |
9-12 |
|
Odyssey of the Mind Competition of Creativity |
Leader of Spontaneous practice 10th in the World for the Odd Pod Structure Category (9) |
40 |
9,11-12 |
|
Mantra Magazine |
Published; Coffeehouse Assistant |
40 |
11-12 |
|
Future Problem Solvers |
|
10 |
9 |
|
Math Club |
|
20 |
11-12 |
|
Community Service Below |
|||
|
|
Active Tutor; Sealbearer |
24 |
9-12 |
|
St. Finbars Youth Group |
Member (Duties: Soup Nights, Thanksgiving Dinner, Car Wash for Elderly, Fiesta) |
30 |
10-12 |
|
|
Altar Server, currently Lector |
24 |
9,11-12 |
|
Key Club |
Paid Member |
20 |
9-12 |
|
LA River Clean-up |
|
8 |
10-11 |
|
|
|
5 |
9 |
|
|
|
8 |
9 |
|
Haunted Hike at Stough |
Performer/Decorator |
14 |
9 |
Activity Position(s) Held Total Hours (Est.) Grades Participated (9-12)
VI. SUMMARY OF WORK EXPERIENCE
Buena Vista Library (2004) Summer Reading Club Assistant 6 weeks; 25 hrs/wk
Partners in Care Foundation (2003) Project/Office Assistant 6 weeks; 25 hrs/wk
My home responsibilities are nothing remarkable: sweeping the walkway, scrubbing the bathroom, drying the dishes, setting the table, moving the car for street sweeping, cleaning my room, etc.
Benjamin Bakers Personal Statement for the Burbank Memorial Achievement Council
Part One: Relatively Brief Clarifications
After four years of college, I see myself attending graduate school, on my way to an exciting, meaningful career. I will attend UCLA, starting this September. I plan to major in Engineering, although I may double-major in English, because writing is something immeasurably useful no matter what field I choose. Nevertheless, I have always been at the top of my math classes and I attend weekly Math Club meetings on Friday because I have a passion for mathematics. Engineering is a perfect way for me to apply my mathematical knowledge and help design, create, analyze, and contribute to the world.
I have a fierce
ambition to learn and to contribute to my school and community, as I have shown
by intense involvement at
I have ample experience leading groups of people, as well as a great deal of success. I have been fortunate to be on many winning teams, and my high spirits help motivate the rest of the team. My enthusiasm and dedication have helped lead my Odyssey of the Mind team to 10th in the world, my varsity cross country team to a Co-League Championship this year, my Men @ Work group to a National Grand Championship in NYC, and my advanced mixed Powerhouse show choir to numerous first places. As a freshman in Odyssey of the Mind, a competition of creativity, my team and I won because of our Wizard of Wor [sic] skit and our eighteen-gram balsa wood structure, which held over 800 pounds. In the years since, I have used my experience to promote the club by gathering interest and leading Spontaneous practices. As captain of my varsity tennis team, I have learned to motivate others by leading stretches and setting a positive example. I reiterate my saying, Good times, good times, and although our tennis team has struggled in the Foothill League, this years season has ended with a record much improved from last year.
My various interests have prompted me to become involved with a wide array of clubs. I am a published member of Mantra Magazine, for which I attend coffeehouses and type entries. After being an active member in CSF all four years of high school, I have received the special designation of Sealbearer. I tutor, attend meetings, and make teacher appreciation cards.
Personal Biography Part Two: In Order to Know Me Better
Running through
the memorable horse trails of gorgeous
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
My sister and I shared the last moments of my dads life, as he lived with a hernia and the scars of triple bypass coronary artery surgery. His enthusiasm was ubiquitous at the dinner table and throughout the neighborhood, even as we watched his energy drain and deteriorate. Then Teresa shared the loss when he died from congestive heart failure in August 2004. She flew home and set a resilient, lucid example. By the time school started, I was ready and determined to move on, celebrating my fathers memory by striving to do my best in school.
Of all the
influential people in my life, my sister Teresa has had the most profound and
indelible impact on me. Whether hiking through
Regarding financial need, my dad died when I was sixteen, and we live frugally on investment income. As I have been putting together a picture of our finances this year, I know our family income will not cover college expenses. I eagerly look forward to continuing my education, and I will contribute much to any college. My development in the next four years at college is well worth your financial investment.
Senior Statement
Choir has been a major investment of time and money, and the effort has paid dividends manifold greater than ever imagined.
I am so fortunate to have been a part of show choir so that I could partake in beautiful music and entertaining, exciting dancing.
I want to thank my family for their steadfast, reliable support throughout this exhilarating experience of beautiful music and energy-driven dancing. Diction, sharp hits, schwarzandos, sight singing, and emotion.
Watching Pop Show from the audience is stimulating, but it is so much more fun to be a part of it up on stage.
I want to thank the unforgettable people I have met through this organization. The vocal music program here at Burroughs has enabled me to mingle with people of unimaginable talent and character.
Good times.
I guess Ill leave a bit of a legacy and as an alumnus, I promise to send back lots of money if Im ever rich. To my underclassmen apprentices, best of luck in the upcoming years. Have fun running and winning and singing mezzo de voces.
Thanks to Gabby for convincing me to join. Thank you, Mrs. Rago, Brendan Jennings, Jen Oundjian, Jen Porter, Dan Scoville. Thanks for coming to Pop Show, all you awesome people in the audience!
I am so fortunate to be a part of the VMA, an organization of powerful people. Yee-hah. Yo. Um. Wah-HOO.
On stage, I add my Aah to forty other voices to form powerful, resonating chords. After a few seconds, I feel the adrenaline rush of choreography; I sharply strike poses and smoothly flow with the music. After the ecstasy of a flawless performance, my thoughts turn to its inspiration, my sister.
Thanks to my family for their steadfast support throughout this exhilarating experience of amazing music and powerful, energy-driven choreography. I am so fortunate to be among such talented, inspiring performers. Sight singing, extreme diction, powerful emotion... Thank you, Mrs. Rago, Brendan, Jen Oundjian, Jen Porter, and Dan. Thanks for coming to Pop Show, all you awesome people in the audience! Good times!
Im so fortunate to be among such talented, inspiring performers. For steadfast support throughout this exhilarating experience of powerful music and energy-driven choreography, thanks to my family, Mrs. Rago, Brendan, Jen Oundjian, Jen Porter, Dan, and all you awesome people in the audience! Sight singing, extreme diction... Good times!
AP Government Benji Baker
Period 5 March 10, 2006
Supreme Court Justices
John Glover Roberts, Jr. (born January 27, 1955 / 51 years old)
Buffalo, New York, New York
Before joining the Supreme Court, Roberts was a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, spent 14 years in private law practice and held positions in Republican administrations in the U.S. Department of Justice and Office of the White House Counsel.
George W. Bush nominated Roberts to the Circuit Court of
Appeals for the
Conservative
Contribution: argued the cause for the petitioners
Date of case decision: April 24, 2002
Barnhart v. Peabody Coal Co.
Contribution: argued the cause for the respondents Peabody Coal Company, et al.
Date of case decision: October 8, 2002
Smith v. Doe
Contribution: argued the cause for the petitioners
Date of case decision: November 13, 2002
John Paul Stevens (born April 20, 1920 / 85 years old)
He received an A.B. from the
Nominated by: Ford (Sworn in: December 19, 1975)
liberal
Stewart v. Dutra
Construction Company
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Smith v.
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Johnson v.
Contribution: Special concurrence
Date of case decision: February 23, 2005
Ruth Bader Ginsburg was born in
Ruth Bader Ginsburg took her oath of office August 10, 1993
as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the
Liberal
Smith v.
Contribution: Minority / Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Stewart v. Dutra Construction Company
Contribution: Majority / Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Johnson v.
Contribution: Regular concurrence / Date of case decision: February 23, 2005
Stephen Breyer, Associate Justice, was born August 15, 1938
(67 years old), in
Appointed by:
Somewhat moderate liberal
Contribution: Majority / Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Contribution: Minority / Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Contribution: Regular concurrence / Date of case decision: February 23, 2005
John Paul Stevens,
Associate Justice, was born in
President Ford nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat December 19, 1975.
Liberal
Stewart v. Dutra Construction Company
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Smith v.
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Johnson v.
Contribution: Special concurrence
Date of case decision: February 23, 2005
Antonin Scalia was born in
He received his A.B. from
Appointed by: Reagan (September 26, 1986)
Conservative
Ford Motor Co. v. McCauley
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: October 15, 2002
Yellow
Transportation, Inc. v.
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: November 5, 2002
Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. v. Henson
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: November 5, 2002
Anthony M. Kennedy was born in
He received his B.A. from
Appointed by: Reagan (February 18, 1988)
Ideology: Swing Vote: Moderate
Devenpeck v.
Alford
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: December 13, 2004
Whitfield v.
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: January 11, 2005
Clark v.
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: January 12, 2005
David Hackett Souter was born in
He was graduated from
Date of case decision: February 22, 2005
Appointed by: Bush, Sr. (October 9, 1990)
IdeologyInitially intended to be conservative, but now is moderate liberal by post-war standards
Internal Revenue Commissioner v. Banks; Internal Revenue Commissioner v. Banaitis
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: January 24, 2005
Howell v.
Contribution: Majority
Date of case decision: January 24, 2005
Smith v.
Contribution: Majority
Clarence Thomas was born in the Pinpoint community of
Appointed by Bush, Sr. (October 23, 1991)
Conservative
Former Chief Justice
Earl Warren is one of the best known Supreme Court justices because he was a Chief Justice. He served from October 5, 1953June 23, 1969. During this time, he was a liberal judge who practiced liberal activism. As a result, he spurned out many Supreme Court cases during his time in office.
Earl Warren, the
son of an Norwegian immigrant who worked for the
Southern Pacific Railroad, was born in
Earl Warren was an
immensely popular Republican governor when President Dwight Eisenhower appointed
him to the Supreme Court. Eisenhower sincerely regretted his appointment later
because
Earl Warren joined
the Court when the issue of racial segregation was the current hype. As Chief
Justice,
Warren had many other accomplishments in other cases, such as the "one man, one vote" cases of 19621964, which dramatically altered the relative power of rural regions in many states; Hernandez v. Texas, which gave Mexican-Americans the right to serve on juries; and Miranda v. Arizona, 384 US 436 (1966), which required that certain rights of a person being interrogated while in police custody be clearly explained, including the right to an attorney (often called the "Miranda warning").
One of
At the direct
request of President Lyndon Johnson,
Current Justice A. G. S.
Antonin Gregory Scalia was born March 11, 1936 (3 years and a week before my dad was born; 52 years, four days before I was born). He has been a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice since 1986. He is very conservative and he hardly has to show up to vote because he always votes based upon conservative ideology. He is conservative like Clarence Thomas, the black man on the Court. Scalia is an originalist voice on the Court and one of the most outspoken defenders of textualism in statutory interpretation and original meaning in constitutional interpretation.
Antonin Scalia was
born in
Scalia attended a
Catholic and Jesuit military school in
Scalia wrote a
dissenting opinion in Planned Parenthood
v. Casey, 510
On
September 10, 1960, Scalia married Maureen McCarthy, an English major at
Scalia
(Nino) is Roman Catholic, and the first Italian-American to be on the Supreme
Court. Scalia went against conservatism in
Scalia ruled to uphold Roe v. Wade, not because the Constitution protects the right to abortion, but because he is an ultra-conservative and he believes heavily in states rights.
Scalia is known for his concurring and dissenting opinions, which may be characterized as sarcastic and biting "potshots" at the other justices, quoting them from past opinions to point out what he considers inconsistencies in their reasoning, or accusing them of inventing legal standards out of thin air.
Scalia is very protective of his privacy, and he does not like the press recording his speeches. However, he allows the media to record his speeches in order that he will be quoted correctly. The Senate approved Scalia by a vote of 98-0 and he took his seat on September 26, 1986. Scalia has turned out to be one of the most conservative justices on the Supreme Court.
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Warren
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roberts
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonin_Scalia
http://www.usscplus.com/info/justices.htm
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/legal_entity/850/cases
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKwarren.htm
Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Warren
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Roberts
http://www.usscplus.com/info/justices.htm
http://www.oyez.org/oyez/resource/legal_entity/850/cases
http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/JFKwarren.htm
May 10, 2006
To Whom It May Concern,
I am delighted to write this letter of recommendation for Mrs. Jill Sullivan, whom I have known since she was the fearless head of the Future Problem Solvers of America in my ninth grade year. In honor of Teacher Appreciation Week, it is my pleasure to commend Mrs. Sullivan for her wonderful teaching qualifications.
Mrs. Sullivan, mother of Ben Sullivan and wife of Mr. Sullivan, deserves much gratitude for her pleasant habit of rewarding the people around her with candy. She is a very kind teacher, for she has worked countless times after school writing letters of recommendation for me. Hence, I return the favor.
Mrs. Sullivans scintillating writing has helped me win thousands of dollars of scholarships to help fund my forthcoming education at UCLA. With her enthusiastic signatures, I have received scholarships from the Elks Lodge, Zonta Club, Womans Club, Burbank Association of Realtors, and Ronald McDonald Charities.
I am fortunate to have had Mrs. Sullivan enlighten me with fine literature such as The Odyssey, A Tale of Two Cities, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Even The Old Man and the Sea was not that bad. Mrs. Sullivan helped our class navigate the peculiarities of Greek mythology and she taught us how to describe our study habits with expressions of the day such as burn the midnight oil. Her classroom is memorable for its elaborate annual haunted house drawing, its rules for life posters which made me delve into my own philosophy, and bountiful prospects for bonus points in the form of orthographical Easter eggs hidden in various locations.
The
capacity in which I have been able to get to know Mrs. Sullivan the best is
Odyssey of the Mind. As a leader in this contest of creativity, Mrs. Sullivan
has shown tremendous prowess in bringing teams together to victory, yet
devotedly refraining from giving teams any outside assistance in accordance
with the competitions rules. As a freshman in the club, I had the opportunity
to travel to the breathtaking sensations provided by
I offer my highest recommendation for Mrs. Sullivan, GATE Coordinator and English teacher. She is much more than just an English teacher, however. Mrs. Sullivan is a caring human being, who supported me at my fathers funeral, encouraged me at my choir performances, and kept in relatively good spirits even if bad things were happening. If you have any further questions, please feel free to call me at (818) 848-2884.
Sincerely,
Bodaciously Benevolent Boogie-down Bright Benji Baker
Three Characteristics of Leadership
The people in our world have a wide
array of talents. Only some are cut out to be leaders. The
Industriousness, the most valuable trait, is something I have demonstrated in many of my endeavors in high school. With hard work, anything is possible. I have put much time and effort into my activities and it has paid off with abundant success. As a leader, I subscribe very much to the theory of leading by example. My friends have admired my commitment to choir, tennis, and cross country. In choir, I have the experience of many weekend rehearsals, camps, trips, competitions, and so my peers respect me. I lead by exerting concentrated focus on whatever song we are working on, and I do not let myself be distracted.
Enthusiasm
is something that stands out in a leader. A leader inspires others to perform to
the best of their abilities by having a positive, optimistic spirit. I always
look on the bright side during cross country workouts. Running through the
horse trails of
The last quality of a leader is team spirit. I have had ample opportunities to develop team spirit throughout high school. When I lead stretches during tennis, I encourage everyone to stretch, and I make sure everyone takes time to stretch. I explain to the team that everyone has to stretch so that we build solidarity as a strong team. I cherish team spirit, because along with team spirit go concern for others, fight, integrity, and patience. I have been part of a show choir of almost fifty singers, and as a leader I have shown my fellow choir members the meaning of discipline, self-control, and poise off-stage, while exhibiting powerful energy during performance.
May 5, 2006
Dear Mr. Campbell,
According to CSF, this is Teacher Appreciation Week, so I want to thank you for all the work you do, and especially for skillfully teaching me Honors English (9). I have been very fortunate to have you, Mrs. Sullivan, Mr. Kuglen, and Mrs. Caluya for my English education.
Today was the English Literature and Composition exam, and it went well.
I did not get into Harvard, Yale, or MIT, but I think you helped me strengthen my personal essay for my application so I am fine with the colleges decisions. I am going to UCLA in September.
I do not
know if I will ever go to
Since there will not be more freshman Campbell kids in the future, I guess I do not have to scare them about your daunting strictness; so I have no qualms about admitting that you were one of the best teachers I have had. You were always extremely professional and organized and I learned a great deal of material in your class.
You have been teaching for such a long time; I guess you have to retire sometime. I know Burroughs will miss your presence.
Did you know Nolan Salisbury is salutatorian?
Thanks again,
Benji Baker
Dear Mr. Kuglen,
Apparently, this is Teacher Appreciation Week, and I would like to thank you very much for helping me with English last year as my Honors English 11 teacher. Today, I took the AP English Literature exam. We, of course, are not supposed to discuss the exam in detail, so Ill just talk in general. The open-essay prompt dealt with the effect of a country setting in a novel of literary merit. Does that not fit As I Lay Dying perfectly, to a T? I was so excited because the prompt worked perfectly for As I Lay Dying, and I remembered enough from last year to write a good essay. Only 1% of students receive a 9 on their essay, so I might not have written a 9 paper, but my essay was pretty good.
Anyway, I am writing this on behalf of CSF, which I believe you headed one year, according to an old planner that ASB gave us in the past. CSF would like to thank you for the effort you put into your work.
I remember all the good times with peanut brittle, punctuation means something, Huck Finn, The Scarlet Letter, Emily Dickinson, class participation, and the dance you did on the bulletin way back in the day.
I did not get into Harvard, Yale, or MIT, but I think you helped me write a decent personal essay for the application, so that is fine. Im going to UCLA.
Thanks,
Benji Baker
If I Could Have Lunch with Any Famous Person
I felt a whizzing, slicing, blurry sensation and I involuntarily shut my eyes. After my brain stopped whirling, I opened my eyes. Through the intricate mysteries of time travel, I found myself seated at the Appomattox Court House for lunch. There, seated next to me, was a tall, skinny man with a stovepipe hat. He looked distinguished and he bore himself with an upright, self-assured carriage.
Why, sir, you must be Abraham Lincoln! I addressed him.
Thats
right, my boy,
I want to
congratulate you, sir. Robert E. Lee just surrendered the Confederate forces,
so you have effectively held the
Yes, but I do not want to gloat over crushing the Confederacy. I propose amnesty and as long as at least ten percent of the South is willing to reunite with the North, I say we should welcome them with open arms.
That is
what I admire most about you, Abraham Lincoln. You took the Constitutions
provision of commander-in-chief to new heights in a successful effort to keep
our
As I said
in my inaugural address about the momentous issue of civil war, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen have no oath registered in
Heaven to destroy the government, while I have the most solemn one to preserve,
protect, and defend it,
I am very
grateful to you for holding the Union together, because from where I come, the
Ah, I see
you have memorized a little of my Gettysburg Address. Now, where did you say
you were from?
Imfrom the future! The government you strove to protect has not perishedit has thrived. In fact
I was about to warn Lincoln to be extra careful if he ever went to Fords Theatre, when suddenly I felt a rush of wind around my ears, and I could sense that my travel in time was over.
Of Great Consequence
I have spent seventeen years preparing myself for the leap to a post-secondary institution for learning. College is important to me because I have focused my life on academic success in the hopes of gaining admittance to a prestigious college and having the opportunity to make a difference in the world.
College is especially important to me because my major is undecided right now in order to keep my options open. When I arrive in college, I will find and pursue the course of study that seems most interesting to me. College is vital to my life because it will provide me with the foundation for obtaining a desirable job that will allow me the security and wherewithal to support my family with a house and car. College will direct my life and guide me down the path to finding a suitable career. I may develop the skills necessary to become an engineer, an economist, or a writer.
College is a significant culmination of all the work I have done throughout my education. In college, I will continue to sing by joining an a capella group. Music is a major part of my life because last year my Powerhouse Show Choir won second place at a national competition. During my four years of high school, I put forth the motivated effort to maintain straight As so that I could get into a good college, because there I will find many opportunities to better my community. I will continue developing my leadership skills, which I am currently working on as team captain of my varsity tennis team. I am eager to attend college so that I may contribute to society and work with people. I look forward to interacting with highly acclaimed professors and international students.
Speech for
Hi, my name is Benji Baker. I am a senior at Burroughs; I graduated back in 2002. I remember I had great teachers like Mr. K and Mr. Silverstein and I did football fundamentals for seventh period. I didnt do choir during middle school, but I was still able to do it in high school. The main word of advice I have for you is high school can be awesomeit can be a blast if you get involved. High school offers different clubs and activities. Ive done cross country all four years. We were Co-League Champions this year. Ive done tennis all four years and now Im varsity team captain. I am here to tell you its possible to manage choir and the rest of your life, because in case you havent heard, choir takes a lot of time. Ive done sports and choir during high school, and always kept straight As, too. Straight As is cool at middle school, but its an even bigger deal at high school because classes at high school such as AP classes are tougher than classes in middle school. I recommend choirPeace out.
July
11, 2006
Dear Jeri Moncel,
I was thrilled
to receive $1500 from you. I am further excited to find out that there is a
chance I may renew this award in years to come. I truly appreciate the generous
scholarship award because it will make my college education less expensive and
less stressful. Now I can concentrate on studying and engaging in activities.
My summer has been good so far. I am working as a counselor for the City of
I hope that I
will be able to use this money, because UCLA has a very strict policy. I have
already paid off my loans and work-study, so any scholarship money UCLA
receives goes directly to the institution, circumventing my student
contribution entirely. The State of
I hope your
summer is going exceedingly well, and I appreciate your gift very, very much.
Thanks
so much,
Benji
Baker
Short Answer #2
I have found success in English, physical science, and
social sciences. I have such an interest in math that I have memorized 200 digits
of pi. Having reached the level of calculus, I would like to put to use all the math I have learned. I visited the open house of
Viterbi School of Engineering, and I know I can pursue my academic interests
there. Engineering is the major of my choice, and I plan to incorporate English
classes into my schedule, in preparation for a desirable job that will suit my
multifarious interests. I have a special interest in Spanish, studying for all
four years of high school the language that over half of my school speaks. At
USC, I hope to combine the study of mathematics with the study of English.
Quick Takes
I am industrious, enthusiastic, and dedicated.
Last book I read for pleasure: Dark Force Rising by Timothy Zahn
Favorite musical composer: Weird Al Yankovic
My dream job would be to work as a foreign affairs columnist for The New York Times
Favorite leisure activity: Ultimate Frisbee
Role model: my sister, Teresa
Favorite quote: 42 is the Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything (from The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)
I eat my favorite food, ice cream, every night for dessert.
Best movie of all time: The Lord of the Rings
Most prized possessions: Hackysack and 79 Oldsmobile
1. Show Choir 10th-12th Grade; 7 hours per week; 47 weeks per year. Elected Librarian. Section Leader.
Cross Country 9th-10th Grade; 12 hours per week, 20 weeks per year. Co-League Championship (2005). Athlete of the Meet.
Tennis 9th-12th Grade; 7 hours per week; 15 weeks per year. Most Valuable Doubles Player, Junior Varsity Most Valuable Player, Made Varsity in 10th, 11th, and 12th grades
Odyssey of the Mind 9th, 11th, and 12th; 2 hours per week, 10 weeks per year: Competition of creativity. Team Captain. My team won 10th in the world in my freshman year.
2. AP Scholar, National Merit Letter of Commendation, Mu Alpha Theta (National Mathematics Honor Society), Scored in the Advanced Performance Level in all categories of Californias Standardized Testing and Reporting Program, First Place Winner of Citywide Essay Contest (August 2005)
3. Summer Daze Camp at
Summer Reading Club at
Partners in Care Foundation. 7/2003-8/2003, 25 hours/wk. Office workstapling, photocopying invoices, mailing, etc.
4. I traveled to
I have
fit as many AP or honors courses into my schedule as possible, yet I have
retained the benefits of the wide array of extracurricular activities my school
provides. I have actively kept consistent attendance to benefit fully from my
proficient teachers. I embraced AP Physics because it presented a formidable
challenge for me. Through focused effort, I developed skills in critical
thinking and problem solving. Every one of my AP courses, without exception,
has rigorously impelled me to pursue knowledge, which has meant reserving my
weekends for homework. I have a special interest in Spanish, studying for all
four years of high school the language that over half of my school speaks. I
exchange letters in Spanish with relatives, and I read the Spanish scriptures
during mass. I have such an affinity for learning that I took eight periods in
my junior year, starting school at 7 am
and ending past 4 pm. I cannot
imagine not having taken any of those eight periods, and, in fact, I truly
regret that I could not somehow fit AP Computer Science in my schedule.
I have
made the most of my lunch period by attending various clubs. I am a devoted
member of clubs such as Math Club (two years), California Scholarship
Federation (four years), Key Club (four years), Mantra Magazine (two years), and
Odyssey of the Mind (three years).
Puesto en Este Mundo para el Consumo
La carne es una comida deliciosa y nutritiva. El problema es que necesitamos matar animales para poder comerlos. Los vegetarianos dicen que la carne no es para comer, pero los otros (que no se abstienen de la carne) dicen que la carne es apeticible. Hay dos puntos de vista sobre la carne, pero en mi propia filosofa, es aceptable comer la carne de animales porque es natural.
Los vegetarianos tienen una dieta especial y se limitan a comidas que no contienen la carne de animal, ave, ni pescado. A los vegetarianos, la carne les da asco. Los vegetarianos creen que no se debe comer los animales porque no es justo. La dieta vegetariana consiste de suficiente nutritivos para sustener ancianos, deportistas, y todo el mundo. Sin embargo, la dieta puede ser peligrosa si los vegetarianos en la protena que necesitan. Los vegetarianos son personas muy consideradas porque no quieren comer algo que ha caminado en un punto de tiempo.
Las
personas que comen la carne reciben los beneficios de los animales en el mundo.
Comemos la carne para sobrevivir. La carne es parte de
una dieta equilibrada, variada, y saludable. No somos conejos que nicamente
comen verduras. Los animales de granja viven vidas sencillas y
El hecho es que no es un crimen comer animales porque es natural. En la naturaleza, predatores comen otros animales constantamente. No quiero beber la sangre de carne cruda, pero la carne cocida es muy agradable por su sabor. Gozo de probar la carne. No puedo imaginar una alimentacin vegetarianauna vida sin cerdo, chuleta, cochinillo, cordero, carne de res, salchicha, o ternera. Yo respeto a los vegetarianos porque son buena gente, personas de mentes fuertes. Mi amiga Maddy es una vegetariana y ella es normal. Yo puedo tener sentimientos en comn con vegetarianos un poco porque hay comidas que no tocara nunca. Sin embargo, yo siempre voy a comer la carne. Las hamburguesas son una comida muy comn en los Estados Unidos, y por supuesto no pienso limitarme a una dieta. De ninguna manera me dejar de comer el pollo ni el jamn. Por ms que los vegetarianos insistan en no comer la carne, el da de la accin de gracias no sera igual si comer el pavo fuera prohbido.
Personal Essay for Yale
My multifarious, ecumenical interests have made me a well-rounded, balanced student. I enjoy being busy, so I have filled my schedule with activities, ensuring that I never have a dull day. Nevertheless, I have a streamlined, efficient routine of time management, which allows me time for my nightly bowl of ice cream and television.
School is very important to me. I enjoy every one of my classes, and the more a class challenges me, the more I strive to master the subject material. I like to critically analyze, design, and write. I study at night, but I still manage to find time for socializing with friends. I just attended holiday parties for Key Club, St. Finbars Youth Group, and the Vocal Music Association. I cheered at the homecoming football game and I grooved at the Coronation Dance.
I suppose I am a perfectionist because I always study enough to ace the tests so I will have the highest grade in my class. However, I want to make sure my peers also understand the subject. I am quick to offer my services as a tutor, as I have done through the California Scholarship Foundation in after-school sessions and on my own.
When I lead the stretches of my tennis team, I reflect on how glad I am that I had suggested to Coach for two years that we really needed tennis conditioning. Our tennis season starts early in the spring, and we need every day of practice available, so our school finally implemented a conditioning class. Even though Coach Bernhardt was absent one day at a golf tournament, I took over and led the stretching and running, making sure we fully utilized our day of potential practice.
Choir never
fails to get me out of bed at six oclock in the morning. My Chamber Choir
performs in the community at the citys Tree-Lighting Ceremony, at
As far as my sense of humor goes, I find great pleasure in such works of wit as The Far Side, The Onion, and The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. I admire the musical brilliance of Weird Al Yankovich.
With all my different activities, I am fortunate to be immersed in a wide breadth of interesting people. I enjoy hanging out at Odyssey of the Mind sessions, chatting during nutrition, playing dodgeball on the weekends, and playing charades at lunch. I recognize that there are many different forms of intelligence, and every person I meet has special merit. I tolerate everyones unique abilities and I smile warmly at anyone around me.
I am a proud member of Men @ Work, a mens show choir group that meets entirely outside of schooltime. We meet for three hours every Wednesday night, and now that competition season is approaching, we are even starting to have Saturday rehearsals.
I won a scholarship from the National
Junior Tennis League to attend an all-expense paid trip to
I enjoy being around people, and I can find something special in everyone.
If I am not cruising down the street in my Oldsmobile with KROQ on the radio, I find time for my hackysack, or I work on my website. When I have time for leisure, I enjoy reading the humor of The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, The Onion, and the Far Side. I listen to the musical brilliance of Weird Al Yankovich. I go to Mantra Magazine, Math Club, California Scholarship Federation, and Mantra meetings.
The engineering department appeals to me because my dad was an engineer and my sister is a mechanical engineer and I feel that engineering runs throughout my family. An engineering program at MIT appeals to me because it could help me get a technical job at JPL or some other institution.
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