I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You-Kate Nash

This cover, of "I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You" is one of my favorite songs of all time.  I first heard the original track on the "Jennifer's Body" soundtrack.  It's a great soundtrack, all though the movie was a bit of a joke, the songs were as real as it gets. This one song, is by The Black Kids, and no it is not a band of black people ( I believe that the lead singer is half and so is his sister, so that makes one black kid?). What does this song have on the original you ask? Not the actual beat since it is acoustic, but the wonderful stylings of Kate Nash, an English woman, with a real English accent, which I find kinda cute.  Kate Nash has many top hits like Foundations and Merry Happy, where she talks about her rocky relationships with various guys.  Not to spoil the song but it's of a guy who refuses to teach some girl's boyfriend how to dance with her. In real people terms, it's of a guy who has a female friend who he is utterly crazy about (notice my use of the word utterly: it's very English, like Kate Nash, I did not put it there to take up a word, (if I wanted to do that I would've put the word, "word", word)). This song is very out of Kate's element, but she does an amazing job. So, if you've ever been even a little bit crazy about someone, who was taken, this is the song for you. :)

PS. Mr. McCarthy, look how early I did this blog!

Jay and Nick

The relationship between Jay and Nick is a weird one.  They live two very different lives but are similar in many aspects.  The two meet when Jay invites him over to house for a party.  Jay's home is a mansion of another kind.  It's huge and is always filled with people all the time.  Nick, never turning down an invitation, goes to Gatsby's.  Gatsby and Nick are both alike in the way that they are around people who talk but spend much of their time listening and observing as apposed to having input.  It's not until Gatsby finds that Nick is cousins with the lost love of his life, Daisy, that Gatsby really starts to take interest in Nick.  When this happens,  the reader (I) can't help but to ask myself 'Is the relationship between Jay and Nick real? Or is Jay just using Nick?'  This question would be much easier to answer if Nick, the narrator, author of the book, and main character could say how he really feels every once in a while.  Well since Nick is not one to speak on his emotions, I must make assumptions.  I believe that the relationship between Jay and Nick was not real at first, but as time goes on, I'm starting to see a lot of progression.  The two aren't really friend oriented people they are both pretty to themselves, so when Jay invites Nick over, it's just to find Daisy and Nick just goes with the flow of things.  I think that they really start to bond when they go out to lunch together and they learn a lot about each other.  The moment that I really knew that their friendship was going to be real is when I read about how happy Gatsby was with Daisy.  Nick has brought this happiness upon Gatsby and I believe that this is a quality of a true friend.

Winter Poem

She took everything
That beautiful glisten of her warm smile
The security
Her energy
The infinite happiness
The unconditional love
Everything that I ever encountered when she was here, instantly bloomed
I thought she'd never leave
Summer
So far gone

She comes without warning
Bringing
Sleepless nights
The shaking in my fingers
The bitterness of her grin
Her cold heart makes me sick
Working harder and harder, trying to make her go away
That feeling of being left alone in the dark
The time to give and give
But to never really get
She's pretty selfish if you ask me
But the one thing that she has that Summer never did and never will
Is the ability to stay when times are hard
Winter

Thankful for a classmate

I am thankful for all of my classmates but there are a few in particular that I am especially thankful for.  Kamal, I am very thankful for you as a friend, but you're a pretty weak classmate, you were gone for a whole week!  Briana, you're really smart and funny.  We spend like the first four hours of our day together and I like your nail polish.  Gordon....no comment.  Last but defineately not least EMMET DREA.  Despite the fact that half the time you have no idea what is going on in the class I am beyond thankful for you as a classmate.  For all readers of my blog, let me share a little information on me and my good friend Emmet.  We went to school together before Whitwhit and there was this one time when we went to Cold Stone....waiiit Emmet will kill me if I share this story, well just know that at the end of the story we became good friends.  He's a great classmate, every morning I get to hear him complain about how much he hates my oversized sweater which he likes to call my "maternal sweater", or my hipster shoes.  He tells some of the dumbest jokes, but my favorite part of this kid is how confused he gets.  For all of those who do not sit in our corner of the room, Emmet is under the impression that everyone is Native American.  He refers to himself as "Young Buck"  and he believes that our work group is a tribe that is "fast with axe and swift with sword". He calls me "Young Red River Hair".  Emmet is the greatest.  Hey Emmet guess what? Tomorrow for Thanksgiving, people won't look at you funny when you decide to be all Native American and what not. :)

I Am A Plow

A plow is a big farming tool with sharp blades used for cutting furrows in soil and turn it over to prepare it before seeds are planted.  I am a 5'6" city girl, and the only blades I have are the safety scissors in my pencil case.  I am clearly not a plow.  All though, there are many things that make me and a plow similar.  A plow is used to make the soil more manageable.  It changes the soil and makes it better.  Well not to toot my own horn, but I think that I make many things in life better.  I plow all the time.  The best example of me plowing would probably be with people.

     I am a very opinionated, upfront person.  I often tend to notice what people do that's wrong or unfair in any way and I confront them about it.  Sure, I'm not the nicest person but one way or another people do listen to me.  They usually respect the fact that I don't hide how i truly feel about them.  Ultimately, I am a plower,  I plow my way into people's business and say anything that i think isn't right.  

Direction This Class Needs

Hmmm...Mr. McCarthy, American Literature, new direction?  I think I have a few ideas.  First off, I think that we should have more assessments, or ways to check what we've learned before a big exam.  I personally, found the 10 week assessment challenging and I was very surprised by some of the questions that I saw on it. When it comes to the test context, I think that the vocabulary should be seperate from the readings.  I also think that we shouldn't have to read as much everynight since the books that we read in class are harder to comprehend and they take a bit to process.  I read what is assigned but sometimes I don't get the full effect because I'm so worried that I won't finish on time.  I know that this isn't really "new direction" and it's pretty random, but I think that our concrete notes should be put in the left column of our notes, not our critical thinking.  Sometimes, class is a little boring, since we never really switch things up.  I also think that we should rotate when it comes to reading blogs in class, since a lot of people never read their blogs, that are actually really good.  Another thing I think would be nice, is for Mr. McCarthy to pass back the stuff that we turn in, so that way we can see what we did wrong and fix it for next time.  On another note, there are many things that I enjoy in this class.  I love doing the group work, that way I get to discuss the readings with my peers.  I also think that we talk about things in great detail and usually if I have a question, I know that it'll be answered.  Lastly, I really like how this class isn't stressful, but we still learn. 

Modern Day Slavery

Today, slavery is illegal. All though it doesn't seem like it, slavery is still going on.  Sure, there aren't villages of people being kidnapped from their homes and forced into hard labor but the idea of slavery is still around.  Slaves were forced to do things that they didnt want to, they weren't given a choice in life, they were expected to work until they couldn't work any more and in order to live, they had no choice but to listen to the people above them.  Modern day slavery is all around us.  There are the single parents, who have no time for their kids, spending their whole lives working to provide.  There are the CEO's who don't know what it's like to have a life outside of work, or who have lost everything to their work.  There are the lower class citizens, working on minimum wage, who couldn't dream of ever getting out of their current situation due to the fact that they never had anything more.  There are even the famous celebrities who know nothing but to entertain and with the constant publicity, aren't able to lead real lives.  Today slaves are everywhere, whether it's because of the economy, responsibility, pressure, or outter influences, people are enslaved by work and lose time for the things that really matter in life, such as family values, fun, experiences, and overall happiness.

The House of Seven Gables

Salem, Massachusetts  holds hundreds of years of important history, it is the home of America's first millionaires, many wars were fought with big attributes from Salem, but it is most famous for the witchtrials.  The witchtrials changed not only the Puritan city of Salem, but all of America.  They also influenced many pieces of classic literature. 
     The House of Seven Gables, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, is a mystery of New England's oldest survivng mansion, and is set in Salem.  Nathaniel takes this house of seven gables and turns it into a place of dark, twisted, history, and incorporates the witchtrials into the plot.  In reality the house is not a place of horror, but it was once owned by Hawthorne's relative Susanna.  Hawthorne used to visit her and she'd tell him stories, this inspired him to write The House of Seven Gables.  Hawthorne does a great job, using setting in The House of Seven Gables, using this monumental place and a lot of historical content. 
      Today, the House of Seven Gables serves as a museum, much like Jane Addam's Hull House. Here, the youth can come and learn about the history of Salem and find many interesting artifacts.

The Moment I knew I was an American

Being born in America, I always knew that if I was to claim any nationality, it'd be American.  Saying that I am an American was easy, but the question was, what do I do that makes me so American?  At first, I had no answer, beyond the fact that I was born in America.  Then after I thought about it, there are many things that make me an American.  The most important, is that I was born and raised by the American culture.  I listen to American music, eat American food, go to American events, and I know a lot about my country.  Not only am I accustomed to the American ways of life, but I take pride in my country and I believe in America as a strong nation.  I see America as a growing country of diversity and in time I think that America's economy will strive and everyone can all work together in unison.  Since I have been an American my whole life, I understand that not everything in America is perfect and there are many things that need to be fixed before we can become the nation that our founding fathers dreamed about.  The moment that I knew that I was an American was when I wanted to help and make these things happen, and the dream come true.

Us Vs. Them

The human civilization has always looked to killing as the ultimate problem solver.  Man killing man has become a custom, whether its a punishment, a resolution, a sacrifice, or a service to a leader, god, or any other religious masters.   So when a human is killed, all problems are found right?  No, not right, the killing of someone else can be the end of the problem sometimes, but it's always the end of everything to do with that person. Death is final, and there is no going back after someone is killed, even if the killing was a mistake.
    The justice system uses the death system, killing those who commit very serious crimes.  If someone has done something that bad, death is an easy way out.  They should have to pay for what they did, in jail, not by being killed.
  Genocides are another example of killings, but unlike the death sentence, genocides aren't technically a punishment.  Sure it's a punishment on an entire group of people, not for committing crimes, but for simply being who they are, believing what they believe, looking how they look and seeing the world how they see it.  Adolf Hitler and many others saw a reason to attempt to wipe out an entire race/culture/group through his feeling of superiorness.  He felt that he was so important and superior to others that it was his job to decide who belonged on this world and who didn't.
   In the Crucible, the people of Salem choose to execute all people who seemed to be witches, because in the bible it states that those who are involved in witchcraft must be put to death.  Many people were hung during the trials, for "witchcraft", but when it all comes down to it, only the strong survived during these witch trials.  Whether someone was killed or not really depended on their social standing; who they had to support them, the connections, and liability.
     This concept of "Us vs. Them", humans killing other humans is ridiculous.  Why is death so common in our world?  I believe that most deaths are committed by those who believe they are better than others, but no one is better than anyone else, everyone is equal.  A world without killing?  would be a world of fear, not that it isn't already, but still, killing people makes the weak feel stronger than they are, it makes them feel empowered and without the thrill to kill they'd feel unsafe and powerless.

John Proctor. Hero or Stooge?

In the novel, The Crucible we have a ride variety of characters.  One, very interesting one is John Proctor.  When debating on whether John is a hero or a stooge, I must say that he is a hero.
    Yes, John did make a mistake by having an affair with Abigail, but everyone makes mistakes.  The definition of hero is not "one who makes no mistakes", if that were the case then there would be no heros in the world.  The actual definition of hero is debatable.  A hero can be one that inspires for some, or one that leads for others.  To me, a hero is a leader, a strong believer, and independent.  John is able to stand for what he believes in.  He sees Parris, and his materialistic ways for what they really are and he takes a stand.  I'm sure that everyone else sees how greedy Parris is with money too but they are all too afraid to speak up.  Proctor is not afraid of what other people think, and I admire him for that.  I'm sure that if he were to be given the chance he would take back his relations with Abigail, he would take it, and that he feels very sorry for what happened.  i can tell that Proctor really loves his family, and would do anything for them to be happy.  Proctor has many qualities of a hero including independence, self thinker, loving, and even remorseful, and I could never look to him as a stooge.

Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.

     After reading an excerpt from "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" I felt many things, mainly confused.  Religion is known to be the sanctuary of many, within religion people find hope and forgiveness.  Edwards is scaring people into believing, giving them the impression that if they don't they will be damned forever.  He is forcing his beliefs on people, as if people can't make decisions on their own.  This sermon by Jonathan Edwards, was quite disturbing. He seemed like a judgmental, cruel, hypocrite.  He judged those who had not been saved yet, commenting on how they should be thankful for life, and God had no reason to keep them on earth for their sins.  He was cruel, in the way that this sermon was not a sermon at all, instead it was an attack on all those who did not follow him, who he believes is some type of mortal god.  John Edwards was either a large hypocrite or in denial, he seemed to have the idea that he had never sinned, which is impossible because everyone makes mistakes and for him to stand in front of these people and make them feel like any less of a person than they are was wrong.  If I were to ever meet John Edwards, I don't think that I'd like him very much since he has a very twisted idea of what religion is, and chose to use his powers for bad.  Lastly, the way that John Edwards explains this God of his, is insane, the question that I was constantly asking myself while reading this excerpt was "If this God is one to take pleasure out of killing those who make mistakes and sending them to hell forever instead of forgiving them, why praise him?"

There Goes the Neighborhood

    The African Slave trade was possibly one of the worst culture clashes in American history.  Taking place in the 1700's, here we have Americans finding Africans, kidnapping them, selling them, and forcing them to work.   During this time, Americans treated Africans like scum, having little value or ability.  Here is a story of an African boy and his experience of being taken from his homeland.
     14 years old, the last time I saw her.  It was always just me and her, Dad was long gone but she never talked about it, and I never asked about it.  They came in the night, those pale men with ships, powerful weapons, a language that I'd never heard before.  Foreign was the word for these men.  They took me along with half of our village, beating us until we were all packed tight on the ship.  Mom fought for me, she knew what was going on,they left her "useless" i heard them say.  It was almost impossible to know what was happening, these people coming to our village to kill and steal, this village where everyone's taught to love. Who were these people? All I knew was that there were more of them, and I had a feeling they'd all be lined up wherever I was being taken.  
    After what had seemed forever on the ship,  finally getting out was a relief, all though I was absolutely right.  There they all were, the small pale creatures.  Examining us one by one, and auctioning us off.  The selling of a human being? What was this place?  Was this how everyone here came to be? Were they to make me pale as well?  40 pounds, that was the value of my freedom.

Introduction

  Hi I'm Lauren Jeon, people call me many different things , Lo, Lala, Summer, LJ, oh and my favorite Chubby (for my cheeks).  I am a freshman/frackie at Whitney Young.  I was born and raised here in Chicago by my African American mother and Korean father, and I love the city life.  I can get almost anywhere on public transportation, which I also like to call "the pub".  I don't have any set activities that I am particularly interested in and instead I tend to go with the flow of things, me and my best friend Da Uhn, that is, we go everywhere together.  My favorite color is pink.  I am often found helping out others in many ways. I am always listening to music, and most likely it's something that you have never heard of.  I have a small dog named Honey and he knows everything about me. I am also a HUGE fan of naps, I take them everyday.  Academically, I like a challenge and I'm a very hardworker.  I like to think that I give everything that I do 110%.