Final Portfolio

English 10 Final Portfolio

Self Regulation

     My self regulation during my time in English 10 has been nowhere near where it should have been. For the second half of English 10 my assignments have been consistently late. Apart from this procrastination, my attendance has been really good and my control of the “elephant” was rather good as well. I did not frequently check my Ipod for notification and found I was able to focus on the teacher or presenters quite good. In class I give my peers the utmost respect and am always willing to offer assistance whenever and wherever it is needed. I feel as if I could have made a much better use of my time in class to do something productive as I noticed that when I wasn’t listening to someone speak I found it hard to concentrate on doing work. Overall I think I deserve an 18/33%

    

 

Quality of Communication Skills

    

      

      Making connections is something I have struggled with in the past but I think I did a good job in making connections in my tattoo assignment and my Summative Essay when I made the connection of caring for little children like my mother. During class when there is a subject of interest or curiosity I ask questions to gain further knowledge on topics.

     In my summative essay I backed up the idea of applying the concept of stepping in someone else’s shoes more commonly as a means to understand the different social, political, religious, and financial situations different people are in and how it could help people come to an understanding of others pain and suffering.

I think I deserve a 20/33% for quality of communication skills.

Contribution to the Learning Environment

      One subject area I think I could’ve spent more time on is the evaluation of the work of my peers and to provide feedback for them to improve themselves, at the same time gaining tips on how to better my own work. I did however pitch in my opinion on a few topics being discussed by the class. 

I also have begun a new concept of discussion during one of our early talks about Romeo & Juliet.

I’ve contributed to the analysis of not fully understood lines from Romeo & Juliet.

I pitched in my initial suspect of Wellingtons murderer which helped broaden the scope of the class’s discussion.

Here are examples of me providing feedback to classmates.

I think I deserve a 20/33% for contribution to the learning environment

     Overall I think the reason why I give myself such a low mark is due to my poor decision making when it came to regulating my time during class and at home. Growing up I always enjoyed reading pretty much anything with an interesting plotline. As I grew and read more books I found my vocabulary increasing as well as my ability to put words together in unique ways. When I procrastinate however, I am left with less time to complete assignments to my fullest potential. This is a shame as I think if I were a bit more wise with my decisions I had the ability to be an exceptionally good writer this year. Judging from my past experience with English being pretty successful I believe my abuse of the freedom given by you is what led to my disappointing mark and if you feel a passing grade isn’t deserved then I understand.

18%+20%+20%+1%=Overall 59%

Summative Essay

Summative Essay

        Teenagers often seem to mistake their parents incessant lectures of "stay away from him/her", "never use drugs", "don't do this, do that", as just trying to exert control over their children when in reality everything that is said is for the benefit of the child. Their parents are possibly speaking from bad experiences of their own and just wish for their children to not have the same. Thinking from another's perspective often reveals emotions and subjects that were previously misunderstood.

     In the play "Romeo and Juliet" readers and the audience make Lady Capulet out to be a lady that cares little for her daughters upbringing, spending most of her time drinking and buying clothes. Later on in the play we are told that Lady Capulet was younger than Juliet when she gave birth to her. Hearing this fact makes us wonder whether Lady Capulet is a bad mother or if she just never had time to learn how to be a responsible mother.

     In "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" to better understand Christopher's thought processes Siobhan has to put herself in his shoes to try and emulate his behaviour with certain situations. With the absence of Christopher's mother, Siobhan is a bit of a motherly figure for Chris. Seeing as Chris tends to come to Siobhan for help and guidance in times of distress.

       An example of me stepping into another's shoes is when I have to babysit my young nephews and nieces. Many time I have questioned my mother's choices while she raised me but after the experience of taking care of young children I now understand the decisions that were made by my mom to ensure my healthy upbringing.

    Addressing situations you have no experience or previous knowledge in can be quite a challenging task on its own, but experiencing it from the perspective of another is a whole other thing to consider. Valuable life lessons can be received from the process of viewing the world from the eyes of another individual and much of the world's problems could possibly be relieved if this was applied more often. People with disabilities would no longer be treated differently and people who have seen many hardships throughout their life will be understood. World leaders would realize the plight of people living in poverty.  Overall many people around the world can benefit from stepping in someone else's shoes.

Who Killed Wellington?

Who Killed Wellington?

      The act of murder against Wellington the dog was by no means an accidental death. Possibilities are numerous but the one that fits the bill the most is the theory that Mr. Boone is Wellingtons killer.

    From what we can see of Mr. Boones and Mrs. Shears’ relationship there is an apparent flirtatious atmosphere between them. This indicates that the two are most likely involved in a relationship. However, if Mrs. Shears were to suddenly break this off then Mr. Shears would obviously be upset. We know Mr. Boone is a drinker and alcohol can stimulate aggressive behavior. Mr. Boone under the influence of alcohol must’ve murdered Wellington as a means of revenge against Mrs. Shears.

   There is a wider scope of possible murderers such as drunks, druggies, mentally disabled people, or the murderer could possibly be Christopher himself. It is mentioned that there are periods of time where Christopher loses control of his senses and doesn’t recall what happens during this time. The possibility that this is true however, isn’t that high. Solid proof that this is not the case would be the fact that Christopher stays in one spot and groans to block out noise. He would not be able to pick up a garden fork and go into a frenzy unprovoked and in that trance.

    

     When Christopher gets picked up from the police station he is berated by Mr. Boone for caring too much about Wellingtons death and murderer. This certainly raised much suspicion about Mr. Boone from the start. Why would Mr. Boone become so agitated that his son expresses concern over the death of a living thing if he had no relation to the murder?

    

    Mr. Boone murdered Wellington. There is no solid evidence of Mr. Shears whereabouts prior to the murder rendering him without an alibi. The only way this incident could have been avoided would’ve been if Wellington did not notice Mr. Boone arriving at Mrs. Shears’ house.

Mercutio

Mercutio

      Mercutio is widely perceived as one of the most complex and interesting characters of Romeo & Juliet. His clever use of words and witty remarks makes him stand out from the more sentimental characters. Although Mercutio has a generally laidback personality, he is shown to be a critical thinker owing to the relationships he has to people such as Romeo, often criticizing his ideology of love.

     Compared to Romeo's sullen personality Mercutio has a generally upbeat outlook towards life and chooses not to be caught up in emotionally distressing dilemmas such as relationships opting for a more "hit it and quit it" lifestyle when it comes to women. Mercutio does not believe in such things as fate or the supernatural and thinks that the actions of a person determine their future. For example upon hearing Romeo mention he had a dream he replied that he also had a dream and that "dreamers often lie". Although usually laidback Mercutio switches moods very easily as he teased Romeo playfully about Rosaline but then adopting a more serious and erratic tone during his Queen Mab speech.

"O, then, I see Queen Mab hath been with you. She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate-stone On the fore-finger of an alderman, Drawn with a team of little atomies Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep; Her wagon-spokes made of long spiders’ legs, The cover of the wings of grasshoppers, The traces of the smallest spider’s web, The collars of the moonshine’s watery beams, Her whip of cricket’s bone, the lash of film, Her wagoner a small grey-coated gnat, Not so big as a round little worm Prick’d from the lazy finger of a maid; Her chariot is an empty hazel-nut Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub, Time out o’ mind the fairies’ coachmakers. And in this state she gallops night by night Through lovers’ brains, and then they dream of love; O’er courtiers’ knees, that dream on court’sies straight, O’er lawyers’ fingers, who straight dream on fees, O’er ladies’ lips, who straight on kisses dream, Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues, Because their breaths with sweetmeats tainted are: Sometime she gallops o’er a courtier’s nose, And then dreams he of smelling out a suit; And sometime comes she with a tithe-pig’s tail Tickling a parson’s nose as a’ lies asleep, Then dreams, he of another benefice: Sometime she driveth o’er a soldier’s neck, And then dreams he of cutting foreign throats, Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades, Of healths five-fathom deep; and then anon Drums in his ear, at which he starts and wakes, And being thus frighted swears a prayer or two And sleeps again. This is that very Mab That plats the manes of horses in the night, And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, Which once untangled, much misfortune bodes: This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage: This is she—"- Mercutio, Queen Mab Speech, Act 1

      Due to his wild and fun personality readers and audience generally tend to take a liking to Mercutio as he is such a bright contrast to the more sombre characters of the play. He is portrayed as a party animal which more modern people can relate to rather than the intense political, religious, and family affairs of his time. I believe Shakespeare had his own sense of humour that he inserted into the play in the form of Mercutio. It is already known that Shakespeare liked to insert his personal opinions under the guise of character personalities such as the corrupt Friar Lawrence and how much of the clergy at the time was corrupt. Knowing this I think Shakespeare enjoyed writing about Mercutio as it was a piece of his own mind about topics such as love and conflict between families.

     Although Mercutio is neither Montague or Capulet, he spends most of his time with members of the Montague family. His relationship with one of his closest friends, Romeo, is something that he holds dear to him. He is a fiercely loyal man when it comes to protecting his friends as shown when he stepped up to duel Tybalt in Romeos place. As he lays dying however he curses both the Montague and Capulet families for their long lasting feud and blames Romeo for his death.

Swimming Pools

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8-ejyHzz3XE 

"Some people like the way it feels

Some people wanna kill their sorrows

Some people wanna fit in with the popular. I was in a dark room, loud tunes lookin to make a vow soon"

Swimming Pools-Kendrick Lamar

I chose this song because it accurately captures my state of mind when I need to get away from problems or people that make things difficult. When Kendrick says the lines above he's referring to why people drink alcohol to get rid of stress and pressure. I made a connection to this song not because of the alcohol but how he lets himself disconnect from people for a while and free himself from worry.

Essay Topic

D) Mercutio is often considered one of Shakespeare's best characters and yet he is killed quite early in this play. Discuss how the relationships Mercutio is in influence his behaviour/choices, and discuss WHY you think so many people (including me) find him interesting and pleasure to watch/read. What do you think Shakespeare would say about his character Mercutio? Would he like him? Would he think he was brave, honourable, immature, ignorant, or wise?

My decision to choose this topic was influenced by my part in interpreting Mercutio's lines in Romeo & Juliet. I took a liking to his personality as I feel it reflects my own. Making personal connections and linking his behaviour to modern people, I will provide an accurate explanation as to why Mercutio is so liked among readers of Romeo & Juliet.

Argument #1) Mercutio's outlook on life and how he adapts to situations

Argument #2) Shakespeare's and the readers opinion on Mercutio

Argument #3) Mercutio's personality when a relationship is being affected.

English 10 Mid Term

English 10 Mid Term English 10 has proved to be quite a bit more difficult than I thought coming into a new school year, with the overall work requiring more in depth thought and analysis then previous years. Adjusting to a new teaching style was exciting at first with the prospect of being given more freedom as to how we use our time. As a result of this I procrastinated heavily and was overwhelmed by the sudden workload coming at me from different subjects. My goals for the rest of this semester are to complete assignments to the best of my ability and understanding on time.

 My attendance like all my classes is very good as I rarely miss school and take time to make sure I understand the work I have missed by asking my peers for guidance. I do not stray off work often during class and tend to keep my "elephant" under control quite well when I am required to listen or concentrate on a topic being discussed. Doing my best to comprehend what is being said by my classmates is something I need to work on so I can also contribute my opinion to their discussion.

 As a result of my procrastination, many of my assignments are often handed in late or in some cases not at all. In these cases I must make sure the assignments I hand in are completed to the best of my ability. Assignments that are of high interest to me are usually completed much faster than assignments that I can make no connections to. An example of this was my tattoo assignment, as I was able to imagine myself getting a tattoo and thinking of a tattoo I would most likely get.

Having small things I can personally connect to makes assignments much more enjoyable and I find that I work on them because it is my will and I am not simply completing the assignment for the sake of completion.

 Contribution to the class is going to be one of my main focuses for the rest of the term. I definitely believe I haven't been as active among the class as I could be in things such as commenting on others blogs and providing feedback to my classmates ideas.

I do not have to many comments but this is the one I feel was the most relevant to the topic being discussed. I think this was beneficial to the class by providing a new idea of what Shakespeare was possibly meaning in Romeo's description of love. 

Overall due to my lack of completed assignments and lackluster work I think I deserve a C+-B possibly around the 63-70% range. I can definitely do better as i believe I haven't shown my full potential in English 10.