superficial or not?

Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway have a very interesting relationship up until now in the book. Nick is a more quiet person, keeping to himself. Jay Gatsby seems to be the same way, however, he is always having parties and big events. The strange thing about Gatsby is that he never interacts with his guests. What is his reason to keep away? 
Nick Carraway did not even know Jay Gatsby personally before they became "the best of friends". Nick himself doesn't even know how everything fell into place. Out of nowhere, Gatsby decided to befriend Carraway and spill his personal life to him. Before long, Jay would invite Gatsby to dinner, out places, and for every occasion. Since Nick is more of a follower, he said yes to Jay whenever he asked to hang out and they spent their time together often. 
Is Jay Gatsby's and Nick Carraway's friendship real? At this point, nobody can really tell for sure. They seem to get along just fine. On the other hand, the whole Daisy situation shifted my view upon their relationship. As soon as Jay finally got to meet with his old lover, Daisy, he didn't act the same towards Nick. Fitzgerald includes the line "They had forgotten me, but Daisy glanced up and held out her hand; Gatsby didn't know me now at all.", showing just how clear Jay made it that his friendship is superficial. Even though it seems as if Gatsby is being a total fake, nobody can tell whether or not he's going to stay that way until the end.

Oh, winter.

So, Mr. Winter, you're back,
Another year is gone.
The summer days are done.

No more pretty flowers,
Or warm and sunny days.
Just that ole' cold winter phase.

Christmas is coming,
Snow has begun.
Everybody together, "goodbye Mr. Sun". 

No more hot weather,
That season is over.
Winter is back, giving us its cold shoulder.

Although seasons are changing,
We still can have fun.
Even in the few hours that we have Mr. Sun.

Hot chocolate, candy canes, fireplaces,
These are the wonders that winter brings.
Everything starts while the Christmas bell rings.

As winter brings its cold back for us,
The snowmen come alive.
To holiday music, they jazz and they jive.

Oh, winter, you're almost gone,
Come back before long.
While we, here, continue this Christmas song.

takin' nothing for granted.

INDIGOE TIMMS. JOANNE BRYJA. MORGAN MASON. these are the girls that i am thankful for in our American Lit class. class wouldn't be the same without them > therefore, they are my favorite ♥

indigoe? you have been my favorite shorty since the moment i met you last year. i saw you like 1000 times everyday, including spanish and algebra. you've been there when i needed you and i thank you for that. you've never left my side since the moment i became friends with you. i love our talks about everything and anything. we're like twins. you don't understand how happy i am to have you. love you, girl.

joanne? AŚKA? i got close to you this year, but that doesn't mean much. i feel like i have been your best friend since i was born. you literally could be my sister. polish people have that kind of connection. :) i see you everyday, which brings us closer and closer. you sitting next to me in American Lit is something to be thankful for. we get into trouble (sometimes) because of how much we talk, but you can't help these kind of things. you are 'da best'!

morgan? girl you are too funny. again, we only met this year. having the same American Lit class, we got close and i am thankful for that. you help make the class funner, along with indigoe & joanne. you also help me out in chemistry :) you know, during my slow days. if it wasn't for you, who would have these hilarious side conversations in class? i look forward to American Lit everyday - just to see you and my other girls. don't ever never ever leave me, morgan. love you!

yeah. these are the girls to know. these are my girls. i am thankful for them.

i am a plow.

to tear up. cut into. trim. furrow. groove. PLOW.
me? i am a plow. how you ask? because i am all of the above.

a plow is an instrument used to lift, turn, and pulverize soil. my reason of being here is to "lift, turn, and pulverize" what i possibly can and make a change in the world. in other words, MAKE A DIFFERENCE. there are many people out there that just live because they have to. i would put myself aside from that category of people. i don't believe i'm just here to make trouble and up to no good. i think i'm good enough to make that difference, be that plow. the older i get, the more i believe i can make a change, if not change the world. but that's going a little extreme.

little things help me become a stronger, greater plow. winning peoples' opinions, accomplishing a hard task, doing what i thought i couldn't before. this is what makes me proud. these little things build up my self esteem; my plow.
my theory; when i'm older and have my plow built up bigger than ever, i can hold the whole world in my palm. that great sense of accomplishment is what will keep me going. this plow of mine is my representation of my pride. it shows that a girl like me can eventually "tear up and cut into" the world. i do have opinions, and i can voice them.

i'm Natalia Kata, and i am a plow.

let's stay where we're at.

New? Different? Change?
I like where our American Lit class is right now. Not going to lie, I'm not excited for it everyday (considering it's one of my last classes, and some days don't turn out so great). I usually am up for the interesting class discussions because they always lead to random things that we didn't plan to talk about. If I had the chance, I wouldn't really know what exactly to change about Mr. McCarthy's class. As soon as we walk in, the journals on the overhead get us thinking. I like to start with those, especially when I know exactly what to write and I don't have to guess just to write something. These journals are a very good idea to start class with because they get everyone thinking, which is always a good thing. I also think it's a good idea to take a day out of the week (in our case, Thursday) to read independently and take a break from class discussions. I like how Mr. McCarthy planned out his curriculum overall.
Some days I really don't feel like doing anything because it's just not my day or I'm exhausted. Those are the days I wish we could read independently so that I could have one focus, which would be on the book of my choice. However, even on these types of days, we still do journals-followed by a long class discussion. My favorite ones are when everyone has something concrete to say and everyone shares different opinions.
All in all, our American Lit class is one of the best; let's not change that.

Economy Status: *failed*

There is not much, if any, actual slavery still going on in the world. Now, the world's biggest problem is based on economy. People are being used left and right and get almost nothing in return. If someone is lucky, they'll get paid a little over minimum wage from their work. In some places, like China, people are working for what seems like nothing to us, just to keep food on the table. In my opinion, this is like modern-day slavery.
The bosses who hire people to work are just looking for decent workers and who are willing to get the small amount of money that the boss choooses to give. Since most people are desperate for jobs these days, they will do anything for a few extra dollars. The bosses are truly just using the workers for their skill and making bigger money because of them.
If you ask me, this is the worst situation the world has ever been in. Whatever happened to getting an education so later you are able to make good money from your career? People that are now stuck at jobs like farmwork and factories really don't have a good life at all. Working under such conditions is slavery, modern-day slavery.

Not-so-goody Salem!

Back then in Salem, times were really tough. If someone did anything associated with the devil, they're witches. Even if they didn't but look guilty, WITCHES. Being sentenced to death was an average, daily-basis thing. Does that even seem reasonable? To the Puritans back then in Salem, it all made sense. You worship the devil, you die. Since the Puritans were so paranoid that the devil himself would make his way into their community, absolutely anything done wrong was a life/death decision. The accusations weren't supposed to have anything to do with gender, age, or anything of the sort, but that didn't work. Children seemed to be the worst people in the whole community, yet with lying, they got away with basically anything. How can a child possibly do anything wrong...?
From what was going on in Salem, to us the Puritans sound crazy. Religion was always put in first place-yet murders were happening everyday. Nonsense! Life as a Puritan was extra hard. The children actually had it bad, too. The girls and boys were expected to do totally separate things. Little girls had to stay home, learn to cook and sew, and do house chores. Boys got to go out and explore the outdoors, practiced carpentry and crafts, and hunt. Nothing mattered except to worship and cherish God. Welcome to the life of a Puritan.
Nathaniel Hawthorne, the author of The Scarlet Letter, was born in Salem, Massachusetts. His father was a judge in the Salem witch trials. I believe Hawthorne wrote his famous book because of how closely he can relate to it, considering he actually lived in the time period in Salem itself. I think Nathaniel Hawthorne did a good job by writing this book because people can compare their religious beliefs with the old days' beliefs, or do anything. This Puritan background definitely has an impact on present society here in America. The Salem Witch Trials were a big mistake, so because of history, we know now how to deal with crimes and the people who commit them. I feel that back then, nobody trusted anyone in the Salem society, and it is much different now-a-days. A person can actually trust a security/police/guard without being afraid of accusations. Because of the horrible past, America's society is what it is now- a liberated country with freedom of speech, religion, ANYTHING.

Am I Truly An American?

Even though I was born here in America and live here my whole life, I didn't feel like an American all of those 15 years. My family is the most POLISH family in the world, no doubt about it. Because of that, we strictly follow Poland's traditions and such. At the beginning, my mom and dad did not speak English whatsoever. It was hard for my mom to get a job or simply communicate with anyone. Out of all my family members, my 6 year old sister sister knew the most English. Under these circumstances, how could I feel like an American?

The time didn't come until my mom graduated her English class at Wright College. She took the class to make all of our lives easier. After getting her degree, she finally began talking with more non-Polish people and learning their ways of living and traditions. Because my mom was learning all this new "American stuff", our house and meals were changing. Instead of potatoes and meat with a side everyday for dinner, my mom changed it up a bit my serving pasta, spaghetti, and many other meals that we never had. Since these things were all new to me, I began to feel like an American. Being an American was a big deal for me because I finally felt like I fit in, not only in school but overall in the big melting pot, America. If it wasn't for my mom taking her English class at Wright College, I'd probably still be considering myself fresh off the boat POLISH.

people these days...

There as soooo many pointless problems these days, it's not even funny. Stuff back then that started wars and all that jazz was acceptable; land stealing and all. But the things that cause "wars" nowadays are super dumb. A big issue in today's society are same-sex-relationships. That is a totally different opinion for every other person, so it's not worth fighting about. If someone chooses a certain significant other, that's their life. Leave them alone, yeah? 
Other problems start in small neighborhoods because of race, for instance. In my opinion, blacks and whites are so "segregated" only because of past history. There is absolutely nothing in today's society that separates the two peoples. Makes NO sense. 
The point I'm trying to get across is that people are always "us VS them". Does this even make sense? Always going against each other. Some people may not even know why, they just follow the crowd. It's so easy to tag along and believe what people make you believe, but can we get a grip and stand up for ourselves? Voice our own opinions? 
Give that a try, maybe change that statement to "us AND them".
lovelovelove.

John Proctor!

John Proctor - hero or not? Hero all the way! I think John is the most straight-forward person in the whole "Crucible". Even though it's hard to live and work well in a community where everyone is believing something opposite, John Proctor accomplishes it. He doesn't care much for other people's beliefs in witchcraft and all that crazy sorts of stuff. For him, witches, trials, accusations, and all that jazz is fake. Since he doesn't fall under the spell that all this stuff actually exists, his ways of thinking are normal and realistic. Back in the days, people in Salem were psychotic and believed anything that had to do with witchcraft. John Proctor is a hero by not following others, but leading himself in the right direction. I think John Proctor would not be a hero if he participated in all the cheats and lies that go around Salem. People are at fault, they turn themselves in, but blame it on other people that may seem believable. Proctor, unlike Reverend Parris, is trustworthy and I think he knows how to handle sticky situations. The only fishy thing about John Proctor is his relationship with Elizabeth and affair with Abigail. He is married to one woman, Elizabeth, who he claims he loves. On the other hand, he still feels something for his former love, Abigail. Proctor tells her that he doesn't love her anymore, but then she questions him. Since he is not the kind of guy that would really lie, he just gave her tiny hints. For example, she asked if John Proctor ever thinks about her. John at first told her no, but then gave in and said he thinks of Abigail from time to time. Other than his relationship status, I definately think he is in the hero zone.

Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God

The "God" described in this story is nothing like the figure is when I think of God. In "Sinners In the Hands of An Angry God" the God is not a saint at all, in my opinion. Since I am a Catholic myself, I learn that God is supposed to be forgiving and helping a person out during difficult times. In this story? No way is this "God" doing anything good for anyone. It seems as if this "God" really wants people to create sins because he wants them one step closer to his evil wrath. Doing this makes no sense to anyone but the "God" himself. The people basically waste their lives because they are constantly in fear and paranoid so they don't make a wrong move and get one step closer to that bottomless pit that "God" has made. I think living in such a manner is completely pointless. The worst part for the people back then was that they couldn't really voice their opinions. If they said one thing against their strict religion, off to hell the person goes. This is was makes me wonder most-how could the people survive so long while living under such pressure? "I have to be perfect." "One wrong move and it's over for me." "The wrath is for sinners, unlike myself." That is what I think went on in most peoples' minds, considering the fact that they had to lead their lifestyle like this. In my opinion, I believe the people should have gotten the choice of believing or not believing in this religion. This "God's" wrath was really uncalled for and unnecessary!

There Goes the Neighborhood...

I've lived on the north-west side of Chicago basically my whole life. When my family first came from Poland, they moved in with my aunt. Then I came along and my parents decided to move a few streets down. We ended up moving to Eddy Street, and it has been my home ever since.
My neighborhood has always been nice and peaceful. There weren't many kids, which was a down-side for me, but my parents loved it here. It kind of felt like the suburbs because everyone knew each other, everyone talked when they took their dog on a walk, and all was well. 
There are these two big apartments at the beginning of my street that have been empty for a very long time. Nobody wanted to buy them because they were closest to the busy street, Addison. Even if people rented, they left soon-after they moved in. I never really knew anyone from the beginning of my street, so I didn't mind those apartments whatsoever. 
About a year ago, we received some unwanted guests in the neighborhood. Along came Alexis and his posse of cousins and friends. These people were Puerto Rican/African American, which I was totally fine with, until they thought they could come in and mess with everybody on the block.
It is unbelievable how obnoxious these kids could be everyday. The oldest was about 16 and the youngest was around 8 years old. Not only did they bother every single person as much as possible, but they brought danger upon the little kids on our street. Towards the end of the block, there are many families with kids under the age of 5, who can no longer go in front of their own house without supervision.
Alexis and his gang started out doing stupid little things that would bother people like ding-dong-ditching and throwing rocks at windows. I guess they thought that wasn't enough so they walked around carrying harmful things like bats. What can you do to an underaged kid that is carrying around what could be used as a weapon? The worst you can do is yell. Apparently for them, yelling wasn't enough to get the message across.
If people from the block got in their way, they were threatened. I still cannot believe they do this shamelessly, but it's all true. These horrible people from the end of the block were causing our whole neighborhood damage and basically stopping us from being able to go out and talk with a friend or fellow neighbor. Nobody thought this was fair, so obviously the police was called. Our wonderful police, however, did NOTHING about the situation. The kids got a "warning"; what is that going to do? Absolutely nothing. They have calmed down a little bit since the school year started, but hopefully they will move away as quickly as possible. Nobody wants little nuisances on the block like Alexis and his friends. If they left, I'm sure my neighborhood would go back to normal and all would be well once again.

Introduction.

Born in Chicago, but I consider myself 1000% Polish. I have a sister that I consider the world for me. 2 years ago, I found a kitten in front of my house and named it Nacho; it still lives with me. Like basically all other Polish kids in the world, I’m forced to go to Polish school every Saturday. I wish I went to high school a bit closer to my house, but what can you do.

I’ve never really been interested in anything as much as dance. It’s what keeps me going my whole life. I’ve been dancing since forever ago; as long as I can remember. I started out doing ballet and hip-hop. Those types of dances don’t appeal to me anymore, though. I start doing Polish folk dancing at the beginning of 7^th grade. Sounds funny, I know. But it’s one of the best things I could have ever done. Not only do we travel every year, but we have banquets and a lot of events that celebrate us. The group I dance for is called Polonia Dance Ensemble, and it’s amazing.

Through the years I have traveled a lot. My first trip out of the country was to Poland, but I was too young so I don’t remember much. Winter break of 6^th grade, my family and I visited Jamaica, which was a GREAT trip. Winter break of 7^th grade, we went down to Dominican Republic. It was a lot like Jamaica, but it was really nice getting away from school and Chicago. This past summer [2010], Polonia Ensemble and I went to Colombia, South America. We stayed there for 15 days and danced most of the time. Again, AMAZING.

I’ve always lived in Chicago and I don’t think I’d want to go anywhere else. Sometimes I think it’d be better in the Caribbean or someplace like that, but I’d miss the city. I’m so used to loudness and city life-it’s growing on me.

Enough about me, how about yourself?