Get Organized

I would say that I am organized, but unlike Aristotle I don't use logic and classification when organizing. After a week my bedroom and bathroom start to get very unorganized and messy. I decided to get organized, so for this project I chose to clean my bedroom. 

My bedroom has several dressers and shelves so I decided to clean them off and reorganize what was on them. For example, I put the books on my bookshelf in alphabetical order. On my dressers I grouped items together that I used daily and ones I rarely ever use. For the past few months since school started, my textbooks have been scattered on the floor, so I put them on my bookshelf. I also organized my clothes. I separated the dirty ones from the clean ones by throwing the dirty ones in the hamper and hung up my clean ones. It only took me about 30-35 minutes to straighten up my bedroom.

When I was cleaning up my room I started to get frustrated and bored because it seemed to be taking forever. So I plugged in my iPod and listened to my music. My music made the cleaning tolerable. I was able to finish quicker because I couldn't be disturbed by any other noises around me. After I finished cleaning I had such a feeling of relief. I was finally done. 

After finishing the project I had a big sense of relief knowing that my room was finally clean and organized. Before this project I had no idea that I was able to get even more organized than I already was. Even though I wasn't classifying my stuff in my bedroom everything had its own place. So overall I think that this project was an interesting way at looking at getting organized. 

Best of Week: Sophie's World

Throughout this last week in humanities we have been discussing the book Sophie's World. It can be difficult to understand so the discussions that we have in class help me understand the book better. Each philosopher that is mentioned in the book are all so different from each other so the discussions and worksheets that we do help me understand the differences between them. We discuss certain parts in each chapter and write down notes in the margins.

I can look back on both worksheets and book notes when I'm studying for the test over the entire book. We have done the same with the Shadow Catcher but I feel that these notes would be more helpful because Sophie's World is a little more complicated. But despite the book being complicated I find it very interesting.

I enjoy this book because I have never thought about all of the questions Sophie is asked. I have asked myself why the world is what it is but I never get an answer. Mostly because there isn't just one single answer. I never thought of the world as if it started out as nothing. The author does a great job using Sophie as a type of reflection process.

We discussed that several times this week. We also discussed Plato's world of ideas and senses. Plato has many theories which are hard to understand so we had worksheets and notes. And after discussing the notes I was able to get a better understanding of the differences of each of the worlds.

Discussions are a good way to hear everyone else's thoughts on the book, which also help the class with understanding the book. So overall, I believe that discussions have and will be very helpful in the process of reading this book.

Best of Today: Sophie's World

In class we discussed the book Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder. The book is about a fourteen year old girl named Sophie who is like any normal teenager. But that changes once she gets these mysterious letters and lessons in the mail about philosophy. We started reading at the beginning of the week and by Thursday we are already five chapters into it.

The two chapters that were discussed in class today were mainly about philosophers from ancient times who had own thoughts about the world and how and why it's that way. The two chapters go on and on about which one was wrong and who believed in what. It almost seems as if the man or woman who is giving Sophie these lessons is just giving her the facts. And when Sophie is done with each lesson she reflects on it by asking herself questions and trying to make connections with reality.

We discussed that how Sophie reflects on each lesson is helping the reader understand the nature and basics of philosophy. Also the reflections give the readers the understanding that philosophy can't be learned but people can learn how to think philosophically.

I agree that philosophy is a concept that cannot be learned because it isn't just about one thing in the world, it's about everything that has to deal with the world. There are so many questions to be asked about the world and each question can receive all sorts of answers. No answer is correct and no answer is wrong. There are too many answers given, which is why only one won't suffice.

Can something really come from something? How did the world become like this? I can see myself asking these same questions because nobody really knows what stuff in the world comes from.  Nobody ever questioned why things were the way they were because that's how they have always been. Nobody truly knows how the world became what it is today.

What we discussed about Sophie's World really got me interested in thinking philosophically because there are so many questions about the world that not only myself, but what most people want to ask.

iMedia: Music from Coldplay

I chose the song Fix You, which is sung by the band Coldplay. Coldplay isn't a band that I usually listen to but I enjoy listening to it. I chose this song because the lyrics are very emotional and meaningful. Over the course of the song the lyrics stay the same but they are sung differently each time. The music behind the words has a more intense and dramatic feeling towards it.

The music that is played in the song is why I personally enjoy listening to it. It's as if the singer is getting across the message that they will always be there to help you and to guide you through tough times. This song doesn't relate to my life personally but when I listen to the song it gives me a sense of relief that my friends and family would be there for me to guide me through my toughest times.


Anyone who listens to this song should listen closely to the lyrics and try and feel that sense of relief that there is and should be someone in your life that is looking out for you. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI-o25K6B-E&ob=av2e  
(link to music video on youtube)

Blogging Around

The two blogs I chose to write about were both well written and detailed. And both were very interesting to read. (comment is in italics)


One comment is posted on Karolina's Best of Week blog entry.
I found this blog entry interesting because you gave a brief yet descriptive view on Wiggins writing style and how she is unique as an author. I also liked how you connected The Shadow Catcher to other books such as The Things They Carried.
This blog entry was about the best of the week and she felt that starting The Shadow Catcher was the best of the week. She wrote about her unique writing style and the use of a lot of rhythm and repetition. 




Another comment is posted on Cassie's Connection blog entry.
I found this blog entry very interesting mostly because i agree with the fact that how an individual is raised can have the potential to do anything or be anything. Also this was written with great details and you made very clear, cut points about both sides and how they connect with each other.
This entry was a connection about the film Band of Brothels and how the characters stereotypes in the film are related to the stereotypes for kids in Glenview. 

Best of Week: Sea of Information

Sea of Information is a short story written by Andrea Barrett. In this short story she writes about the struggles she has with writing and what helps her get back on track. I felt that Sea of Information was the best of the week because we spent most of the week discussing the story. The assignment was to pick the top three insights about creativity, but she wrote about so many it was difficult to choose only three. In order to find and understand those insights, you had to read in between the lines. 


On almost every page of Sea of Information she wrote about creativity and how it influences her writing. For example, on page 14, she writes about how much she reads and that its the only way she knows to deeply inhabit a world other than the limited one of my own experiences. It's pretty much straight forward but in between the lines she's telling her audience that reading can give you access to live you have not lived. Also on page 10, she does research and reads about tuberculosis. Her research gave her a new perspective on the situation of tuberculosis because she read about others experiences and not just her own. 


Barrett also writes from her own experiences which is very influential on her writing. She was in New York City during the attacks of 9/11 and she said that many writers had difficulty with writing after the attacks because everything felt different. Most writers just asked themselves what the point was. Then Barrett figured out that if she wrote, that maybe she would make some sense out of what happened. Since the experience was still too "raw" it was hard for her to start getting some ideas on paper. But in the end she was able to find relief and continue writing from experiences. 


Barrett researched, experienced, read, and imagined which all inspired greater creativity in her writing. All these elements led her to better writing and which is one of the reasons I felt that this was the best of the week. It interested me that so many things are factors to writing and creativity. One other reason was her use of details. Each page and each paragraph used a sufficient amount of details to explain the point she was trying to get across. Overall I think Barrett is a good writer and I enjoyed reading her short story last week in class. 

Connection: television vs. real life

For the past few weeks in humanities we have been studying creativity. We have read a variety of articles and we just watched a film. I have been able to read and visualize how anyone can be and become more creative. One of the articles that we read that I felt was most interesting, was the pass the plate article about Feynman. And ever since I read the article I had been thinking about a television show that I watch. 

The television show is called Dawson's Creek. The show is based on four teenagers struggling with high school, love, and their futures. In one of the episodes, one of the lead female characters began drawing and she realized that she just might have some artistic talent up her sleeve. So in order pursue this new found passion, she broke up with her boyfriend. She believed that if they were apart she would be able to find herself and figure out if drawing is the right thing for her.

When she broke up with her boyfriend she told him that all she was was his girlfriend and she wanted to be more than just that. So she took several art classes and started enjoying the new creative person she had become. She went into drawing open minded and in the end a whole new world was opened right before her. Drawing kept her entertained so she kept doing it. Feynman kept himself entertained by doing what he loved. He loved science and enjoyed not knowing the right answer. He just wanted to have fun. And in the end he did. He was a very intelligent and successful man. 

Feynman and the girl in Dawson's Creek are similar because they were both curious and open minded to everything, that in the end they experienced a whole different side to life. And they enjoyed experiencing that new side because they were having fun and loving what they were doing. 

I realized that two things that are completely different can also be completely similar. I never thought that a show about four teenagers could relate to a article about a famous scientist. It just goes to show that creativity is everywhere and anyone can be creative.