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On The Rainy River / Short Story / Analysis "On The Rainy River" is a short story narrated by Tim O'Brien, who recounts his experiences from being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War. I chose to analyze this story from a reader response perspective because I was able to make personal connections to the text and make interpretations based on my beliefs and past experiences. This helped me relate better to certain aspects of the story. In the first paragraph of the story, Tim O'Brien begins by explaining that the story he's about to tell is very personal, and this is the first time he's sharing it. He confesses that this story makes him uncomfortable and that he's been forced to live with shame for over 20 years. Many people find themselves in situations similar to O'Brien's, where they are too afraid to share a story despite the fact that keeping it to themselves is causing pain and suffering. I believe it's so important to speak out if you are suffering in any way. You don't necessarily have to share your story with the world; simply opening up to family and friends can ease the pain. In middle school, one of my close friends took her own life unexpectedly. She had clearly been suffering, but did not reach out and speak to anyone about her pain. Had she done so, her death could have been avoided. Later on in the story, O'Brien says "you can't fix your mistakes." This is a powerful statement that really resonates with me. Mistakes cannot be "fixed" or "undone". Once you punch someone, you cannot go back in time and take back your punch. Everyone should take the time to think about the results and consequences of actions before hand, because they cannot be undone. However, mistakes do not define a person. You can learn from mistakes and work hard to make up for the damage that has been caused. For centuries, society was racist and discriminated towards African Americans. African Americans had basic rights taken away and many were arrested and even killed simply because of the color of their skin. Over the years, society has learnt from their mistakes. A Black Lives Matter Movement was started, and hundreds of protests took place around the world as people tried to make up for the horrible mistakes that were made. O'Brien explains that he considered the idea of running to Canada to avoid fighting in the Vietnam War. Fighting in the war would be extremely difficult and dangerous, and he had no interest in participating in it. He was torn between taking the easy route and escaping from his problems or being brave and facing them. This is a common dilemma many people face. When I started high school, my parents wanted me to continue taking extended French, as I had taken French immersion for 8 years. I found French to be a challenging subject, and I strongly disliked the many oral presentations that had to be done. I was torn between dropping it so I wouldn't have to go through the struggles, or continuing to take it so I could improve and learn more about the language. This decision was similar to the one O'Brien contemplated. I found the story "On The Rainy River" very interesting! One aspect of it that I really liked was that the narrator was completely honest and transparent about his thoughts and feelings. Most people would make themselves sound as best as they could; brave, strong, charming, etc. However, O'Brien was honest about how he felt being drafted to fight in the Vietnam War, despite the fact that he could be perceived as weak or cowardly. I would definitely recommend reading this story!
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Writing / Essays / Tips An essay is a piece of writing in which the author can express a point. There are many different types of essays, such as descriptive essays, narrative essays and argumentative essays. Essays are a major part of the school curriculum and more specifically in English courses. However, there are many students who are not huge fans of them, as they are composed of many parts and can be very difficult to write. Personally, essays are not my cup of tea. I prefer to express myself through oral communication or with projects that I feel give me more of an opportunity for creativity. I find the most difficult part of writing an essay is the wording and the flow. Often times when I write an essay, I struggle with the overuse of certain words and with maintaining a good flow. One strategy that has helped me with avoiding repetition of words is looking up synonyms on the internet, writing down some options and selecting the most suitable one. Another strategy that has helped me with having good flow throughout my essay is by using transition words. For example; "in addition", "however" and "consequently". These transition words help connect different ideas and make the overall flow of the essay much smoother. I think sharing your work and discussing ideas with your peers would positively impact the prewriting and drafting stages of writing your essay. Conversing with others during the prewriting stage helps generate new ideas or adjustments that could greatly improve your essay. Sharing your work with others during the drafting stage allows your essay to be seen from different perspectives and different points of views. Other people are able to give you feedback and advice to improve your essay. Evidently, your peers are a great way to improve your essay. Don't be afraid to ask for their opinion! Over the years, I have used a couple of extremely helpful strategies when writing essays. Firstly, planning is key! It is crucial to use an outline to plan out all your ideas and all the components of your essay before you even start writing... this includes your thesis, your points and your examples. Using an outline will help you stay organized and keep track of all your ideas. Next, it is important to read over your work multiple times. This way you are able to spot mistakes or anything that needs to be changed. Finally, get at least two different people to read over your essay. They may be able to spot errors that you missed. They are also able to give you feedback on how your essay can be improved. Whenever you are writing an essay in the future, remember these three strategies, as they make a huge difference in your final product!
Music / Plagiarism / Remixing What is the difference between remixing and copying? Between taking someone's ideas and using inspiration? These are questions that cause a great deal of confusion and uncertainty... The song "Brave" by Sara Bareilles was released in April of 2013 and the song "Roar" by Katy Perry was released in August of 2013. Both songs were nominated for the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance. When Roar was released, music fans everywhere immediately noticed that it sounded quite similar to the song Brave. Both songs have the same beat and the music at the beginning is almost identical. Listen to both songs by clicking on the links below... What are your thoughts? Brave by Sara Bareilles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQsqBqxoR4 Roar by Katy Perry: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8 In my opinion, the beat of Roar was copied from the beat of Brave, as it is identical in both songs. The music at the beginning of the songs are also the same. In addition, the overall message/meaning of the songs is the same. Brave is about speaking out against bullying and standing up for yourself and what you think is right. Roar is about standing up for yourself and your beliefs, as well as being confident. Despite all these similarities, the two songs were not exactly identical. They had different choruses and different lyrics. I believe Katy Perry simply used some components from the song Brave as inspiration for her song Roar. When creating this song, her marriage with Russel Brand had recently ended and she was beginning a new chapter in her life. Therefore, her song had a more personal meaning and was created as a self-empowering message to herself and to others as well. After the song Roar received a lot of attention for sounding similar to the song Brave, Sara Bareilles spoke positively about the situation. She said "I don't feel like anything was taken from me artistically. "I've known Katy a long time. We are friends and she and I spoke about it. I look at it as two female artists who are releasing a message of empowerment." (Bareilles). The two also joked about releasing a mash up to let everyone know there were no feelings of anger involved. I think that something is not considered "copied" if it's main part is unique and if it has different words. Although some parts of both songs were the same, Roar did not infringe on Brave's copyright. The songs had different choruses, which is the main part of a song. They also had completely different lyrics. The lyrics of Brave focus more on inspiring others to be brave and to speak out. On the other hand, the lyrics of Roar focus more on Katy Perry's personal journey of gaining confidence and standing up for what she believes in. In order to prevent copyright problems, I believe everyone should always ask permission and give credit when necessary. If these guidelines were followed, many issues involving sampling, stealing and copying would be avoided! Sources Press, the Associated. “Sara Bareilles Doesn't Think Katy Perry's 'Roar' Steals From Similar-Sounding 'Brave'.” The Hollywood Reporter, 9 July 2020, www.hollywoodreporter.com/earshot/sara-bareilles-doesnt-think-katy-631680.
Perry, Katy, director. Katy Perry - Roar (Official). Youtube, 5 Sept. 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=CevxZvSJLk8. Bareilles, Sara, director. Sara Bareilles - Brave (Official Video). Youtube, 14 May 2013, www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQsqBqxoR4. Podcasts / Crime / Investigations Serial is a podcast with three seasons. The first season is about Adam Syed, a man who was convicted for the murder of his ex girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The host of the podcast, Sarah Keonig is investigating the case. To listen to season one, click this link: https://serialpodcast.org/season-one Before listening to the first episode, I was a little skeptical about whether or not I would enjoy it. I had never listened to a podcast before, so I didn't know what exactly to expect. In addition, the podcast was almost an hour long, which is quite a long time to simply listen to something. Despite my doubts about the podcast, I really enjoyed listening to it! I am a big fan of crime, mystery and police investigations. I watch many TV shows involving these topics, like Criminal Minds and Blue Bloods. I found the podcast extremely interesting and I was intriguingly listening to it for the full 52 minutes. The music and the recording from the first 30 seconds created a mysterious and suspenseful atmosphere, which immediately reminded me of the show Pretty Little Liars. Every component of the story was fascinating and I loved the way the it was presented. If Netflix turned this podcast into a TV show, I would definitely watch it! Although Serial has gained immense popularity, I think the family of the victim may feel uncomfortable. The death of Hae Min Lee was obviously a traumatizing experience for the family, and with the podcast becoming so popular, they are being forced to relive it. I think the family may also feel uncomfortable because thousands of people are learning about the murder and specific details about the case. This could result in them receiving unwanted attention from others who have listened to the podcast, making them uncomfortable. When comparing reading a text to listening to a text on a podcast, I definitely prefer podcasts. Listening to actual voices helps me better understand the story and helps me formulate my thoughts and opinions. It also illustrates an image in my mind while listening. Podcasts have many benefits, such as being able to listen to texts anywhere. One downfall is that it does not allow listeners to read at their own pace. Reading also has many benefits, such as being able to read at any pace. One downfall is that readers can only read in certain places and they must carry the book with them. Personally, I tend to have a good memory and am able to recall things fairly easily. However, I would have a difficult time remembering every detail of a specific day, just like the students that were interviewed in the podcast. Based on the lack of memory of the students in the podcast, the one issue I have is that I am skeptical about whether anyone else's story is even true. But overall, I really enjoyed listening to Serial! I would definitely recommend this podcast to others, it is worth a listen! In the future, I will be listening to more podcasts as a substitute for reading books.
Should grade 12 university level English be a requirement for entry into ALL university programs?7/7/2020 English / High school / University / Requirements Every university program has different requirements that need to be successfully completed in order to potentially be accepted. These may include taking certain courses in high school or obtaining a specific mark or overall average. The requirements vary depending on the course. However, should grade 12 university level English be a requirement for entry into ALL university programs? I believe that grade 12 university level English should be a requirement for entry into ALL university programs. It is a course that helps students improve their communication, creativity, literacy and critical thinking skills. Each one of these life skills are extremely important and can improve a student's success no matter what university program they go into. Being a good communicator is essential in any program and anywhere in life in order to clearly convey information or your opinion to others. Creativity, thinking outside the box and improvisation are a big part of success in many programs. The ability to read and write well will be useful in every program, as reading and writing are a common form of communication. Finally, critical thinking skills are great for evaluating situations and solving problems, which are present in every university program. In conclusion, grade 12 university level English should be a requirement for entry into ALL university programs. All the life skills learnt in the course can improve a student's success no matter what university program they go into.
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