Literature Circles

       Overall, the group literature discussions went quite well.  While the first discussion was somewhat lacking in enthusiasm, the team turned their attitude around in the second discussion.   The first discussion was also not all that in-depth.  The second discussion, however, involved many an insightful statement about the deeper meanings of passages in the book. For example, the group discussed the significance of Napoleon supporting the windmill project that he used as a basis for running Snowball off of the farm.  The group tried very hard to keep everything in check during the second meeting, and it was a vast improvement over the first meeting in every regard.  The group, however, does still need to improve on a few things. Overall, we should all try to stay completely focused on the task at hand and not let anything other groups are doing distract us.  Another thing the group should try to improve on is that individuals need to be better prepared to speak during the discussion.  I believe that if we can manage that, all the future group discussions will go very well.

Leaders of a Deserted Island

Jack and Ralph share quite similar roles throughout their roles on the islands.  Both Jack and Ralph lead the islanders in their own way, and because of this have many similarities and differences.

While both Jack and Ralph end up as leaders, they emerge in different ways.  Jack emerged as a leader naturally while Ralph was voted as leader.  Because of this, the authority that they were given takes a different form in each of their styles of leadership.  Both Jack and Ralph also feel responsible for all the people in their group.  Jack tries to fix the problems of the group, which requires him to ration everything.  This leads to some discord among the group members that don't want to share.  Ralph tries to keep the group from dividing, but the attitudes of Jack and Roger prevent him from keeping the group together.  Lastly, both Jack and Ralph have their leadership challenged by another on the island.  Sawyer questions Jack’s leadership, steals guns, and leaves the group saying that he can never change from what he was before, a con artist.  Jack (from Lord of the Flies) cares much more about hunting than rescue, and he also wants to be the leader of the group of islanders.  Because of this, he questions the leadership of Ralph and eventually ends up creating his own group of savages on the island.        
All in all, Ralph and Jack, while in different situations, share many qualities.  They are both leaders, feel responsible for the people in their group, and have their leadership challenged by others.  

"Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian" A Twist of Fate

 Eoin Colfer’s “Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian” A Twist of Fate  Reviewed by Erich Rathkamp

   Fairies, sprites, and elves; shots of pure energy spinning through the air; an insane pixie with a death wish on the loose; a secret underground haven sitting undetected right under the noses of the humans; all of this chaos is thrust upon a teenage genius in Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian.

    Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian is a fantasy novel released in 2012 that centers around the characters Artemis Fowl, the human genius, an elf named Holly Short, and a centaur named Foaly whose intelligence rivals that of Artemis himself.  The story takes place in the Lower Elements, an underground utopia where all manner of fairies and the like reside unnoticed by humans.  Later, the story progresses to the manor of Artemis Fowl.  The story revolves around a pixie known as Opal Koboi, who has broken out of prison and attempts to use an ancient magical artifact known as The Gate that, when opened, will unleash Armageddon upon all of humankind.  Artemis, one of the only humans to know of the fairies’ existence, is called upon to help stop Opal in her quest.

    I found this book to be quite enjoyable.  The novel takes the concept of fairies, elves, and other magical creatures, and completely challenges previous thoughts one might have had about them.  While many books can take too long in explaining new facts, Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian was not guilty of the same.  For example, instead of living as peaceful forest creatures, the fairies instead manage most of their world with incredibly advanced technology.  Opal Koboi, the antagonist of the story, hatches a plot to destroy every object that contains parts manufactured by her company, Koboi Labs.  Using the raw energy created by the massive destruction, she will use her magical ability to operate an ancient artifact that unleashes Armageddon upon the world: “Opal Koboi is not the savior she pretends to be… She would undo ten thousand years of peace” (Colfer 213).  This maniacal pixie will do absolutely anything to destroy the world.

The style of Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian is, overall, very good.  The story makes you marvel at the many detailed scenes depicted as well as the interesting array of characters.  One of the more descriptive scenes depicted by Colfer is displayed through the quote,"The fort had been worn down to a nub by the elements, and strange black ivy had thrown tendrils along the walls as though trying to reclaim the stone for the earth” (Colfer 78-79).  The book follows the main characters in the third person and makes the story easy to understand, even among all the advanced concepts and technology.  Even though some of the beings in this book aren’t human, Colfer still conveys their emotions very well and keeps the reader on their toes with the many exciting events that happen throughout the story.

One problem with this book is the lack of explanation of topics mentioned in the previous books of the series.  Many important events, concepts, and characters are referenced in the book without a clear explanation of what they meant to the overall storyline.  This makes the book more difficult to read if you have yet to read the previous novels in the series.  However, this book is not meant to be read without reading the other books, as it is the last book in a series.  Having read the previous books in the series, the events of this book are not at all difficult to understand.

Artemis Fowl: The Last Guardian is a very enjoyable read because of the intricate storyline and developed characters.  Even though this magical underworld is full of mythical creatures, the storyline never strays into the realm of complete impossibility.  The story, with a certain level of imagination, stays believable, and I believe that this brings a certain feeling to the book that makes it an enjoyable read for any age.

Colfer, Eoin. Artemis Fowl. New York: Disney Hyperion Books, 2012. Print.

Unrecognized Bias

          

           Today in class I learned that just about everyone is biased in ways that they don’t know themselves.  The class read a chapter of Malcolm Gladwell’s, “The Warren Harding Error,” an account of how a man was picked to be the President largely based upon his attractive physical appearance.  The story demonstrated how everybody judges everyone subconsciously, and that many of our interactions with others are motivated by this subconscious opinion.  What stood out to me personally was that I could have formed opinions on people that I didn’t even know I had, and it could be affecting how I treat them.

            This discovery of all the biases people have plays into how we select leaders.  Malcolm Gladwell says that most people that are elected for important positions “look like a Congressman.”  This suggests that many leaders we have today are picked partially because of their physical appearance.  I think that besides physical attractiveness, people should look for leaders that have a strong sense of justice and a willingness to adapt to the will of the group.  In an effort to limit your unconscious bias in making a decision, one should review the experiences that they have had that involve a bias.  Examining these experiences could help one recognize the stereotypes that are represented, making them easier to ignore.

            After reading this chapter, I took a test to reveal my own personal biases.  This test was called the IAT, and it provided some very interesting information about me.  I took the test pertaining to racial bias, and I was not incredibly surprised to find out that I have a moderate bias in favor of whites over blacks.  The reason that I am not all that surprised is that I realize that the society I was raised in taught me subconsciously to favor whites over blacks.  Stereotypes like this are present throughout all nations, and people should learn about how to limit their own bias.  All in all, the story coupled with the IAT test proved that people are biased in ways that even they themselves did not know. 

Late Starts; Why Monday is Better

          

           This year, SRVHS decided to change the old bell schedule for the better.  Late starts are now on Mondays instead of Tuesdays, a change that is already displaying positive effects.  For example, this change allows students to ease back into the school schedule at the start of the week.  By allowing you to sleep in on Mondays, there is a less abrupt transition between your weekend schedule and weekday schedule.

            School also starts ten minutes later than it did with the Tuesday start schedule.  This makes the school days end at 3:10, like every other school day during the week.  During the Tuesday schedule, school ended at 3:00, which threw off scheduling of certain things.

            Lastly, A period is always at the beginning of the day with the late Monday schedule.  With the late Tuesday schedule, A period was at the end of the day once a week.  This change has also made scheduling events with friends with an A period more simple.

            Some would say that late Tuesdays are better because of the earlier lunch.  This would be a valid point, except that you can eat food at brunch as it is.  Another reason that people like late Tuesdays is that all students arrive at school at the same time on Tuesdays.  While that does allow you to see your friends that do/don’t have an A period (depending on whether you have one), it also causes major traffic and causes people to be late to school.  All in all, the school’s change to late Mondays is a change for the better.

Mondays

	Start Time	End Time	Length
Staff Collaboration	7:30 AM	8:30 AM	60 min
Period A or Office Hours	8:40 AM	9:25 AM	45 min
Period 1	9:30 AM	10:15 AM	45 min
Period 2	10:20 AM	11:05 AM	45 min
Brunch	11:05 AM	11:15 AM	10 min
Period 3	11:20 AM	12:05 PM	45 min
Period 4	12:10 PM	12:55 PM	45 min
Lunch	12:55 PM	1:30 PM	35 min
Period 5	1:35 PM	2:20 PM	45 min
Period 6	2:25 PM	3:10 PM	45 min

Introducing: Me!

Hello, my name is Erich, and this blog exists to publish the writing that I will do during the year for my English class.

Some of my hobbies are playing piano, drawing, and playing tennis.
My favorite book would have to be Eragon, although I like a lot of books.
A writing goal I have for the year would be to learn more about how to structure my stories.

One quote that I personally like is, "The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself."  This quote was said by Anna Quindlen.