Felicia Chan, Period 2, 9/21/20, Day A

Felicia Chan
9/21/20
Period 2
Modern Mythology 2021


Truth holds in the words of Maria Tatar when she says, “Fairy tales are always more interesting when something is added to them. Each new telling recharges the narrative, making it crackle and hiss with cultural energy.”

Through reading the versions of Cinderella in her 1st and 2nd Editions of, “The Classic Fairy Tales,” I began to become tired of reading them as most told the same traditional, classic storyline where Cinderella’s beauty, grace, and fairness awards her a happy ending with her Prince Charming. Though there were details that were added that made each story a bit different from one another, I was seeking for more flavor, perhaps suspense. I found myself coming across Cinderella being portrayed as a fragile woman who flees when distress comes her way. Her appearance is only of importance as it saves her from the crisis she is facing. I wasn’t fond of how Cinderella was depicted as a petite figure and where her beauty exceeds all standards. But as long as the shoe fits, she is granted happily ever after filled with royalty and wealth.

The reason I was finding myself to be so disturbed by these details of the storyline is that it relates to the continuation of these stereotypes of women that are still relevant today. Through the billboards we see as we drive by the highways, ads we pass in the subway stations, and social media posts we scroll upon, they are always surrounded by this pressure to be this ideal person the public makes them desire to become. Many women, especially teen girls, are becoming sub-conscious about themselves because of the expectations portrayed though these high beauty standards. With these stereotypes prevalent, many look down upon them and believe they aren’t fit to be granted a certain position or be involved in situations that are too “challenging” for them to handle.

However, I was excited to come across the version called, “The Story of the Black Cow.” Finally, I have come upon a story with a change to the characters from the typical Cinderella stories. The traditional female-gender Cinderella is now represented as a boy, who at the end marries a princess. Through the discussion I had with my group during our Zoom breakout rooms, my groupmate, Theresa Luo, brought up how this addition to the plot shows the cultural background of the Himalayas, where this version was written. She stated how the people of the Himalayas believed in gender equality which explains why the main character was depicted as a guy rather than a girl.

This huge change in the classical storyline of Cinderella brings back to the point of what Maria Tatar says about how twists in fairytales can “recharge the narrative and make it crackle with cultural energy.” I learned that people have the power to change and create their own story that doesn’t follow the traditional guidelines of the fairytale. This can be seen in modern Disney princess movies where they are moving away from the traditional female stereotypes. They are creating female protagonists who look and portray the realistic modern independent woman who comes in all shapes and sizes.

Lauren Blanchard, Period 2, 9/21/20, Day A

 

Lauren Blanchard
Modern Mythology
Ms. Fusaro
9/21/2020


As students in a STEM school, we are taught to think logically about everything. The world abides by a set of predictable laws. If we follow a specific process or solve a particular math equation, we get a definitive answer to our question. Reading, especially fairy tales, does not have one answer. I did not realize that until this year. 

In our most recent reading, Maria Tatar makes an interesting point. Fairy tales are not supposed to have one answer. They are a symbol of real life, which is often complicated and confusing. By extension, fairy tales are also complicated and confusing, despite appearing simple at first glance. 

Cinderella's story is one of the most basic fairy tales to ever exist. (At this point, I have read almost a dozen versions of it.) Most start and end the same way. The main character begins in a perfect family or kingdom, only to have it be ripped away from her by the stereotypical evil stepmother or the father that lusts after her. She undergoes a long journey, eventually finding her way back into high society by marrying a prince, lord, or scholar. Those who wronged Cinderella usually suffer some form of brutal punishment. But does that reflect real life? I don't plan on marrying a prince, or going anywhere besides college in the near future.

As I've learned, there is no singular answer. Fairy tales showcase our inability to predict what will happen next. We might not be forced to flee from our homes or become royalty, but we could have an inopportune sports injury or be gifted a surprise present. Fairy tales encourage us to be prepared for anything. We take a journey with its characters through the best and worst times of their imaginary lives. Cinderella, in her various forms, might not have much of a personality, yet we feel what she feels. We are excited when she gets to go to the ball. We are saddened by the way she is treated. We empathize with her. This is the true magic of fairy tales: emotions.

Cognitive criticism focuses on the emotions in fairy tales' impact on its readers. It is a critical perception that puts a aside the single answer formula, and wonders about the connection between readers and what they are reading. It has softened my formerly harsh feminist perception of fairy tales to an appreciation. Fairy tales have a purpose other than to entourage little girls to be princesses. 

Understanding the inner turmoil of Cinderella's step mother might not seem necessary; however, understanding those we do not agree with is a useful social skill. We need it in group work for school and, eventually, to get us out of the unpredictable thing fairy tales have prepared us for since we were children. Author Neil Gaiman agrees. We need empathy to stop us from being "self-obsessed individuals." If we can do that, we can try to have empathy for the real people fairy tale characters symbolize. Then, maybe,  there is hope for a kinder school, a kinder city, a kinder country, and a kinder world, with the complicated lessons of fairy tales leading the way.  

Connor Campbell, Period 2, 9/21/20, Day A

 Connor Campbell

Modern Mythology

Ms. Fusaro

9/21/2020

At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why?

As a senior (which is so weird to say as I still feel like a freshman), I think the main goal on everyone’s mind is getting through what seems to be one of the most peculiar college processes in history. I remember back in January having this set plan on exactly how I was going to navigate the college process: first SAT in March, second in August, subject tests in June, possibly an ACT in October. I was going to start asking teachers for letters of recommendation after school and start drafting my common application essay in the summer. I was going to take a road trip to the south to see all the schools that are hours and hours away. All those plans came crashing down on March 15th, when the mayor announced that all New York City schools would be closed until April 20th. April 20th turned into the end of June, The end of June turned into September 10th, then September 21st, and now the first date of in-person learning stands on October 1st. Between March and the present day, countless SAT and ACT tests have been canceled, with some students having only taken one, some have no score to their name at all. I've watched two of my own tests take the ax and with them, months of hard work seemingly wasted for nothing. Most colleges have gone test-optional, but with that comes even more uncertainty. What do these colleges want to see from us now? Countless magazines have written countless articles, each with their own claim of “How You Can Get into the College of Your Choice!” I’ve read a bunch of these articles myself, and I’ve left them even more confused about the current college process than I was before I clicked that link. My goal at this point is simple, do the best that I possibly can with what I’m given and continue to look forward. I can’t change the fact that I spent hours and hours each day prepping for a test I don’t get to take but I can write the best essay I’ve ever written. I can write a supplement that displays my extreme passion for the schools I’m applying to. I can ensure that I’m a standout without a score that stands out for me. I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure I do all of that, and hopefully, my payoff is a seat in one of my top schools... hopefully. 

How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)

I believe my first step is to make up for lost time. At this point, I might have to stay on my computer that extra hour to read through my essay or visit an extra school website to look up specific courses and traditions I want to present back to them in a supplement. My first deadline is slightly over a month away, I don’t want to be in on Halloween with the common application site crashing on me (if there even is a Halloween this year). Very early in my athletic career, I learned that every extra second counts, whether it’s during the last moments of a game, or getting extra shots up during practice, or extra swings in the cage, all of that extra time will be effective in the end. I just have to understand that I have to put the time in now so that I don’t struggle to find time later. Being home is a blessing because I have all this extra time on my hands. No longer am I in school for 12 hours, getting home at seven, and starting my work at eight. Now, class ends at two, homework ends at five, now I have all this time to prepare for my deadlines, as long as I stay efficient. I also believe another sign of resilience is being able to control my emotions. Because everything has been so uncertain, everything can change in a matter of minutes. Both my tests got canceled while I was studying for them. If something like that happens again, I just have to stay calm and brainstorm plans of action for the coming days and get myself back on track. I wouldn’t say I’ve mastered those two actions yet, but I’m working very hard at making them second nature, as I know it’ll help me out in a big way come November and January. 

How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)

The one thing I’ve been telling myself over and over again is that this same stuff is happening to everyone. Everyone’s tests are getting canceled and everyone is in this same sense of uncertainty about how they’re supposed to go about this process. Telling myself that calms me down a lot to know that I have people in the same situation as me. The hardest part of the college process is the fact that I’m competing with a bunch of other people, that my success is being compared to the success of someone completely different from me. The fact that everyone is struggling just as much as I am gives me a lot of hope for the result of the college process, that I may be able to receive a “congratulations” in my email from a school I thought I had no shot of making. I have a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities and I pride myself on my optimism. Having the confidence to make the top schools even without my best scores might be that little push I need to work a little harder and make my application a little better. Overall, I just hope that the rest of the college process can function smoothly for myself and any other seniors that have been affected by the whirlwind of “what’s going on?” that’s taken over the last 6 months. I’m hoping for the best and preparing for the worst, that’s all we can do at this point. 

Welcome to Ms. Fusaro's Class Blogging in 2021!

Dear Students and Families,

I am so excited to welcome you to my 2021 classroom blogging initiative! Student blogging has an important role in our classroom because each student will function as a "scribe" and be responsible for group learning.

We had a great deal of success with posting blogs in 2019 and 2020. 

Goals:

• To become effective global communicators.
• To have every voice speak with the same volume.
• To summarize and reflect upon each day's lesson.
• To become responsible digital citizens.
• To become creators of information.

Technical Requirements of the Blog

• THREE students per class, per cycle will be responsible for blogging. Blogs will be checked on the next cycle. (For example: John Doe is in Period 5, Day B. If Day B is September 17th and that is his turn to blog, his blog is due by September 22nd - the NEXT Day B.]
• Title of the blog should include:
• Student's full name, class period, date, and cycle letter. (For example: John Doe, Period 5, 9/17/20, Day B).
• Please use the date assigned, not date due.
• Students MUST LABEL their blog with “Modern Mythology 2021.”
• Students are responsible for keeping track of when it is their time to blog by completing the Blogger Sheet.
• Students are to comment and respond to one another, including asking questions or asking for clarification.
• Blogs will be published on the world wide web, so we must practice digital citizenship and remember that our audience is GLOBAL, so our tone is FORMAL.
• How to make sure your blog is formatted correctly.

What should the blog content include?

Pick ONE category and respond to all of the questions related to that category.

• Literacy & Learning
• Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or non-fiction covered in class.
• Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.
• How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?
• Goal Setting & Growth
• At this current point in time, what specific goal(s) do you have for yourself? Why
• How do you demonstrate resilience towards achieving this goal? (or these goals?)
• How does the world around you affect your perception of this goal? (or these goals?)
• Socio-political Consciousness
• What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?
• How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?
• Creativity & Fiction
• Craft a piece of fiction that addresses one or more of the following: 
• Literary elements (i.e. structure, tone, diction, mood, irony, and figurative language) to craft a narrative and/or poetry.
• Structural features of drama (stage directions, character attributions/tags, dialogue, monologues, and/or soliloquies) to craft a script.
• Multidimensional characters to develop themes and create socio-political metaphors.

When Do I Blog?
Please refer to the Google Sheets Blog Date List.

Sample of Excellent Blogs (They had different requirements)

• http://msfusarosblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/sabrina-zhou-112719-period-2-blog-1.html
• http://msfusarosblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/112719-edmund-yuen-pd-7.html
• http://msfusarosblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/david-gao112619-macbeth-and-his.html
• http://msfusarosblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/selena-zhong-112619-period-2-blog-1.html
• http://msfusarosblog.blogspot.com/2019/11/112619-alicia-yu-32-period-7-modern.html

What does your blog grade mean?

• MASTERY (MAX): Great work, you nailed it! You covered an amazing multimedia summary of what happened in class using a clear, easy-to-read format. Most importantly, you absolutely included fantastic reflection which addresses all three main questions with depth beyond the classroom.
• APPROACHING (APP): Your summary got the general gist of what happened in class, but could definitely use some elaboration OR your formatting is not aesthetic OR your reflection may be basic (such as just reflecting on how it can be applied in your schooling instead of the real world).
• DEVELOPING (DEV): You probably didn’t include a reflective aspect at all or your summary was so minimal it was hard to have any idea what happened in class.
• NOT YET (NY): Incredibly basic and/or the tone was rude, offensive, or inappropriate for a school, public blog.
• M: No blog written on your assignment day.

Blog Revisions and Reflections

• Blogs will receive a mastery grade within 7 days of publication based on the rubric above.
• Blogs may be revised, edited, and updated if the student would like an opportunity to improve his/her grade. IF the student does opt for a revision, he/she MUST EMAIL ME with a direct link to the published blog to inform and notify me to check the blog again.

How to Blog

3/25 Gautaman Asirwatham Period 2 - LATE

What is it like working from home?

Working from home gives me the freedom to do whatever I want. This comes with challenges and advantages. I have pursued interests of mine that I had put off for a long time and have had a lot of time to relax and enjoy myself. I have also lacked motivation to participate in school and finish my studies. I never thought senioritis could be so bad. Weighing the pros and cons I would say that quarantine and isolation has been fruitful in many ways. My conception of school and society has changed a lot. I realize that school isn’t what makes you learn but rather the effort it demands of you. I have also learned that I should spend more time doing what I enjoy rather than what is asked of me. I learned that I genuinely liked going to school and that what I hated all along was homework. These realizations will inevitably change the decisions I make in college. I only hope that I do not squander the talents I am gifted with by choosing to enjoy my life more actively.

What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

On an individual level, I am learning how social people are meant to be. With everyone isolating everyone is going a bit crazy. I also am learning how important a routine is as I see my friends slowly fall into degeneracy. I learned that getting sunlight and air is necessary to avoid depression for many people.

On a societal level, I am learning that large scale problems require a severe and visceral impetus to cause change. The US specifically perpetuates many obvious problems simply out of negligence and fear. The list is too long with racial injustice, unsustainable industries, lack of universal healthcare, and many others. The youth are very progressive judging from their public reactions but older people are generally more fearful of change. 

Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

I feel that isolation creates a unique environment for self growth and understanding and as such people should take advantage of the current global circumstances. I am doing my best to stay positive and productive day by day.

I am sad about the damages caused and lives ruined by the various problems in 2020. I am also sad that many people are not treating each other humanely or listening to each other. I think that when such tragedies are happening we should all try to support each other and solve the problem together. Instead, people are dividing further and not being kind to one another. Of course, this is easier said than done but I believe it is a simple sentiment that goes a long way to make the world better.

Finally, I feel hopeful about the future as many of the world’s problems are being exposed for what they are. In the short term many will suffer but in the future people will be better off for our struggles. If there is another outbreak or social problem people will be faster to solve it and more understanding of each other.

Jacob Fox, Period 1, 5/1/2020 (LATE)

What are the updates around the world/community regarding the virus?

Within a short period of time last week, the subject of media attention has rapidly shifted from updates about Covid-19 to the ongoing protests and demonstrations across the country. Cases in the United States are still increasing at a considerable rate, and this has been exacerbated by the recent reopening of many states. With almost two million cases, over twenty thousand new cases daily and over a hundred thousand deaths, it’s clear that there is still a serious threat. In New York, under the direction of Governor Cuomo, stay at home orders and other restrictions on gatherings and business have been extended until June 27. It’s evident from looking at the numbers that these measures are effective. Comparing the graphs of daily new cases in New in New York versus the entire U.S. shows a clear difference. The highest number of daily cases in new york was 11,571 on April 14. There were 941 new cases on May 31. Comparing that to the entire United States, in which there was a peak of 36137 cases on april 24, but there was still 21703 on May 31. New York has experienced a decline by more than a factor of 12 since the peak, while daily cases in the United States as a whole have declined by less than a factor of 2.


What are you learning about your world/community based on the reactions?

As always, it’s difficult to get people to cooperate when you want to place temporary restrictions on their freedoms. A lot of people make it out like it’s either an all or nothing situation. Either we’re all locked inside our homes by an oppressive government, or we’re free and we can go wherever we want, do whatever we want, and not have to wear masks. Some of the stricter measures to reduce the spread of the virus wouldn’t be necessary if everyone observed some reasonable precautions such as minimizing time spent outside, especially around other people, standing at least six feet apart, and wearing a mask. I’m learning that a lot of people don’t take things seriously until it affects them personally.


Your own personal feelings and thoughts about what is happening right now.

It’s strange to me how quickly everyone has moved on from talking about the virus to talking about the protests. Coronavirus is still a threat, and is affecting the lives of thousands of people across the country. I think that it is entirely possible to stage a peaceful protest while observing the precautions necessary to minimize the spread of Covid-19, and there have been many examples of exactly that occurring across the country. In an ideal world, these types of protests would be the only ones occurring. Police officers would be able to stand by peacefully, only being there to protect the right of the nonviolent protesters to assemble or to intervene if any situation becomes violent. However, some people have been taking advantage of the distractions caused by the protests to vandalize and loot businesses. This has caused issues for law enforcement, and has caused a lot of unnecessary and unwarranted force to be used on demonstrators operating entirely within their first amendment rights. It doesn’t help that the message from the White House has been to condone violent acts against citizens and seemingly seek only to escalate the conflict. I’ve never seen a situation this bad in America in my lifetime.

Jacob Fox, Period 1, 3/11/2020 (LATE)

Write about what you learned in your online English lessons.

Over the past month, we’ve been reading World War Z by Max Brooks. It’s about a zombie apocalypse, but it’s not told from a narrow point of view like most dramatic zombie stories. It’s written in the style of an informational report, documenting the history of the worldwide zombie war. However, the story is not just about the zombies themselves. It’s about the worldwide effect of fear, panic, and ignorance, which causes more destruction than the zombies themselves. It is rich with real life lessons about our nature as humans. We’ve also been working on our final project, which is to create our own monster. Our monster has to be a metaphor of something that happens in real life. This ties in well to the themes of World War Z, and the curriculum as a whole, which reinforces the idea of monsters being a reflection of humanity. Monsters have to be relatable on some level in order to make an interesting and compelling story. Even mindless monsters like zombies, that seem completely disjointed from humanity, Humans fear death and decay, and we fear not being remembered. That fear is personified in the form of a mindless walking corpse that has lost all sense of what it used to be. Still roaming the world as only a shadow of its former self.


How is what you’re learning applied to any other classes/the world around you?

For our final project in macroeconomics, we are playing the stock market game again. We get five thousand dollars which we can invest however we want to try to make as much money as possible over the course of a few weeks. It’s becoming increasing apparent to me that stock prices, especially those of the big name companies are mostly influenced by human psychology and bandwagon mentality. News media headlines play a much bigger role than actual data. This is especially apparent during the volatile situation we currently find ourselves in. With new stories breaking every day, it’s hard to guess what will happen to stocks. Mrs. Fink says it’s all about who gets the information first, because the people who spend the time (or have inside connections) to get information before everyone else can act before the market reacts and make a profit. As we’ve learned from reading World War Z, fear is a powerful motivator, and there are always people waiting to take advantage of it. I’d encourage everyone reading this to look up publicly available statistics about U.S senators selling stocks back in February.


What is it like working from home?

Working from home has been difficult. It’s hard to stay focused with all the distractions. Being able to come to school put me in a certain mindset, and I took for granted the fact that I could talk to any of my teachers in person basically any time I wanted. At first it seemed that completing my last semester of high school from home would be much easier than going to school. Purely in terms of workload, it’s definitely been less. However, actually showing up to a school building makes it much easier to coast by, because you’re always reminded of the work that needs to be done. At home, it’s hard to keep up, with senioritis being in full kick. I can close my computer whenever I want, I can’t just walk out of the school building or skip classes. I’ve had to work very hard recently to get things back on track, and it’s been much more difficult than usual to communicate with my teachers. Still, I’m hopeful that I can close out the year well, and be prepared for college next year.