Evan Wortman, 3/5/21, Period 8, Day C

Evan Wortman Period 8 3/5/2021

Day C

Blog # 2

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

A problem that I have been dealing with recently is that I am constantly oversleeping and that even when I do wake up, I have a hard time getting out of bed. Most of the time I do not end up going to sleep until well after two in the morning which in turn causes me to be overly tired when my alarm goes off in the morning. That’s why the majority of my classes over the past few months have been attended from bed on my phone. It had reduced my participation, raised my procrastination, and worst of all most of the time I do not even feel like I am learning anything because I am just too tired to take in new information. The one goal that I have set for myself, that I have been trying to fulfill now for around two weeks, is to go to sleep earlier, wake up well-rested, and most importantly get out of bed for my classes.

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

I demonstrate my resilience towards accomplishing this goal by attempting to go to sleep earlier daily and by waking up and getting out of bed for class. As soon as I decided that I had enough of my bad habit of attending class from my bed, I created a sleep schedule on my phone. What this does is that it reminds me to go to sleep fifteen minutes before I set my bedtime which I have set for twelve-thirty and it sets off an alarm at eight-thirty in the morning every weekday. After I created this sleep schedule, however, I realized that it had not truly even begun to solve my problem. My main issue and the thing holding me back the most is that after my alarm goes off in the morning, I usually just go on my phone and can not get myself out of bed. It is so bad that most days, even though I am awake from eight-thirty for classes I do not actually get out of bed and start being productive until after three in the afternoon. This is terrible because not only does it ruin my classes for me but it also does not allow me to even start being productive until late into the afternoon. This is just a cycle because if I do not start working until late then I will not be able to go to sleep early and thus my entire goal will become impossible to fulfill. I am trying to demonstrate my resilience by working towards forcing myself out of bed in the morning because I know that every time I get out of bed earlier, I have a much more productive day.

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

 The world that we are living in now is completely unique and nobody can ever really compare the times that we are living in to anytime in the past. My goal of trying to fix my sleep schedule and get out of bed earlier is being heavily affected by the world that we live in. For instance, I am in my senior year of high school and all of my classes are completely online. I have already applied to college and at this point, I have a hard time finding an incentive to really get out of bed and have a productive day. Furthermore, one of the main obstacles that really prevents me from getting out of bed when I want to is the fact that I do not have to. Since all of our classes are online and I have the capability of attending them from my bed, there is nothing really making me get out of bed. When we had school in person, I would always get out of bed on time because I knew that if I did not, then I would be late for school. The fact that there is nothing preventing me from staying in bed is my main problem and is why I got stuck in this loop in the first place. 

Jonathan Sarmiento, Period 2, 3/3/21, Day A

  Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

    The topic of racial inequality and prejudice is one that has often been shunned by the public in our country. However, due to recent events both this year and in 2020, the conversation can no longer be ignored. While racism against African Americans has been highlighted the most recently, one group's plight that has gone without significant coverage is the rise in violence against Asian Americans. This increase of prejuidice against Asian Americans began when the pandemic began to hit the world hard in early-to-mid 2020, but it wasn't until recently where it got any significant media coverage. Now news outlets are reporting attacks against Asian Americans almost on a daily basis, with a lot of these occurences happening in my hometown of NYC. I've seen my own friends be scared to leave their homes because they don't want to verbally or physically assualted simply because they're Asian. It's extremely frustrating to see my city, who protested tirelessly against the oppression faced by African Americans in this country, become one of the hotspots in this surge of hatred against Asian Americans. Hopefully the exposure that these events are getting will finally get people to wake up and truly see how normalized racism is against other minority communities in our country and help spark some change in the way these communites are treated.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Despite being Hispanic on my father's side, my experience with racism is very different from other Hispanic people. I personally have never been the victim of a racially motivated attack, which is due to me being white passing despite my heritage. However, I have had far too many experiences with people making racist remarks towards Hipanic/Latino people while in conversation with me, not knowing that they said those things to a Hispanic person. Experiences like these really affect the way I view people, as I don't want to associate with people who are so comfortable saying racist things to anyone, regardless of who the racist remark was directed towards. The most frustrating part of it all is that they rarely take responsibility for what they said and apologize, usually either writing it off as a joke or gaslighting me into thinking that I'm overreacting and being "sensitive". One other experience that I've had far too many times is that my heritage has been questioned, or even flat out denied on several occasions. I've had people doubt my Hispanic heritage on the basis that I'm not "Hispanic looking", fluent in Spanish, or "behave" like a Hispanic person. I've heard these things from both other Hispanics and non-Hispanic people, and it made it hard to appreciate my culture growing up because I didn't want to be ridiculed. While my experiences with prejudice are tame in comparison with what other people unfortunately go through, I believe that my experiences help show how casual racism and prejudice is amongst our peers and in society.

Milena Olkhovetsky, Period 5, 3/4/2021, Day B

Milena Olkhovetsky

Period 5

03/04/2021

Day B

Modern Mythology 2021


Goal Setting & Growth

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

“Current point in time”, kind of makes what I’m about to say a tad more embarrassing doesn’t it? For the past 4-5 years of my life, I have struggled with a fear of being perceived in a negative way. I care too much about what people think of me and often times fabricate false beliefs about how others see me. It has stopped me from enjoying my time with loved ones, pursuing hobbies, and living life to the fullest. Despite the fact that I clearly had amazing friends that wanted to support me, I only felt truly comfortable with a select number of people. I thought this was just a feature of my personality, a product of my upbringing so to speak. However, not only is that kind of thinking harmful to me, but it’s also unfair to the people around me. For all that they have given me, the least that they deserve is to see the true me. So once quarantine began, I decided to truly tackle this belief. I no longer wanted it to define me as a person, I wanted to change. As I am writing this blog, I am constantly asking myself “Why would you share something so personal? Everyone else is writing about college or schoolwork for this prompt anyway.” The answer to that question is very simple actually. Publishing this blog is yet another step towards my goal. It’s a hurdle that I must pass and I think it is something that I can take pride in once I have done it.

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

Of course, a change in mindset isn’t enough. I’m well aware of that because I’ve tried so many times before. Simply not caring or turning a blind eye to this issue wasn’t the solution that I needed. The path that I chose is slightly unorthodox and it kind of sounds counterintuitive. My holy grail for these past few months has actually been Snapchat. Strangely enough, social media, something notorious for tearing down the self-esteems of teenagers was the tool that I used to restore my own. At the beginning of quarantine, I placed all of my closest friends into a private story on the app. It provided me with a visual representation of the people who are most important to me and those that I should really focus on rather than complete strangers. It was hard at first, sitting and thinking over one picture or video, one simple caption, and how certain people would react to it. What got me through was reminding myself that the people that see this are those that would never think badly of me and always support me. I began to think of this private story as a gift to those that I loved and appreciated, a glimpse into the person that I want to show them in public someday. However, I have a long way to go before I can reach that point and that’s totally okay. Even though I still experience small bouts of fear in public, I feel like I’m making good progress. I feel happier and have found amazing people and passions along the way as well!

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

Frankly, the world around me is what inspired me to pursue this goal in the first place. My closest friends are some of the most outspoken and confident people I know and I truly admire that about them. They constantly push me to stand up for myself and enjoy what I do in life. Really all I want to do is make them proud. I dedicate my goal to them as much as I do to myself because they are my biggest supporters. They encourage me to take risks when I’m scared, to say no when I want to, and to live life for myself. Without them, I would have never made this much progress and I truly thank them for that.

Nicole Varghese, 3/2/2021, PD8, Day C

Nicole Varghese
Period 8
March 2, 2021
Day C

Literacy and Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

In the last cycle, we concluded Beowulf with a tragic ending to the epic tale as his battle with the dragon leads to death. It certainly would have been a dismal moment for Beowulf since it was the first time that in his fight against fate, his glory was denied unlike before. Whenever I read epic tales from history, I imagine the heroic protagonist surviving all the obstacles in his/her path and still emerging victorious. I feel like this is a common feeling because although this protagonist may be flawed in various ways, we, as readers, want to see them succeed especially since they represent good in the battle between good and evil. Also, this connection to the protagonist could be because we relate to the flaws the hero possesses as they perhaps embody struggles and feelings we experience. Another aspect I was interested in was the symbolism especially in the last scenes of the epic. The dragon symbolically represents evil since it is synonymous with the serpent which caused the downfall of Adam and Eve and their banishment from the Garden of Evil in the Old Testament. The dragon is a mighty and powerful creature and seems like an appropriate counterpart for Beowulf as opposed to Grendel who was easily defeated. This explains why the dragon was the one who brought Beowulf’s downfall since it brought out his ego which blinded him to his own incapabilities. Another symbolic character is Wiglaf and his bravery and loyalty to Beowulf can be interpreted as hope for the future of the kingdom. Wiglaf is like the “next Beowulf” who exemplifies heroism and is representative of how good emerges victorious in the end.

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

During the class discussion, Ms. Fusaro mentioned how all the elements present in a literary work is usually symbolic of a certain concept or idea. Elements refer to fire, water, air, and earth and each also has duality. In Beowulf, the dragon fiercely exhales fire as its primary way of harming the Geats. Here, fire represents evil in that it’s derived from inside the dragon. It also is prevalent in Christianity as hell is described as being a fiery, hot place. However, fire is also representative of the Holy Spirit and God’s presence. Another element that is mentioned in the epic is water in that Grendel’s mother lived at the bottom of a swamp. This demonstrates how water serves as the abode for evil. However, Wiglaf sprinkles water onto Beowulf while he was dying which symbolizes the sacrament of baptism. Here, the water initiates a rebirth for Beowulf as his soul departs from the earthly world. Through these realizations, I was able to realize the duality of the representation of the elements as well as the heavy influence of Christianity in Beowulf. It’s important to not overlook these connections but rather analyze and understand the deeper meaning behind seemingly normal textual information.

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

One theme that has repeated time and time again is the concept of the relationship between humanity and pride. In class, we first explored this with the ancient Greeks and their idea of hubris being the greatest hamartia in humanity as well as the root of all other sins. This prompted a question that was posed in the lesson: How do people attempt to transcend time? Is Beowulf’s quest for fame arrogance, or is it a relatable human emotion? This was a question that really got me thinking because immortality is such a universal yet theoretically impossible idea. Then, I realized that it was the finity of humans that made us so attracted to the idea of fame. We all want to be remembered as great individuals who have left a lasting impression on as many people as we can. Fame is a type of immortality in which one can be immortalized even after they are long gone. This explains why Beowulf asks Wiglaf to erect a tower in his name as his dying wish so that his people will commemorate his achievements and passing sailors will remember his name. In psychology, I studied Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development which establishes that a person experiences a psychosocial crisis in each of eight stages of life. Beowulf would be in stage seven with the life crisis of generativity vs stagnation since he’s at the age where adults strive to create things that will outlast them such as contributing to society and taking action to benefit future generations. This addresses the question: How can I contribute to the world? Therefore, even though Beowulf’s quest for fame can be arrogance which ultimately leads him to death, it is also undeniably a relatable human emotion.

 

Riya Varghese, 3/2/2021, PD8, Day C

Riya Varghese
3/2/2021
Period 8
Modern Mythology 2021

Goal Setting & Growth

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

Now that I’m in the second semester of senior year, a lot of my previous goals of finishing the application process are over. Other than mini goals of choosing a college fit for me and getting a good amount of financial aid, my main goal is to move to my new house before May and prepare to move again in August to dorms. Although this is a family goal, I’ve been personally struggling with the thoughts of packing in moving. To be honest I didn’t imagine moving until I started to dorm in college but all of a sudden my parents had found a house and started the process of moving paperwork. This impending move has been grieving me because all of my close friends are within a 5 minute walking distance or a 15 minute drive but now I'm moving to the southern tip of the island nowhere near anyone. So, my immediate goal at the moment is to come to acceptance of moving, finish packing and just make the jump and move.

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

I have demonstrated resilience towards achieving this goal by already packing 3 suitcases of summer and indian church/party wear. I find myself often starting to pack certain items but I also find myself procrastinating to finish. So I decided after my birthday I’m going to finally take a step up and start finishing what I started. I’ve also been researching activities to do in the neighborhood and possibly meet friends as I go more often. The one I’m looking forward to is the beach. According to google maps I’m a 5 minute walk away from the most southern tip of the island and is a very attractive location to travel to.

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

My environment around me is the most resounding reason in my heart to refuse moving. Currently my best friend lives a block away from me, my close friends live in walking or biking distance, and living in the middle of the island means everything is close by and within a 20 minute driving distance. For all these reasons, I’ve been hesitant to move or give my approval of moving because although we may have a bigger house, it won’t be the same as the childhood I spent in this house. That said, we also have received many congratulations and well wishes towards moving, so although I dislike the thought of moving, I know its a step in the right direction.

Matthew Saw, Period 2, 3/3/21, Day A

 Socio-political Consciousness

What are your thoughts and feelings about issues of inequity, oppression, and/or power?

Currently, as you might have already seen, hate crimes against Asian Americans such as myself have been increasing at an alarming rate across the country. This is especially concerning since the state where this is most prominently taking place is New York, the state that we live in. Everyday I see new stories on the news about Asian Americans being attacked in public for no other reason than them being a certain race. Just this weekend, an Asian man in Manhattan was stabbed in broad daylight without any warning or provocation. When questioned about the stabbing by the police, the suspect said “I stabbed that guy. If he dies, he dies.” What’s even worse is that it also recently came out that the suspect wouldn’t be facing any hate crime charges. He will still be charged with attempted murder, and while that’s good, it just doesn’t sit right with me. I feel scared, not for myself and my families, but instead I feel scared that this type of behavior will become normalized, and I will just have to accept that I am not allowed to feel safe in my own home city anymore.

How do you reflect critically on your own beliefs, assumptions, values, and experiences, and how these can influence your perception of self and others?

Personally, I have not been on the receiving end of any physical harm, and for that I am massively grateful. I also know that, since I don’t have to leave my home and I live in a relatively safe neighborhood, I am coming from a place of privilege and that my opinion on the matter may not have as much weight as others, but I do still feel frustrated. I feel like this matter isn’t being taken seriously at all by most people, especially our own local government. The mayor announced the NYPD would be increasing patrols and trying to help stop further crimes against Asian Americans, but just a few days after that announcement, the stabbing in Manhattan took place. I know that only a very small percentage of people are the ones going out and committing these crimes, but when you can’t tell who’s against you and who’s just a normal person, it becomes hard to not be distrustful of everyone. However, I also acknowledge that that mindset is not a good one to have, since I know that a lot of people are in support of the Asian American community and even those who don’t particularly care about the matter don’t actually wish any harm upon us. But after seeing and hearing what’s been happening all around me these few past months, it’s been very difficult to not have that mindset. I really just hope that one day life can return to normal and I can once again feel as if I’m not an outsider in the country I was born and raised in.

Chloe Nguyen, Period 5, 3/1/21, Day B

Chloe Nguyen

Period 5

3/1/21

Day B

Modern Mythology 2021

Literacy & Learning

Write about your thoughts regarding any of the fiction or nonfiction covered in class.

Recently, we finished reading Beowulf in class and watched a modern adaptation of the film produced in 2007. Rather than the straightforward structure of the plot itself, centered around Beowulf as the demon slayer hero archetype who is blessed with God’s favor in battle until he isn’t, I am much more intrigued by the underlying themes presented in the poem, specifically the portrayal of kinship and the way in which it is measured as an evaluation of character. From my understanding of Anglo-Saxon culture, qualities such as loyalty and honor are heavily rooted in one another to the extent that one cannot exist without the other. The strongest case of this is most notably Beowulf’s final battle with the dragon. Wiglaf exhibits honor by deciding to fight alongside Beowulf although the odds are against them, while the rest of the men flee in terror, abandoning their leader despite knowing full well the consequences that their actions entail. He chooses possible death in battle over the shame associated with cowardice for the sake of self-preservation. In our last class, we engaged in a group discussion about whether or not it is fair for us to judge the Geats for running from the dragon, sparked by Ms. Fusaro’s comment about cowardice representing one of the most undesirable traits to be remembered for. During this conversation, the class advocated for two positions that essentially begged the question of what is worse: a coward or a person who openly possesses the intent to do harm? The hypothetical situations brought up in class primarily pertained to smaller scale scenarios like a coward who ghosts someone versus a person who blatantly insults someone they dislike to their face. Personally, I wonder how these opposing opinions fare under more serious circumstances. For example, is a cowardly bystander just as bad as the evil perpetrator in the context of bullying, abuse, assault, etc.?

Reflect on any new information you have learned in English class by considering how that learning influences your critical perception.

No matter how long it takes me to wrap my head around the language and content of older texts like Beowulf, I find satisfaction in the challenge of examining ideas from both a structuralist and modern point-of-view. For instance, if loyalty equates honor, does it matter who/what this loyalty is focused towards? Many apocalyptic storylines in contemporary narratives and games including Life Is Strange and The Last of Us pose the dilemma of sacrificing one person to save the world or compromising humanity’s existence for their survival. Since each option depicts loyalty, whether it be to a single individual or a collective group, both should represent equally honorable choices. Yet, a majority of people would view the former as selfless and the latter as selfish. Sometimes I feel that by perceiving information this way, I end up with more questions than I started with. However, I believe that trying to broaden the scope of my critical lens by considering and investigating the historical and cultural context is necessarily in forming a fuller, more cohesive understanding of the big picture.

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

Perhaps, I will not be going off on a tangent about the lessons I learned from Beowulf in my other classes, which are more number-crunching and scientific concepts than anything else. Still, engaging in respectful and constructive conversations like the whole group discussions we have in class allows me to practice listening to other people’s opinions even if they differ from mine, so we can learn more from each other. In doing so, I have better been able to take things with a grain of salt. Rather than spoon-feeding myself content homogenous with my personal views of the world, I believe the process of learning truly begins in gaining exposure to a variety of perspectives.