Of Literary Merit

As a freshman, I wondered who picked these books we read.  As a sophomore, I was curious why we had to analyze books with such depth.  As a junior, I questioned why we had to learn about so many literary devices.  Now, as a senior, I have learned that the literary devices create depth in a book that impact the reader and add to the book's literary merit, making it a good book to study in school.  After four years in high school, I'm beginning to grasp how the analysis of a book shows what exactly the author did to create the work of literary merit and write something with more depth than a book for pure entertainment.  Also, this research project where we need to pick a novel and decide ourselves if it's of literary merit or not, will help me better understand how a novel becomes of literary merit.  It shows the process all the novels read in school had to go through to be considered good to read and taught in school.  When a work of literary merit is fully understood, it leaves a larger and longer lasting impact on the reader and gives the reader something to think about society or leaves a moral about mankind.
Zach Y.

My Spring Break in Mexico

As I stepped out of the airplane, the cool breeze of Mexico crept up and as we drove to the city, Zapotlanejo, I could already smell the cows 5 miles away. The new scent in the air did not bother me because it was a reminder that I was back to my second home. When we arrived to the welcoming city of Zapotlanejo, our first stop was not my aunts house, but instead it was straight to some enchiladas, tamales, and posole. While we finished devouring the delious food, I new that this was only the begining because there were lots of foods that I was waiting to consume.  During the week I went to a small town where everyone knows not only their neighbor but the family ten blocks away. While I was there, I visited my grandfather where I helped him milk a cow. I have to say that was a bit scary but worth all the fright. While I was there,  I could see the river that connected the industrialized city of Guadalajara to the unindustrialized village of Atengo.  I was able to experience the two different lifestyles while I was there, which made me more aware of the different lives that people live within a small radius. During the week, I had a great time with my family and as the last day in Mexico arrived, I was sad that I had to leave,  but I knew that I had enjoyed my break.

Cynthia Navarro

A Jewel to the World

As we live our daily lives we seek truth.

It is what surrounds us that we most cherish.

We unfold every pedal of a rose

Until we find the inner beauty.

This hidden gift begins to glow like a diamond jewel,

because it begins to lighten the world with color.

Ever y moment in our lives adds to the spectrum of life a different color.

Through every rise and fall we discover meaning and truth.

Every barrier we overcome makes us cherish

What we become—a blossomed rose.

It is then we discover the beauty

Of life because to the world we become a valuable jewel.

Like a rose, we flourish and add color to the world.

Like a jewel we are cherished because we bring beauty to life.

Like life itself, we bring about truth to those who seek it most.

♥  Cynthia Navarro

What's Your Personal Philosophy?

“What the hell is a Hegel?”

“Dude, that’s the philosopher’s name. Your personal philosophy is philosophic history.”

As I read the description, “You’re not right, but neither am I. You understand that the world is made up of opposing ideas, and no person is 100% correct. This is Hegel’s idea on thesis (the original idea), antithesis (the opposing idea), and finally, synthesis (the truth). We’re all just looking for truth in the world, and using the past to help us understand the present and the future,” I began to notice how easily people believed in this apparent nonsense.

While I understand that this is just an educated guess on our beliefs, how is it possible that people easily accept their philosophy from a fifteen question quiz, where half of the questions would never happen in reality? Personally, I have no clue what I would do if I saw a man about to jump off of a bridge or if some person came up to me and said, “God does not exist anymore! You have all been duped!” I mean, have I really been duped? Or is this person the crazy one?

After discussing with my team however, I realized this “educated guess” about my personal philosophy was indeed relatively accurate. As a representative of Hegel’s beliefs, I am the type of person to question everything to find the truth. By breaking down and criticizing these questions, which at first I thought were beyond ridiculous, I was able to understand why I share similar beliefs with Hegel. My curious desire for truth and understanding had inadvertently proven my personal philosophy to myself.

Even though I may be over thinking the whole situation, I am a Hegel: I do this to understand and find truth in society.

~ Simon L.

In Their Shoes

Today in class we had a discussion about the main characters in the novels we are currently reading. The novel I am reading is Native Son, with a protagonist by the name of Bigger. However, Bigger did not turn out to be the protagonist I assumed he would be because of the archetypal protagonists in other novels.  Rather than developing a fondness for him, I started to loathe his very being because of his brutal behavior. Then I stopped to think about the conditions which he's under. During that time whites were portrayed as the superior race and blacks were inferior. He felt defenseless and had fear of the whites, whom he felt ran his life. Any little taste of power he got he felt he had authority and importance, and he would abuse that power. Imagine what it would be like if you were in Bigger's position, if you were part of an inferior group and you were constantly belittled and condemned. Wouldn't you build up anger inside as well? And if you had no sense of authority in your life, wouldn't it feel good when you did have power, even for a moment? Bigger's way of expressing his anger or his use of power was possibly not the wisest choice, but from all of this I learned that before prejudging somebody it is best to try to put yourself in their shoes and see where they're coming from.

-KAYLEE H.

Victorian Era vs. Common Era

The times were very different then, and I'm quite sure I'm glad I live today. Despite the fact that the men were the ones with power, I dont think I would enjoy any part of their lifestyle. Their society seems to proper and uptight, and it seems that their life is already planned. The beauty of life in this era is the ability to create your own path, and choose what you want in life. Everyone is different, and I think we value individuality a lot more now than in Jane's time. Another aspect is the openess of our culture, as opposed to the rigid nature of Victorian society. Todays world also is much more open to all religions. It's amazing to have all the worlds religion and culture in one country, and sometimes the diversity makes us realize how much we have in common. People are all different, but we all go through struggles or situations common to all man, similar to archetypes. For example Jane's emotions are present in all humans, but the situation may be different.

-Andrew V

Birth Rights by Cynthia Navarro

While our group discussed the themes in Jane Eyre, birth rights was the theme that was prevalent throughout the novel. Jane Eyre grew up with her aunt, Mrs. Reed, who greatly despised her because she considered her less valuable than a servant. Since she was only a young girl, she had no control over her social status, but because her parents we not wealthy, Jane did not have the same social status as the Reeds family. Also, being a female with little or no attractive features, made it harder for Mrs. Reed to accept her in the family. During that period, Jane had little value in society beause she was a women, poor, and uneducated until she was taken to Lowood. At Lowood, she overcame many of those barriers by becoming an independent, educated, and wealthy women. Although she belonged to the lower social class, she became more successful that her cousins because her cousins had the advantage of belonging to a wealthy family that could provide them with the best education.