Immigrants In our Own Land by Jimmy Santiago Baca

What I really enjoyed today during class was the fact that we got to learn about a new author and one of his poems. I really found his life amazing. It was awesome where he came from and all the hard work and effort he put to be a better person. When I read his poem of," Immigrants In Our Own Land," I really got a good sense of actual reality. His experience of life was so on point that it really gave us the view of reality that I found really relate-able. I think that the most interesting thing that I found in this poem was the fact that you can see how much the author has grown and all the hard work he has put into improving who he is and reaching any goals, I found it amazing how you would never think that he was ever illiterate when reading his poems because that is how good and amazing his writing is. When I read the poem and thought about the theme, tone, mood, and devices I had the same thoughts as Jessica's blog post. I think that the theme in this poem would be expectations vs reality like Jessica said in her blog post. Some people come to this country to find better opportunities and live a better life but once they get here they realize that nothing is going to change and reality hits them, but sometimes I would say that there are those people who get lucky. In this poem I would say that the tone of the author would be a tone that changes throughout the poem. For example in the beginning the author starts with a calm tone but as the poem goes on the author becomes sad and depressed because he is realizing the reality of life and that we have to go through many hardships to realize that nothing much will change. As well as the author's mood at first it's hopeful and slowly we can hear how he is loosing hope little by little with the words he uses and how he describes what he feels. Some devices that we find in this poem would be Irony. We see the use of Irony because the poem mainly focuses on how people come to a new country for a better life but all they get is a prison. Another device that we can see in this poem would be the use of his Diction and Syntax. We can see all through out the poem that he helps us imagine and get an idea of how Immigrants live their life like prisons by comparing prisons to their lives. I really found this poem like a punch in the face of how life really is and that it can really suck sometimes. .-.

MY MAD DREAM OF AN ESSAY

Remember that time you ate that spicy branch just before you went to bed on the night before the big concert?  Oh, that weird dream you had about the 2016 presidential election.  When you woke up you couldn't quite remember the crazy details, but after reading "On Self-Reliance" and "A Sound of Thunder" it's all coming back to you now.

The dream started badly.  You were in line with your family at a concert waiting to be sent to jail.  Everywhere you looked there were posters of president-elect Mac Donald-Berger, looking like a crazy lion who could eat a whole zoo.   

Suddenly, there was Ralph Waldo Emerson telling you, "Be Thyself."  You realized that you have something to contribute to the world so you decided to fight.  But it wasn't easy.  First you had to put on a fancy suit and get weapons and then you had make a time machine to go back in time to the concert so you could convince people to learn about the candidates and the sexism in this world.

But right there in the concert there was a giant mob and it started yelling at everyone.  People started to panic.  You grabbed a gun from a nearby store and yelled "YOU JUST MET YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE."  Everyone stopped and listened, so you kept going.

PEOPLE, PLEASE LISTEN. VIOLENCE IS NOT THE SOLUTION WE SHOULD BE LOOKING FOR. OUR ACTIONS WILL ALWAYS LEAD TO CONSEQUENCES AND IF WE CHOOSE THE PATH OF VIOLENCE THIS WILL NOT END WELL. THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES AND HOW OUR LIVES WILL CHANGE. WE DON'T NEED ANYMORE HATE THAN WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE! WE HAVE TO THINK BEFORE WE MAKE ANY CHOICES. THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE FOR THIS WORLD AND UPCOMING GENERATIONS. I ONCE CHOSE TO SHUT ALL THE PEOPLE OUT THAT I LOVED FROM MY LIFE. I CHOSE TO LIVE A LIFE OF DEPRESSION, WITHOUT LOVE. I WAS KEEPING ALL MY FEELINGS INSIDE OF ME AND I WASN'T LETTING ANYONE IN. I WASTED SO MUCH TIME FEELING SAD, HATING LIFE WHEN THE WORLD AND MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY HAD SO MUCH TO OFFER. JUST LIKE EMERSON ONCE SAID, DON'T FALL INTO THE CROWD OF OUR SOCIETY WHEN YOU KNOW YOURSELF BETTER THAN ANYONE ELSE AND YOU KNOW THAT YOU WANT TO DO THE RIGHT THING. DON'T STEP ON THE BUTTERFLY, BE THE BUTTERFLY, BE THYSELF.

BREAK?

This week is just one of those weeks that I have to struggle through. So far I guess I've had a productive week? On Saturday I did some community service and helped FFA clean up our little section where we keep the chickens 🐔 and the turkeys 🦃 and the rabbits 🐰. On Sunday I kind of destressed myself and just went to church and hung out with friends after that. We ate at Red Robin's and then we had a movie night and played games. On Monday I woke up and cleaned my room, like the whole thing , I moved my bed and drawers and gave my room a whole new look 👀. After I was finished with that I showered and did some community service at Thrive. 😁 Today, Tuesday I got my Spanish project and homework done and I did some Physics homework which is great! I'm debating if I should do the extra credit for Spanish 🤔 I think I should 😂 So it's 12:00 and I should be sleeping but I think I'm used to staying up, I find myself writing this while I'm listening to Shawn Mendes ❤️🍑 And not going to sleep 😴. 

VIGNETTE

I sat still in a classroom. 10 to 30 kids were making their way to their desks , commencing conversations, pulling out notebooks from their backpacks. I sat still , motionless. I felt the shock all through my body and I stared straight into the wall. All that was heard was the rhythm of the music circulating through my body. People were talking so loud but I couldn't hear it. My mind tried so hard to forget but the more it tried to forget the more It remembered. That thought couldn't go away and I knew that it would never.

EMERSON'S CHILD

          Emerson really makes our humanity think twice about the kind of people we are. He makes us look at life in a perspective that we had never seen. Or we had seen it before, but we were afraid to recognize it. He tells us to live life being happy and ourselves, not what the society wants us to be. This is really the challenge that Emerson presents us with. Emerson once said," To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." What we learn from Emerson is really to be the kind of person that we ourselves want to be. Who are we when no one is looking or judging? How do we feel about all of this? How do we accomplish this inner happiness?

          Who are we when no one is looking? When no one is looking we seem to express ourselves and who we really are. Why is that? When no one is there to watch, no one is there too judge so we feel free. We don't have the society bombarding us with "perfection." We find ourselves a quite place. We meditate on life and that's when we find ourselves. When no one is watching. When no one is watching we find beauty. We find gentleness and fear, someone that we are afraid to show to the world because in a world like today everyone has to be "perfect," and "strong." Sometimes peace and quite is what someone needs. It helps you open your mind. You start getting inspired and that is when you see the beautiful things in life and you don't get captured into our society that can destroy you or prevent you from being happy with yourself. "Nothing can bring you peace but yourself." - Emerson.

          How do we feel? The hardest thing a human can possibly do is express their feelings. We hide our emotions because we don't want to show weakness. We don't wan't people to see our flaws because we are afraid that if they do they'll see us differently. We think that if we hide our emotions we won't feel them anymore but in reality we are just hurting ourselves even more. It's okay to cry. We as humans reach a point where we just need to release all the emotions that we have and the only way to do it is by crying. Life is not always going to be perfect. Sometimes I wonder, why should I be sad when there are other people who have been through worse? We as human's face many difficulties but these experiences are what molds us and make us the person who we are. You can either learn from them and move on or dwell on them for the rest of your life. Don't be afraid to show your true feelings and express your thoughts because that is where ideas are made and that is what makes us grow. Emerson gave us the best advice which was to," Speak your latent conviction....Else tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time, and we shall be forced to take with shame our own opinion from another."

          How do we really accomplish happiness and find our inner selves? Don't let the fear of society prevent you from being yourself. There will never be another you ever again. Take risks, live your life, be yourself, and find happiness. Enjoy every year that you get and accomplish your goals because soon that year will be over and you will never be the age that you once were.You are strong, beautiful, and independent. Life is too short to be worrying about what other people think of you. You know yourself better than anyone else and you know that happiness can only exist if you exit all the negativity and focus on who you really want to be. Emerson once said," Ne te quaesiveris extra." don't seek for things outside of yourself because these things are what kill who you are. Be the unique person that you are. You don't need other people to hold your hand through it all. The change starts in you. 

          Life is not perfect and it will never be. You just have to make the best out of it to be happy. Not everyone will like you but that is how life works. You will experience things that will make you suffer but that shouldn't stop you from living. Be free. Don't worry. Focus on what you want for yourself and not what others want from you. You are beautiful, don't let fear take the best out of you. You are stronger than what you think and you are loved. If Emerson were to see me I think he'd be proud. " Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail." - Ralph Waldo Emerson 

          

AN EARTH SHATTERING FART LOL

I really liked the story A sound of thunder because I found it very interesting. Especially how the story ended. I seemed to find a message in this story that really spoke to me. The message that I got from this story was that our actions are always going to lead to consequences. Either good consequences or bad ones. That is why we need to think about the things we do clearly. I believe that what he is also trying to tell us is that even the smallest actions lead to consequences. Sometimes one small action leads to huge consequences that you never thought could have happened. Once something is done it is done and there is no coming back to how it was before. That is why we need to think twice about what we do because sometimes you think it won't harm anyone but in reality it does. That is why I found this story really interesting. 

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 4

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 3

EMERSON PROJECT

SO I DECIDED TO MAKE A COLLAGE OF QUOTES THAT SPOKE TO ME JUST LIKE EMERSON'S ESSAY 💕
FINAL MESSAGE: IF I WERE TO TELL YOU ANYTHING IT WOULD BE TO NOT BE AFRAID OF BEING YOURSELF. I HAVE REALIZED THAT MY WHOLE LIFE I HAVE BEEN SCARED TO EXPRESS THE KIND OF PERSON I REALLY AM AND MY PERSONALITY. I AM A REALLY CRAZY PERSON AND I LOVE TO LAUGH AND I LOVE TO HANGOUT AND HAVE FUN BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I PREVENT MYSELF FROM BEING SAD OVER ANYTHING. I'M THE KIND OF PERSON WHO REALLY WANT'S TO TALK TO YOU BUT THAT IS TOO AFRAID TO DO IT. I PROMISE THAT I AM A REALLY OUTGOING PERSON ONCE YOU GET TO KNOW ME. THAT IS WHY I AM TELLING YOU TO SPEAK UP. DON'T BE SHY. BEING YOURSELF IS WHAT BRINGS YOU GREAT FRIENDSHIPS AND MEMORIES. DON'T LET OUR SOCIETY MOLD YOU BECAUSE YOU ARE UNIQUE AND UNIQUENESS IS WHAT BRINGS CREATIVITY AND IDEAS INTO OUR WORLD. THAT IS HOW WE MAKE THE WORLD GREAT. BY BEING OURSELVES. I'M EVEN GOING TO FOLLOW MY OWN ADVICE. GUESS WHAT? I'M GOING TO BREAK OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE BECAUSE I VOLUNTEERED AS ACTOR FOR MY HISTORY CLASS. I'M CURRENTLY SCARED BUT I'M GOING TO GET RID OF THAT SHYNESS STEP BY STEP.!! .-. (:

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 2

EMERSON PRESENTATIONS DAY 1

ALL OF THE PRESENTATIONS WERE AWESOME!!! 👌🏽😎
NOTES:

EMERSON FOR THE YOUNG BUCK

Dear children of the world, 

            To begin with I would like to tell you that there was once a very wise man named Emerson who wrote and essay on Self- Reliance. To help you understand what Self- Reliance was all about I will like to make this short and sweet. What Emerson is telling us to do in this essay is to just be yourself.Don't be afraid kid. Don't be afraid to love the kind of person you are. Don't worry about what other people think of you. Life is too short for that, enjoy it while you can. Have fun, play with your friends, share wild memories and just put yourself out there. You are special in your own way. Everyone is different so don't be afraid to embrace who you really are. You are fabulous, don't ever change, just do you. Don't think about anything more than once. You are amazing, take risks, and life life at it's fullest. 

EMERSON SAID IT

OKAY. So today in class during our discussion I ended up having the same perspective and I still agree 100% with Emerson's idea and he has made me think of how I have been living my life and I realize that it is totally the incorrect way. In our class discussion there was a different perspective of how Emerson's ideas were viewed. Some people believed that Emerson is full of crap and that all he is doing is telling us to believe in ourselves in a cliche way and that at the end of the day we forget about what Emerson has to say to begin with. I totally disagree because when we say that society is always going to end up winning it is exactly what Emerson is telling us not to do and believe! He is telling us to stop believing that we can't do anything because we are the society! It only takes one person to make a difference. It all depends on a single person to make a difference, not just because everyone is doing it you should too. You need to step up and not be a prisoner of a fake personality and person because of "society." The first thing that needs to happen to achieve this is that you need to change and be yourself first and then you will be able to change the society, because if you are not at peace with yourself to begin with then you can't really make a difference in our society, that is why our society is how it is today. We can see this in all the quotes and messages that Emerson is trying to tell us. To begin with he starts off by saying, “ Ne te quaesiveris extra.” He is telling us that who we really are is inside of us. We have to be seeking our inner selves rather than our outer selves. Yes we hear this all the time but he isn’t just telling us to believe in ourselves, he is telling us to not conform to the person that everyone sees in a daily basis, or the person that acts like they are happy when in reality they aren’t. He is telling us to conform to the person inside of us, the real, pure, and true of us. He gives examples of our reality and he makes us realize why our society is how it is today. For example when he says,” We but half express ourselves, and are ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents,” or when he says,” In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts: they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.” These are examples of humanity’s reality. We are too afraid to speak what we know because we are in fear that we are wrong. We realize that we are right and we think of the fact that we never spoke up for the rest of the day. After giving us these examples he goes on to support us and and he tell us that it is not the end and that we have to make a difference to be happy with ourselves and who we are to begin with. He says,” Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” and, “ Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principles.” YOU know yourself better than anyone else and you know that you can only obtain happiness by being yourself and not someone who acts just to fit in. YOU will know that you are doing the right thing when you finally reach peace. He tells us to be INDEPENDENT. It doesn’t matter if you are trying to change on your own. You do not need someone to hold your hand through it all. We are individuals who are capable of changing, you can either see the positive side of it and be inspired to make a change in yourself, or not. Focus on what you want to do and not on what others want you to do. That is what I caught from our discussion and my opinion. (: