Transcendentalism : My favorite Literary Era

The literary era I enjoyed the most was the transcendentalism era. I enjoyed reading about Chris McCandless and tracking down transcendentalism in pop culture. I also enjoyed the texts we read from Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. These texts relates to the transcendentalism era because it taches us about it. Quotes like "imitation is suicide" relates to be being self reliant and independent. This was my favorite era because I learnt a lot from it like being self reliant and depending on oneself. I also enjoyed our walk into the woods to explore nature. Of all the eras we learnt about, this was my favorite because of Chris's journey and his reason behind it was very relatable to us.

Movie Critic Response - Blazing Saddles

The critics wrote "Blazing Saddles is a crazed grab-bag of a movie that does everything to keep us laughing except hit us over the head with a rubber chicken. Mostly, it succeeds. It's an audience picture; it doesn't have a lot of classy polish and its structure is a total mess." I agree with the critic in saying that the director of the movie does everything to make us keep laughing and succeeded. It was a very funny movie from the opening scene to the end. Before I saw the movie, reading the critics made me feel like it was one of those movies that weren't really funny because the director tried too hard. But after watching the actual movie, I can say it was a really funny and hilarious movie.

Some other critic also wrote that the movie doesn't focus on the plot. I can somewhat agree with this critic because watching the movie, you could someway forget what you are watching. I kind of figured that the director mainly focused on the comedy aspect and lost focus on the main plot.

In general, Blazing Saddles was a good movie and other sources say it was one of Mel Brooks greatest movies. I enjoyed the movie and with rate it a 4.

Transcendentalism In Pop Culture

Non - Conformity

Self - Reliance

Simplified Life

Importance Of Nature

Road To Success

Though I may have many goals for the future, my present goals are focused on my academics. My main goal for English is to be adept at writing well constructed and detailed compositions, namely essays. To do so requires concentration, working on my grammar skills, organisation and clear use of language. Throughout this week in class, we have been working on ACT/SAT practices. I hope to take both including the mock test whenever it is set. My first step in preparing for the tests is to focus on what I am poor in and examine my own writing to see if there are any errors; in particular, grammar,that is my use of punctuation marks and spelling mistakes or incomplete thoughts. Another step I would take is to consult my English teacher on how I could improve. By engaging in the world of reading and writing, I can improve this skills. In conclusion, through hard work and dedication, my short term goals are accessible to be accomplished. I hope that by the end of the year, my English skills will have improved and I will be able to move up and gain high scores on exams and as a result will be accepted into a prestigious college.

  Favour Ulasi

  Mrs. Irving   

  American Literature 1

27 August 2015.

Life As We Know It

                                                   

I believe on a certain level like Ralph Waldo Emerson that self- reliance and individuality means living life to the fullest. Whereas, I also agree with Ambrose Bierce that humor and entertainment can be found in everyday life.

Self-reliance means living life to the fullest in the aspect that nothing can bring us peace than ourselves. Some people feel that institutions such as religion or society are completely useless in dictating behavior, that we should only “trust thyself”. I do feel that there is conformity in this world, and their fear of the regard of others is stronger than their own love of themselves. People are told how to behave, think, feel and act through peers, the media and other standards. So there is certain amount of negative conformity of mindless shaping of oneself to fit in. If more people were happy with who they were, regardless of external factors, they wouldn’t feel the urge to conform. However, there are some standard laws, morals that I feel are there for the common good of mankind, and if we were to reject them out of hand simply because it is “conforming”, then it could lead to chaos. Alexander Super-tramp is a great example of a person who was self-reliant, and he didn’t conform to the government. He broke some laws and portrayed civil disobedience. We should not conform our personality, self-esteem and individual regard to other people but maintain civility and decency in society and morals.

Humor is something that is funny, comical and amusing. There are many types of humor and what appears to be humorous to one may not be humorous to another. Humor and entertainment can be found in movies, books, jokes and in everyday life. Because laughter is good for us, humor and entertainment can play an important role in our everyday life and health. Satirist; Ambrose Bierce was an entertaining person who made fun of this society, he sees the world and interacts with it in his writing.

Both concepts are worth debating over and people are always going to have their own opinion. One who is self-reliant brings satisfaction to him or herself and trusts in their own intuition ;whereas, humor and entertainment makes life joyful and amusing.

                                         

My Writing Progress

My first write up on the essay was very disorganized and unclear. My use of periods and other punctuation marks were inaccurate. There was no use of paragraphs and my sentences did not relate to the topic given. My essay would have been a score of one or two, but after looking and reading through the rubric and sample essays, I learnt a few writing skills. I learnt when and how to use a paragraph, I included some transitional words into my essay. My essay related really well to the topic. Looking at the essay that scored a six, I also saw the writers use of grammar and language. I then improved my own use of  language. After all these notices and corrections, I believe my essay will definitely score a five or six.

Living Aboard?

Life on water has it advantages and disadvantages like most dwelling locations. The excitement of traveling in the blink of an eye and freedom to relocate at any time and  anywhere you would like to go is very alluring to some. Depending on the kind of boat you would like, it can be cheaper than owning a home and there is a little chance of becoming destitute. Some of the benefits of living aboard and not owning an actual home is the fact that you wouldn't have to maintain some of the items you would if you owned a home like a lawn mower. You can also avoid living near noisy neighbors that may be bothersome when you are trying to enjoy some quiet time. Speaking of views, rather than staring at the back of another home, you can watch and take photos of the sunset. Rocking of the boat also promotes blissful sleep. Naturally, living on water also means that you are just seconds away from many water activities like fishing which can lead to a surfeit of fish and other water bodies. Another huge benefit of homes near water is that they offer a higher level of privacy. There is also somewhat a downside to living on water. Rough weather can equal a rough night. The boat can sink at any time. In cases of serious medical emergencies, there might be no one to attend.
      I personally wouldn't want to live aboard even if it might have more benefits than living in an actual home because most of the disadvantages can lead to death.

Why Should We Care About Chris McCandless?

I think we should care about Chris McCandless and his fate because he is a human being and all humans deserve to be cared for and loved. Chris is a bright and very smart person, he has many talents and is very well disciplined and also is well educated. Based on the book, I am sure he didn't come from an indigent family but his father,Walt seems to be someone who spoke to Chris in a very strident tone. He is very passionate about his feelings and how he pursues them and he didn't seem to be ambivalent. He has a view about life that I can relate with on many different levels, and he lives the way he wants to and doesn't conform to the everyday style and routine of life like everyone else seems to just fall into these days. Personally, I found myself relating to Chris a lot during this book. He can be considered to be a normal person but he doesn't want to just go with the flow and routine of things. Holding onto such a great conjecture for ages, the astute man finally went into the wild. He does things that satisfies his dreams and does them to the best of his abilities and that is good enough for him. Throughout his endeavors, he doesn't have a set plan, he is just going about and doing them as it happens. He doesn't rush things or do them the easy way, that's why he burns all his money because it has no value in the wilderness. There are thousands of people like Chris. There is nothing that really sets him aside from them, other than he died of his poorly made decisions. His family still mourns and fells sorrowful for him and wish they could have provided succor for him but before they could find him, death had already taken him away. He was not prepared for his journey and the corollary of this was his death. Chris lived a wonderful life, a life that many can't or wouldn't want to live. He has provided an endemic of people who respect and want to learn his reasons for going "Into the Wild".

Curriculum Vitae

1.) I was born in the land of Agriculture; Nigeria.

2.) During my early years, life was onerous.
3.) My family was snafu and far gone.

4.) Growing up being deserted by my father, yet raised by a single mother. Everyday brought sadness and made me feel mawkish.
5.) I can definitely say that I am stronger because of how i was brought up.

6.) All the struggles of my mom compelled me to put enough effort in everything and to never be desiccated.

7.) I am the third child of my parents and i have two irksome yet amazing brothers.

8.) I moved to the United States in late 2014 where i studied.

9.) After high school and college, i graduated from medical school and became a licensed medical practitioner.
10.) This moved my standings from being a plebeian to someone worth more.
11.) Not only rich with money and resources but blessed with knowledge.

12.) I proceeded to specializing in Gynecology. This gave me the experience i needed to take care of women.

13.) I got married in 2025 and now with lovely twins.

14.) A convivial man who made everyone feel at home. 

15.) He is also an itinerant business owner yet a pilot.

16.) After about forty years, I retired at the age of 65.

17.) I then opened my own prodigious art gallery which was loaded with all my previous art works.
18.) All the obstacles and pain i went through are part of the reasons why i am who i am today.
19.) These past 84 years of my life have been filled with ups and downs but with God, i am still happy and hope to continue living it.

I Am No Different Than You Are - Journal

I believe that "all men are created equal". Not everybody is or looks the same, but everybody deserves the same rights and opportunities. Some people in the world believe that not everybody is equal, that not everybody deserves the same, that some people don't deserve to be treated equal. No matter the color of your skin, your race, or your ethnicity, you are equal to everybody. Some people might think that if you are black then you aren't as good as they are, but there are people from all races and ethnicity's that have been famous for being intelligent or good at a sport. Just because someone isn't as smart as the others doesn't mean that they aren't equal. They just didn't get as good of an education, had personal problems or didn't make good decisions.Mien shouldn't be a reason why people should be treated or addressed differently than others. If we weren't equal then one race or ethnicity would take over and the other races or ethnicity's would extinct. Everybody is created equal but do not develop equally.Some people turn out to be upper class while some are plebeians.

        Equality As A Guarantee? We are equally innocent, equally dependent, equally insured and free to pursue happiness. However, there is no guarantees that we will all develop the same abilities, share the same experience or have the same desires. No one is perfect, no country, no government can guarantee complete equality when government is of the people for we are after all equally human.

       People shouldn't feel less human when they fickle; we all do every now and then. "All Men Are Created Equal"

First Week of American Literature

English / Literature is an interesting subject to me. It is also very important to us as students. So far, this course has been enjoyable, fun, challenging and helped in critical thinking like in the Murder Mystery / Bank Robbery activity. I look forward to learning more about iconic American values as they are presented in American literature and their cultures. I also look forward to learning about new personalities and hope to achieve excellent writing skills by the end of this course.