Nausea

Sadly, I could not attend school because of the constant urge to regurgitate.

Reasoning

Today, we discussed deductive and inductive reasoning. Although the teacher wanted us to think strictly about these reasons and not compare them to other topics, I felt that they are similar to fallacies. They often make general statements such as, "Bob is a human. Humans are blue. So Bob must be blue.'' I observed many weird conclusions or statements on the paper that he wanted us to practice with. I can honestly say this topic will not be one of my favorites. I had a difficult time completing the assignment. Overall, we didn't much so I can't really elaborate on anything.

Honor Roll Ceremony

Today, I didn't attend class even though I wish that I did. I was called out of class, along with 2 other classmates, to receive an honor roll certificate. I know that the class probably discussed the topic that we discussed yesterday and that topic delivers the most inspiration I have ever received unintentionally. It always leaves me wanting to change the world in seconds and find my purpose in life. Overall, today was boring.

My Purpose?

Today's blog topic was given to the class. The teacher told us to tell what our purpose is or what we think it might be. For starters, I never thought that I could have a purpose. My life is so regular and well, downhearted, that it's difficult to think that I have a purpose in life. I would often question what my purpose could be but I never came up with an answer. Yet, If I was to guess right now of what my purpose is then I'd say to guide others so that they don't have to experience certain things in life. I could give advice concerning what the path, that they are considering, might lead to. They then can choose whether or not they want to take that path. I think the toughest part about my assumed purpose is accepting that others may not always listen or accept my advice even if it is correct. Some may even disagree with my advice and possibly feel the need to no longer be my friend. As one can infer, I am speaking from experience. I have helped or at least tried to help many people. Some were welcoming and appreciative of what I had to say, but others not so much. In fact, that is the reason why I don't have friends. Another purpose of mine could be painting because people often say that I should pursue a career with it. Sadly, my heart is not within painting even though I have an intense love for art. In class today I realized that you can love doing something but you don't necessarily have to pursue it because you are always going to adore many things in life. You can love singing but also love technology just as much so you'd become an engineer instead of a famous singer. That does not surely mean that you have lost that love for singing but that you'd rather it be a hobby than a career. Overall, the class was very inspirational.

ME DEFINE YOU DEFINE ME

Today went exceptionally well. For some frightening reason, I assumed that we were going to be given a test of some kind because of the fact the teacher surprised us with one last week. But, that was not the case. In fact, we were given an excellent prompt to answer and interpret. The prompt was regarding the relationship between ownership and a sense of self. The teacher first began the lesson by telling the class to define ownership in their own words and then to write about something that we own. Following the completion of this task, he played an animation of a poem written by Kobe Bryant long before his death. However, considering that his departure from life was literally yesterday, it was kind of difficult hearing his voice and the words that he spoke. His poem was about his passion for basketball and how it emerged at such a young age, gave him that push to make his dream reality and remained a part of him even after he retired. I feel that as a young teen of this generation, we often forget to dream because we are too busy living in reality. We occupied with the thought of skipping through life and become wealthy and superior that we forget to love things that could result in our success but also happiness. I, myself am constantly stressing about what tomorrow may bring for me rather than living in today like there is no tomorrow. I've forgotten that life is short and that I am only on the brink of undergoing real life. Next, came another video about a girl finding the truth/the truth that found her. In the video, all of the students wore masks that corresponded with how they were perceived. The main character eventually decided to take off her mask and be her true self. That video within itself was powerful to me and probably to me only but days like these are the reason why I enjoy my AP Lang class. The assignments that encourage perpetual thinking always make my day.

Early Dismissal

I did not attend class because I received an early dismissal.

THE UNEXPECTED

Today, the teacher surprised us with a test and gave us 15 minutes to complete it. When I received the test I instantly got anxious because I knew that I was not ready or prepared at all for the test; I felt that it was completely unreasonable for there to be one. Not only that but it was regarding a skill that I don't predominantly possess. We have not discussed multiple-choice questions accommodated with a passage in a long time so it was not fresh on my mind. I knew that I had failed it but thankfully, the teacher allowed us to overwrite our grade by dividing us into groups so that we could find the correct answers together. It was much easier this way and my group ended up answering the questions correctly. I found it easier because I was level-headed. I was not rushing to finish in time but simply discussing the questions with the people of my group which is different because on a test you are trying to finish in time and have to discuss questions within yourself. Overall, Today was okay.

ANOTHER DIFFICULT DAY TO WRITE

Today, the teacher was absent once again. We were instructed to compose the 2nd and 3rd body paragraphs like the 1st body paragraph we created the day before. I recognized that I am not the only person that is struggling to write and the reason is because of the prompt. The prompt is not asking the writer to pick a side pertaining to certainty and doubt but to choose a position on their relationship. It is not as straightforward as saying "Certainty is better than doubt because..." Others told me that they were having a difficult time also so I was relieved and no longer felt unintelligent. Besides completing the assignment, there was not much to do so today's work was light.

FOOLISH DIFFICULTIES

Today our teacher was absent and the class went surprisingly quick. We were given the task to write one body paragraph concerning the relationship between certainty and doubt. For some reason, this task was extremely difficult for me. It is as if I could not focus long enough to construct the claim and evidence. I barely finished on time and felt feeble-minded because I had such a hard time composing 6 measly sentences. That was not the first time that I felt that way, in fact, I've been feeling that way towards a lot of things that I suffer with. They should be simple for someone with intelligence as myself though apparently, it seems as if I now lack intelligence. Overall, today was okay.

TRUST THE PROCESS

Edit: For some reason, the post could not be submitted so I waited to try again.

Today, the teacher provided the class with a rubric along with a couple of essays written by previous students who took the AP exam. We were given the task to identify things such as the thesis, thesis statement, and etc. within the essays. The best part about the rubric was that it was broken down as simple as possible to assist us with our identifications. There was one essay that appeared almost perfect and scored a very high score. And there were others that were not as pleasant but scored exactly what is expected of us, a 5. I was appalled because I knew for a fact that I could do better than what that student had done. I became very confident that I would exceed the number expected. The rubric aided me with an indication of how I should write my essay. Before today I thought that I would have a difficult time on the AP exam but now I know that if I keep in mind a few of the things that I have been taught this year, I will be more than fine. Overall, today was eye-opening for me.

C&D Forever

Today, the class went unsurprisingly well. We are still discussing how certainty and doubt go hand and hand even if I don't agree but it is easier to find evidence to support it so I'm not complaining. We were instructed to get into groups and come up with observations pertaining to certainty and doubt. The process was difficult but it was not nerve-wracking. Eventually, my group came up with indications and shared them with the class. After writing down observations we then wrote about experiences that we have had where we may have doubted ourselves and how that doubt turned into certainty. This easier because I always doubt myself, however, this year I'm speaking things into existence without any doubt to sabotage my performances and abilities. Everybody had teaching moments (experiences) that most of us can relate to so I enjoyed the discussion. Overall, the class was intriguing.

HALF OF CLASS

Today, the class was short for me because I received an early dismissal. Before I had to leave, we were watching a video of "The Rock", Dwayne Johnson, give a motivational speech to the Los Angeles Lakers. The point that I got from it was that he always thought about the times when he was doubting himself in order to give him a reason to work harder. This means that his doubt is a motivation for certainty. In order to be certain about something, he needs to remember the doubts. I feel that he used a lot of profanity in order to show the basketball team that he can relate to the feelings of doubt that they might have felt in life; as a way of leveling with them and being himself so that his message could get across. I'm disappointed that I couldn't stay for the entire class, however; the class was good.

LIKE PB AND J

Today was not the best but not the worst either. Our teacher began class with the words "certainty" and "doubt" for us to define. He then tied it together with the word "Faith" and bible scriptures to help introduce us to a writing prompt. The prompt asked the writer to choose a position about the relationship between certainty and doubt. Most of the class said that certainty and doubt need each other but since I am a perpetual thinker plus the experiences that I have had, I feel that the relationship between the two is complicated or dispensable. Certainty doesn't need doubt to become evident and vice versa. I will use myself as an example. There have been times in which I have been certain that something was going to happen without a doubt in the world. I prayed of course and then I did what I needed to do and everything went better as expected but there have also been times where doubt remained throughout the entire occurrence and even after.

This painting got an example, required a lot of dedication that I doubted was within me. The entire 4 months of working on this painting, I was always doubting myself and needed others to reassure me of my abilities. Still to this day, I doubt that this is acceptable as an artist even if I am not a professional one. There was not an ounce of certainty while doing this and this is why to me, certainty and doubt are like peanut butter and jelly. Some people are just fine with eating a peanut butter sandwich with no jelly. Some people are just fine with eating a jelly sandwich (weird I know but you'll be surprised) and there are some who eat sandwiches with both. Overall, the class was good.

I DISAGREE WITH YOUR AGREEMENT

Today, the class was cut short. Before we had to leave class to go to a meeting, we played a game that goes by the name of "4 Corners" This was not your typical 4 Corners but the AP Lang. edition. It was truly enjoyable and I liked picking corners in which stood for strongly agree, agree, disagree or strongly disagree. Each question was difficult for me but there was one that stood out the most. This question was should teens be able to make decisions regarding body modifications such as plastic surgery, tattoos, piercing and etc. As a teen that has 4 ear piercings instead of 2, (I got the second ones in middle school) I see nothing wrong with allowing a teen to decide upon things like that so I agreed but I didn't strongly agree. My teacher, however, disagreed which I completely understand because he is a parent himself.  I still believe that parents should have at least some say so because they are still one's parents but that they should allow their children to express themselves to a certain extent. I soon hope to get a tattoo myself, several actually, one in which I had already discussed with my mother and she approved it, along with a few others that I plan on getting. Following the completion of the game, we were called to the cafeteria to listen to a speaker about the upcoming ACT. She basically motivated us into wanting to do our best on the ACT to receive an exceptional amount of money for college. I was ready to start prepping for the ACT with her immediately until I found out that her services cost $375. At that moment I then knew that I would have to start prepping myself by myself or with my classmates. Overall, today was okay.

More Fallacies

Today went by swiftly. We read a book about arguments. The book was not the typical book that I thought it would be. I thought that there would be dull instructions and definitions concerning arguments. However, it was actually entertaining and written well enough to possess my attention. The only problem was that my eyes were heavy as if someone was pulling them and no matter how much I tried to stay aware, I ended up dozing off...SEVERAL TIMES. The book basically reviewed the same fallacies that we had already covered but it also included ones that we did not learn. I realized that in AP Lang I learn the name of the things that I am familiar with. For example, the Fallacy of Popularity is when one argues that something should be done or is correct because lots of people do it. As a teen, we often use this fallacy against our parents in order to receive something or to be allowed to do something of our interest. We'd say that we should be able to get a certain type of shoe because everyone else has them or a certain type of phone. My point is that we are more intelligent than we think. This boosts my confidence a little because sometimes I feel as if I am ignorant. Overall, today was great.

FIGHTS AND FALLACIES

Today was an interesting day. We were instructed to come up with skits that represented the logical fallacy given to us. My group was not ideal for me. I was the only girl in a group of infuriating boys; however, I endured it for the sake of my grade. The process was remarkably difficult. It was challenging trying to act out Post Hoc which is when one thing happens that is completely unrelated to an occurring situation but one argues that it is the reason for that occurring situation. For example, "Every time that rooster crows, the sun comes up. That rooster must be very powerful and important!" The rooster has nothing to do with the rising of the sun. In fact, the rooster crows after the sun has risen. It is important to farmers but it has no godly power. The skit that my group came up with was simple and probably tedious to others. This was fine because I felt that our skit got straight to the point whereas other groups confused me. I could not determine which fallacy they were given so I had to make educated guesses. Me and one of the guys decided we would act like we failed a test in our AP class while the other two guys fought over something entirely different, a"girlfriend." Our argument was that since the AP class is hard and stressful, the students decided to fight each other. Of course, that didn't make sense which is why it is a fallacy. Overall, the class was fun.

What NOT To Do

Today was another exceptional and productive day even though I was exhausted. I felt the constant urge to close my eyes and take a well-deserved nap but I knew that I needed to stay attentive. Today's discussion was about what not to use when composing an argumentive essay or when having an argument. It is ideal to have a strong or somewhat strong argument than a weak one so the fallacies that we discussed should not be present within one's argument. We wrote the names of the flaws along with their definitions. I was appalled by the fact that there is such a thing. Usually, when I argue(with the intention of winning by any means) I don't think about the mistakes or the weak points in my argument. I just feel the need to get my point across. I would go into detail of what the names and definitions of the fallacies are but there are too many to talk about. However, there was one that I thought was interesting; I noticed the use of it in arguments that I have read. It is called Red Herring. The red herring is basically when someone is arguing about one thing and then throw in a side issue to distract the opposer or reader. An example would be when your mom notices that your room is untidy and you start telling her how stressful school was. You are basically distracting her from the real problem, your room. After we finished taking notes, we were told to identify what logical fallacy was being utilized in the examples given. At first, I couldn't seem to identify them correctly but I soon caught on. I hope that tomorrow will be just as good as today.

NEW YEAR, SAME CLASS

Today, class was favorable. It began with the teacher's request for us to reflect upon 2019 and then to state what our goals were for 2020. My goals are to be less strict on myself and to stop trying to be perfect. I feel that I can still attain greater things without driving myself far past the limit. I also hope to be able to finally enjoy the rest of my teenage years before the time comes where I have the responsibilities of an adult. I don't get out of the house often, mainly because I don't have companions but I hope to do so. After the conclusion of the first assignment, we were then presented with a video. The video was inspiring, motivational and relatable. It was a video of a TED talk speaker. The speaker spoke about the hardships that he faced in his early life and how he overcame them without being smart or talented. He stated that you don't need to be smart or talent to be successful, you just need to put in the effort. I agreed 100% with him but I felt that he should have made it clear that you can be those things and still be successful; that you still should want to collect information and be knowledgeable rather than just thinking that if you put in the effort, knowledge is nothing. I feel that someone may get the wrong message if they don't understand what the speaker is conveying. His speech is for those who try their best to be smart and who gain information but no matter what, nothing is coming from it. They began to feel like a failure even though they are doing everything they can. That is when effort becomes significant. Overall, I really enjoyed class and I feel so inspired.