Bartholomew

=Tucker Bartholomew=

The Odyssey

Every man wants to be the most admired. That’s what men are like. Being the best is really important to us. Odysseus was the dream; he was the ultimate man. He had the women, the fame, a good name, a kingdom, and he was a great warrior. This is why the Odyssey is such a popular book. Who wouldn't want to read about someone’s incredible journey, and then daydream about being in their shoes. Odysseus is not your average guy. For one thing, he is well in his forties, but he his more fit than any man in his twenties. He’s able to fight for ten years, and still be alive. He’s the kind of man that can wander home after twenty years and still find a warm welcome from his wife. He was also one of the best kings of that time. Even other kings wanted to be like him. King Nestor calls Odysseus great whenever he refers to him. “As long as I and the **great** Odysseus soldiered there...” “If only the bright-eyed goddess looked after you as she did the **brave** Odysseus…” If you were a Greek man back in the times of Troy and of Odysseus, would you not want the same amount of courage Odysseus had? Would you not want to have the strength of ten men? You would. Anyone could envy Odysseus. He was the perfect example. He was the hero that children always looked up to. It does seem like Odysseus is just to perfect. What makes him so special? Is it his loving wife who will die before being unfaithful to him? Or is it maybe his sense of good and evil, and choosing the brighter path? Why do people like him? Why do you like him? The reason you like him, is because he is a genuine a hero. It seems like there isn’t an ounce of evil in him. He makes looting countries look like a saintly thing to do. Odysseus is just a good person. His wife Penelope is extremely bitter because he is not with her, and she spends twenty years sulking because she’s apart from him. His wife is so in love with her husband even though it has been enough time for his son to grow up to a man. Obviously, Odysseus is the best. He is the best soldier, the best king, the best lover, and the best mortal to the gods. He is the best at everything. This is why people want to be like Odysseus. This is exactly why. Why is it so important to people to be the best? Odysseus holds the reason. He is the best. He goes through the toughest time, but he uses that as his story. He gets a fulfilling life. His life was not wasted at all. He fully lived it. That’s why people want to be the best. People want to look back when their eighty-seven and not regret things, and just leave the world. Odysseus’ wasted time to him wouldn’t even be wasted to an average person however. He wasted several years on an island of a sex god. It would seem like every man’s dream, but not to the hero. “Leave here? Surely not. Surely not after seven years of you’re planning to keep me here.” He has the best story and the best attitude. He has it all. Being in the shoes of a hero is an important thing to some people. Every one wants to be the admired. As a human being, the first instinct you have is attention. And everyone, at least at one point in his or her life, wants to be noticed. In Odysseus shoes’ you’re the 6’ something stunningly macho warrior king. The thing about the Odyssey is that it is one big daydream. It’s about a man trying to get to a desired place, and hitting obstacles that would seem crazy to the average man. That’s why people like it. That’s why it is such a good book.

media type="file" key="english.mp3" width="240" height="20" Memoir Vignette Song "Hospital Beds" by Cold War Kids

When I had moved to Philadelphia from New York, I needed to find a place to go to school. I was already at a school in my neighbor hood, but I didn’t really like it. My old friend from New York went to a school called Delaware County Christian School. I decided to go there. I learned pretty fast that just because it seemed like a good school with great teachers, it sometimes wasn’t. I couldn’t transfer again, so I knew that I would be at this school for the rest of middle school. By the time I was in eighth grade unfortunately, I despised my school. Despite the fact that I didn’t like my school, I still had great friends there. I guess you could say that I really didn’t care about anything that year. In middle school is when all the kids get in fights and arguments because they’re really self-conscious of themselves. I was the really laid back kid, and that’s how I think I had a lot of friends. If you weren’t constantly judging people and judging peoples decisions, than you were a really easy person to be around. I never thought of myself as someone who didn’t care about things, but it worked for me. I didn’t care about sitting in the office all day, I didn’t mind meeting with my parents and the teachers. In fact all I really did care about was my friends, and my guitar. I know it sounds corny, but it’s true. That’s really all I cared about. My friends were really just the only reason I really didn’t want to change schools. School was either __bad, or disappointing.__ That’s why I chose not to care. A lot of things come to my mind when thinking about eighth grade. Things that happened, things people said. The thing was though, that usually at a private school like mine, things like talking in class were treated the same as that of a bomb threat! Don’t worry I was more of a talk in class type. But the thing I hated most, was when my principle would walk in, put his hands on an empty desk and say, __I need to talk to Tucker Bartholomew in my office for a moment__. The thing he needed to talk to me about was my “bad behavior” in class. The reason I hated this happening is because it seems like the teachers wouldn’t just come and talk to me. At this point in school, all I wanted to was to get out. The spring was when things started to turn around however. I obviously hated my school, and I couldn’t bare going to high school there. Also, I didn’t know at this point if I had got into SLA. That’s when something became really clear to me. Not caring, is probably the biggest mistake anyone could make. I realized then that I wanted to go to college, and that I wanted to make money when I was older. I’m from the south. We have a bunch of people there that don’t care, and they end up as __lazy, undershirt wearing, Budweiser out of a beer can type of person__. Who wants to be that guy? At this point I learned that to have no feeling toward any situation is impossible. My problem was that I had already messed things up pretty badly. My mom was upset with me because grades are important to her. I let her down by not caring about grades. I realize now that it must have been so hard to keep signing detention slips, and receiving calls home and then having to tell me that I should try to care more again and again and again. This is when I found out SLA was available for me. I ended up leaving Delaware County Christian School, with people not being able to take me seriously, and being glad they wouldn’t have to teach me again. This is how I came to SLA. I knew I wanted it to be different hear. So far, my freshman year has been a really helpful one. I was able to realize that its good to have opinions, and that if you don’t care if you get an F, then maybe you should just go to West Philly High. __Middle school can be a lot like a summer camp. You know that feeling when you go there, and then you meet one kid your cool with. You start to feel a lot more comfortable about things so you do some stupid stuff. Then when you leave, for some reason, even if you don’t ever see that friend again, you think about what you could have done differently there to make it even better.__ That’s what middle school was like for me. Whenever I talk to old friends, I think of what I could have done differently. I started Delaware County Christian School on January 6, 2007, and moved out June 10, 2009.

Kindred Essay

When growing up, children tend to model after the people who raise them. Without solid examples, it can be difficult for a person to know how to engage in the world. Plus, environmental surroundings might make it harder for a person to change their ways. This can be seen in Octavia Butler’s __Kindred__. Since Rufus never really had a great example of a father, he never knew what decisions to make, he only knew what decisions he felt best served him. An eighteen-year-old boy isn’t the most wise of people. The other thing that made Rufus keep doing what he was doing with Alice was that Rufus never had anyone to stop him, and no one to tell him what he was doing was wrong. In the novel, despite Rufus’ transition into manhood he never stopped making decisions based solely on emotion. In __Kindred,__ Rufus’ transformation into manhood was seen in short glimpses. However, we see him at an early age when he’s nine years old after he broke his leg. His mom was really worried about him, but Rufus already started trying to control her. He yelled at her to leave him alone with harshness in his voice. “She’ll never tell daddy, she’ll be back soon with a piece of cake with white icing.” (Pg. 103) It’s obvious that Rufus is good at getting what he wants. Rufus is only nine years old, but he is starting to show that he doesn’t have limits. The next time that Dana comes back is when he is eighteen and has just raped Alice. “If we lived in your time Dana I would be married to Alice.” (Pg. 124) Obviously Rufus does have feelings for Alice, however twisted they may be. Rufus is clearly controlled by his emotions in regards to Alice. People’s emotions are very strong in Kindred. Rufus is deeply affected by them. Every time he makes a decision, it is based on his emotions. He wanted Dana all to himself, so he didn’t mail her letters. He had a feeling of “love” for Alice, so he repeatedly raped her. He was upset that his father died in Dana’s arms, so he sent her to the fields to work. “That’s the one?” (Pg. 210) That was all Dana heard before she was sent to the worst kind of work possible for a slave. “You walk away from me, Dana, and you’ll be back in the fields in an hour.” (Pg. 214) Dana has now become Rufus’ scapegoat for Weylin’s death. Every decision he has made regarding Alice, Dana, his children, has been for his own personal gain. Rufus was able to make many decisions when he grew up. When he turned eighteen he was a man in social standards, however he was still was a child when it came to his ability to do the right thing despite his emotions. He was always acting on what he felt. We first see this when he is a young boy. For being disrespectful, he was whipped by his father. Since he was angry Rufus burned down the barn. He didn’t even think about the consequences. “Why did you set this fire?” I asked. “To get even with your father for something else?” He replies, “For hitting me. See?” (Pg. 26) Rufus goes on to show Dana the scars from the beating he received. He also mentions that his father probably would have killed him. This also shows that he reacted based on feelings, without thinking of the consequences. Although this is probably because he is a child, he continues to make these kind of decisions much later on when he is an adult. “He did it!” She hissed. “Even if he didn’t put the rope on her, he drove her to it. He sold her babies!” (Pg. 249) Rufus didn’t really sell Alice’s’ children. However, he told her that he did. Rufus was worried that Alice would run away, and so he sent them up to his aunt’s house in Massachusetts. Alice was so depressed about her life already, and then she finds out that her children have been sold. At this point, it seems he doesn’t even have feelings for Alice. He has hurt her so much it, and he knows it, but that doesn’t seem to matter to him. The decisions he made affected a lot of people, and when he tries to get with Dana, it costs him his life. Despite Rufus’ transition into manhood, he never stopped making decisions based solely on emotion. There were many points in the novel, where Rufus’ emotions dictated his decisions toward Alice, and many other characters. Although he was mature in physical nature, his instincts to react to things were still that of a child. There is evidence of his impulsive behavior all throughout the book. Rufus’ unstable childhood, affected how he lived as an adult. If his parents cared more for him, then the decisions he made might have been wiser regarding Alice. Rufus’ situation is an example of what can happen when emotions are not controlled, and when proper mature examples are not shown.

Macbeth Creative Project

Stay, you imperfect speakers, tell me more: By Finel's death I know I am Thane of Glamis. --Macbeth Act one scene 3 •This quote happens after the Weird Sisters just appeared to him and Banquo. You see here, that even though they seem like the rock bottom of evil, he still is curious about what they were saying, and he is probably a little scared, but it's like even though he's scared, he still wants to know about his future. So he's willing to listen to the hags, in order to listen to a faulty prophecy.

Still it cried "Sleep no more!" to all the house; "Glamis hath murdered sleep and therefore Cawdor shall sleep no more, Macbeth shall sleep no more!"--Macbeth act 2 scene 2 •You can tell here, after he killed Duncan, that Macbeth is really very paranoid. He is scared. He feels afraid because of what he has done. He did it because of one prophecy from the weird sisters. He practically risked any chance of being a good king here if you think about it. He killed someone to rise to a position of power. From now on, he'll be paranoid about people suspecting him.

I wish your horses swift and sure of foot, and so I do commend you to their backs. Farewell. --Macbeth act 3 scene 1 •Here is Macbeth's paranoia coming back up. Here is his best friend Banquo. His best friend. Just after he says this, he hires a murderer to kill Banquo. This just proves every thing that has been said about Macbeth up to this point. He is so paranoid about his guilt being exposed, that he is willing to kill his best friend. Furthermore, he didn't even think about his decision to do it. He just hired someone, and they did his dirty work.

Whatever thou art, for thy good caution thanks: Thou hast harped my fear aright. But one word more. --Macbeth act 4 scene 1 •This is a little later on in the book, and Macbeth has gone to where the witches live, and he has demanded a prophecy from them. He's found out about Macduff, and he's afraid for his life. So he's gone to the witches, and he has heard their prophecy, however, even though he's saying that his must be evil, he is still so curious as to have them conjure the darkest magic possible.

Why should I play the Roman fool and die on mine own sward? Whiles I see lives, the gashes do better upon them. •This is during the end battle, when Macbeth has pretty much stopped caring about everything. He doesn't see the point of going on with being king. He could run away, but he won't. This is because he has already lost. Everyone around him that used to be his friend has either turned against him, or died by his hand, or in his wife's case, went insane and killed herself. He is all alone. Even if he did run away, the throne would be taken back. He has decided to just keep going. He also thinks at this point that he is invincible. This is all before his fight with Macduff.

Keynote on the the presentation. I used a photo to text comparison style.

Four Journal Entries

Free-write This week I have been extremely busy. Everyday I have gotten home at 8:30 pm and then had a bunch of homework to do before going to bed. I've had crew after school everyday but Monday, and on Monday I was at the gym for over two hours. Sixty minutes of strenuous cardiovascular workout, and sixty minutes of strenuous weight lifting. I have really been working hard to get into good shape. I’m running a 5K on Sunday, and I’m planning to run the Broad Street Run in May. I love working out, and I love running. In crew, we row about 8 miles in an hour and a half. We’ll probably start going a lot farther, but the Schuylkill is only four miles long. So we do laps on the river. My position in the boat is Bow seat. It’s the person in the back of the boat who has to control the boat. You tell people to do things like row hard on port or starboard. Then on Saturday, after crew I ride my bike back home. I take a shower, and then go to a guitar lesson in Center City. After I get home, I’m so tired that I usually take a nap. Then everything is done except for homework. Then the whole week starts again on Monday.

The Power of Writing

I think that in some cases writing is more powerful than a voice. I think that because once you have written something and shown it to somebody, you can’t take it back. Say you are corresponding with someone through mail. You feel a lot more bold writing than you would talk to their face. For instance, Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson. Two people who have helped change history. There was a period of eleven years where Mrs. Adams sent a lot of mail to Jefferson telling him to grow up and apologize to John Adams. So they would be friends again. When you write your opinion on paper, you are thinking only of your opinion. The only problem with talking is that people start to hear what their saying and they change things around because of the self-consciousness. Writing helps a person feel sure of themselves. That is it’s power. Also, reading someone’s thoughts is easier. Someone’s whose voice doesn’t usually get heard, gets heard.

How Your Childhood Effects Who Your Are Today

My childhood has effected the way I look at may things. It has helped me make opinions. When I was young, respecting authority was important to my parents. So now I think twice before talking back to someone in charge (that doesn't mean I don't do it). I remember my dad driving me home from church and he would make beats on the dashboard behind the steering wheel. I do that all the time. I always try to tap out beats and things like that. The thing is, you will be influence by most things around you, and that will carry with you for the rest of your life.

Writing through the voice of Dill

I can't believe everything that has happened today. Tom Robinson, the man that was on trial, was shot seventeen times while trying to escape from prison. 17 TIMES! The racism is so obvious. It makes me sick being around that kind of stuff. I could barely stand the trial because it was so sickening. Tom Robinson wasn't treated with any type of respect, even though he clearly was innocent. It makes me mad that this is the way the town is. Why can't everyone just accept each other? I don't know why. When I grow up, I will never let my kids act like the people here. Never.