Johnson



My portfolio says a lot about me. Not only does it help to show what kind of life I live, but it also shows where I came from. I really want my readers to get the fact that life isn’t always easy or fair. I think my life has a great deal of examples of that. My strength in English is the way I speak through my writing. The meaning of the words I would write on papers can go from highly convincing all the way to tragic and heartbreaking. My weakness is that I have trouble with the organization of essays. I tend to go back and forth on where to put each piece. You could say I'm overly analytical with my writing. One of the challenging things for me with this portfolio is that I had to retype ALL of my essays. I did manage to retype them hastily though. My favorite piece by far is my Macbeth Creative Rap. It was really fun working to put together a rap showcasing the timeline of Macbeth while incorporating my own lyricism. It was really cool to see that a lot of people liked it. Teens today need to step up and take a hold of their manhood. If they do, they can be the leaders of tomorrow and make the future a little brighter. In __The Odyssey__, the definition of manhood was more than just stepping up for what's right. For example people had to rule their household, work, and do various other tasks. Telemachus transitioned in to manhood various ways like standing up to the suitors, becoming independent, and looking for his dad. Throughout the beginning of __The Odyssey__, Telemachus had to face a lot of hardships. The loss of his father coherently led to the arrival of the suitors. Those suitors, pillaging his food, wine, destroying his palace, seeming guiltless, He finally stood up to the suitors after Athena inspired him, saying “I can give orders and say to you straight out: you must leave my palace! See to your feasting elsewhere, devour your own possessions, house to house by turns. But if you decide the fare is better, richer here destroying one man’s goods and going scot-free, all right then, carve away!” [Pg. 89, line 429-434]. When Athena inspired Telemachus, he became confident in himself as if he was his father. This was only one of many times that Athena inspired Telemachus. Telemachus did manage to step up but it still took him more time to become independent. In the end of Book One, it was shown that he had a nanny. But during the course of the book Two, when plotting his journey to Pylos and Sparta, he decided not to follow the advice of his nanny. He also stood up to his mother, saying “So mother, go back to your quarters. Tend to your own tasks, the distaff and the loom, and keep the women working hard as well. As for giving orders, men will see to that, but most of all: I hold the reins of power in this house.” [Pg. 89. Line 409-414]. By doing so he took command and refused to rely on his mother to make choices for him. This forced his mom not to marry and tend to her tasks, not worrying about the suitors. This is the second time Athena made a great impact on Telemachus. Athena finally made the most meaningful impact, urging Telemachus to find word of his father from the king of Pylos. Throughout Book One and Two, Telemachus dealt with the “loss” of his father. She told great news saying “Wait, Ill make you a prophecy, it will come true. He won’t be gone long from the native land he loves, not even if iron shackles bind your father down. He’s plotting a way to journey home at last; he’s never at a loss.” [Pg. 84, Line 232-239]. He was so distraught so he heeded the omen of the goddess, taking a crew and sailing out to sandy Pylos. There he spoke with King Nestor, learning of their tales of war waged against Troy, He then continued to Sparta following through on the wishes of Athena, This proved that he could take the initiative and look for Odysseus instead of giving up. He proved that even without his father he could take charge and be a leader by doing so. Transitioning into manhood took various ways for Telemachus like taking charge, gaining independence, and searching for the answers. Additionally, the majority of the events in Book One thru Five had a positive effect on Telemachus’ transition into manhood. This along with what King Nestor had to say boosted the confidence of Telemachus. These are all great examples of how manhood can be attained. Just like Telemachus did, many teens today need to get a sense of what is right and make positive changes in their lives. media type="file" key="AlexJ_Vignette.mp3" width="240" height="20" In the past of our country, there were many faults. Things between races were not always equal or fair. The Antebellum Era had many challenges for blacks. You couldn’t speak your mind or express yourself in many ways. In Octavia Butler’s __Kindred__ Dana was viewed differently by everyone, including the slaves as well as the whites. When Dana was around the whites, she was considered just like any other slave. Even though Rufus and Dana relied on each other to survive, they were harsh to each other. Rufus proclaimed “Daddy always thought you knew too many white ways, but you were black” (Pg. 255). This shows how they thought she was too smart. They expected her to help free slaves and outsmart them. Another example of how she was demoted is when she was helping Rufus with his broken leg. When Kevin lets slip that they are married, Rufus interjects “Niggers can’t marry white people!” (Pg. 60). Rufus believes that blacks are only property and can’t be considered people. This has not only caused him to look down on Dana but Kevin as well. But whites weren’t the only ones demoting Dana. The slaves in the novel __Kindred__ did not know what to make of Dana. Some slaves treated Dana with lots of open hostility. One example of this hateful shunning is when she was sent to supper in the cookhouse. As she entered, she realized “the warmth I’d felt when I came into the room was turning out to be the heat of the fire” (Pg. 74). Dana thought she would feel connected with the slaves in the cookhouse and thought of it as a place of refuge. However she soon realized they did not feel the same about her. A time when Dana was actually connected and embraced by the slaves was when she spent time with Sarah, Carrie, and Alice. On one occasion of going into the cookhouse, when only Sarah and Carrie were there, Dana thought to herself “but now I only wanted Sarah and Carrie. I could say what I felt around them and it wouldn’t get back to either of the Weylins” (Pg. 94). This helps to show the full spectrum of the slave view on Dana. Some hated her as much as the Weylins while other were tolerant and friendly to her. In the Antebellum Era, women did not have a very prominent role in the view of society. They were left to cook and clean while the men worked. An example of how Dana defies this is when she and Nigel are talking. Nigel interrupted “Why are you dressed like a man?” (Pg. 60). This not only shows how she was viewed as a misfit to the Antebellum Era, but also how people in general viewed her. Another example of how she was out of place is when talking to Sarah. She mentioned “Mrs. Weylin told me to come out for supper” (Pg. 72). That is when Sarah knew something was different about her, not only from the way she dressed but even the way she talked. This made Dana stick out like a sore thumb to the tradition and society of the Antebellum Era. Look how far we have all come. Not just black women, but all people in general. In the Antebellum Era, there were many challenges for blacks. This is why Dana was viewed very differently among not only races but the society of the Antebellum South. Having the freedom of choice stripped from the slaves stripped people of their identity and individuality, which limited the actions Dana could do. Today, being able to speak your mind and give your opinion on anything is one of the greatest freedoms. Im not sure if anyone in this generation would be able to survive the degradation and humiliation the people of the Antebellum South endured. __Writing Acrostic__ __Writing Haiku__ Writing is the need To convey history and Align all the truth Well childhood can not only influence you to the world slowly. When you are a child it is like you’re outside looking in to a foreign world. It confuses and stuns you with all the hate, anger, and sadness. The way that things change from being a child to being an adult is drastic. It’s like all the stuff that you were promised as a child fades away and you’re expected to accept the harsh reality of life.
 * // Reflection //**
 * This is our first 5 paragraph essay of the year. It was the first time we had to use quotes in our writing, which prepared us for other benchmarks. **
 * This was our benchmark for our unit on __The Freedom Writers Diary__. We had to make a vignette that talked about a defining moment in our life. **
 * This was our second 5 essay paragraph essay of the year. We had to use a unique thesis and have 3 body paragraphs to explain our point. **
 * For our Macbeth unit, we had to analyze quotes from the book. Then we had to make a creative piece using the quotes. For my piece I decided to make a Macbeth Rap. **
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 * These are some of my favorite and well thought out journals that we have written throughout the year. **
 * Why do People Write? **
 * W **eave a story. Hit the pages
 * R **evolve and circulate
 * I **nfecting their minds
 * T **roubling them with a horrid truth making their
 * E **motions take over
 * What is the Power of Writing? **
 * Childhood – How does it Influence You? **

It was all the way back in 6th or 7th grade. We were all just sitting and talking in our boring English class and suddenly the topic of conversation was changed to race. At first it didn’t seem like anything bad would happen. Although most of my class was made up of African Americans, we did have a small mix. There were about 4 whites, 2 Latinos, and one Asian. We started to discuss about how most of us were black. Then out of nowhere my so-called friend [who ive known most of my life] got up and said that I was white! I couldn’t believe him. The whole class, an average middle school class of 22 kids were all laughing at me. I just wanted to run out of the room. I didn’t care where but just to get out of that hell hole. And now I'm finally out of that hell hole of a prison. Now that I'm at SLA, I have learned a lot. Even though I'm good at helping others with their problems, I'm not really that good at handling my own. When I told this story for the first time, I realized I had a great stream. Everyone cared and didn’t say who cares like at my old school. They took in every last word of what I said and truly understood where I came from. Now I'm finally starting my new life, the rebirth of myself, at SLA. Live, Love, Learn –Alex Johnson
 * Memoir Entry #2 – Sophomore Year Fall 1995 **