May 7 2007

Today was an A day and Mrs.Sullivan was our substitute. She handed all of us a packet that had different AP questions from multiple years. We got into groups of four and we had our own question and we had to analyze the question and write an intro to our essay. This was to get us ready for the exam on Thursday and a lot of us realized that we are not as ready as we thought!

Review for Friday May 4th

Friday was a "C" day so it was only a 50 minutes class period, and since the bells were not ringing most of us came into class about 5 minutes late. Once everyone was in their seats, and had thier food I read my "quality writing" from New Moon by Stephanie Meyer. After that, Zach read the review from class on Thursday. Following the "readings of blogs" we all kind of did our own thing. Some of us read, some of us did vocabulary, while others just talked among eachother and Ms. Sullivan! That was the extent of AP English on Friday! We are glad you're back Ms. Hillestad!!!

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

A free bird leaps on the back of the wind
and floats downstream till the current ends
and dips his wing in the orange suns rays and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage
can seldom see through his bars of rage
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.
The free bird thinks of another breeze
and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees
and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams
his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream
his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill
of things unknown but longed for still
and his tune is heard on the distant hill
for the caged bird sings of freedom.

What are you thinking?????????

How can you do absolutely nothing this close to the AP exam? This is me giving you a dirty look and saying you have just a tiny bit of time- make use of it- :(
This national conference is amazing. Some of the projects would blow you away. These talented, hardworking students are going to be the people you guys are competing with on the AP exams! They are all carrying their AP prep books around and studying on breaks :) It is amazing.
Dylan did his presentation today and was wonderful. I'm so glad I was here. He really nailed the question and answer period. I'll give you more details when I return.
I've been to three bookstores and spent tons of money on books :) See you soon.
Zach- a red card????? Are you trying to outdo me?!

Thursday, May 3

On Thursday, May 3, we started with my blog from A Million Little Pieces by James Frey. We pretty much did absolutely nothing, except read and look up literary terms for the AP Exam, which is next Thursday. Hope everyone has a good day. Ciao.

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

Time passes. Even when it seems impossible. Even when each tick of the second hand aches like the pulse of blood behind a bruise. It passes unevenly, in strange lurches and dragging lulls, but pass it does. Even for me....

Charlie's fist came down on the table. "That's it, Bella! I'm sending you home."
I looked up from my cereal, which I was pondering rather than eating, and stared at Charlie in shock. I hadn't been following the conversation-- actually, I hadn't been aware that we were having a conversation-- and I wasn't sure what he meant.
"I am home," I mumbled, confused.
"I'm sending you to Renee, to Jacksonville," he clarified.
Charle watched with exasperation as I slowly grasped the meaning of his words.
"What did I do?" I felt my face crumble. It was so unfair. My behavior had been above reproach for the past four months. After that first week, which neither of us ever mentioned, I hadn't missed a day of school or work. My grades were perfect. I never broke curfew--I never went anywhere from which to break curfew in the first place.

A Million Little Pieces, James Frey

I breathe hard, stare hard, tense and coiled. There is still more tree for me to destroy I want to destroy that fucking tree. She smiles and she steps toward me, toward, toward toward me, and she opens her arms and I'm breathing hard staring hard tense and coiled she puts her arms around me with one hand on the back of my head and she pulls me into her arms and she holds me and she speaks.
It's okay.
Her voice calms me and her arms warm me and her smell lightens me and I can feel her heart beat and my heart slows and I stop shaking and the Fury melts into her safety and she holds me and she says.
Okay.
Okay.
Okay.
Something else comes and it makes me feel weak and scared and fragile and I don't want to be hurt and this feeling is the feeling I have when I know I can be hurt and hurt deeper and more terribly than anything physical and I always fight it and control it and stop it but her voice calms me and her arms warm me and her smell lightens me and I can feel her heart beat and if she let me go right now I would fall and the need and confusion and fear and regret and horror and shame and weakness and fragility are exposed to the soft strength of her open arms and her simple word okay and I start to cry. I start to cry. I start to cry.
It comes in waves. The waves roll deep and from the deep the deep within me and I hold her and she holds me tighter and I let her and I let it and I let this and I have not felt this vulnerability or allowed myself to feel this way this vulnerability since I was ten years old and I don't know why I haven't and I don't know why I am now and I only know that I am and that it is scary terrifying frightening worse and better than anything I've ever felt crying in her arms just crying in her arms just crying. She guides me to the ground, but she doesn't let me go. The Gates are open and thirteen years of addiction, violence, Hell, and their accomplishments are manifesting themselces in dense tears and heavy sobs and a shortness of breath an a profound sense of loss. The loss inhabits, fills and overwhelms me. It is the loss of a childhood of being a Teenager of normalcy of happiness of love of trust of reason of God of Family of friends of future of potential of dignity of humanity of sanity of myself of everything everything everything. I lost everything and I am lost reduced to a mass of mourning, sadness, grief, anguish and heartache. I am lost. I have lost. Everything. Everything.

Review for Friday, April 27

Class on this C-day:

my blog from Impulse.

Torii's review of the previous class.

Silent reading and lots of eating until the end of class.

The End.

And now, for "Yay, You!"

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

"Do I need a label? I
told you once I've
never had the chance
to be with a girl, so
how will I know for sure
until I get the chance?"

I don't know what I am

But suddenly, certainly,
I want the chance to find
out. And suddenly, certainly,
I need to know, "Do I
need a label, Vanessa?
Is it important to you?"

She moves even closer,
so close, we're attached.
If it were, would I be
here, next to you? I love
you for the person I've
discovered under your skin.

I don't feel cold anymore.
Not outside, not
inside. That space,
frozen and dead for as
long as I can remember,
has thawed, come alive.

Another part of me comes
alive, and it strikes me
that I might not know
what to do with it, if
Vanessa--or any girl--
offers me the chance.