Final Night Exercise

Thesis 1: No matter how much effort puts, it may be in vain, but if one is determined to put their in effort till the very like Eliezer in the book Night, they will be able to achieve the impossible

Thesis 2: In the book night, acts of inhumanity shows how the human mind can degrade, even the innocent like Eliezer who valued family more than anything, started losing those ideals for the sake of survival

"Night" Reading Assignments

Dehumanization: The process of depriving a person or a group of people positive qualities.

1. Several people in the story began to lose many positive aspects to them, for example, Akiba Drumer used to be extremely into his religion, reciting pages and asking questions to himself and his god. But after many things he's gone through in Buna, he lost faith in his god and become useless, not even motivated to work no longer, leading him to be taken to the crematory to be killed. Other jews too has lost themselves, becoming more depressed and even going in fits of rage, beating each other.

2. Eliezer changes in his father first, seeing him work less, and being off beat in marching. This caused Eliezer to be pissed off at his father, rather than the person who was beating him. Eliezer disregards most events that happens, gritting his teeth when subject to abuse from other inmates, and even making comments on why people are giving up, practically taking pity on them.

Inhumanity - Kael and Coby

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/least-13-000-hanged-syrian-prison-2011-amnesty-international-n717671 and https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/pol10/2552/2016/en/

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/berkeley-riots-inside-the-campus-showdown-over-free-speech-w465151

Modern day genocide: 13,000 hanged in Syrian Prison: Amnesty International
From 2011 to 2016, Amnesty International-l-a non-profit governmental organization focused on human rights--reported an approximate 13,000 people hanged in the Saydnaya Prison, north of Damascus, Syria. Many of the prisoners consisted of those who protested against the regime that rules Syria. They were treated very horribly, and detained under terrible conditions. The report itself stated that “thousands of detainees died as a result of torture and other ill-treatment…”. At the head of these mass executions is president Bashar Assad, who denies the allegations. Hangings, many cruel and widely ranging forms of torture, and general inhumane treatment against prisoners caused the death of the thousands lost, with a rate of about 20-50 hangings a day over the time frame. The Syrian government uses these various methods of torture and hanging to effectively destroy any type of dissent a the population may have against its’ government.

Berkeley Riots over Free Speech
When Milo Yiannopoulos was going to give a speech at Berkeley University, where a violent outbreak of a riot, outnumbered the peaceful protesters. Despite many protests in an attempt to not allow Milo to speak, Berkeley believed that the Berkeley University Republicans had a right to let him speak. This of course made many upset. The night Milo arrived, 1,500 people arrived in order to protest against his speech. This protest started as a peaceful protest, until sundown when 150 black clad protesters decided to turn it violent, using clubs and molotov cocktails to turn the once peaceful protest into chaos in order to convey the fact that they had no intention for letting Milo speak at all. This thus dissapointed University officials, “It's not a proud moment for us," says Dan Mogulof, assistant vice chancellor of the university. “It was a sad day, given UC Berkeley's legacy, history and institutional values… We want to provide a venue for speakers across the political spectrum."  Majority of the campus were against the radical’s methods of protest, and ended the night with many injured and only two arrested, and goes against the purpose of a proper purpose, making such rash, ignorant, and hateful acts to not be listened by the majority.

Allusions in Songs - Kael and Coby

Summer Remains by Frank Ocean

My right hand to God

Left hand holding the jewels

And I’m swearing up and down

I’m cursing out the moon

Tide stole my youth

The creases in my brow ain’t tan lines

Saltwater stole my eyes

The sun’s burning black and blue

Too cold this side of June

It ain’t natural

Right hand in yours

Left hand holding the juice

When that jungle flower blooms

Better leave it in the ground

Don’t try to cut it out

The creases in your brow ain’t tan lines

Saltwater swole my eyes

The sun burned black and blue on your green eyes

Too cold this side of June

That ain’t natural

I'll rebel, I'll rebel

But this ain't natural

I'll take care, I'll take care

If this ain't going well

I'm no match for you

This isn't hard to tell

That it ain't going well

When we're under the palm trees

Thinking heaven must be

Somewhere under these palm trees

With all the hell we're raising

At least we had the palm trees

To shade us from the ray beams

But not even the palm trees

Could save us from the flames

Summer remains

Oh, summer remains

Oh yeah, summer remain

Summer remain

Discussion

This song is a somewhat of a loose allusion to the story of Romeo & Juliet. The famous story, told differently by various storytellers, filmmakers, etc., all have a similar backstory. The two “star-crossed lovers” meet and fall in love with each other, only to fall victim to having families that hate the opposing family. The two, Romeo and Juliet, eventually kill themselves rather than to live separate from each other. Summer Remains by Frank Ocean, although slightly adjusted and made more vague, still alludes to that very story. Throughout the song, Ocean is referring to a partner in his past. We can tell there are two individuals in this song with lines like “My right hand to God” and “Right hand in yours”; referring to oneself and another individual. We can also tell that Ocean is talking about a special someone from his past, one whom he loved but is no longer with that person. The lines “The creases in my brow ain’t tan lines” and “The sun’s burning black and blue / Too cold this side of June”, respectively, describes his emotion after said person left him (creases in one’s brow equate to the face one makes when sad or crying) and paints a picture of contrast with how he feels and the setting around him (June, usually a hot Summer month, is “cold” for him). As the song progresses, Ocean throws in lines like “But this ain’t natural”, “If this ain’t goin well / I’m no match for you”, which describe the unfortunate circumstance he’s under. Unlike Romeo & Juliet, here, Ocean isn’t affected by an external force but rather by him questioning his own sexuality. The song ends with “At least we had the palm trees / To shade us from the ray beams / But not even the palm trees could save us from the flames / Summer remains”, which arguably provide a bigger clues that allude to Romeo & Juliet. The two lovers could never be with each other in the eye of their families. Respectively, the person Ocean is talking about could never be with him. Though, this vagueness leaves listeners questioning whether he’s talking about a relationship with another man or a relationship with another woman. Either way, problems came with both of them. In the first situation, the “families” allusion in Romeo & Juliet could be referenced by the somewhat negative stigma around same-sex relationships around the time Ocean made this song. In the latter situation, the same “families” that the two are trying to avoid is the problems in their relationship; the area outside of the shade of the palm trees. Lastly, “Summer Remains” alludes to, in some way, death. The song doesn’t really mean it exactly as how Romeo & Juliet ended, but rather that the relationship that Ocean and this individual had, ended (hence, death).

Feather by Nujabes
Light as a feather when I'm floating through
Reading through the daily news
Measuring the hurt within the golden rule
Centimeters in ether I'm heatin' the speaker
Motivational teacher with words that burn people
Seeing the headlines lined with discord
It's either genocide or the planet in uproar
Never good, the rules of paradise are never nice
The best laid plans of mice and men are never right
I'm just a vagabond with flowers for Algernon
An average joe who knows what the fuck is goin' on
It's the hope of my thoughts that I travel upon
Fly like an arrow of God until I'm gone so


Driftin' away like a feather in air
Lettin' my words take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding an escalator to a somethin' that is greater so I'm


Driftin' away like a feather in air
Lettin' my soul take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding an escalator to a somethin' that is greater


Taking chances word tap dancing with wolves
In an ice arena out there deep in the woods of Arizona
The sun be high life's ironic
Ain't I tryin' to be Dali when I write
Surreal life I paint it vivid Habitat, crazy, insane
Watchin' propaganda six o' clock news that are sayin
Cultures clash, poor black folk and white trash
They rebel in the cyberspace that might crash, dash
To millennium a million miles of runnin
At the speed of now back,no return gunnin
Rambo style gun-ho child gunning
Ammo blaow two times loud stunnin, stunning
When it hit ya, lift ya off the earth like
Ayo take you right back to birth, and
Niggas wonder why
They might wonder why this shit might happen but it does, it goes


Driftin' away like a feather in air
Lettin' my words take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding the escalator to a somethin' that is greater so I'm


Driftin' away like a feather in air
Lettin' my soul take me away from the hurt and despair
So I'm keepin' it vertical forever elevator
Riding the escalator to a somethin' that is greater


Treat you, better than me 'cause that's the heavenly key
To unlock the inner strength where my essence will be
It's the knowledge of self, understanding of the things around me
That becomes the wisdom that I need,
 Livin' this life to the best of my ability
Channelin' energy to my thoughts attain symmetry
Remember me, because my prose remain gold
I got the gift of gab like them pimps in Kangols
It never ends, I keep it rollin' like a cypher,
The first cave man bringing fire, innovating it higher
To blast mistakes I raise the stakes
It's double or nothing in this vacuum of space
 I will, survive, divine, the time to cry
Fuck a hold or hide I'm alive with pride
And I drove the chevy to the levy but the levy was dry
Singing "this will be the day that I die"


Notes: Aside from stating the obvious references of different books in the first verse, such as "Flowers for Algernon" Or "Of Mice and Men", I noticed an interesting allusion in the very last lines of this song. It's a reference to the song "American Pie" by Don McLean. Referencing "The day that music died" a plane crash in which 3 of the most important music figures of the time passed away (Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper). And in verse two, akin talks about real life issues regarding race, media, and this generation as a whole. Using reference of reincarnation in the line "When it hit ya, lift ya off the earth like 
Ayo take you right back to birth.", he uses is to represent repeating history as humans without realizing, since the idea of reincarnation is the moment you die, you come back to life without recollection of what happened in their past life.

Greeks on Madison Square/MythicMenemac

Partner: Coby Shimabukuro

Semester 1 Portfolio

This is my semester portfolio: 

http://kaelhoughtby.wixsite.com/portfoliofinal

Parent Comments: Kael houghtby Parent: John Houghtby

1. What piece of writing did you like best in my portfolio and why?
   I think I liked Kael’s Angry Letter essay. I found it interesting that he made a letter to a company, talking about an issue, and sending it.
2. What did you like about my portfolio and sharing and what would you like to see me improve on?
   I think Kael can add more detail to his portfolio, it feels a bit too simple to be adding information for his portfolio he learned throughout the semester.
3. Which of the writing traits (ideas, organization, voice, word choice) do you feel was most successful for me?
   I think Kael did the best in voice, since I can tell that he is the one writing whichever essay he's writing.
4. Which of the traits of writing would you like me to improve on in the coming semester?

Kael’s word choice made no sense to me, and I think he could explain his sentence fluency more.

College Essay Final

Stanford University: Most students have an identity, an interest, or a talent that defines them in an essential way. Tell us about yourself.

When it comes to proper “talent” I can’t really find that much in me. I can do things naturally like talking in big crowds or be able to remember so much in short time periods. But when it comes to actual “talents” or “skills” that will define my career, I come next to nothing. My friends more are capable people for this sort of thing. Like being able to know what’s taught in class while sleeping, or how my other friend can free sketch art without flaw. I can't do any of those, but I still believe I can find my talent. Why? Because there are things I’m very passionate about, and I believe that if I focus on that than what I can or can't do, I can find my missing talent.

As long as I have the things I am very passionate about, I can put my full effort into what I believe in. I have lots of interests and hobbies that, I wish to be able to enjoy doing in a future career. One of these examples, is that I found myself enjoying acting in high school. The moment I took classes and participated in a show or two, I noticed how I was missing out. I. I presented, I danced, I performed dramatizations, and real performances, it was quite the experience, really. I actually don't know why I like acting so much, I'm usually awkward around people I don't know, and yet, If I present something in front of people, I feel like I can do anything. Perhaps that's why my friend called me introverted, yet extroverted, because I keep to myself, unless if I'm enjoying myself and doing what I like. And in this case, it would be presenting in front of someone else, presenting and representing emotions of characters I normally wouldn't say or feel if it were a normal occasion.

Another thing that I love to do, and I definitely can't abandon, video games. Now of course, video gamers are not what you call, school friendly, which is the case for a lot of individuals. They rather spend time doing video games than actual work, but what if, I could get what I enjoy into my career? I don't just love video games, I get involved with it, I know stories or "lore" of the universes created by its developers, and I tend to overflow with ideas of what could be done, or made. I mean, one of the biggest reasons why I play something like video games, is because I can do what people normally can't do. Can you run and around and steal cars in real life? Can travel between universes in a spaceship and explore the planet of each universe with ease? Not really, not in real life that is. That's why, if I were to take these concepts of what can and can't be done, and made into a virtual type of reality, I'd have a blast. I have tons of ideas regarding the different types of games that I want everyone to also enjoy.

Lastly, it's not really all entertainment, but more of what I have a soft spot for. I love animals, and can't help but adore them. I tend to waste hours on videos on different animals you'd expect to be frightening, actually be friends with humans. I wanted to be able to do something like that or even save their lives. My parents always said that I'd be good a good doctor, but I just rather take care of animals than humans y'know? In fact, I envy the people tho are able to interact with big animals such as crocodiles or lions. I mean, I definitely want to be able to hug a lion like Kevin Richardson does. I just don't know why I care about animals so much. I can see an car accident on the news, and feel no remorse, but if I see a dog get involved, then I feel sad. I kinda feel bad for thinking this way, but it's what I like I guess. I just want to get involved with something other than human, and interact with something different than just words coming from my mouth, I like to experience a true bond between man and animal. This ideology is not for everyone, I understand. But I want be friends with animals, not treat them like beasts, despite how bad people might say about them.

These are what defines my interests. I don't want to base my talents based off of "what I want to do" I want to base them off of what I enjoy doing. All of these, I want to find a proper career in them despite of whether I'm good at them or not. I'd never forgive myself for having a really boring job, just because "I'm good at it". That's why, even if I'm not good at the career choice I want to do, I will try to build my own abilities so that I can call that missing talent my own. Of course I still have a long way of deciding which of these things I for sure want to earn a living from, but I will make sure to create them in a way where I enjoying doing it, while being successful at it.