Lily's IB English Blog

First of all, I want to say that looking at this old notebook is so cool. Just looking at it. I mean reading it is neat and everything too, but I just find it fascinating to look at the pages. They’re all crinkled and stained, and the messy handwriting is just littered across them. So. Cool. I’ve always loved old book too- even the smell of them. Is that weird? I think so. Anyway… the blog post… The first thing I notice on all of these pages is a stamp, which I believe says “The Library of Congress”. At first, I thought that this was something standard, stamped on the pages of the notebook in order to prevent it from theft or something, but then I really thought about it. First of all, the stamps look old. They don’t stand out as really bright against the dark ink that Whitman wrote in, or look like they are shiny and new. In fact, some of them look more faded than Whitman’s handwriting. The next thing that strikes me as odd is the idea that The Library of Congress would stamp ...

As far as society defines The American Dream, it seems to be made up of possession, wealth, and family. In this definition, possession is mainly the ownership of objects, often those of great monetary value, or high renown. I believe that wealth refers not only to money readily available, but also to financial security, and the ownership of a steady job, and therefore a steady income. Family is pretty self explanatory, and I believe that the standard dictionary definition is applicable (Webster says: “ a group consisting of parents and children living together in a household”. I think all that needs to be added to that is the idea of love and harmony within the household.) I also believe that happiness is a part of the American Dream, although it seems to be assumed, and never truly vocalized. I listened to to a Ted Talk (at least I think it was a Ted Talk? I haven’t been able to find it- this one isn't the right one, but it's definitely applicable.) once that talked about w...

So I am really not afraid to speak in front of people (if I was I would've picked a bad career), but halfway through I realize I didn't summarize the passage so I talk to myself about that for thirty second. Fast forward to 6:24 for entertainment. Also, now that I'm typing, I realize I basically ignored literary devices. Yikes. A: Knowledge and understanding of the text or extract 8- What did I do wrong? Well I didn't summarize the passage itself. I summarized the text around it, and gave some context on the author and time period, but if it weren't for the fact that you had read the play, you would have almost no idea what I was talking about.  However, I did use appropriate textual evidence when citing my claims. B: Understanding of the use and effects of literary features 4- This completely flew out the window. You would think, because it takes up a whole block of the rubric, I would have payed more attention to it. But I didn't. The only literary d...

College auditions woowoo

I told myself I would use my freebie to celebrate if the Rams won. I am disappointed to say the least. All four covers immediately present me with the themes of innocence, loneliness, and simplicity. Both the first and fourth covers show a young girl, who I have decided is meant to represent Kathy. In both of these covers, the girl looks innocent and isolated. In the first cover, she seems pensive and a little upset, staring deep into the grass as though she were in a dramatic movie. We see her face, which I believe is important, as it is portraying her as an average girl (and not a clone created for organ harvesting). I believe that this cover is more focused on Never Let Me Go  as a bildungsroman. In the fourth cover, Kathy seems to be fading away. This ties in very well the the words on the cover, as it appears as though she is a figure in a memory that we are letting go of. She looks as though she is being erased and forgotten. This too focuses on the bildungsroman aspect ...

I was immediately drawn to the title . What lessons could we possibly learn from death row inmates? Don’t kill people? I learned that in preschool. In addition to the title, the debate over the death sentence has always interested me. I have a pretty strong opposition to it, but I think that both sides of the argument are fascinating, and have their own strengths. Also, the death penalty is largely debated through ethics, which is the same lens through which we commonly look at cloning. The tone of the title seemed like it could fall either way- either for or against the death penalty- so I went ahead and clicked on it. Almost before I realized it, the eighteen minutes were over (and I had to get out of my bed and actually write this post). This TED talk was given by Mr. David R. Dow, who has been a death row lawyer in Texas for over twenty years. As soon as he began to talk about the execution of his clients, it became clear which side of the argument he was on. Despite his eviden...