Nieves


 * //__ REFLECTION __//**
 * This is the reflection for the 9th grade year. The following explains what I've learned during the year and how ** **much I liked it. Also, the influence that The Franklin Institute had in my freshman year.**

//As a freshman at Science Leadership Academy I learned a lot about life. Education, friendship, knowledge and much more is discovered or found. In September 2009, everything was new to me such as teachers, peers, curriculum and the Franklin Institute. The teachers are understandable and pretty young overall. As a whole, they know how to teach you and sometimes individually help you when you most need it. Also, creative projects lead you to education. Learning is easy when experimenting and researching. My peers from SLA are all unique in their own different ways. My closest friends usually keep me happy. They’re intelligent, beautiful, funny, supportive, fun to be with, etc. There are also many talented people that can do many things. Such as, dance, singing, acting, recording, photography, sports and much more. Overall, the students at Science Leadership Academy are creative and bright. Also, the Franklin Institute museum surprised you every Wednesday with different activities. Such as, dissection, robotics, movies, museum, giant heart, informative hunts, and other. To go to the Franklin is fun most of the time and always something new. Lastly, life itself has changed for me. There’s more respect for people, there’s more book knowledge in me. There’s more “speaking out” time, meaning I’m not as shy as I used to be. Almost a sophomore, I’m almost a sophomore.// **//__ JOURNALS __//**

**The following are the four journals that I can relate to the most. It explains emotions, beliefs, and other things. It might also describe you my personality.**

// September 29, 2009

What makes a good story would be a story that has action, embarrassing moments, and romance in them. The way that I like to tell stories is with a bit of excitement and lots of details that backs up a thesis. At the end, I love how people’s faces are full of wonder when I don’t tell them what happens at the end of the story. Mystery takes place from there. The way I like to hear stories is a bit different than what other people would like to hear them. I’m a girl but I wouldn’t mind anything scary or anything from embarrassing moments. IT just makes me laugh and have a good time. Also, I feel open to say more about myself and invent more cool stories.

PS: Happy Birthday To Me! J

October 30, 2009

Project-base learning can be quite stressful. Especially, when you have other assignments to take care of, friends to keep up with, life, and DRAMA. People always use to say that middle school was where all the drama takes place in and that’s where it stays. Well, people, you guys were wrong. In high school, there is also drama and other little problems. It gets very annoying at this age and makes teenagers look like they haven’t grown up. It’s understandable that the world isn’t drama-free, but this is just plain old nonsense. People need to keep other people’s name out their mouths if it isn’t going to be for something good. Through all of the disappointment I’m feeling, I still see some bright-sides of high school. I have beautiful, caring, loving, funny and bright friends who care for me as I care for them. I have great, talented, and admiring teachers who teach me many things in different perspectives. Also, a lot of people know who I am and at times compliment me. Well, time’s up journal. I’ll talk to you later.

PS: I love to write how I feel on a journal. Stress-free, drama-free, that’s all me.

February-April, 2010

VIOLENCE: noun "Behavior involving physical force intended to hurt, damage, or kill someone or something. Strength of emotion or an unpleasant or destructive natural force. Law the unlawful exercise of physical force or intimidation by the exhibition of such force." Any kind of violence is bad. Emotional, physical and domestic violence can leave anyone scarred. The world is filled with hatred. Humanity is fading and what are we doing about it? Sometimes, you need to do what’s right. For example, would you let a man steal an old woman’s purse without you doing anything? Would you laugh at someone if they fell in front of people, or would you help them? If a woman is abusing of her own baby, would you call DHS or do nothing about it because you think that the baby should be with its mother?

May 23,2010

Sometimes, I look back in time. Back in time to see the good and the bad I’ve done. I’ve caused smiles, happiness, love, peace and at the same time anger, sadness and disappointment. I can’t rewind, play, pause, forward or block things from my life. Life isn’t just people’s existence; life is what people do with it. Would you rather cause happiness or disappointment? As I said before, I’ve caused a little bit of everything but I much rather cause happiness. The only thing that I can do now is to be a good daughter, sibling, lover, hard-worker and person. How? By making my dreams come true, causing happiness, helping the community, believe in the one and only saviour, Jesus Christ. All I have to do is try to get rid of the things that cause my anger. Be nice to everyone, and love the people who dislike me the most. I deeply believe that everyone existed in Earth for a special reason. **__ KINDRED __**//
 * Kindred is a book that was written to entertain and to learn about history. The main character time travels back to where her ancestors lived and where alive. She noticed how black people and white people were not considered the same. How white people mistreated and owned black people as slaves.**

//In the book Kindred Alice’s mother worked very hard as a slave for her and her daughter’s freedom, and she succeeded. Even though they were freed and could do mostly anything they wanted, they were still known as “niggers”. Rufus had permission to talk to Alice just because she was freed. They had a nice friendship since their childhood. When Dana appeared back in time through time traveling for the second time in Rufe’s house, he offered her a place to stay in. He offered her Alice’s house. “Alice’s mother lives closer. You could go to her, and she can tell you the best places to get to work. You could stay with her too, maybe.” –Rufus, Page 32, Kindred. Therefore, when Rufus needs help, he can always count on Alice and her mother. When Dana and Alice saw each other for the first time and talked for the first time, one of the things that Alice said was, “Mister Rufe won’t tell. He never tells nothing.” Alice, Page 38. Alice and Rufe obviously had secrets and Alice thought of him as a trust-worthy friend.

Time. Time is all Rufus needed to fall in love with his friend, Alice. He was a man now and he was very unhappy. Alice married a man named Isaac and she was in love with him. Rufus couldn’t believe that she chose Isaac before him. He offered her his love and she didn’t take it. “ ‘When we were little, we were friends,’ he said softly. ‘We grew up. She got so she’d rather have a buck nigger than me!’ “ .- Dana Page 123. Rufus was very angry because Alice chose a “nigger” before him, he then made her do something she didn’t want to do. “What had happened here seemed obvious. The girl, her torn dress. If everything was, as it seemed, Rufus had earned his beating from Isaac and more. Maybe he had grown up to be worse than I had feared.” –Dana, Page 117. He raped Alice, he was going unconscious, and almost died because of Isaac. Dana and Alice convinced Isaac to not kill Rufus and to run away now that he had the chance to with Alice. So he did, and when Rufus woke up, there was nobody there, only Dana. Days passed by and Rufus went to the city to buy Alice for double the amount of money she was worth and nursed her so that he can later on have her as his woman. Rufus also saw how the other White Men cut Isaac’s ears and Rufus was very pleased. Now Isaac and Alice could no longer be together. Rufus bought Alice and Dana nursed her. Now Alice was Rufe’s property and when she feels better… which will be soon, he will rape her again and beat her as him woman.

Alice had two miscarriages and a child by Rufus. They argued most of the time and never could be at peace with one another. Of course, Alice didn’t love Rufus even though he was obsessed and in love with her. Even though Rufus made Alice quite unhappy, they had a child together and she was happy with that. She grew accustomed to Rufus, but she wasn’t in love with him. She was already used to Rufus raping her…when didn’t he do that? “She went to him. She adjusted, became a more quieter, subdued person. She didn’t kill, but she seemed to die a little”. –Dana, Page 168. Alice is now showing that she’s used to getting raped and now doesn’t protest against it. Otherwise, she would get a beating from Rufus and she died a little in the inside because she was unhappy with her life. Time passed by, Alice is pregnant again. She had a girl, Hagar…that’s what she named the baby. “’You could have at least tried for red hair’, said Rufus. He was there too, looking at the baby’s wrinkled little face, peering with even more concerned at Alice’s face, sweat-streaked and weary. For the first time, I saw her smile at him; I saw her smile at him – a real smile. No sarcasm, no ridicule.” –Dana, Page 233. For the first time in Alice’s and Rufe’s relationship, she smiled at him without sarcasm and this shocked Dana and most of all, Rufus. Alice and Rufus both bonded by the birth of their first Female daughter, Hagar, Dana’s ancestor.

Alice is dead. Rufus made Alice think that he sold her babies because she tried to run away with them. They were with his grandmother at the moment, living with their grandmother’s sister. Rufus wanted to prove to Alice the he can do many things with her children if she tried to run away and made her think that he sold them, so Alice hung herself. She couldn’t live without her babies. She couldn’t take Rufe’s obsession anymore. She couldn’t take his love anymore, the love that made Rufus do many crazy abnormal things.//

**//__ THE ODDYSEY __//**


 * The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer. It's about a voyage that the Hero is making and how after a lot of years, he returns back to his house to take what's his.**

//__ The Odyssey __ is an epic novel, which was sung by the blind Minstrel, Homer. An epic is a long poem that centered upon a Hero. “The Oddysey” is a tale of voyage in which the hero, Odysseus takes at the end to return to his family in Ithaca. Telemachus, is becoming a man because he stood up to the suitors, Went to King Nestor’s palace and he’s now confident in himself. He’s becoming more like his father, Odysseus, the King of Troy. The city Troy was destroyed ten years after the Trojan War, the war which most men from Ithaca were part of, including King Odysseus. After the war, Odysseus tried to go back to Troy, but ended up at shore. The shore was on Calypso’s island and a soon as she saw him, she fell in love. Odysseus has been stuck in her island for ten years. Years passed by and everyone thought the King was gone. The suitors think he’s dead so they’re trying to claim his beautiful wife, Penelope. The suitors are staying in the palace and all they do is eat and party all day long. Eating all the good food, drinking the finest wine, getting drunk and at last doing absolutely nothing but that, gets Telemachus furious. Telemachus is not only the man of the palace, he’s also the Prince of Ithaca and Penelope’s son. He has to do something brave to defend what’s his and his mother. Telemachus stood up to the suitors and told them to leave his mother alone. They suitors just laughed since nobody in Ithaca took little Telemachus serious. Now, he makes an assembly, inviting the suitors’ fathers. He asks them to make the suitors leave the house. The assembly wasn’t a success. The Prince of Ithaca is know furious and he blames the Gods for everything that was happening to him and decides to go to King Nestor’s palace. Zeus told him that the Go’s shouldn’t be blamed for the bad things that happen to the mortals. From the talk that Zeus and Telemachus had, Telemachus now thinks that his father is alive. Now he looks for his father with the help of Athena, Zeus’s daughter, and look for twenty men to go on the journey with him. Telemachus reaches Pylos, King Nestor’s kingdom. He finds no information from him but to go to Sparta to see King Menelaus. Telemachus is now confident after the travels he has made. He went to Sparta with Pisistratus, Nestor’s son. He’s now in a journey with Athena, Pisistratus and twenty men to fin his father. After gathering all the information that was possible, his father found him and the people of Ithaca are now a whole again. //

__//**MACBETH**//__

 * Macbeth is a play written by Shakespeare. The main character, Macbeth, desires to be King so badly. He kills and do other things to have the things he wants to have. Also, the story tells how his wife, Lady Macbeth, played a big role in his life by keeping his biggest secret. He killed someone so that they both can become royalties. The following is a project done in Lady Macbeth's point of view by using quotes from the book.**



**//__THE JOURNEY ON MY OWN__//**

 * I guess I was an adventurous little girl when I was three years old ..**

// When I was three years old, I didn’t know what I was doing or why I was doing it. Usually, I would stay in the house with my little sister, brother, and of course, a babysitter. From what I remember, I loved that babysitter. She was always so nice and caring. After she left from the house, my oldest sister, mom and dad would come and settle in as usual. // // We ordered pizza that day because my mom was too tired to cook. “Prisilla, come over here sweetie. It’s time to eat”, said Mom. There was no noise in the house with the exception of the television on. “Francisco, where’s Prisilla?” said mom. He looks around and turned the TV off. “She was here a couple of minutes ago!” said my dad. I look back to that day and wonder: was it really that hard to watch your own child? // // My parents ran all over the house looking for me as if they were looking for a lottery ticket worth a million dollars! (Simile) “She’s not here, we have to call the police”, said my mother. The police were taking too long, so my dad decided to go out and look for me. “ She can’t be too far away from here, she’s only three”, he said. // // My dad was looking still looking for me, and still had no sign of where I could have been. Then, he saw a woman holding a little girl who looked like his own. “It can’t be here, but they look indentical”, he said. He walked toward the lady and unbelievably there I was, on the arms of a stranger. My father felt so happy and accomplished that he was the person who found me. The grateful lady returned me back to my father’s arms as if I was a light piece of feather she didn’t want to drop. // //As soon as I got to my house, everyone felt a little bit more relaxed. My mom was grateful for the person who had found me. “Gracias a Dios”, she said. It means “Thanks to God”. Afterwards, the police left and my family was grateful to have me back. I could only think of the nice lady who found me. “Lets go inside and get some sleep”, said my dad. So, everyone went to their own room, except for myself because my mother wanted me to sleep with her that night. That meant special treatment. I was happy to have slept next to my mother because I never had nightmares while I was sleeping next to her. Before I fell sleep, all I could think about was “the journey on my own”.//

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