The power of music

I went to the Kanye West concert this past saturday and i was truly blown away. Millions of people sink hundreds of dollars to go to concerts and buy cds. Music runs this world, the majority of ads and propoganda involve music. Many times, bands are used as a funraiser for help in stuggling areas. An effective fundraiser, music is a huge part of everyones life. Hidden messages are imbedded in music. So much of our lives are wired through music and we dont even know it. Sometimes it makes me wonder if any type of brainwashing is occuring. How much impact does music really have on a person?

AIS

As our year winds down and finals are approaching, ive begun to look back at the year as a whole and think about what ive learned and the impact AIS has had on me. I did EH freshman year, and loved the integration of history and english, i thought it created a very fair and beneficial learning environment. AIS isnt for everyone, but i think if anyone was to sit in on a class this year they wouldnt be scared away by any means. Using discussion and critical thinking as a basis for learning instead of memorization and test taking, AIS succesfully conquered every topic and provided every student with effective lectures and thoughts.

Times change

I think that us relating class from today to the time when The Great Gatsby took place doesnt even make sense. The decades in between the two time periods have soo much change in them its unreal. I think that the value of money and the habits of people in both times are so significantly different that argueing and relating class values between the two doesnt make sense. Along with this, i think that even analyzing colors and certain words doesnt coerrelate with today. I think that sometimes it can, sometimes secret meanings and hidden messages in books that are more than 50 years old mean the same thing they do today, but a lot of times the author of that time period meant somehting completely different. Similar to things being lost in translation, i think things can be just as easily lost in time and the way books are analyzed and what is considered right and wrong has to do with the time period and nothing else.

Tutors

All of this talk about tutors and if they are truly beneficial really got me thinking. I also started relating schoool tutors to sport tutors(private lessons). I've been taking private lessons for baseball for 3 years now, sinking thousands of dollars into it. I think that just like school tutors, your performance can be improved in some cases, but not everyone truly needs the extra help. I also think that totors in both categories tell you what you want to hear and do what will make you happy instead of criticizing you and really making you work. No one wants to pay 100 dollars a lesson to get ripped on. Because of this i believe these tutors/coaches are helping themselves more than they are helping us. Its a money scheme in my opinion for the most part.

The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is about a time period thats not always seen in movies or read about. So far, the lifestyle and parties are intriguing and different from todays. After the first three chapters, im very excited to read on. But what im confused about is how this man is viewed as such a celebrity. I think that because of the less amount of celebrities and famous athletes as they are viewed today, that typical men can make a celebrity out of themeselves by their actions aswell as their stature. Gatsby is obviously very wealthy, but the way he walks and talks seem to be what draws the envy from the narrator. It was interesting to me how Jordan was so honored to talk to Gatsby, and how everyone is so honored by him.

Gang Signs:final thoughts

With the dreaded Junior theme over with, i cant help but say that it was actually much more enjoyable and educational than i could have ever imagined. I think that because of that fact we got to choose our topic, a lot of people got really into their papers and benefitted from that. Its so interesting to learn how people from different backgrounds grow up. My project focusing on gangs, i read about how youth accross the country struggle with drugs sex and violence every day. Gangs being something New Trier's communities dont really have to deal with, it was obviuosly a huge learning experience. Also, i think that the interview was extremely beneficial, and enjoyable in the same sense that i got to talk to someone i would have otherwise never encountered about a topic that i find extremely interesting. Once agian, i think that because we got to choose our own topics, most if not all students learned way more than they otherwise would have and enjoyed the paper a lot more than they would an assigned topic. The Bolos/Oconner junior theme compared to my friends with other teachers is what a research paper should be like. Taking the emphasis of off mass text reading and focusing it on true learning and understanding of your topic was awesome.