OPTION 1/Literary Analysis of WWI

 My topic is imperialism. Imperialism is when a country begins to expand to other places, and with politicians, takes it over. It happened in almost all European countries at this time. Some people looked at is as a way to share wealth, power, and everything else that a single country may of had. Others just took it as a form of abduction. For more information, click this button.
1
No breeze to move curtains at long windows
or scatter ponies into madcap cantering
because . . . because it’s half-dark, night is
coming on, perhaps storm. Nothing can stop it,
the way with ponies in spite of what townsfolk say.
As a reason it will do, if not for
the Bishop who is a great hiker, has just walked
home calling in on his way to tell no good news
from further down the island. He listens to the Bishop.
Then at the table where he does not permit
disturbing his papers, he plans a wind to rise.
It will scamper papers helterskelter,
It will fan any spark in the fern into fire
crackling like musketry. This wind will run
drumming down the island, like hoofbeats.
2
He thinks himself, a man of Roman virtues
others will proclaim. Shifts papers, planning.
He does not plan a palace, only a mansion
house in a quiet offshore bay remote from government
or scandal; he’s had all he wants of governing.
Well, that’s what he says. It is doubtfully true.
He does not care for the governed, he does not
leave scandal behind in his pettifogging capital.
3
How did the Romans manage at their imperial frontiers?
You can’t get frontiers further from Rome than these.
Yet any moon which rises is the same moon as rose
over their provinces. Provinces! countries of mind.
He has had, he will have, a way with provinces.
4
General Cameron’s regulars have not yet crossed
the Mangatawhiri line. Militia and Forest Rangers
are eager to have a go.
Brigadier Carey intrigues
with city businessmen and politicians.
Down South they are going to call this (There is some truth)
The Auckland Attorneys’ War (but not all truth, to that).
5
He plans to stock his mansion house woods with
exotics: plants, birds, animals. Surviving birds are laughing
jack***es. Among the animals wallabies, which drum.
He will come ashore from his island if he is needed.
He will destroy provinces if not their outlook.
He will in a way be reconciled to his wife,
he will be deaf. He will not remember.http://www.smithymanonline.auckland.ac.nz/document?wid=904&page=1&action=null

ANALYSIS: Well, this poem is about imperialism, which is the topic I went with, and it can be pretty much proven in itself when it says “Brigadier Carey intrigues with city businessmen and politicians.”, because with imperialism, people had businessmen and politions, as well as soldiers go to take over an area to use them. It seems as if the writer is talking about how he felt about this specific thing, and what he was going to do while it happened, as said in the last stanza. He was going to run and hide, with supplies, on a mansion, on an island. Not quite the best thing to do, in my opinion.

Self Reflection: Reconstruction Debate

1. How did I feel during planning this presentation? Why did I feel this way?
1. During the planning, I felt as if I would be expected more than I was capable of doing, with everything else I had to do. I think I felt this way because I was among a few perfectionists, which slightly intimidates me, but just to try harder.
2. How did I feel prior to presenting? Why did I feel this way?
1. When I was presenting, I was nervous, hesitant, and a slight bit anxious. I forgot most of my lines, but I am luckily very well at improvising. I usually feel like this during presentations in front of people, although I am not sure why I do that.
3. How did I feel while I was presenting? Why did I feel this way?

a. As I was presenting, my feelings were around the point of silent panic. I was very nervous, and couldn’t think of anything else to do but panic… but I always do things like that. Nobody can ever see it, though. I was also kind of psyched out, being the third person to present. I was hoping to be last, or somewhere nearer to it.

4. What did I personally do well?
1. I think that what I did well is not putting my hands into my pockets or fiddling with my shirt, and also not making eye contact with the audience. Although, I still didn’t make eye contact with the audience, I wasn’t staring at the screen, which is very good. Usually, I do that when I have nothing to say, like when I forget my lines.
5. What did not go as desired in this presentation?
1. On my slides, I had two pictures that were supposed to come in and stay, then scale up and down and disappear out. Instead, they came in one at a time and did that, and I had a blank slide afterwards, which screwed it up a lot.
6. On a scale from 1-10, how well do I think I understood the content? Explain.
1. 1-/9/-10 is what I would say for how well I understood it, but other people might say that I didn’t understand it completely. Why they would say that? I am not sure, but it is a possibility that has happened before.
7. How do I think my group members perceived me? Why do I think this?
1. I believe that my group members thought of me as a slacker and they were sad that I was in with them. This doesn’t surprise me, because I was sad that they had to deal with me, too. I am not that big of a group worker… I would rather do things alone. Presentations, though, are exceptions. I think this way because sometimes my work is incomplete, so it makes it obvious that people would feel this way.
8. How do I think the 8^th graders perceived me? Why do I think this?
1. The 8^th graders might’ve perceived me as a very nervous person, or as a person who did not finish their work well. They might’ve also thought that I just forgot all of my lines and had to make them all up on the spot. Other than that, I am not sure how they would’ve thought.
9. Knowing that I can only control how I act and react, if I could do this presentation again, what would I change about my actions to make it a more ideal experience?
1. I would probably move around more, and make more slides that are exceedingly elaborate, but still make sense, with a short but informational script, memorized to the smallest point on the paper or document.
10. What are my strengths in groups?
1. In groups, I usually try to bring laughter to stressed environments, like if someone wasn’t doing what they were supposed to and the group ahs to suffer, I try to cheer the mad and/or sad people up. Usually with jokes, other times just nice conversations… I am also a very tactical mind, and I can plan things out very well, in order to see what goes what and to plan different things. Another thing, is that I am a very creative person, I can usually imagine or make things from nothing and see things out of the perspectives of the people around me, and change my point of view to view it as a person in the audience. This can really help groups that need it.
11. What areas do I need improvement?
1. I need to learn how to do better public speaking, such as making eye contact, not stuttering, not repeating, not stopping, and et cetera.
12. What is the most important thing I learned about myself? Why is this so important?
1. I learned that I am getting better at public speaking and projects, and that most people don’t trust my abilities to work. People’s trust is important if there is another project like this, because then people won’t be sad and expect a small and bad grade because of something I may of done, so I learned that I need to work harder to impress the rest of my classmates and friends.
13. Are there any other things that I need to express?
1. I do not think that there is anything else that I have to express, maybe paying less attention to small details and more attention to the big picture.

First post, changes and whatnot!

I have changed from somebody that had little to no experience with tech stuff, besides knowing how to fix minor internal problems, to somebody that knows what they are doing. I have also gained the ability to work much faster and with much more work without freaking out and not being able to do the stuff. Everything that has happened this year has changed me in some way, in either minor or major ways. I have also learned that I am a man of very little words, and that, apparently, is not good. I have also learned how to cope with what everyone else wants to do or say, but without letting them walk all over me. There are many more things that either have changed, or are very likely to change, that I do not know about.
My piece that I am the most proud of would probably be the Campaign Ad. The campaign ad is the best work (in my opinion) that I have done this year. I am proud of it because I worked on it and was able to finish it (somewhat) quickly, and it still looked good. Usually, if something like this happened, it would look really bad, or just wasn’t as good as other’s projects. Anything that has happened this year makes me proud, too, though.
My favourite thing that has been done this year, so far, has been the website part of it all. One passive assignment last year was to make a website about books, and it didn’t go all too well, nor was it fun. This website, though, actually makes a difference to ours and our peers’ learning, and it is fun to be working on/with. I really like having to do this kind of thing.

The most challenging thing about this year would be the DLC. This is good, because gifted kids DO need to be challenged and regular honors or gifted classes may not be able to offer this kind of difficulty, which makes everything better for us, and our learning ability.

For the 2nd semester, I hope that I am able to do more things better than I have this year. Also, I hope that we are able to make bigger things this year, such as actually making a movie, or something of that nature. It would be REALLY good to do so! It would push our creativity to the max of where it ends, and possibly beyond.