Should we continue Blogging?

In my opinion, there are both positive and negative points when using Blogger. Firstly, Blogger can be described as a different device to use to write your homework. Some people might find typing easier and more efficient than writing their responses on paper, which people sometimes find time consuming. I agree with typing my homework on the computer being faster, easier, and more "environmental friendly", since you are conserving paper. Also, Blogger allows you to post and share videos and images and include them in the post making your response more interesting and fun to read. Blogger has improved my ability in critiquing other classmates' work and allowed me to voice out my own opinions on what I liked and disliked in a response. Nonetheless, there are still some drawbacks to using blogger. people can easily be distracted when they are on the internet. This might affect the quality of their responses and not being able to produce their best work. Furthermore, Some people experienced technical issues and were not able to post. This resulted in the entire group falling behind since they would not have sufficient posts to comment on.

With that said, technical issues were mostly solved at the end, which means there are far more benefits to blogging than drawbacks. Therefore, I believe that our class should continue using Blogger as a device to write our homework and share our ideas on.

The Pros and Cons of Blogging

Using blogging as an alternative to writing on pen and paper has its benefits and drawbacks. In English class especially, students often need to analyze literature, write multi paragraph essays, and critique the works of other students. All these can be achieved by blogging, but to decide whether or not to continue using Blogger, one must take look at what it has to offer.

The major benefit of blogging, as opposed to writing with pen and paper, is that it is much less time consuming. Imagine, having to write out essay after essay on paper. It would make one's arm sore, and consume too much precious time. The effort and time needed to write it out would be an incentive to not put in as much effort and time into the work, thus seriously deteriorating its potential quality. Blogging requires one to type, which is easy, effortless and much less time consuming. Time is precious and cannot be wasted, and anything that saves time without compromising anything is definitely worth using.

Another benefit of blogging is that it encourages people who are shy in class to speak out. For whatever reasons they are shy, and rarely voice their opinions in front of their peers, it is hurting their progress. They are not able to learn to critique information presented, and not able to express their opinions. Blogging gives them  a voice, a voice to argue and support. This is where a lot of the learning comes from, hands on experience critiquing information. Since in blogging they will not have to face their peers and teachers, they would be less shy to speak, as evident in all the blogs in Ms.Lees' class. The bottom line is, blogging helps these shy people learn.

One last benefit of blogging is that it allows the inclusion of various media, from pictures to videos to online articles, which only serves to enhance the message of the essay. Obviously, this cannot be achieved in pen and paper.

On the other hand, there are some drawbacks that comes with blogging. When students are on the computer, it is predictable that they can be distracted, whether from Facebook, Youtube or whatever. This can halt their train of thought and can damage the quality of their work. Also, technical issues can occur that renders students incapable of posting, or commenting. Lastly, technical issues can be used as an excuse to not post and do their work.

But these problems are not unsolvable. Technical issues are quite rare, and if it does occur one can write on pen and paper as a last resort, or can send it to the teacher as proof of completion. Technical issues as an excuse will not be very effective. As noted above, there are solutions to real technical problems, hence the teacher will still expect completion, so there is no way these students can get away with not doing their homework.

Blogging does bring its benefits and drawbacks. However, the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, as it saves time and encourages better quality of work. On top of that, there are solutions to the drawbacks, solutions that can be easily used. And it is for the reason that blogging does more good than harm, that Ms.Lees' second block English class must and will continue blogging.

Entertainment and Society 2

Ms.Lees asks: Do you think the theater of the Elizabethan Age or the Entertainment media of today has any link or influence upon the social values or political ideals of the people or is it only a reflection (artistic expression) of the social values and political issues of the day? In other words - do you think entertainment (theater or other media today) reflects (is a record) what is going on in society or influences (has an effect) on society. Support your argument with logical reasoning and at least 1 example from your knowledge of the Elizabethan Era through our novel and 1 example from present day.


This is a very broad question that needs a very broad answer in order to be addressed efficiently.Entertainment contains both aspects, influencing and reflecting, but withing the broad spectrum of entertainment there are those who influence and those who reflect.

There will always be those few, if not only one, work of entertainment that changes everything and can heavily alter how society behave and what it holds valuable. For example, look at how video games have changed society, especially the teenage demographic. Although it has corrupted many of our youths, there is no denying it's affect on society. The game many consider the first shooter is called  Wolfenstein 3D, released in 1992. It has poor graphics by modern standards, but display far too much gore and blood for youths. However, since it's release, the popularity of shooter games have skyrocketed. Since then, the violence and gore of  a lot of today's video games are common household items and are seen as acceptable, despite condoning from parents, government etc.. This genre's popularity made it look like a "cool" thing among "cool kids", despite very little reasoning behind this.
The rap genre of music has also made a huge impact on society and,especially,the way it behaves. Tupac Shakur is considered as the pioneer of rap music, and made this music popular following the declining popularity of rock music. Because of rap music, the image it sends and association it has with street culture, it is now common, and sadly acceptable, among people to use words such "nigga", "dawg", "yo", and made being "gansta" look "cool", by means of wearing pants low, the excessive use of profanity, among others, that as recently as a decade ago was considered unacceptable. And it is undeniable that the first rap musics and artists had a lot to do with this.

The Big Question #3: Revised

The Big Question: #3 Is Peter considered a hero?

Q: The character of Peter is a 15 year old ordinary lower class boy who becomes a heroic figure by the end of the novel. People can be heroes in many ways. Commonly, people choose to lead noble, honourable or risky lives and they become heroes as a result of their choices or training, like peace keepers or firemen. Others are "accidental heroes" where circumstances arise and it is their unexpected responses that make them heroic. What kind of hero is Peter? Or is he one at all? Provide examples from the text and compare Peter to someone from the past or present that you would call a hero.

In the beginning of the story, Peter had to run away from his hometown hiding from a tyrant called Sir. Philip, due to a small incident that sparked Sir. Philip’s anger towards Peter, and he had no choice but to leave his hometown. Later, Peter meets various people and events who lead him into becoming a hero of Queen Elizabeth.

In the novel, Peter is considered a hero, since he stopped the conspirators from murdering the Queen and the evil plans they had in mind of overruling England. However, he wasn't born determined to save England, which makes him an "accidental Hero". Some of you might ask, what differs an accidental hero from heroes in general? Well, for instance, heroes in general include firemen, policemen and many more. They are people that others rely on and being a hero becomes their duty. On the other hand, accidental heroes, are people who weren't born to be a hero but because of their actions that makes them become heroic figures. Therefore, Peter would be considered an "accidental hero".

The situation that sparked the whole adventure was when Peter threw the rock at Sir Philip. If you think about it, if Peter never threw the rock, in result, he would not have had to run away from home, and then he would not have become a hero. He had no choice but to run away from his hometown and later met Mr. Desmond's theater company, which eventually lead to him meeting kit and William Shakespeare. These events were all leading to Peter finding out the plans of the conspiracy against the Queen of England. Also, Peter met the “Yellow Gentleman” and gave his script to him and later found out where all the conspirators were meeting to discuss their evil plan. The entire journey and experience made Peter realize that he had to become a hero and save the Queen, because he was the only one who knew their secret and the only one who could stop them. It was his actions that made him a hero, for instance, when he went to the yellow gentleman's house and retrieved his script back, he could have just went back to the theater and not noticed and cared about the things that were written on the back of the script. Instead, he tried to figure out what they meant. He took the initiative to investigate in them and made the choice to save England and stop the conspirators from assassinating the Queen.

Peter, as a character in "Cue for Treason", was similar and comparable to Harry, in the novel series, "Harry Potter". Harry Potter was also considered a hero from saving his school and the entire wizard world. However, no one ever thought he would become a hero, not even himself. He had a long and dreadful journey but he always stuck to his plans and choices in saving the wizard world and that resulted him in becoming a heroic figure at the end. Peter, on the other hand, had quite a similar journey as he went through many troubles that tried to stop him, such as when Sir Philip constantly chased after him and when he got caught and was trapped in a deserted island. He could have just given up and forgot about the whole situation. In the end, Peter chose to save his country and not let it get taken over by the atrocious tyrants and that was what made him become a hero.

Peter was not born determined to be a hero, but his actions and choices made him a heroic figure since he risked his life and did whatever it took to go for what he believed in (saving England), and that's what makes up a hero, and in Peter's case, an accidental hero.

Uncertain English Assignment

Good evening fellow scholars,
I am uncertain exactly what we are supposed to do, so I will just post what people have been posting - anything related to A Midsummer Night's Dream.


Here are some questions answered, the last question especially useful: 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKuRWtoXa98&feature=related


Here is a summary:
 http://www.gradesaver.com/midsummer-nights-dream/study-guide/short-summary/


I hope I did it right,  if not, you are welcomed to comment.

A Midsummer Night's Dream

explaining the book; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdcKPQY8b2U
EEENNNJOOOOYYYY!

QUESTION 3!

Question 3: The character of Peter is a 15 year -old ordinary lower class boy who becomes a heroic figure by the end of the novel. People can be heroes in many ways. Commonly, people choose to lead noble, honourable or risky lives and they become heroes as a result of their choices or training, like peace keepers or firemen. Others are “accidental heroes” where circumstances arise and it is their unexpected responses that make them heroic. What kind of hero is Peter? Or is he one at all? Provide examples from the text and compare Peter to someone from the past or present that you would call a hero.

In the book Cue for Treason, Peter is a hero for sure, more like an accidental hero though! You can also see that Peter is a hero by his personality; Peter is adventurous, independent because he works on his own .Especially when Peter was trying to fix his problems with Sir Philip and Sir Philip’s people after Peter, because Peter threw a rock at Sir Philip. Peter never asked anyone to help him escape his problem fully, meaning he would be an independent young lad. Peter is self confident, and most people would think that is one of the things a person would need to be a hero, because it may not be possible for a specific person to be a hero without being confident. For evidence Peter gained enough confidents to throw a rock at Sir Philip and also to Save Queen Elizabeth from being killed. Peter is, Powerful and has excellent memory. All of these personality types lead on to being a hero.

One day, Peter heard Sir Philip over talking about him planning to kill the Queen. Then on Peter realised he had to tell people and get on the case to save Queen Elizabeth from Sir Philip’s evil plan in killing Queen Elizabeth. From then on Peter was no question a hero, because without Peter being at Sir Philip’s tower over listening to Sir Philips conversation, Queen Elizabeth would be LONG GONE.

I could also compare Peter to Jake Sully in Avatar when he told all the avatars that people were coming to kill them, and that they needed to group up and save everyone. In this case Peter is “Jake Sully” telling people from the theatre that people are coming to kill Queen Elizabeth and that they need to save her. In the end Peter is a hero !!!!!

A Midsummer Night's Dream Links and Videos

A brief summary of A Midsummer Night's Dream-

Title- A Midsummer Night's Dream- Summary

http://youtu.be/hdcKPQY8b2U

A short animation video on A Midsummer Night's Dream-

Title- Video SparkNotes: Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream summary

http://youtu.be/M1wMfOwlAZ8

Entertainment and Society - Uedited version

Ms.Lees asks: Do you think the theater of the Elizabethan Age or the Entertainment media of today has any link or influence upon the social values or political ideals of the people or is it only a reflection (artistic expression) of the social values and political issues of the day? In other words - do you think entertainment (theater or other media today) reflects (is a record) what is going on in society or influences (has an effect) on society. Support your argument with logical reasoning and at least 1 example from your knowledge of the Elizabethan Era through our novel and 1 example from present day.

I respond.

This is a very broad question that needs a very broad answer in order to be addressed efficiently.Entertainment contains both aspects, influencing and reflecting, but withing the broad spectrum of entertainment there are those who influence and those who reflect.Allow me to explain.

There will always be those few, if not only one, work of entertainment that changes everything and can heavily alter how society behave and what it holds valuable. For example, look at how video games have changed society, especially the teenage demographic. Although I condemn how it has corrupted many of our youths, there is no denying it's affect on society. The game many consider the first shooter is called  Wolfenstein 3D, released in 1992. It has poor graphics by modern standards, but display far too much gore and blood for youths in my opinion. However, since it's release, the popularity of shooter games have skyrocketed. Since then, the violence and gore of  a lot of today's video games are common household items and are seen as acceptable, despite condoning from parents, government etc.. This genre's popularity made it look like a "cool" thing among "cool kids", despite very little reasoning behind this.
The rap genre of music has also made a huge impact on society and,especially,the way it behaves. Tupac Shakur is considered as the pioneer of rap music, and made this music popular following the declining popularity of rock music. Because of rap music, the image it sends and association it has with street culture, it is now common, and sadly acceptable, among people to use words such "nigga", "dawg", "yo", and made being "gansta" look "cool", by means of wearing pants low, the excessive use of profanity, among others, that as recently as a decade ago was considered unacceptable. And it is undeniable that the first rap musics and artists had a lot to do with this.
One last example from Elizabethan England was how Christopher Marlowe's play, Edward the II, is considered among the first and most most acclaimed historical plays in English history, in which Shakespeare might have gotten inspiration for his writing techniques and styles from. Marlowe's play, as well as Shakespeare's plays, shed new light to the theater and gained the attention of the general public, as well as its respect, to the point where it became a huge part of English past time.In other words, it made society value the arts.

However, when these works of entertainment are produced repetitively, it then becomes only a mere reflection of what society values, and what is common and popular. For example, the vast majority of video games nowadays are shooters. Call of Duty, Modern Warfare, Battlefield etc.. they are all very much alike  Sequel after sequel of the same shooting game. It has become a reflection of just how much people, especially teenagers, like to rebel and use video games as means to escape from the reality that breaking the rules and doing what you like can lead to serious consequences.
 Nearly all rap songs are very much the same .It has become a symbol of self expression without boundaries, a social value held by adults and youths alike. However, there is no rap song in recent memory that will change social values, and few that will be truly revolutionary and influence society more.
Lastly, the plays following the few greats from Shakespeare and Marlowe merely reflect, for example, the political idea of nationalism and patriotism. Of course, when portraying historical figures or heroes of England, they are portrayed as righteous, whereas the enemy would be portrayed otherwise.


But allow me to specify how entertainment can influence people, it is often used to spread a message, a moral. For example, Sir Bob Geldof's Live 8 concert was organized in order to donate funds for Africa, and it was highly entertaining. To close the concert, the famous "We Are the World" was to be sung. This concert collected great sums of money for the needy in Africa, and is just one way entertainment can influence our views and decisions. Another example is the crazy conspiracy theories regarding entertainment. Some believe that the Illuminati control much of the music industry, influencing us and putting forth their own political ideologies. You can watch a video here regarding their influence and control over the industry.


In sum, entertainment influences and reflects society. There will be the few, but doesn't have to always be the first, who change everything and influence us greatly, such as the rise of rap, the use of entertainment to encourage efforts for good causes etc... But when it becomes so repetitive and common it becomes a mere reflection of how we have changed, and how what we hold valuable have changed.

Blog Question: Question #3

In the novel, Peter is considered a hero, since he stopped the conspirators from murdering the Queen and the evil plans they had in mind of overruling England. However, he wasn't born determined to save England, which makes him an "accidental Hero". Some of you might ask, what differs an accidental hero from heroes in general? Well, for instance, heroes in general could be superheroes, exaggerated figures that everyone knows, such as Batman, Spider man, and many more. Those are characters who people rely on saving others and being a hero becomes something that they are known for.

On the other hand, accidental heroes, are people who weren't born to be a hero but because of their actions that makes them become heroic figures. Therefore, Peter would be considered an "accidental hero". In the novel, the situation that sparked the whole story was when Peter threw the rock at Sir Philip. If you think about it, if Peter never threw the rock, in result, he would not have had to run away from home, then he would not have became a hero. He had no choice but to run away from his hometown and later met Mr. Desmond's theater company, which eventually lead to him meeting kit, and getting hired by William Shakespeare. These events were all leading to Peter finding out the plans of the conspirators trying to kill the Queen of England.

Also, Peter met the yellow gentleman and gave his script to him and later found out where all the conspirators were meeting to discuss their evil plan. The entire journey and experience made Peter realize that he had to become a hero and save England because he was the only one who knew their secret and the only one who could stop them. It was his actions that made him a hero, for instance, when he went to the yellow gentleman's house and retrieved his script back, he could have just went back to the theater and not noticed and cared about the things that were written on the script and trying to figure out what they meant. He took the initiative to investigate them and made the choice to save England and stop the conspirators from assassinating the queen.

Peter, as a character in "Cue For Treason", was similar and comparable to Harry, in the novel series, "Harry Potter". Harry Potter was also considered a hero from saving his school and the entire wizard world. However, know one ever thought he would become a hero, not even himself. He had a long and dreadful journey but he always stuck to his plans and choices in saving the wizard world and that resulted him in becoming an heroic figure at the end. Peter, on the other hand, had quite a similar journey as he went through many troubles that tried to stop him, such as Sir Philip constantly chasing after him and when he got caught and was trapped in a deserted island. He could have just gave up and forget about the whole situation. In the end, Peter chose to save his country and not let it get taken over by the atrocious tyrants and that was what made him become a hero and successfully prevented them from taking over England.

Conclusively, Peter was not born determined to be a hero, but his actions and choices made him an heroic figure since he risked his life and did whatever it takes go for what he believed in (saving England), and that's what makes up a hero, and in Peter's case, an accidental hero.

Fixing Up Questions

Questions:

1.Do you think it is better to hide a secret to avoid trouble or to tell the truth and risk all you have?

2.Why did Peter throw the rock?

3.Do you think Peter should have thrown the rock at Sir Philip?

4.Can a person be a hero without being important?

5.Why did peter join the actors?

My Response:

1.I am not quite sure that this Question is related to the topic of the story. ( if it does please comment bellow and help me to understand , thanks!) I think it would be better if the person incorporated a part of the story into this question so all of us would understand the question more ! Instead the person could of said, Do you think it would be better for Peter to hide the secret of throwing the rock at Sir Philip, or telling the truth and risking everything Peter has?

2.This question is too simple to answer and doesn't require hard thinking or giving an opinion. Also this question is in the text, so it wouldn't be a challenge to find the answer. In my opinion I think if this person could change the question to make it more challenging would be excellent. I am not quite sure I could give an example to make this question more challenging to be thought out. So, I would change this question and come up with something more interesting, thought-out, and also a type of question that is not only in the text.

3. This question could be simply answered as yes or no. I think it would be better to add something else to this question , so it could sound like this:Do you think Peter should have thrown the rock at Sir Philip? Explain your answer.

4. Like number 1 question. I think this person should say something or add a character from the book into this question. For example; Can Peter be a hero without being important? explain. This would make the person think more about the question, and not just answer with a yes or no.

5. This question could be in the text of the book. I would change it and make it more thought out for the person answering this question. Why did Peter join the actors? Would you do the same?

Analysis of Questions

Hello fellow scholars, today I would like to just analyze and critique some questions pertaining to the novel, Cue for Treason.

The first question:
Is Peter's problem a realistic scenario in the 15th and 16th century?

My thoughts:
I believe it would really clarify the context more if you specified Peter's problem for those who have not read the novel.

Also, I believe it would be a better and clearer question if you told us where it happened in the 15th 16th century, because different societies in the same time can have different customs and traditions. For example, in 15th - 16th century England, government officials are appointed by noble birth, whilst in China in the same time frame had government officials elected based on merit, not noble birth, and require them to pass certain qualifications such as state examinations in poetry, mathematics and philosophy.


Does theater have a say in political matters? If yes, explain.

My thoughts:
I think the question should be more specific in order to draw more conclusive answers. Does theater have a say in political matters under what scenarios? Does this take place in the Middle Ages where all people cared about were religion and power? Or did it take place during the Renaissance where people appreciated the arts? Is this question in America where the arts have a big influence on society? Or is this in Iraq where artists are still struggling to freely express their thoughts and beliefs? I think you need to address where, when, and under what circumstances.




From the Elizabethan Era till now there have been many changes. Where do you suppose we will go next?

My thoughts:
I genuinely think this is a very good question, but could use a little more explaining. Indeed it has been many, many years since the Elizabethan days, what changes does the person aim to address? Changes in economic activities? Changes in politics and power structure? Changes in beliefs and values?
And when asking where we will go next, is "we" representing we citizens of BC? Of Canada? Of the world? And where we will go in terms of arts? In terms of social segregation? It would do wonders for this question to specify and clarify.



Does Peter life relate to other kids around the world? Does it relate to you? Explain.

My thoughts:
Firstly, I would like to just correct a grammatical error I noticed. I believe DL meant to say "Peter's life" rather than "Peter life".
Secondly, what was Peter's life like? For people who don't know the story, they won't know how Peter lived. Was he a high-class aristocrat or was he a low-class serf? It would be best to explain that part.
Lastly, please specify "kids around the world". When are we talking about ? And if there is a specific location in mind it would be best to mention it as well.


How do you think people obtained power during the victorian era? Is power easier to obtain depending on your family or because of potential?

My thoughts:

Firstly, the word "victorian" should be capitalized to be "Victorian".
Secondly, the story actually takes place in Elizebethan England, not Victorian England. The two are very distinct periods in English history with two distinct queens.
Lastly, please specify what kind of power is being mentioned here. Is it political power or economic power? The ways to obtain any kind of power are similar in many aspects, but it would be nice to know how this question relates to the story by specifying the power type involved.

The Big Questions

Q: Why did Peter join the actors?

- It is better to avoid "why" questions because those type of questions usually have exact answers that could be found in the text. It doesn't allow you to expand and make connections in real life. Also, I think the phrasing could be better if it was "Why did Peter become an actor"? or "Why did Peter join and take part in the theater acts?"

Q: Should the lower class people, such as Peter, be subject to the same right as the aristocracy, such as Sir. Philip?

- What kind of rights does an aristocracy have? What's the difference between a lower class person and an aristocracy? What are their differences in rights? This question might be too vague and broad.

Q: Can a person be a hero without being important?

- This question is too vague and general. It doesn't necessary relate to the chapters #1-10. The person should explain and give examples of who and why this question relates to the novel.

Q: Why did Peter throw the rock?

- This question should be more specific. What rock is the question referring to? and whom did Peter throw it at? Also, it is considered an "RT" question which could be answered directly from text.

Q: Do you think is Sir Philip Caught Peter, would he be part of his plans to kill Queen Elizabeth?

- First of all, i think the question has some grammar and spelling mistakes, for instance, it would be more suitable to put "if" instead of "is". Also, who is "he" referring to? The question should be written more clearly.

Chapter 1 and 2 Response

Chapter 1:To start off with a small summary of the first chapter of what I learned;Cue Of Treason is read in 1st person by a boy named Peter Brownrigg

s. What I understood in the first chapter was that there was a man named Sir Philip who took over the thrown and started making the village how he wanted it, thinking no one could stop him or would care. (which is not true in some ways) What he did that none of the farmers or the field owners including peters family liked was put a big fence separating the field from a part of the village. Later on in this chapter , Peter being the brave one in my opinion threw a rock at Sir Philip, and he ran away hoping they wouldn’t track him down until Sir Philip and his “group” foun

d Peters green hat with his name on it.

While I was reading this chapter it reminded me of the activity we did in class when we listed people who have the top 10 social/media ! Sir Philip is at the top of the chart, and Peter and the rest are at the middle and threw-out the bottom. At the point where Peter threw the rock at Sir Philip I was screaming with cheer! (In my mind of-course "DUH") I thought Peter was brave because I wouldn't ever do something so disrespectful ( even if i like the fact that he threw the rock at Sir Peter ) and impolite. At the same time i would be scared for my life and i would be working on my "bravery" skills to get to that level.

Chapter 2:Peter goes to school (YAY SCHOOL!)!

And the end of the chapter is Sir Philip on the hunt to catch Peter !

If i was Sir Philip i would want to find Peter so badly ! I'd search everywhere just to lay my hands on this kids collar to give him a piece of my mind and show him how to respect me next time he thinks about throwing a rock at me ! But on the other hand if I was Peter i would be running for my life trying to hide before Sir Philip would chop my head into little bits ! It reminded me of Tom and Jerry, Sir Philip is Tom and Peter is Jerry ! Both are running after each other !

(Tom is Sir Philip and Peter is Jerry hiding from Sir Philip)

To conclude my "blog" I want to read more and see if "Tom" catches "Jerry" ( Sir Philip catches Peter if you didn't understand).

U Mad Bro?

Hello! As you know I haven't posted my Chapter 1+2 review yet and I'm starting now but just to clarify my first paragraph, or opening paragraph will ALWAYS be irrelevant to the subject.. Now that's clear I'll start talking about the book's first couple of chapters. One more statement before I start writing this is that I've made the assumption you guys read and that you will totally understand what I'm relating to

Chapter One~

     So at the start of the story I completely ignored the chapter title and the big foreshadow to it so my bad. The Chapter "Dawn is Dangerous" would be a good eye opener but usually I'm not into the intense opening where we get into the action but knowing the fact I ignored it I read it without being aware of thinking where this story is about.I made a hypothesis about this story after looking at the front cover was " OK! This story I can foresee that this is probably  have a low-class protagonist who goes on some sort of adventure and meets the sub-protagonist some where and in conclusion defeat the antagonist" which in the first chapter proved my first prediction in some way. Of course Peter isn't like that where he doesn't live on the floor or anything but in a descent cottage from what I have read and I'd actually would like to check that place out. Other than that Peter's family isn't that of "High-Class" in this area ( How do I know? READ THE TITLE MAYBE?!?!) nor that of a low life peasant whom dare not face there rich opposites. As you can see from here this has nothing to do with summary of the story thus I hate write about a story that I don't like and how I hate how Ms. Lees makes us do those plot diagrams which are irritating (Couldn't think of any good metaphors.). Even then I still must include some sort of reference to the story I will not likely write down much text from the book thou I should write from my vocabulary and English only. Clearing that up when the story involved the midnight gathering that was clearly a riot or something but I thought that's going to fail pretty bad because looking at the era and how rich people got everything, but then again it IS the 16th century and the new world was the the thing like how Modern Warfare 2 was the thing 2 years back so I started to reconsider. Every then Peter was kicked out of the "Riot" and was put for lookout. I thought "Wow, parents sure do trust there kids to do the right thing. Is the father REALLY sure about doing this?" then my thoughts were correct after Peter has seemed to lift off an roughly drawn circle of a hard object that may have to do with the pelting of criminals and has lobbed it into the air which I knew where this is going and hit the main antagonist Sir Phillip. After reading that I was like WOW REALLY?!?! After that I was even more shocked that Peter was more worried about breakfast than what just happened.

Chapter Two~

       How did you like my long paragraph about chapter one? If you read it to this far I kudos you but no kudos for you Ms. Lees because you're my teacher and I KNOW you're going to note my incorrect statement. If you haven't noticed, I'm mostly ranting/criticizing about the book but hey, I'm just like that and I ain't stopping . You mad bro? Then stop reading and write down your complaints to the comments below. Anyway the fact they start the chapter with school is kind of making the readers to disarray from the main topic. Well other than that it seems that Peter has a better school life than me which pestered me more than the time I had chicken poxes. Oh great... Now I noticed I wrote to much in chapter 1 that I can't write enough for this paragraph, and yes I'm screwing over the 5-7 sentence rule. Anything else to write about...(Skims through chapter 2) OK! So what it seems of Peter is that he is completely unaware of what is happening until later in the chapter but even then he just tries to escape. I would've killed Sir Phillip if I was in the 16th century and THEN run away. Even then Peter ran away leaving a BIG mess following him.You know what now? this is what I should've done:

1) Get my dad's pike

2) Get inside Sir Phillips mansion

3) Kill Sir Phillips and his Guards at night 

4) Look for something to eat at the cellar

5) Go home and pack up my stuff

6) Go to a dock and stow away myself to France then to Spain then to the new world

       OK! This ends my response and yet again.................. U MAD BRO?

░░░░░▄▄▄▄▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░
░░░░░█░░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░▀▀▄░░░░
░░░░█░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░▒▒▒░░█░░░
░░░█░░░░░░▄██▀▄▄░░░░░▄▄▄░░░░█░░
... ░▄▀▒▄▄▄▒░█▀▀▀▀▄▄█░░░██▄▄█░░░░█░
█░▒█▒▄░▀▄▄▄▀░░░░░░░░█░░░▒▒▒▒▒░█
█░▒█░█▀▄▄░░░░░█▀░░░░▀▄░░▄▀▀▀▄▒█
░█░▀▄░█▄░█▀▄▄░▀░▀▀░▄▄▀░░░░█░░█░
░░█░░░▀▄▀█▄▄░█▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▀▀█▀██░█░░
░░░█░░░░██░░▀█▄▄▄█▄▄█▄████░█░░░
░░░░█░░░░▀▀▄░█░░░█░█▀██████░█░░
░░░░░▀▄░░░░░▀▀▄▄▄█▄█▄█▄█▄▀░░█░░
░░░░░░░▀▄▄░▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░░░▒░░░█░
░░░░░░░░░░▀▀▄▄░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░█░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░░█░░

Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggest?

Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggest?

Hello to the bloggers on this blog. I hope your day has gone by well so far. (GO BLUE GO!-Five Days Of Fire)

My opinion is that a person’s life path is determined before they were born.

It is today because of our parents. You may ask why, well the parents are the ones who pay for our education, food, house, ect. If our parents don’t have enough money for all of this, our life couldn't be as "high class" as it could be. Now , if your parents are quite the "high class bunch" ( people who have lots of money, good job, live in a safe environment ect.) then you can tell that a child’s life path would be good because their parents have the money to put them in an excellent school. Also our parents may be more lower class or high classing making us (their children) the same, because if you think about it , it isn’t quite possible for a baby to change its life path before he/she was even born.

All at the same time I think that it is possible for a man to change his stars; by going to college and/or university, getting a good education, studying well and get rewarded a great job! You may ask why do all this? Well, now-a-days, most successful people have a good job. At the same time, if you go into other countries not just in Canada and the U.S.A , it is more hard to get a good education. For example: In Egypt due to lots of religion problems a muslim professor may fail a Christian student because they can also because the professor may not like Christians and the professor would make it hard on the person to pass their class. It also has happened before to several people known by my family.

To conclude this topic, I think a man could change his stars, with hard work and effort.

Testing :if this works comment !

Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggest?

OK! I finally fixed my blogger account after catching a few bugs on my computers and messaging to hotmail.com which took me about 2 hours straight to sort out.

       So continuing the blog the "Big Question" asks that was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggest? I'm not good at giving example's but what my personal opinion thinks that it is possible by all means where you can be anything you want to be as long you prove yourself to be so. The world is a huge place, frankly speaking with so many opportunities that can come in life and that we should be able to choose our fate in this world is a necessary thing. Saying that other people says that you must become a certain role in life is just plain inexcusable by all means saying this. I wouldn't want to be anything that was forced upon me but in life we are just innocent beings imprisoned by fate and the social unjust. When I say the unjust im saying that the unfaithful are thinking whats best for that person, thinking that it is impossible for him/her to rise up to what they want to become.

         Of course anyone can be what they want to be, but when you put thought into this, the idea is somewhat plain preposterous. Life hasn't made us have an easy task of becoming what we want to be, where we have to at least have to pass some confrontations in life. Where to be able to reach your goal you must be worthy of it. You can't become a hockey player because you wanted to that's absurd, You can't have a  master-class profession while you lie down on your bum reading this post because you think this is motivation. You know what? If you're reading this it's best that you start working now and get of the chips and not be a total loafer that  can't do anything. Go learn something about what you want to be. so how about you do whats required of you to become what you're dream is because if you lay on the couch and eat chips I can 100% guarantee you that that dream is still a dream.

        So basically what I was saying was that you need be make yourself capable to be able to do such thing or else you're just wasting time your self thinking that anything is possible just by using old spice... So in conclusion of this stolid blog that personally I think is completely profound and pointless that I think that doing a forum would be better, thus humans are capable of doing extraordinary things in this world were all rooted down to some block-head using stones as wheels. That's right you heard me, Just because your some sort of god-like genius doesn't mean that you are smarter in logic or idealism because the other guy believes and tries to become what he wants to be. Thus I end this blog with this sentence... 

░░░░░▄▄▄▄▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░
░░░░░█░░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░▀▀▄░░░░
░░░░█░░░▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░▒▒▒░░█░░░
░░░█░░░░░░▄██▀▄▄░░░░░▄▄▄░░░░█░░
... ░▄▀▒▄▄▄▒░█▀▀▀▀▄▄█░░░██▄▄█░░░░█░
█░▒█▒▄░▀▄▄▄▀░░░░░░░░█░░░▒▒▒▒▒░█
█░▒█░█▀▄▄░░░░░█▀░░░░▀▄░░▄▀▀▀▄▒█
░█░▀▄░█▄░█▀▄▄░▀░▀▀░▄▄▀░░░░█░░█░
░░█░░░▀▄▀█▄▄░█▀▀▀▄▄▄▄▀▀█▀██░█░░
░░░█░░░░██░░▀█▄▄▄█▄▄█▄████░█░░░
░░░░█░░░░▀▀▄░█░░░█░█▀██████░█░░
░░░░░▀▄░░░░░▀▀▄▄▄█▄█▄█▄█▄▀░░█░░
░░░░░░░▀▄▄░▒▒▒▒░░░░░░░░░░▒░░░█░
░░░░░░░░░░▀▀▄▄░▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒▒░░░░█░
░░░░░░░░░░░░░░▀▄▄▄▄▄░░░░░░░░█░░ 

You Mad?? That I didn't post for the last few days???

Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggests?

Hello Classmates, i apologize for the late responces, took me time to fix my blog and figure out how to post, but now everything is on the right track. So, i'll get started.

The Fall of the Wall and the Runaway

Good evening  fellow scholars, how is your day?

The first two chapters of the Geoffrey Trease historical fiction, Cue for Treason, taking place in Shakespearean England, will be critiqued and analyzed as well as some connections will be made.

Cue for Treason

The first two chapters are named " Dawn Is Dangerous " and  " Escape ". Now, these are very suggestive titles for a chapter and strongly hints at the plot. To give a little background information into my thoughts and analysis, I shall briefly summarize the two chapters. In the first chapter, our protagonist, Peter Brownwigg, tells the story, in first person point of view of him joining a group of villagers, including his own father  to tear down a stone wall that was built on a meadow that many families shared,preventing them from having access. The noble responsible was Sir Phillip Morton, who recently inherited the lands of Cumberland, England, from his deceased grandfather. Peter, for the sake of the thrill, threw rock at Sir Phillip , and got his signature green cap with his name on it shot of his head.

In the second chapter, Peter was at lunch break from school when he realizes that Sir Phillip has learnt of Peter's involvement in the tearing of the wall  and throwing the rock at Sir Phillip, which was a big sign of disrespect and dishonor to the noble, all because Sir Phillip found Peter's hat. Upon realizing this, and fearing the punishments,  Peter decides to travel to Penrith by foot for safety, and leaves his family and pony Nathaniel behind.

  Connections are starting to form between this story, the activities we did as a class and the question pertaining to one's life path.All the activities we did as a class relates to this story in the sense that it fuels the conflict and adds to it a layer of depth. For example, when asked what defines a home, and what places are important in the community, a group responded with things they considered a home needed. The location and geography of the story matters as the conflict is revolved around it, We can better understand and relate to the characters of the story if we could imagine a similar situation with us, such as our homes taken over, and make more conclusive responses. Another example would be when asked what tyrant is, a group responded with " a person who abuses his or her totalitarian power over the people", and gave examples such as Kim Jong Il, Hugo Chavez, Adolf Hitler etc.. I think this connects to the story because with comprehension of what defines a tyrant, we can judge by ourselves if Sir Philip is a "good guy" or "bad guy", and understand the context of the story more.

In regards to the life path question,  it matters because  the story will follow Peter's journey to do what is deemed right, and defy practically every rule of English social hierarchy, and contest Sir Phillip.

 Peter and the villagers definitely should have the right to fight for what is rightfully theirs. After Ms.Lees took out what a student rightfully deserves,equality, my group and I  feel anger boiling deep down in us, even though it was part of the activity. We can now connect to Peter and the villagers and feel their anger and frustration. However, their methods of fighting for what is rightfully theirs can is questionable. Considering that Sir Phillip is way ahead of the commoners in terms of power and influence by miles and miles, it is unwise to get involved in tearing his wall down. They should have remembered that the whole village could pay as a result of their actions. For example, Sir Phillip can raise rents and taxes on the people. Also,  Peter throwing that rock was absolutely unnecessary and a rash decision on his part. Due to the fact that Peter is only a young adolescent, he is rash in his decisions, and that would be a major liability in whatever his goals are. Also, it would have helped if Peter was more attentive in his job to watch out for any danger, but I am curios to know, if he was more attentive and signaled  the arrival of Sir Phillip earlier, would it prevent him from throwing that rock for the thrill of it?

Overall, in the first two chapters alone, I have learnt a lot about Shakespearean England, including the daily lives of its citizens and the social hierarchy. I have learnt how geography affects the conflict of this story and got a rough picture of crime and punishment in that era. This novel seems to be an exciting one and I look forward to continue reading it.

Cue For Treason- Chapter #1&2 Response

Chapter #1- Dawn is Dangerous

In this chapter, the author gives readers a general idea of the setting and where the novel took place. According to text, I assumed that the story took place in Europe during the rule of the queens and kings when the social statuses were clear and literate. This links to a preview activity that we did in class where a group was to rank the top ten people who had the most fortune, power and higher social statuses. It is clear that Sir. Philip has a higher social status than Peter and in the olden times, that meant he had more power. Peter Brownriggs, the protagonist and narrator of the story was introduced and eventually lead to the conflict when Sir Philip Morton took over the village that he lived in.

The story began when Sir Philip took advantage of the town and built stone walls around the meadow which caused frustration among the peoples who lived in the village. This scene ties in with one of the activities that we did as a class when a students' right was taken away from us with no apparent reason. In the story, Sir Philip took over the villager's land and used it for his own benefit without consulting the people first and getting their permission. They started to argue but Sir Philip denied and told them to go to court if necessary. He knew that the villagers couldn't afford going to court, therefore, this clearly stated that Sir Philip just unconditionally took a right away from the villagers. Peter was chosen to guard and look out for Sir Philip when the villagers decided to tare down the stone walls that Sir Philip built. There, I had the feeling that something bad might happen, and before you know it, Sir Philip came gal lapsing on his horse. Peter quickly warned the villagers to keep them out of danger, however, he caused himself more trouble by throwing a rock at Sir Philip. Unfortunately, the rock missed and one of the knights caught Peter and took out his pistol and aimed it at Peter. Luckily, the bullet shot through his hat instead of himself.

Chapter #2- Escape

In this chapter, the reader experiences a daily life in Peter's perspective where he goes to school and also gives me an idea of what it was like to live during the medieval time. The chapter ended with Sir Philip trying to capture Peter while he's trying to escape from him and had to leave his town.

In my opinion, I think Peter is a slow and unfocused person. Firstly,when he was guarding, he didn't spot Sir Philip as quickly as he should because he wasn't paying much attention whether there were any people passing by the road. Also, in chapter 2, He was thinking about his hat and how proud he was with the bullet hole and that since it has his name on it, the students will believe that the hat was actually his. However, didn't he think that after the incident that happened the day before, Sir. Philip would find it and try to track him down? In result, Peter had no choice but to escape from Sir. Philip and travel a great distance by himself.

Can we really change our stars?

Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggest?


The clip that is shown is from a scene in the movie , A Knight's Tale. In the movie, William, a peasant, wins a jousting tournament after replacing his recently deceased master. William then tries to persuade fellow peasants Wat and Roland to join him in his attempt to achieve glory and riches by participating in further jousting tournaments. William explains that nobles seized nobility " at the tip or their swords", and finally convinces his friends to join him.

For the purpose of answering this question, take a look at  Arnold Schwarzenegger as an example. Arnold Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American bodybuilder,actor,businessman and politician. He has won a record number of 7 IFBB Mr.Olympia titles, the most prestigious prize in bodybuilding, and has revolutionized the sport, becoming one of the most famous and influential bodybuilders in history. He has ran a successful business and  successfully invested in property. He is one of the of the most recognizable figures of all time, starring in iconic movies like the Terminator, Predator, Conan the Barbarian, and made a cameo in the Expendables. He has also served two terms as the Governor of the state of California.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

But did Arnold have all that handed to him in a silver platter? Was it his "destiny" to become one of the most iconic figures in history?  According to his biography, Arnold had a rough childhood. He was born in a little rural village of Thal, Austria , and is the son of a strict former Nazi officer. Would Arnold grow up to be a racist neo-Nazi like his father before him? Would he grow up to be nothing more than just a Austrian villager? Would that be his life path because he was born into it?No. Arnold had big ambitions since a young age. His family was poor, so he made a home gym out of wooden blocks and strings and anything he could find, and trained hard. When he first moved to the United States to pursue his bodybuilding and acting ambitions, he knew little English and had a heavy accent, but tried to adapt. In other words, he worked hard and he believed that he can do it, and so he shaped his life path according to his dreams.

Back in medieval times, most notably in Europe, it was virtually impossible to change one's social status, it was determined at birth. If you were born a serf, you live a serf. If you had the privilege to be born a noble you live as a noble. There were exceptions elsewhere during this time such as the Chinese Emperors' decisions to assign government positions to people based on merit, not birth.However, that is a rare exception.

During the Renaissance, things changed a little. Even though Calvinists believed in predestination, which is the believe that your destiny is determined before birth, people were gradually able to change their "destinies". The rise of the middle class is evidence that people were beginning to prosper and better their situations, people changing their life paths.

How times have changed.Today, we all have the opportunity to change our "destiny" and reach our dreams, however far that may be, just like Arnold Schwarzenegger did. All one needs is to believe and put in the effort. So long as one's ambition is for one's and the world's betterment, God will always be there to guide you and help you if as you are willing to put in the effort. It is never easy, and the road will never be smooth, but one can achieve great things if one is persistent and diligent.Therefore, yes, one can change one's life path, and one can most definitely change one's own stars.

The Big Q: Was a person's life path determined before they were born? Is it today? Or can a man change his stars as the clip suggests?

A person can change it's life path like how a man can change his stars. I believe that a person's future is not determined right when they were born but through their hard work they've put into being successful. An American Inventor, Thomas Alva Edison once said, "Genius is one percent inspiration, and ninety-nine percent perspiration, meaning genius is largely the result of hard work, rather than an inspired flash of insight. With that said, I believe that a person can create their own path like how the man in the video was determined to follow and pursue his dreams as being a joust.

HEY GUYS ! :)