Krista Ramsey

     I think that, by now, everyone who has had English during third trimester has seen a little bit of Krista Ramsey's lecture on journalism. You could argue different points to prove the true message she wanted us to get out of her presentation, but I think that they would all eventually lead to something along the lines of voice being the key part of your writing. Without voice, writing lacks personality and nobody likes to read anything without personality. As she went on, she became to sound less like a teacher and more like a mentor. She began to talk about the power of average stories about average people doing more-than-average things without notice. About halfway through her lecture, she said, "Shame on us as writers if we underestimate the power of good people, (Ramsey). This was probably the most impacting line she said through the seventy-two minutes she was talking. I know this because after she said this, every pencil was raised, every head dropped, every eye focused on lined notebook paper, and every hand scribbled down her words. I would bet money that there was not one person in the Harvard Room that chose not to quote that statement.

      So, why am I writing about this weeks after the presentation? Well, it's because of our current studies of columns and creative nonfiction. Especially our creative nonfiction paper. We have our first rough draft due soon, and I've been working on it every night. Each night referring to the notes I took during her presentation. We all had to pick a topic that we feel especially drawn to and strongly connected to. It doesn't have to be a huge, worldwide issue that you could write about for years trying to solve with your words. But that's not the point. Krista Ramsey probably doesn't have a deep connection with her subjects when she first gets her assignments, but you can tell that she has a more powerful bond with the people she writes about than Gorilla Glue on a cracked Nutcracker. I think our teachers gave us the columns to study and set up Krista Ramsey's presentation before we started writing so we would understand how we can use our voice to emphasize a small topic enough to make it appear to be just as exciting as anything we could see on TV.

     Speaking of TV, my creative nonfiction piece is on how music, television influences us as we allow ourselves to be impacted by what we see and hear (this was an easy one to connect to myself and Fahrenheit 451, everyone in that book is brainwashed to the max). You may not think about it a whole lot, but the sources of entertainment we are exposed to greatly impact how we mature and how we act. I know your parents think about it, mine do for sure. Everybody changes over time, that's normal, but what you chose to be exposed to is what you choose to grow up to become. Krista Ramsey has certainly grown up since becoming a writer, there is no way in heck that she was that influential and could move people so well with her voice before she exposed herself to her sources. Now, music and TV may have had little contribution to how amazing a person she is today, but it does prove the point that we are impacted by almost everything around us (it just so happens that music and TV are among the top influences of teens).

A Cadet for the Corps

     As of now, I have read through part one of Absolutely American by David Lipsky. Multiple characters have been introduced so far, but I find none more special than Don "Whitney" Herzog. This fine squared-away young man is my role model. He's living my dream. He's real. He's what a West Point administrator would call a "shining cadet." He is 100% without a doubt exactly who I want to be.

    I don't know where you want to go to college, but I'm sure you would like to be a stand-out applicant. I'm sure that if you could, you would give anything to read the true story of someone who lived your dream, going to the same places you want to go and doing the same things that you want to do. I'm sure you'd take the opportunity to read about it in a second. I did.

     Don Herzog had a very successful high school career. Even though his high school was not the biggest, he still earned the postion of Class President. He also strived for straight A's, which I am doing now (cough, cough, Mrs. Bross, cough). Excuse me. What is truly amazing about this is that he never really strayed away from the things that normal teenagers do, dabbling and experimenting with different things. Even when he got to West Point, even though he probably had to ease up on the teenager fun, he was still an outstanding student and leader. He was ranked 13th in his class (out of 1,000). When I read this in my book, I annotated that "this will be me."

     There are other ways that I connect with Whitney: his life goals are extremely similar to mine. Lipsky introduces Whitney's goals on the first paragraph of Part One: "For ten years, Whitney ran his life like a checklist: West Point, then the Infantry, then the Rangers, the Army's elite," (Lipsky 3). This is my checklist. This is my dream. This is my future. For the past two years, I have planned out my life to strive for the same greatness that Don Herzog is acheiving right now.

Step One: West Point. Duty. Honor. Country. Three values that are pounded into every ounce of your being so one may understand the meaning of service. One fulfills the duty of serving his nation, and does so with honor so that his country remain in peace. These are not the only things drilled into one's head at the academy--while attending, one receives the top education offered to any college student, in addition to military and leadership training.

Step Two: the Infantry. The Army's hellhounds. If you're in the Infantry "you know how to sleep in the cold and you know how to kill people," and you know how to move with a purpose and get through any obstacle placed conveniently in your path (Lipsky 4). It may be one of the MOS's (military occupational specialty) with the least book smarts but infantrymen know how to survive in the worst conditions. Some (especially my Dad) say the Infantry doesn't prepare you for the real world, but I think it gets you more than ready for society after a military career. After being in the Infantry, there is not a lower point one could have in his life: the mental strength you gain is more useful than the handy-dandy skills you learn in any other part of the military.





Step Three: the Rangers. The Army's elite. Lead the way. One of the Army's Special Forces regiments. Any soldier can be an infantryman, but it takes a special kind of killer to be a Ranger. The Rangers are special for any mission, specialized in all terrain for all situations. Reacting on short notice with incredible effectiveness is a Ranger's way of life. They use specialized weapons and techniques and infiltration systems to complete each mission. One gains more mental strength in the Rangers than in any other part of the Army.

           
    
     After the army, I'm not sure what Whitney wants to do yet. Maybe he doesn't know what he wants to do yet. I do know, though, that he will be ready for anything life can throw at him outside of the military. He will be ready.

                             

Absolutely American

     For my first true independent reading book of Honors English IB, I'm choosing to read a book that will detail the exact reason that I even enrolled in this course. The title, Absolutely American, is a basic description of one of the few locations in the country that are absolutely American, West Point. As of right now, I want nothing more in my life than to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, also known as "Army," and graduate to have an excellent career in the US Army.

     West Point is a federal service academy located along the Hudson River in New York. Here, the roughly 4,000 students (cadets) that make up the Corps of Cadets will go through four years of academic, physical and military training to become the excellent leaders of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor and Country that will, upon graduation, command the enlisted soldiers in the United States Army.

     Four thousand cadets may seem like an excessive, plentiful amount of potential leaders of America's Army, but it is even less so than you may think. West Point is not for everyone. The academy ranks 11th among the nation's universities in "Lowest Acceptance Rate" at 9.0%; not to mention this is of qualified applicants, whom need congressional recommendations, exceptional grades and test scores, and outstanding moral character to be considered for admission. USMA is suited for the best students in the country with ambitions of service and leadership, and only the elite of this minuscule collection of exceptional persons may be accepted. Not everyone is can handle the responsibilities of West Point, not even all of the 4,000 that are accepted to attend can uphold the standards of the academy, and are forced to drop out before commissioning, or graduation. This is the reason as to why I chose to enroll in Honors English; not because I like reading and writing, no. Now, is taking "Honors English" going to get me in to West Point? NO. But it may have an impact: the more rigorous one makes a high school career, the more likely one is to be accepted to West Point.

     To even consider this, though, there a great argument must be won in your  mind. Do I, or do I not want to be forced to live up to the standards of the academy? Can I, or can I not uphold these standards? Is it worth it to me to give up the convenience of campus life at other universities to attend West Point? Do I want to give up four summers and four grueling academic work to become a Commissioned Officer in America's Army? Am I able to deal with being away from home and loved ones for extensive amounts of time? Am I physically capable of attending the academy? Most importantly, am I committed to leadership and service, and am I able to live by the values of Duty, Honor, and Country? The answer to every question must be unanimously "yes" in order to consider the United States Military Academy for your future, and I think that in the book, we will learn of some cadets that may have questioned some of their answers, and think of, or do drop out of the academy. I think in the book will also be a detailed description of life at the academy and how cadets handle it. The book may be used as an informational guide as to whether or not West Point is for you, or it may not be, but regardless, that is the sole purpose I am reading this book.

Fat Boy Chronicles

     Everyone that has taken Health with Coach Pop has read Fat Boy Chronicles. And, chances are, even if you didn't take Mr. Popivich's Health class, you've either read the book as well, or at least heard about it somehow. After all, it is about a kid whom once walked the same halls you do every day, here at "Good Ole' Willy Mason High School." If you've taken ECA with Mr. Geotz and Ms. Borock, you'd get that one too.

     Most of you will already know what the book is about, but I'm going to tell you anyway. It's about the freshman experience of Jimmy (Doug Henning). The book is set up like a journal that he was assigned to do by his freshman English teacher (I don't know who he had for English, I don't know one student that has had to journal for English I). So, the journal may be a fictitious aspect of the book, but the actions that take place are all but fake. Jimmy has what he claims to be a "less-than-average-appearance." Here's the deal: Jimmy is overweight and there are some kids in his class that use that as source for their jokes. Some worse than others, but everyone seems to get their piece of Jimmy one way or another. You may be thinking, or remembering the beginning of the book and thinking 'Awe, poor kid,' but Jimmy did have a group of friends. Now, this group will change throughout the course of the book, like some of yours may through the course of high school. His friends have their problems as well, and you may recall them or find for yourself, but Jimmy has the worst time at school than any of them by far.

     Jimmy visited the doctor and received some news that didn't exactly make him the happiest person in the world. In fact, it terrified him. The doctor was talking to him about how he was a bit heavier than the rest of the kids his age, and if he didn't do something about it starting then, he'd stay like that for the rest of his life. Did you hear what I said?! For the rest of his life. Jimmy thought his body was just going through a phase, but for the rest of his life? There was no way in heck that Jimmy wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life. As you can tell, this quote is a key aspect of the book. It is the spark that ignites almost every action that takes place later in the book.

     There is a clear theme in the book, and it is a very influential read that I feel should be read by everyone, whether it's a requirement, or not. When I first was assigned to read this book, I though, 'Oh, great. I get to read about another bullying story.' It's not that at all. The book is more than just a story, it gives you a chance to reflect on how you treat others and how you deal with situations of witnessing. I'll have to thank Mr. Popivich later for inspiring me to write this.

     I know this is getting long, and if you're still reading, congratulations. You're probably thinking, 'Oh my good golly, there's more?! Dude, you're on your fifth paragraph now. You know you only need two, right? Wrap it uuuup, let's goooo!' And I'm just going to ask you to turn down, and take it down a notch, because I'm wrapping it up right here. I could write about this book all day but I'll go ahead and conclude with a couple questions you can answer in the comments (you're welcome :) ). First, how do you treat others? I know you're not perfect, nobody is. That's not the point. I'm guilty of some minor joking around here and there, and I'm sure you are too; but when it all comes down to it, are you the person someone comes to for help, just a friend, or the cause of the pain? And it also speaks to your character how you react when you see someone getting constantly harassed. What kind of character are you? You don't have to announce it for the world to know, but I challenge you to ponder that for a while. Anyway, I'll wrap it up, the bell's about to ring. Outie.

Rags to Riches

     The book I most enjoyed reading during Trimester 1 was the one that I had to read for English IA: One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard. I'll be honest, I chose to read this book because it appeared to be about baseball (and it was), but, I knew there would be another meaning to the book, because it couldn't be just about baseball. Why? Well, for starters, it wouldn't be on the summer reading list; and two, there are a gazillion books that are just about baseball, and none of those are any fun to read. If you're not into sports, read it anyway. Like, I said, it's not about baseball, it's about adversity and how to handle it. And if you are into sports, read it. One, it's a good read that includes a story of a sports team, but also, it teaches you the same lesson any good coach will teach you: ignore the hype and play ball like y'all can. Now, if the story isn't about baseball, what is it about?
                                                       
     This story is about a small town in Illinois, near Chicago, called Macon. The Macon baseball team hasn't had much success in years prior to spark any hopes that change will come anytime soon. Coach Sweet is new in town, and isn't taken kind to in the conservative farm town of Macon. Lynn Sweet is an English teacher at Macon High School, and the parents of his students strongly disagree with his teaching style, and when he becomes head baseball coach, the confidence in the Ironmen was really lacking. And it may be cliche, but even though they were underdogs given no chance at making a "State Run" and, obviously they went as far as they could (you can read to see how far and all the details of their journey if you wish). Now, that's a basic summary on the book--that you can find on SparkNotes... but it's much better if you read the book because you then get the chance to learn the true meaning of the book, which is also a cliche, and which you may also learn on your own. :)

P. S. The theme of the book isn't the Coaching Speech I mentioned, trust me. I wouldn't ruin the story for you like that. Theme goes deeper than just the plot of a story, but it can be supported by thoughts and actions in the story.

P. S. S. We learn that in English class.