Another reflection blog

I'll go about this journal as a list:
AP Lit, most liked:
- I like how this class doesn't focus on just grammar, or how something is written, or how something is supposed to be written. This class focuses more on how we interpret the literature and other core ideals, rather than how we are supposed to interpret it. We don't need to worry about going on spark notes to make sure we're right, or to be hesitant about our opinion because we may be wrong. We can just say however we feel about a certain subject or issue. The slam poems are also a fantastic idea.
AP Lit: most disliked:
- Sometimes I just don't look at a piece of literature as deeply as others seem to interpret it. I mean, it's not a bad thing, but sometimes i feel like i'm not picking up on some observations that other people pick up on. I'll try to work on this during the second semester, of course.

School, Overall:
- I'm very satisfied with how school is going. I'm upset that I won't be able to play lacrosse this year, but other than that, Kearney has done a great job introducing me to new subjects, new people, new philosophies, and new ways of thinking. Kearney has really helped me learn to challenge what people say, rather than just accepting it right off the bat. I'm very appreciative of all the friends I've made at Kearney, and all the teachers who have taught me over the years.

Socially, overall:
- I feel like I'm starting to discover who I really am. I've made new friends, i've lost a few, and I hope to repair a few friendships that need mending. Now I feel like I know the proper path of approach. I like how i've developed, and my current path in life.

Mad World- Gary Jules

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for the daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I wanna drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you,
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles its a very, very
Mad world, mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy birthday, happy birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me, what's my lesson?
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you,
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles its a very, very
Mad world, mad world, mad world
Mad world mad world

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4


This song strongly depicts transcendentalist ideals. Jules reflects on the monotony of the world. To him, the world is just a repeated cycle, repeated until we die. This analogy is especially reflected when he sings "When People run in circles its a very very Mad World.... Mad world..." and "Children waiting for the day they feel good. Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday". The way Jules says "Happy Birthday... Happy Birthday" he makes it sound like it's repetitive. He reflects on how it happens every year, acting like nothing changes between the years. He thinks that people run in the same circles, going through the same motions day in, and day out. To him, the world is just one giant cycle that he himself had to adapt to.
This song is very reflective of transcendentalist ideals. Emerson says several quotes that relate to this song, such as "We are always getting ready to live, but never living". This quote relates to the song, as according to Emerson, many people go through life preparing for the next day without truly taking in what their current day has for them. In the end, we'll eventually wonder where all the time went, regretting how we lived our lives. To life life to its fullest, we have to absorb everything our current day has to offer for us. Thoreau also spoke a relevant mesage: "It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?" This songs highly reflect this thought, as in Jules' song it seems that everyone is living their own world, preparing for the next day, keeping busy as they see fit. We all say we're busy, but are these causes really causes we should be busy about? This paradox creates such a world as jules depicts in "Mad World", where everyone is too busy with their own things to truly appreciate what life has to offer for us.

Emmerson and Thoreau Aphorisms

"We are always getting ready to live, but never living"
I take fancy to this quote. The quote is basically saying that all we do in life is prepare ourselves for a better life, while not focusing on the current life we are living. I feel that the educational system emphasizes this way of life. In Grade School, our sixth grade teacher told us that the point of grade school was to prepare you for middle school. In middle school, we were told to prepare for high school. In High School, we were told to prepare for college. I imagine in college, we will be focusing on where we can get a job. Then, when we get a job, we receive enough income to generate a decent style of living, and to prepare for retirement. When we retire, we just use up this saved money and prepare for death. If people are so focused on the future, they won't be able to fully absorb how beautiful life is as they live it.

"Men have become tools of their tools"
This quote states that men have basically become victim to their own system. Originally, we created a system to keep everything balanced. Now, we are told to live by the system's rules, prejudices and practices. As we grow up, we are told to go into college, to get a job, to pay our taxes and to retire. It almost feels like a predestined path. I feel that in order to truly embrace life, we have to break through these man-made systems and experience the world for what it truly is.