Independent Reading Reflection

Mar2

I am currently reading the Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo. This was a reimagination of the Great Gatsby, focusing on Jordan Baker’s point of view, who is a queer Vietnamese American adopted in the Bakers. She is a New York socialite in the 1800s who went to a bunch of parties with her sister, Daisy. Now, Jordan is trying to undermine Daisy’s marriage with Tom under Gatsby’s orders.

I would use the Chosen and the Beautiful because it has many literary techniques and purposeful language choices. A recurring theme in the story is that being elite and top class could allow people to do things that wouldn’t be accepted in society, for example heavy drinking, partying, and sleeping with multiple people.

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Define and Inquire

Feb8

The purpose of a wind-powered car is to allow people to have a fast, safe, and environmentally friendly trip to places. There will be two propellors at the back of the car so when there is wind, whether a light breeze or gusts of rain, the propellors would track that down and then use the wind as the car’s fuel. This is for all people who are able to drive a car, specifically targeted towards people who want to be more environmentally friendly

 

The environmental impact of a wind-powered car is that it will definitely be more environmentally safe than cars run on gas. The propellers are designed so they won’t hit each other, the ground when driving, or fall off, so there won’t be accidents.

 

There is creativity in trying to make a car or a vehicle that can use a different fuel other than gasoline and electricity for a more environmental friendly alternative. The design of a car has also been modified from the original car design in order to allow the extensions.

 

I hope to satisfy the demands of a more environmentally friendly vehicle and ultimately provide a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. I plan on making a makeshift 3D model of a wind-powered car to so the basics on how it would work

Formative Socratic Seminar Reflection

Feb8

Something I did well in the formative Socratic seminar was that I clarified and challenged ideas when it was appropriate in order to extend and deepen the seminar. Something I need to work on is that the language that I used was not formal, often using phrases such as “like” in my speech. My goal for next time is to add more literary analysis, such as explaining which literary technique creates what effect for the reader, into the seminar. A major step of achieving my goal is by annotating the text more clearly and thoroughly, trying to find the reason of the usage of literary techniques in the book, so it is easier for me to say an in-depth literary analysis.

Reading Reflection 2#

Nov29

I am reading the novel, The Surprising Power of a Good Dumpling, by Wai Chin and so far I have read up to page 218. It is about a Chinese girl, Anna, struggling to balance her home life with her school life and social life. At the beginning of the book, the mom encounters a big black dog that seemed to be a bad omen. Perhaps the big black dog symbolizes the hardship that the protagonist has to go through every day. I’ve noticed that the chapter numbers have the Cantonese pronunciation of the number underneath. Throughout the book, many of the characters can also speak Cantonese using the Cantonese pronunciation. I noticed that the author only wrote the pronunciation of Cantonese shows that the protagonist herself can only understand spoken Chinese, not written Chinese. I also find it interesting how the protagonist hates the school subject, English, which further connects to the protagonist not understanding written language.

Reading Reflection #1

Nov9

Out of the three books I have read from the start of school, “Egg and Spoon” by Gregory Maguire is the novel  I have strong connections with. The novel is set in Russia, during the relationship between the Bolsheviks and Tsar has gone awry. There were many fairytale references in the novel, mostly from Russian fairytales. The author may have used these fairytale references to lighten up the atmosphere of the novel’s setting or prove that one can not escape from their childhood.

There are two main characters, Ekaterina and Elena. Elena was born in a village where the men had gone to war, and the women had gone missing. Elena meets Ekaterina, Cat for short, from a wealthy family and is traveling to meet the Tsar. Due to complications, Elena and Cat switched their places.

What is human about both of the protagonists is the reaction when the switch up happens. Elena first feels guilty about the switch up, but sooner or later, she indulges in the pleasure of the riches that Cat had before. However, Cat had to survive on pure wit as she makes her way back to Moscow

 

My Persona Poster

Sep6

Graphic design is the creation of visual media on a screen. Design inspires me to think creatively and aesthetically, and keep a keen eye for the visuals. My favorite design examples are mostly character design. Character designing influences how people view them and can even predict the character’s personality and mannerisms.

My most memorable experience designing something was in 6th grade. I took an enrichment on cosplay design, and I wanted to replicate a weapon from an anime. This was memorable to me because I remember working very hard on it and I felt proud with the finished product. I would like to get better at fabrication

Made with Padlet

Nongbo’s Journal on the Chinese Cultural Revolution

Apr19

Meet Nongbo, a 19 year old living in Beijing, China, a college student who has dropped out of college and became a Red Guard. He was extremely devoted to Chairman Mao and would do anything to be on Chairman Mao’s good side. This journal recounts the experience and conflicts of the fictional character from the rise of the Red Guards to the end of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

Instead of a whole communist government, which was what the Chinese government was aiming for during the Cultural Revolution, capitalism has been re-introduced to China. This is because the Chinese government found out China was way behind the global superpowers and needed to boost their economy. The effects of the Cultural Revolution could be both good and bad. On the good side, China had established a one-party system that controls every government affair. On the other hand, a whole generation of people did not get their completion of education.

The Chinese Cultural Revolution in Plain English

Mar29

This film was made by George and Maggie (me). It showcases the events during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. Using the knowledge of revolutions from the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and Animal Farm, something I learned about revolutions is that if people are too oppressed by the government, these people would do anything to gain freedom, no matter the price. Since there are so many revolutions that happened in history, and many revolve around communism, this clearly shows that leaders will keep on thinking they need power for themselves, and communism is a pipe dream.

I am Malala-A Story with a Powerful Theme

Jan21

“I am Malala”, an autobiography of Malala Yousafzai herself, retells the life of Malala when she lived in Pakistan. As a young girl, Malala values her education, so when the Taliban arrived in her homeland and started to enforce that girls should not go to school, Malala speaks up. She wrote a secret diary with a pen name, and spoke in interviews, promoting the right that girls deserve an education. However, she got shot by the Taliban and was treated in Birmingham, England, for her actions. A theme of this book is that one should stand up for themselves and others when they are oppressed

 

            There are two reasons why people should read this book. Firstly, this book teaches those who are unhindered by other people to get an education that they should be thankful for what they have and appreciate it. Secondly, Malala is a source of inspiration, being the youngest Nobel Prize winner, to other people showing that society can accomplish things peacefully .

 

Something I learned while reading literary nonfiction is that it can be beneficial to have another person read the same book as me. We both could have different ideas on how the context in the book can be perceived. The partner(s) could also be an excellent debate assistant in helping me form a better argument.

 

The Boxers’ Reputation

Dec1

During the 19th century, a gang of delinquent farmers called the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, or the so called name, Boxers, came from the province, Shandong, arrived at Beijing. They at first just intimidated random people. Next, they start killing innocent foreigners and Chinese Christians. The boxers did deserve a bad reputation because they destroyed property and endangered people’s lives. The boxers cut the railway and the French Post Office to prevent communication. This may be a smart and tactical way, however this infringes the right of ownership concession, since the boxers didn’t own the place and destroyed it. The boxers also threaten many lives, including those who work at Customs. The people in Customs work with foreign powers, which rankles the stubborn, borderline racist boxers, whom they think their culture is the best. The boxers will hurt any citizen wants to know what the outside world is like. Yes, the boxers do want to conserve their culture, however the best way they could have done it was to peacefully protest, since words are much more powerful than actions in this situation.