The Sun Is Also A Star—A Book Talk On Theme
Hi! For the contemporary fiction book club in humanities, our group read the book The Sun Is Also A Star. The theme of the book discussed in my book talk is about fate. In the book, the complex web of connected events and people in our world is what the author believes to be fate.
Humanism — Understanding Its Philosophy
This short infographic covers the basics of humanism in the Renaissance; specifically, it talks about freethought, secularism, the evolved view of the purpose of humans, scientific intrigue, and support for innovation.
For a clearer version of the infographic, click on this link: Humanism—Understanding Its Philosophy
Additional links for extra information:
- General overview of humanism in the Renaissance: https://www.worldhistory.org/Renaissance_Humanism/ (Note: This page provides you with a broad outline of what humanism was, what built its philosophy, its origin and spread, and even some of its legacies.)
- Simple outline of all types of humanism that extend from Renaissance humanism: https://americanhumanist.org/what-is-humanism/edwords-what-is-humanism/ (Note: This link will give you some introduction on modern humanism, and it provides a very detailed and deep analysis of religious humanism)
- Specific and challenging explanations of humanist ideas in the Renaissance: https://www.theartstory.org/definition/renaissance-humanism/history-and-concepts/ (Note: This article has a lot of specific information on ideas such as Platonism, the Renaissance man, and Classicism)
Lather And Nothing Else — Found Poem
My found poem is extracted from the short story “Lather and Nothing Else” by Hernando Tellez. The story is set in a Colombian civil war. In the story, a barber decides if he should kill an enemy of the side he is on in the war. The conflict in the story is mainly internal, since the protagonist tries to decide throughout the shave if he should kill his enemy, the antagonist, or stay loyal to his job and service. Very little happen externally, and the story is completely set in the shave, but in the protagonist’s mind, a lot happens.
My poem demonstrates the ambivalence in the story. The protagonist tries to decide between staining his hands with lather or the blood of the enemy. The lines “murderer or hero?”, “stain my hands with lather, and nothing else” show this internal conflict. I have also inserted the protagonist’s predictions of what others would say if he did or did not kill the antagonist; this way, we see more elements in the internal decision the protagonist is making. The ending line of “you an executioner, I a barber, each one to his job” shows the final choice of lather rather than blood. All in all, the conflict goes to hint at the connotation of the word “lather”. Lather also has the meaning of “agitation” and “nervous excitement”. The way the barber thinks his hands are “stained” with lather suggests that he feels the guilt of having to hesitate when faced with a decision that symbolizes wrong and right, moral and immoral.
My artwork shows lather, the bottom of which is contaminated by and dripping with blood. This both directly represents the conflict in the story and shows how even the lather contains swirls of blood, which can be explained by the meaning of “lather” shown above. I highlighted most of the poem burgundy, but the text showing the relatively positive outcome is colored blue, the color of the lather. Generally, I used short lines to connect the lines in the poem that are supposed to be in one sentence.
Hyperlinks For Extra Information
The Colombian Conflict/Civil War: https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/colombias-civil-conflict
Biography of Hernando Tellez: https://historytodayonline.blogspot.com/2021/04/hernando-tellez-biography.html
Candle-Making Trial One
Ingredients
Ratio (Beeswax : Coconut oil): 4:1
24g Beeswax
6g Coconut oil
24 drops Essential oil (Peppermint 6 drops, Lemon 10 drops, Orange 8 drops)
Tools
Big beaker
Small beaker
Container
Heat place
Electronic balance
Procedures
- Measure the ingredients in a small beaker
- Put 150ml of water in beaker and put it on heat plate
- Put small beaker in water
- Wait until fully melted
- Take out small beaker
- Put in essential oil once cooled down
- Pour into container
Lip Balm Trial Five
Feedback I Received
- “I like how it’s not too soft.”
- “Soft and smooth.”
- “I like how its good but not oily.”
Changes I Made
- I increased the amount of essential oil needed. During the last trial, there were supposed to be 2 drops of scent. Instead, about 4 drops were put in. After trying it, I found that 4 drops is appropriate; the feedback I received verifies this.
- After the lip balm had set for a week, it became hard and unspreadable. It felt dry and unsmooth when I applied it on my skin. Because I increased the beeswax previously (1.2g to 1.4g), I feel like that ingredient is making the lip balm too solid and inapplicable. Ultimately, I changed the beeswax amount back to 1.4g and instead increased the amount of shea butter (1.1g to 1.3g), because butter adds both firmness and smoothness.
Ingredients
Beeswax 1.2g
Shea Butter 1.3g
Coconut Oil 0.9g
Almond Oil 1.1g
Lemongrass Essential 3~4 drops
Tools
- Double Boiler
- Spatula/Spoon
- Lip Balm Tube
- Kitchen Scale
Procedures
- Place the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond oil in a double boiler on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Stir gently until all are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in essential oil
- Carefully and quickly pour the liquid oil mixture into lip balm containers and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- After it is cooled, the lip balm is finished.
Lip Balm Trial Four
Feedback I Received
- “The scent is very prominent. I like it.”
- “It’s soft and smooth, and it doesn’t break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
- “It smells good.”
- “The scent and the texture is good.”
Changes I Made
- I increased the amount of essential oil needed. During the last trial, there were supposed to be 2 drops of scent. Instead, about 4 drops were put in. After trying it, I found that 4 drops is appropriate; the feedback I received verifies this.
- After the lip balm had set for a week, it became hard and unspreadable. It felt dry and unsmooth when I applied it on my skin. Because I increased the beeswax previously (1.2g to 1.4g), I feel like that ingredient is making the lip balm too solid and inapplicable. Ultimately, I changed the beeswax amount back to 1.4g and instead increased the amount of shea butter (1.1g to 1.3g), because butter adds both firmness and smoothness.
Ingredients
Beeswax 1.2g
Shea Butter 1.3g
Coconut Oil 0.9g
Almond Oil 1.1g
Vanilla Essential 3~4 drops
Tools
- Double Boiler
- Spatula/Spoon
- Lip Balm Tube
- Kitchen Scale
Procedures
- Place the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond oil in a double boiler on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Stir gently until all are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in essential oil
- Carefully and quickly pour the liquid oil mixture into lip balm containers and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- After it is cooled, the lip balm is finished.
Lip Balm Trial Three
Feedback I Received
- “The lip balm has a crack.”
- “Can be harder.”
- “I like the consistency. The scent is really good.”
- “The shape can be improved.”
Changes
- Beeswax increased (1.2g to 1.4g) to make the lip balm less soft. This responds to feedback 2.
- Almond oil decreased correspondingly (1.3g to 1.1g).
- I changed the essential oil (peppermint to vanilla) to try something new. After trying a vanilla-scented lip balm, I feel like I should be more open other fragrances. Since I am now sure about the amount of the peppermint essential oil I need to add, I want to try another oil.
- I researched the time needed for the lip balm to solidify. For trial one and two, I twisted the tube too early, so the lip balm was always cracked. In the procedures this time, I added the time needed to cool (10 minutes). This responds to feedback 1 and 4.
Ingredients
Beeswax 1.4g
Shea Butter 1.1g
Coconut Oil 0.9g
Almond Oil 1.1g
Vanilla Essential Oil 2 drops
Tools
- Spoon
- Lip Balm Tube
- Kitchen Scale
- Heat Plate
- Small Beaker
- Big Beaker
- Temperature
Procedures
- Weigh all ingredients in the small beaker.
- Place the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and almond oil in the small beaker in the big beaker with 100 ml of simmering water. Stir gently until all are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla essential oil.
- Carefully and quickly pour the liquid oil mixture into the lip balm container and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- After it is cooled, the lip balm is finished.
Lip Balm Trial Two
Feedback I Received
- “Very smooth and creamy.”
- “The shape could be better.”
- “The scent is strong. Let it cool for a longer time so that it doesn’t become detached.”
- “You could lower the amount of oil added.”
- “Maybe put more butter or wax in there.”
This time around, I made a few changes in my procedures and recipe according to things that needed to be improved in the first trial and the feedback I received:
- I increased the total amount of the ingredients slightly (from 4g to 4.5g). I hope to ensure that losing some material during the transfer from the beaker to the tube won’t affect the result.
- I increased the relative amount of beeswax and butter (beeswax from 0.8g to 1.0g, butter from 0.8 to 1.3), and decreased the amount of oil (coconut oil’s proportion stayed the same, almond oil from 1.6g to 1.3g). This is because I found my first trial to be too soft (to the point where it doesn’t slide up and down normally in the tube), and realized that the recipe was more for the type of lip balm that is applied with the finger.
- I made small changes in the procedures and tools list to make the process clearer. In trial one, I wasn’t in control enough to make sure no mistakes occurred.
Below is my updated plan.
Ingredients
Beeswax 1.0g
Shea Butter 1.3g
Coconut Oil 0.9g
Almond Oil 1.3g
Peppermint Essential 3 drops
Total 4.5g
Tools
- Spoon
- Lip Balm Tube
- Kitchen Scale
- Heat Plate
- Small Beaker
- Big Beaker
- Thermometer
Procedures
- Weigh all ingredients in the small beaker.
- Place the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower oil in the small beaker in the big beaker with 100 ml of simmering water. Stir gently until all are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in essential oil*.
- Carefully and quickly pour the liquid oil mixture into the lip balm container and allow to sit until product has completely cooled.
- After it is cooled, the lip balm is finished.
* Record the temperature at which I started to stir in the essential oil, and also the temperature at which I poured it into the tube.
Lip Balm Trial One
Trial One
Ingredients
Beeswax 1 part=0.8g
Shea Butter 1 part=0.8g
Coconut Oil 1 part=0.8g
Almond Oil 2 parts=1.6g
Peppermint Essential 2 drops
Tools
- Double Boiler
- Spatula/Spoon
- Lip Balm Tube
- Kitchen Scale
Procedures
- Place the beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter, and sunflower oil in a double boiler on top of a saucepan of simmering water. Stir gently until all are completely melted.
- Remove from heat and stir in essential oil
- Carefully and quickly pour the liquid oil mixture into lip balm containers and allow to sit until product has completely cooled. For faster results move the lip balm to the fridge after it’s cooled slightly.
- After it is cooled, the lip balm is finished.
Argumentative Essay on Government Control Over Obesity—a Reflection
What you did well in your essay
My evidence was well matched with my reasoning and sub-claims, and the pieces of evidence in each paragraph and under each claim are placed in a smooth flow. I was able to link pieces together without making the logic jumpy.
What you might like to improve
- There are definitely times when I use excessive phraseology. For example, “Therefore, having central power—the government—attempt to control such a complex matter would not only cause bias towards the obese population, but also those who are most likely to fall into the obese population”; that could be shortened down to, “Therefore, government control over obesity causes bias towards obese people and related communities”.
- In places like “this also did no good to the economy, since the action worked only to the advantage of one group”, it was not clear what the advantage and the one group were, so the link between economic harm and partial growth of companies was not clear.
Are there any areas where you marked yourself differently than Ms. Rivera? What are you thoughts?
On the concluding statement of a paragraph/argument, I mistook the concluding statement for the conclusion. If I were to reflect on my concluding statements, I would say that there was a lack of insight inside the heart of the argument. In short, some impacts were missing and the importance f my claims should be explained more clearly.
What was the biggest challenge that you faced while researching, planning and writing this essay? How did you overcome this challenge?
A challenge I faced was revealing sentiment under the pressures of a formal tone, clear logic, and not being dramatic. I found that the best way was to use an external factor—in this case what the rest of world thought—to deliver a wider, and slightly more emotional view. For example, stigma and bias were mentioned to relate a happening to what the world thought about it, instead of what I alone thought about it.