Melinda vs. Caged Bird

Melinda is alike and different than the caged and free bird in Maya Angelou's poem "Caged Bird". Melinda is a lot like the caged bird. She has been through a traumatic experience and feels that she cannot tell anyone about it. By not telling anyone, she is trapped by her fear. When she finally decides to speak out against Andy and save herself from her own fear, she becomes free. She is free from the pain and fear that has been holding her back. Never again will Melinda let anyone or anything hold her back.

"Suicide" Blog Post

I honestly cannot comprehend why someone would chose to kill themselves. I have quite a temper, am angered easily, and have been bullied, but I would never, ever end my own life. To me, life is a precious gift from God, that is to be ended by his way and at his time. On the other hand, I do understand that there are many situations that could make someone think suicidal thoughts. Some kids have a really rough home life. Their parents may be addicts and/or split up. Along with this, the kids could be bullied at school by other kids and even indirectly by teachers. They are shown no love whatsoever from their family, friends, and teachers. If this was the situation, I guess I can kind of see how someone would want to end it all. To them, committing suicide must look like heaven- a better place. They must see it as an escape from it all and their last resort to relieve themselves of their horrible misery. I hope that some kind hand will reach to these people before they are pushed to their breaking point.

Hegemony

In Speak, Mr. Neck calls the kids to a debate, but when some of the kids try to argue his side of the argument, he decides that the debate is over then ends the debate. Some, but not all, of the teachers at school show this form of hegemony. Sometimes in music class my teacher gets out a recording of our band to listen to. While we listen, we are to write down the scores we think the piece would receive in certain categories (musicality, tone, style, etc) on a scale of 1-4. After the piece was finished, he had us raise our hands to show what we had chosen for the scores. I was the only person who wrote a score of 3 for one of the categories and was asked to explain my reasoning. At the beginning of class, my teacher said that there were no "wrong" opinions and that discussion was open, but after I tried to explain why I chose the score I chose, he explained why my opinion was "technically" incorrect. Although he did so in a respectful and kind way, it still aggravated me that at first he said there would be no "wrong" opinions, but when I spoke my opinion, that rule seemed to bend.

Self-Expression

I express myself mostly though my music. I love to make music and play instruments. When I'm feeling down, I like to play songs in a blue style. When I'm in a great mood, I like to play up-beat and cheerful music. I also express myself through my clothes. I have many different kinds of t-shirts that have logos on them such as "Eat, Sleep, Play" that represents my love for band and music. I have other t-shirts that I have gotten from various youth retreats and other church events that show I am also very involved in church and am a Christian.

Ten Lies about High School

1. The football team will win 2. We are a non-violence school. 3. We are a drug free school. 4. Cafeteria food is edible. 5. Our campus is friendly and safe. 6. Teachers are here to help you. 7. We genuinely care about your future. 8. Grades are important. 9. Tobacco is not permitted on school grounds. 10. There is no eating in class.

Classmate Interview

My Letter