As previously mentioned, I want to expand my reading horizons. I am trying to be very open to suggestions this nine-weeks period. I also plan to read some books are not new and were written more than five or so years ago.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull
I mainly plan to read this book because my mom told me to. Normally, she and I have different taste in books, but maybe I will enjoy the book. Plus, Jonathan Livingston Seagull was written in the 70s, so hopefully I will get a different style of writing than the modern teen books I am used to reading. My mom has a copy, so I will just get her copy.
The Devil in the White City
I was browsing our class library, and this book caught my eye. My dad and a friend read this last year, and I am pretty sure they both liked it. Since the book is readily available, I might as well try to read it. Also, the book seems to be historical fiction and I have never really read anything like that, so I should try.
Love in the Time of Cholera
Once again, I simply found this book in my house. Upon reading the title page, I discovered that it won the Nobel Prize and is part of Oprah's book club. If the book is good enough for such renowned people, it will be good enough for me.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Reading Independently
Reading is one of my favorite pass times. I love to dwelve into a different world and escape my own. At the first of the year, I had to push myself to read regularly. Now, however, reading for a while every night has become a habit. Not to mention, the books I chose this period were all pretty interesting and fun to read.
Inking my thinking was a harder habit to get into. Sometimes, I have trouble pausing my reading to write what I'm thinking. I found that I have many deep thoughts, I just cannot get them on paper very well. Looking over my reading journal is quite entertaining, though, since I can go back and remember how I felt during certain parts of the book. My favorite part of my journaling is writing down quotes that I love from books.
I am sure that I am reading more analytically this year. I know that I am putting more thought into the books I choose. Next quarter, I want to expand my reading variety even more. I am going to start with a book that my mom has recommended from the 70s called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I want to read books that normally wouldn't have read.
Inking my thinking was a harder habit to get into. Sometimes, I have trouble pausing my reading to write what I'm thinking. I found that I have many deep thoughts, I just cannot get them on paper very well. Looking over my reading journal is quite entertaining, though, since I can go back and remember how I felt during certain parts of the book. My favorite part of my journaling is writing down quotes that I love from books.
I am sure that I am reading more analytically this year. I know that I am putting more thought into the books I choose. Next quarter, I want to expand my reading variety even more. I am going to start with a book that my mom has recommended from the 70s called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. I want to read books that normally wouldn't have read.
Monday, October 11, 2010
Socratic Seminar Reflection
The Socratic Seminars proved to be a fun, interesting way to talk about "big ideas" in Brave New World. As we discussed we came to a conclusion that "there is no way for a utopia to exist because it cannot be perfect for everyone." I have really been thinking about this over the past weeks. Every person, no matter how hard any government tries, is different. With so many people to please, there is no way that everyone can be completely happy all of the time. This logic solidifies for me the use of soma in the book. The government cannot make everyone happy naturally, so they found a drug to do that chemically. By researching for my Seminars, I found that Huxley tied Shakespearean tales into his book. John the Savage can be related to many of Shakespeare's characters. Also, while talking about fads, (iPods in particular) one group concluded that even though they may be a fad, iPods bolster individuality because they allow users to listen to their own taste of music. From now on, I can imagine that I will be seeing the individual appear even in the following of trends.
By participating in the Seminar, I took two roles: I participated in the discussions and I also had to evaluate someone else in his or her discussion. Being in the discussion felt almost unnerving; I imagined myself as a fish in a bowl with everyone else looking in. Soon into the discussion, however, I was usually too into talking and listening to remember my surroundings. Evaluating my classmates gave me an opportunity to hear new ideas and watch how people interact with one another.
Overall, I felt I did pretty well. Sometimes I had trouble getting all of my researched thoughts in before I got distracted and moved on to another idea. I often had five or ten new ideas running through my head as another person was talking, so I had to push those out of the way to really listen to them. I generally like the seminar, but there was one point when the discussion turned into a flat-out debate. That was a little uncomfortable; many people seemed to walk away with their feelings hurt.
The Socratic Seminar was thought by Socrates to be one of the highest forms of learning. By participating in a civilized discussion, one not only collects his or her own ideas, but he or she also hears what others have to say. I am certain Socrates would be proud of the discussions we mere teenagers were able to have.
By participating in the Seminar, I took two roles: I participated in the discussions and I also had to evaluate someone else in his or her discussion. Being in the discussion felt almost unnerving; I imagined myself as a fish in a bowl with everyone else looking in. Soon into the discussion, however, I was usually too into talking and listening to remember my surroundings. Evaluating my classmates gave me an opportunity to hear new ideas and watch how people interact with one another.
Overall, I felt I did pretty well. Sometimes I had trouble getting all of my researched thoughts in before I got distracted and moved on to another idea. I often had five or ten new ideas running through my head as another person was talking, so I had to push those out of the way to really listen to them. I generally like the seminar, but there was one point when the discussion turned into a flat-out debate. That was a little uncomfortable; many people seemed to walk away with their feelings hurt.
The Socratic Seminar was thought by Socrates to be one of the highest forms of learning. By participating in a civilized discussion, one not only collects his or her own ideas, but he or she also hears what others have to say. I am certain Socrates would be proud of the discussions we mere teenagers were able to have.
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