The End.

          I have come such a long way this year. The introduction to my blog still remains true to me this day. I am still a smart alec and love to give my inout on things. My writing has changed drastically though. I don't think I knew half of the stuff I know now about essays or five part paragraphs. Honors was a challenge, but I couldn't be happier that I did it.
         My weaknesses have always been anything involved with technology. I wish I would have made a movie at some point this year. I never used to be good at seeing things for more than just what they appear to be. My favorite thing we did this year was the poem "The Knife". That poem was just phenomenal to me. My five part paragraph, however, was not so phenomenal. I was always used to getting all A's, so at first in honors English getting B's was shocking to me. I learned to appreciate B's after awhile though. My voabulary, thanks to Word Power, has improved greatly too. It may not show in this blog though... My overall tone has stayed the same in my blogs, but not in my writing. I definietly sound more mature and experienced. I suppose I have grown a lot as a person this year and not even realized it.
          My strong personality traits still show through even though I have changed. My comparison with Boo Radley to fireworks was very surface level. If it was today and I was reading To Kill A Mockingbird I would have probably compared him to growing up. We're all fascinated with mystery, but I am scared to be on my own someday. When I grow up I will  probably realize that it isn't all that bad, just like Jem and Scout realized that Boo was actually a good guy.
          Something I loved about this class was the choice of books. I would have probably never chosen any of the books we read for myself. I would have given up on Great Expectations if it wasn't required for me to read. I am glad I stuck to it and finished. Almost all the books we read are considered classics, yet not a lot of people read them anymore. I will look into more classics for reading material in the future.
          Fishbowl disscussions are a huge part of honors English. I have always been one to speak up, but these were a surprise to me. All of my fellow smart classmates are very intimidating. I learned how to get a word or two in with them though. There is definietly an art to it. I have also learned how to pose interesting and relavant questions to my disscussion.
          Poetry Out Loud was an interesting experience. I wish I would have picked a more difficult poem though. I could have challenged myself more. Now I know for years to come though! Watching all of the other people recite their poems makes you really appreciate poetry. Overall it was a good experience to have under belt.
          Honors English and Mrs.Gilman have taught me so much. Its amazing how words and writing can really shape you as a person. I was not eager to start this blog, but it has been a great place to refelect on my learning. This year went by so fast. I had a good freshman year and I cannot even begin to explain how much I learned about myself and my writing.

                    "Be Yourself"

I know it is over used, but really you'll get far if you stay true to who you are.

Freshman Memory of Honors English

          My favorite part of honors english was To Kill a Mockingbird. I am not most proud of that five part paragraph, but to this day it remains to be one of my favorite books. The assignment I am most proud of is definetly my Great Expectations essay. I hated that book and wanted to throw it against my wall every night while reading it, but I am so proud of myself for finishing it and writing a great essay on it. Now that I think about it, that book was actually okay. Just painfully boring in my opinion. I am so glad I took honors english and had Mrs.Gilman as a teacher. I learned so many things this year and really improved as a writer. I also learned many skills concerning finding the deeper meaning of literature. I recommend this class to incoming freshmen.

My Experiences with Poetry

          At Olympia High School's Martin Luther King Jr. assembly, a man from New York came to read poems and talk to us. He was so inspirational that I don't even remember his name... just kidding. He really touched me. His poems were all written by him and related to every single person. He told a story about him being stuck in his car one day and how frustrated he was. We all get to that point in life and he wrote a beautiful poem on a napkin he found in the trunk of his car. It just shows that a normal person can write so beautifully and relate to other people through a magnificent thing called poetry.
          I really regret not writing his name down... He was an amazing poet that put out so many great messages. He told us that everyone was equal in their own beautiful way and it may sound chessy, but when you look at the people around you it's true. He was a teacher in a ghetto area in New York just because he wanted to improve those kids lives. It takes a good person to do that.
          When I think of poetry I think of emotions just in general. It has a deep meaning for me and I enjoy reading it and would love to learn more about it.