Mentor Text

                For my mentor text, I read the P.G. Wodehouse book ‘The code of the Wooster. This book was recommended to me by Ms. Kennett, and is a funny little book.  It is from the series of books that firsts introduced the trope of an intelligent British butler.  The plot of the book is very interesting, and I hope everyone who reads this blog post tries to give it a read. Why is this book so special you may ask? Well, it manages to strike a balance between having a very complicated and detailed plot while at the same time having great comedic aspects.

                The main character in the book is a man named Bertie Wooster.  His Auntie Dahlia asks him to procure a silver cow creamer from an antique dealer, and in the process of helping his family out.  Her goal is to get the owner of the store to lower the price of the item so her husband can buy it. From there is goes off into a thing of madness, with the read being just as confused as to what is going on as the characters actually experiencing the events.  But as you reach the end, you begin to truly realize what the book is about, and the true message hidden behind all of the silliness the book has to offer. It really is a touching little ending to the book, on e I really approve of. Now, I think I did a good job of explaining the key reasons I liked the book without giving too much away, now to explain how I will incorporate some of these elements into my own story.

                Overall, I would say that my story is a comedy. And like Code of the Woosters, I prefer when my comedy is more dry, subtle and intelligent than some of the popular comedy of today’s age.  Also, one of my main characters is British. Lord Cobblesworth, the antagonist of my story is as you would suspect of British decent. I can use this book as a reference for when I actually am writing some of the dialogue for the story.  One last thing I want to take from the Code of the Woosters is how the book portrays the final message of the book. It isn’t obvious at first, and the reader has to go through the entire book to finally ‘get it’. I want the same kind of feeling in my story, the same kind of last take away that will leave the reader satisfied. That would really be great. 

Extra credit post

                 I am going to talk about music. Not to be super straightforward, but honestly I thought I should just get it out in the open right away. Personally, I love music, and one day I hope to one day produce it. But enough of that, what I wanted to talk about in this blog post is how music AFFECTS us. I have three specific points to make here actually. Music inspires, relates to, and interests us. Now, let’s expand on those points in the form of paragraphs!

                To put it simply, Music is inspiring. When I write any of my essays for English class, you can bet that I am going to be jamming out to something while I do it. Pure silence is in its essence boring, and putting something, anything to add some background noise will add to anyone’s productivity. It gets the creative juices going so to speak, since music is so based in creativity itself.

                The easiest way to connect to people is to relate to them in some way, and make them invest. Music is a universal concept. Rich or poor, intelligent or ignorant everyone knows music and appreciates it in one of its many forms.  In psychology, they say there is actually a part of the brain that is for understanding music, which means this understanding comes naturally to all of us. Isn’t that awesome?

                And lately, music is interesting. It’s why most of the time you can catch me listening to my iPod in class or while I do my work.  Lyrics can have so many different meanings, and leaving them up to interpretation actually makes us use our brains, unlike television which just tells you things and will turn your brain into mush.  It makes us think about concepts like love, war, joy, drugs and countless other things that are fundamental in everyday life.

                And there you have it. I may have rambled on for a bit, but my point still stands!  To me, Music is a fundamental and natural part of human society, that effects us every day in too many ways to count. All I did here was explain some of them, and give whoever is reading this some things to ponder.

Whatever

/Nates Blog....1. What is your name?
My name is Nathan Ernest Fuller
2. What is the title of your story?
I'm currently working on it.. I plan to use a short quote from the story to be the title. I just haven't found that quote yet.
3. What is the theme of your story?
The theme is that with the opportunity of education, one should embrace the full expeience with an open mind.
4. Who are your main characters?
My main character is Walter Adams. He begins the story as a freshman in high school. Other important characters are Mr. Wilson and Ms. Riverton. Mr. Wilson is the Geometry teacher and Ms. Riverton is the English teacher. There will be other important teachers and friends introduced later on, as he progresses through his high school career.
5. What is the setting of your story? 
I actually overlooked this, but I will add a setting; it takes place in some town in some state... Because I have never lived outside of Plymouth, I will most likely create a fictional town in the United States that is very similar to Plymouth.
6. How did you come up with the theme?
Well this book is almost like a memoir of mine, but its fictional. It represents what I think of school and how I think students SHOULD be taught. Of course I can't change the teaching methods of teachers, as much as I'd love to try. I share views very similar to Walter Adams', however I have began to except the crap that schooling deals out to its students.
7. Who is the antagonist?
The antagonist is within Adams' head. His mentality of education being useless creates in him a lack of motivation. Until he overcomes this antagonistic mindset, he will not benefit. I realize that half of what we learn in school is useless, but I still make an effort to get through it.
8. Why is the antagonist evil?
His mindset is not evil, but just poisonous. I've seen kids hit this level in school and latch on to it. Their grades diminish and somehow they act superior to schooling as a whole.
9.What is the conflict of your story?
Adams faces the struggles of school work and it's weak link to relevance in life.
10. Why is it important in real life?
At least 90% of students in Ms. Kennett's A period English class will agree that school involves irrelevant subjects and that it does not prepare you enough for what you wish to do with your life. I use Ms. Kennett's class as an example due to the tension between her and the students at this specific moment in time. I find myself being very stressed out due to this lack of common curriculum. Therefore, as Walter Adams experiences this, he must be able to accept that some aspects of school are not relevant and he must press on.

11. How do you relate to your characters?
As mentioned above, Walter Adamsrepresents me. Mr. Wilson represents logicity and he supports Walter's views. Ms. Riverton believes he needs to be open-minded and that there is no way out of work. Teachers like this will represent mindsets of Adams and how he must adjust to high school life.
12. What is the time set of your story?
I plan for my story to span four years: Walter's high school career. Of course, that will be impossible to do with hours of homework every night. So I may cut it short at the end of his sophomore year.
13. What is the structure of your story?
I may do two parts if I plan to do just two years of high school. The first part will be Walter's freshman year and how he adjusts to school. He will so overwhelmed with a new workload, that he will fail to notice how irrelevant some of the course work is. In his second year, he will start to speak out and begin to realize that most work is useless. However, in the end, Walter will accept that he must do what is expected of him. Unfortunately, his opinion will not matter. 
14. How have you made your story suitable for 5th graders?
I'm making sure that my sentences are short and understandable. Sure, this is more 7th or 8th grade reading level, but it's good that they have a challenge. I feel like if 5th graders do read this and do understand it, they will feel smart and hopefully get something out of it.
15. Why did you name your characters what you named them?
I honestly just randomly generated names. I made sure I did not use any names that people would see and then think, "OH YOU NAMED HIM AFTER ME DIDN'T YOU" because that's just annoying. I named Walter after my father who has influenced me very much. The teachers Wilson and Riverton were simple last names that I thought sounded logical.
16. Do your characters have flaws?
Of course! Walter's main flaw is that he chooses to become indifferent to his environment rather than open. He should embrace difficulty and difference rather than put it off. However I also wish for Ms. Riverton to have that same flaw. She believes that Walter's indifference is illogical simply because she has authority. She uses the fallacy of authority to back up her point of her being correct. However, when looked at curriculum in English logically, learning symbolism is not as useful as learning grammar. (Today's english classes in high school do not nearly focus enough on grammar as they do symbolism).
17. How does your life compare to your story?
It's funny because how I feel about my current English class is fueling this story. It's almost like I'm venting creatively. 
18. Is their anything that we should know about your story before reading it?
Yes. Realize that I am not some rebellious kid trying to say that school is pointless. That is not my point. I'm saying that school teaches some useless things. However, I completely understand that attending high school and working hard will benefit you in the long run. The thinking you do in high school prepares you for a life in college and the career you wish to take on afterward.
19. What are your strengths as a writer?
I believe I have very few strengths as a writer actually. However I feel when I have a motive for writing, then I will put my own beliefs into it to have a very strong foundation. I wish to do that with this story.
20. What are your weaknesses?
My weaknesses are usually grammar issues and structure issues. Unfortunately, English classes don't like to teach grammar. Structure is something I'll just need to improve on my own I guess.

How to fight Procrastination

    This week for my blog entry I am giving you all a quick guide in how to fight procrastination. Now a quick warning, as much as I would like to say that this is a fool proof way to fight procrastination, and as much as I would like to say that this is perfect...actually yes I am going to say that. This is a fool proof way to fight procrastination. Here i will list three of the best ways I, Daniel Robert Justice, keep myself on task everyday (errday). 

  The first and by far the most obvious way to go about fighting procrastination is to eliminate all distraction. If there is a TV around, turn it off. A computer? Throw it out the window (unless you really need it). A cat? Feed it. That's all it wants from you, and all it will ever want from you. Get over it. If there is anything you can't throw out the window, just leave the room. Without distraction, you can truly focus on what you are doing. 

  The second, and a little more creative way is to make what ever you are doing in front of you extremely interesting. I mean, really interesting. You can throw a bunch of glitter onto your math hw. What was once a bland piece of paper is now far more interesting. Do you work upside down (and fix all the errors later). Making what you are currently doing more interesting is more likely to make you want to do it. 

 And the last way you can fight procrastination is to motivate yourself. Set small realistic goals, like only doing the first page of an essay then taking a very small break.  All those small goals eventually add up, unless it is math work then it actually always adds up (math jokes :p). Or play really cool music in the background as you jam out and do you work. I personally find that sort of thing very motivating. 

Now I've given out all the free advice I can afford to give out. Don't procrastinate like I did for the first term of this year, you really will regret it. I do (self pitty). 

The Importance of Friends

The Importance of Friends.

    The world today is filled with many stressful things. Whether we are down on are luck, misunderstood, and simply not understood frustration seems to be everywhere in life no matter how good you try to be as you go through it. Then, how on earth are we supposed to combat this kind of life changing stress? The answer, my clever reader is simple. Friends. People who share the same kind of problems that you do, and can be interesting in a conversation. People who will a least try to understand you feelings and comfort you. People who will make you laugh and that you can make laugh in return.

Sometimes it’s easy to underestimate the importance of friends.  You think it’s your family that is who you really rely on, and in most cases it’s true. But sometimes friends can be just important in my opinion. You choose who your friends are, you don’t choose your family.  There are so many things that you can’t talk about with your parents that you can talk about with your friends, are sometimes that’s inconvenient but most of the time it is really rewarding. Friends can really be important if you let them be.

Also, friends can provide you with a good time. Doing things on your own is only fun for so long. Playing videogames with a friend is a far more rewarding time if you have a fun person to do it with, and not just the idiots on Xbox LIVE. They aren’t your real friends, just people who share the same interests as you but don’t actually know you.  They might laugh, but they probably will not be inclined to be nice or comical with you. You need people who share an actual connection to you, and can laugh alongside you not at you as a stranger.

Friends can also help you emotionally in the other sense, helping you cope with some sort of wrong that was done to you.  If your having a bad day, who else would you want to talk to but your good pal? A good pal who can cheer you up, or at lease off some good advice that can help you get out of the slump that you are in.

I say these things not because I think I am the only one who thinks them, but because I believe it is essential to remind ourselves that we are not alone, and that we have friends that will have or back when the going gets rough of laugh with us when the going isn’t so bad.

The Book Theif: Endless Moral Questions.

   In Markus Susak's The Book Thief. there are several different morality questions that are put t to the test. Do you help others, or try to keep yourself safe? Loyalty to your country or loyalty to your morals? Do you always do what you are told or act on your own emotions? Each of these questions has an example in the text.

   Hans Hubermann’s decision to hide a Jew in his house shows that he is willing to risk his own life to help out Max. He could have easily turned him over to the Nazi's, which would have probably been safer for his family but instead he chose to defy the social norm and do it anyways. Many people would like to think that they would make the same decision if they were in his situation, but it is impossible to say unless you actually are put in it. It certainly isn't any easy one to make, and it requires a certain level of bravery to be able to follow threw on such actions.

 A lot of people in this country would like to think themselves as Patriotic. Many would actually say they would die for their country, but is this always true? Can you put your countries needs and wants before your own morality? To Hans Hubermann, his country was Nazi Germany and his leader was Hitler. But instead of doing what he was expected and turning over Max, a Jew, he instead decided to take him in. He wasn't defying the 'enemy', he was defying his own country, his own heritage when he did this. But does that make him a bad person? Most would say not, but again it isn't an easy decision to make.


   And finally the moral question of whether or not to conform when society tells you to. In the Book Thief, the general consensus is to not do what you are told when the thing you are told is bad. When the Nazi Party wishes to send Rudy away to a special camp, his parents refuse to go along with the Party. Despite growing up in Nazi Germany, Lisel declares she hates Hitler.

  So in summery, The Book Thief offers us multiple morality questions. It allows up to think of what we would do if we were in the characters situations, to step into their shoes and their world. And some would say that it is indeed our situations ans experiences that form our morals in the first place.

My 'Moral Compass'

The four items on my moral compass are Independence, Honor, Respect, and Confidence.

Independence is on my moral compass because to me, because it helps define who we are. As children and adolescence, we grow up to strive towards independence, and to rely on ourselves. It is a natural human thing to want, and I embrace that. It is not that I believe relying on others is a sign of weakness, but I feel that being able to rely on yourself for your problems is a sign of maturity and ability.

To me, Honor is a concept that everyone should try to uphold. In a way, having honor is the dedication to follow your way, and try your best to succeed in carrying it out. To me, having honor is a way of respecting yourself, and recognizing that you are proud of how you are living your life. These are things that are good to think, and good for a healthy mind.

One of the most important things one can show another human being is Respect. It is a sign that you recognize their existence and contributions to society, in a sense. Having no respect for someone is to ignore, or to look down on everything that person stands for. To me having respect for someone, and being their friend are two totally different things. You can respect someone, but disagree with them.

Despite these other three things, the most important concept on my moral compass to me is Confidence. If you have confidence in what you are doing, that means you are dedicated to it and truly agree with it. And having confidence in yourself is one of the most respectable qualities a human being can have, and makes whatever you are trying to do much more legitimate and worth while.

Morality

   What is morality you ask? Morality is someone's loosely constructed list of morals or beliefs that they hold close to them. It is a code of conduct if you will, that allows someone to deem whether or not something is appropriate before the situation actually arises in which they would need to make said decision. Now, how morality came about can be answered in several different ways. One could be that people believed that there were things that were simply evil and should never be done, such as murder or theft. They passed these beliefs onto their children and them onto their children and so on and so forth until these concepts are well known in society today. 

   Moral codes, while they mean well, can be very limiting in the choices you can make in life, if you choose to follow them. Sure, killing someone is bad but it is not always inappropriate, as many a military or police personal can tell you. It is never something in embrace or celebrate, but if worst comes to worst the option is open. If one needs to follow a 'moral code', it implies they are not good enough at heart to follow these things on their own will. The world today is a flexible one, and you need everything you can give to make it threw this life. Limiting your options or way of thinking is simply foolish, even if it is well intended.

In place of a moral code, would it not be more beneficial to go into life with an open mind and simply attempt to do the right thing in that situation? And while a moral code could supposedly help you do that, a moral code will just get in the way of any decision making. At the end of the day isn't the moral decision the same things as the good decision? There is no need to hold yourself to some holy set of standards when there are so many possibilities in life, in a world that is continually changing.