BOOKS & NEW TECH

With the new technology we have today, it is sad to say that people don't really read books on their freetime. I like technology and I hate it at the same because people are just stuck on their screen, even the children... I fear that it will be our downfall, I also fear becoming a phone addict. I own like 2 books, and I honestly haven't looked at them since now in quarentine. Books are being taken for granted is what I think.

IS IT ME?

I would say that the way we act has a lot to do with the kind of person we are and a little of it has to do with the influence by the culture in which we live in. I find it sad how a lot people hide how they really are though, and for what? Populalrity?

WHY I WORK

Something I care about enough to work for is my independence and happiness. All I really want in life are to be independent and happy, I never want to rely on someone else (like as a 24 year old).

WHAT WE ARE LEARNING NOW

In the book by the way Clarisse describes school and what we are doing by online for school, from this we are learning an important life lesson, and that is being responsible and persistent. We aren't in school and it is our own responsiblity to get online and do our work. In our society this might lead to better people skills.

THE RIGHT TO READ

If I had to imagine a scenario in which the President of the United States outlaws reading:

Dear Mr. President of the United States, 
          Books are more valuable than gold, people need reading in their life. Pardon me, but you can't be making huge decisions without running it by the people you lead. The people put in that position, the people can take you out (by voting you out of office). The reason we read is to escape reality and even learn a little something. Reads is the match that sparks new ideas in people's heads. If people can't even read the will do it secretly, I know I would. Books bring so much in life, they really are taken for granted yet they're essential to life. The reading will not stop.

F451 & ME

• The first connection of the play and what I lived in my own experience is the value books. In the play (book), books are in the process of becoming extinct because the government doesn't the citizens to remember how valuable books really are. In my own experience, I have grown up learing the importance of books. Books lead to great ideas, and thats our golden ticket to success in life. Ideas and thoughts shape the path we follow in life.
• The second connection of the play and what I lived in my own experience is the importance of understanding your government and politics. In the play (book), the government pretty much is making the decisions and controlling the people's way of life. In my own experience, I have grown up learing the importance of making our voice heard loud clear to the government. I also am learning that how the government 'control the people', the people control the government. If that makes sense.
• The third connection of the play and what I lived in my own experience is the value of happiness and life. In the play (book) people aren't happy in their life or with their partners and teens are constantly killing eachother because they don't understand the value of life. In my own experience happiness is the way life should be and more importantly with the people you love. 

F451 SUMMARY PART 1

As we are reading the book Fahrenheit 451, the book is about two main characters. The two main characters are Guy Montag and Clarisse McClellan. Guy Montag is a 30 year old firefighter who starts fires I steady of preventing them for a living. Clarisse McClellan is a 17 year old girl who is known for being crazy in a society like theirs. Montag and Clarisse have become good friends in part 1, she makes him realize things he never really paid to.

From Part 1, I have learned that is very illegal to own and read books because it leads to curiosity, ideas, and thinking which could lead to essentially living unhappily. In this society firemen start fires instead of putting them out. Books are looked as happiness destroyers. Clarisse and Montag start up friendship, these two are not like everyone else. These two are thinkers. Everyone else are like robots who are programed to be happy on demand.

 Clarisse talks to Montag about how things were in the past and all her talking intrigues him because in that world it seemed out of the norm. One evening she leaves Montag questioning his own happiness, which he wasn't. Clarisse in a way lit a spark of curiosity in him, questioning the ways of the government now. Towards the end of part 1, after he witnesses the death of the old women Montag starts to realize that books hold so much worth. He ended up stealing a book. 

AP PRACTICE PROMPT

  "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."-CHNGE            A change for better that I want to occur is for people to not worry about their social status. I dislike the fact that the world really does revolve around a piece of paper. Money can't buy true happiness. What money brings to our life is temporary. We won't be taking our new cars or houses to the grave when we die. The desirable effect of people not worring about their social status is that people won't be spending money on things that aren't really essential in our lives. By this I mean we don't have to things that just have a designer name stamped on the front like Gucci or Supreme. We need money for necessary living expenses like food, shelter, clothing, and doctor visits. Money can be our sudden rise or painful downfall. The undesirable effect that people would face not worrying about their social status is that you might have something everyone else has, but do you really need them? People don't seem to realize that cheaper alternatives exist and can get the same job done. Spending large amounts of money is really foolish. In the case of having AirPods, you can buy wireless Beats. That is an object, objects come and go. Everything is temporary, nothing lasts in life. Living not worring about your social status is living smarter. People who constantly worry about being great or the best get robbed of the chance of living happy in that moment. Like they say, 'time goes by fast' sooner than we know it our hair color will be fading and face will get wrinkly. It is important to learn and teach the youth that worrying about being the best waste the time you have to be spending happy. Being arrogant isn't everything and we don't live for long. Life can disappear in a matter of seconds. Happiness is life fulfilling, and it's really the greastest achievement in life.

451 QUESTIONS, 20 ANSWERS

1. I suppose that Mr. Bradbury choose the title "The Hearth and the Salamander" because hearth means floor of a fireplace and the mythical symbolism of the Salamader, how it can start and put out fires. The connection these create is basically how it symbolizes relating to fire.
2. By the lines "It was a pleasure to burn. It was a special pleasure to see things eaten, to see things blackened and changed", the reader can make assumptions of how Guy Montag is sort of a "macho man" who is bland and not afraid of anything and doesn't care to see the meaning of things. 
3. With Bradbury's use of metaphor and animal imagery, he would have chosen to charactize a fire hose as a "great python" to make negaive imagery so people can really have a sense of maybe how powerful the fire hose is. 
4. The symbolic importance of Montag's fire-helmet number is the number of farenheit degrees for book-paper and to catch fire and burn.
5. Clarisse McClellan is first descirbed having dark eyes, a milky white complexion, and being slender. Seeing her in the white dress, to Montag it strikes him that she looks so innocent. 
6. The names Clarisse and Guy are significant because the girl has an actual name and the man doesn't, his is so plain. 
7. When Clarisse questions Montag about his way of life, she questions his so sudden and he doesn't seem to take her serious and laughs at first, he doesn't care to think about the actual anwsers. 
8. Three odd things we learn about Clarisse and Montag's society is that, it is illegal to read books, people are afraid of firemen, and people get arrested for being pedestrians
9. In thinking of Clarisse, Montag employs two similes. The comparisons he makes ...
10. After Clarisse leaves Montag for the first time, he realizes the possibility that he might not be happy after all.
11. In the book, Seashells are like ear plugs. Mildred, Montag's wife uses them to block out the world basically. 
12. When Bradbury describes Clarisse and Mildred, the refrences to their face signify the big differences in their character. Clarisse is bright, present, and lives life with an open-minded perspective. Mildred is the complete opposite. The marriage of Montag and Mildred doesn't really seem to be a love bonded relationship. 
13. When Mildred tried to kill herself, the machine used on her pumped out the poison from her body, and the other machine pumped in fresh blood into her body. It was as if they cleaned out a dirty dish through the dish washer and in the end reused the dish. Mildred came back to life.
14. When Montag comments "Nobody knows anyone", the epiphany he has is that everyone he encounters on the daily are all strangers.
15. The difference between Montag's house and the McClellan household is that his house was a dark place, dead silent like the others in the neighborhood, and the other house was alive with speech and laughter. What the contrast tells the reader about the society at larger is a dead place, there isn't noise or emotion anywhere.
16. When Montag says "I don't know anything anymore", the pivital moment it signifies is that he just doesn't seem to understand anything anymore.
17. When Mildred wakes from her near death experience, her mood is happy and calm. Mildred didn't remember anything that had happened to her. I think Bradbury characterized her this way so we as readers can see how others in this society feel.
18. Clarisse visits the psychiatrist because her actions in that kind of society are out of the ordinary, she is someone who enjoys being outside and no one does that anymore. 
19. The Hound is basically is robotic hunter that can guarantee it's own target each time. Montag is bothered by the Hound because all it will ever know is to kill. 
20. The women decides to burn and die with the books because she wants to show how that practice should come to an end. She wanted to show how against it she was. 

WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH

I am demonstrating strength of character in a challenging time by doing what is morally right. Not all saying that I don't always do this. I am not enjoying my time away from school because I feel more organized at school, my normal routine is writing my day's work in my agenda period by period. Since I am at home I feel like I am drowning under a lot of work that just keeping piling up. I can't take, I am trying though. I haven't written in my agenda since friday and it just doesn't feel right. My hair might turn gray, lol. I am a fighter, I am not giving up. Where there's a will there's a way.

DEAR MENTOR

Dear Kati Morton,
        Hi, my name is Tanya and I am a junior in highschool. We are currently learning about researching our big question, mine is why does the brain work the way it does; can it work more effectively to make us happy? I know you are a licensed therapist and you know alot of what goes on in the brain. I was wondering could help me out into better exploring and understanding this topic on how the brain works the way it does through emails. I really want why people aren't happy and how people can be in the brain.

    Sincerely,
    Tanya Gutierrez

WORTHY MENTORS

3-5 people (idk if counts regular people) that I could consider esperts on my Big Question:

• Kati Morton- she is licensed therapist who make mental health youtube videos 
• Alejandro Pena- he is my litter brother's former behavior therapist
• Hailey Reese- she is a youtuber who is spiritually and mentally open-minded

I think it would be valuable to have their guidance because all these people have taught me something about how the brain works and why we act the way we do. Kati and Aljandro can really explain why the brain works the way it does. Hailey can give informative opinions if that makes sense but she can help in explaning what to do to stay happy.

LEARNING IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS

I am kind of sadden at the thought of the possible growth of the Coronavirus and it coming to my area at home. I do like the thought of having a break from school, but if it's for the very reason of the Coronavirus, I wouldn't like that. I don't want school to end because of this!!! :( If this were to actually happen, we should keep in touch online.

RESOURCES

My topic: Why does the brain work the way it does; can it work more effectively to make us happy?

My resources are 

1. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_trick_your_brain_for_happiness
2. https://hbr.org/2010/11/why-a-happy-brain-performs-bet
3. https://www.newscientist.com/article/2177616-new-scientist-live-what-makes-your-brain-happy/
4. https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/where_does_happiness_reside_in_the_brain
5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/click-here-happiness/201801/how-be-happy-23-ways-be-happier
6. https://thebestbrainpossible.com/how-happy-happens-in-your-brain/
7. https://www.psychologies.co.uk/self/how-to-boost-your-natural-feelgood-chemicals.html
8. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/7-ways-to-train-your-brain-to-be-happy_n_57053324e4b0a506064dd1d3
9. https://www.nytimes.com/guides/well/how-to-be-happy
10. https://due.com/blog/train-your-brain-to-become-more-positive/

CUE THEME MUSIC

The central message of The Great Gatsby was about the possibility of no matter how much you pursue something it just doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to. 

The reasons are:

• Gatsby never ended up with Daisy no matter how much he tried
• Daisy never found happiness in love with Tom
• No matter how much people try money can't satisfy anyone

PREVIEW OF GATSBY ESSAY

The Great Gatsby consistently metions the concept of the American Dream throughout this story. After reading this book, the readers would define the American dream as a goal that no matter how hard you work at being successful (in America) sometimes things just simply don't work out. Like they say "who said life was fair". Regardless of that we must never give up on our dreams, although in order to accomplish something we must set a plan. Pursuing the American dream is necessarily a good thing...

WHAT'S SO GREAT ABOUT GATSBY?

The great thing about The Great Gastby is that the characters and their desicions also reflect life in America today.

Jay Gatsby was a fine young man, I would describe him as great because of his sense of character, he really seemed to be on a whole other level than everyone else, I guess I would say that he was the definition of upper class, except he was wasn't rude, arrogant and self centered like the others. He was to greater than that, he literally was the definition of luxurious. 

I would say that Nick is honest with himself because although he hangs out with dishonest people he doesn't lower himself to the level on others. He may hang out with dishonest people because he wonders what they're life is like and how they choose to live it. That could also be why he repects and seeks out relationships with them.

When Fitzgerald describes Daisy and Tom as “They were careless people,..” and so and so. By that he means that they’re the kind of people who ruin lives and leave afterwards. It is obvious that money is more important to them than the presence of the rest of the only people in there life. Both people Daisy and Tom weren’t the best company anyone could have. I agree with Fitzgerald because both of them were so toxic.

I do not understand or want to understand Daisy’s behavior, it’s honestly maddening. I don’t agree with her choices. This is because Daisy can never seem to make a definite decision for herself and she is selfish and shallow. She is not a person I would let my brother, son, and friend date because her whole persona is toxic, plus she would be a heartbreaker.

The last line of the book was “So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past”. This means no matter how much we aspire to reach some dreams, sometimes it will just never happen and we got to go with the flow. We can only change what’s in our power and control. This last line relates to the the theme(s) of the book because the “American Dream” is sometimes to hard to reach.

GATSBY CHAPTER 9 NOTES AND THOUGHTS

• Jay Gatsby is found dead in his pool, Mr. Wilson killed him and he kills himself too
• Gatsby's father, Mr. Gatz shows up 
• as nick plans the funeral for gatsby but absoulutely no one shows up, he invited everyone he thought would have the decency to come like daisy, mr. wolfsheim (that's extremely upsetting and we all must have thought that sure he was popular and alot of people would show up, but everyone true colors showed, all people cared about was the glamour and wealth of gatsby)
• nick is at the funeral and reflects back on his life
• even the mailman attended the funeral (he wasn't even an important character)
• we are at the resoultution of the book, nick raps it up with jordan 
• nick confronted tom about what he told wilson that gatsby owned the car
• tom didn't know that daisy was drriving 
• tom knew wilson would commit a crime but didn't call police
• nick is talking about meeting america 
• gatsby dream is in the past
• the american dream (the more we try to change that more we go along with the current)
•