Any Man's Death Diminishes Me

"No man is an island entire of itself; every man

is a piece of the continent, a part of the main;

if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe

is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as

well as any manner of thy friends or of thine

own were; any man's death diminishes me,

because I am involved in mankind.

And therefore never send to know for whom

the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

-John Donne, 1624 Meditation 17 from Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions

John Donne's meditation and Armin Greder's The Island share similar themes. Donne describes mankind as a continent, and any individual man is a piece of the whole; "a part of the main". The death of any one man breaks away their piece of the continent, making the whole smaller and less great. Greder's characters in The Island established a similar theme.

A stranger washed up on a beach is different from the inhabitants of the beach's island. The majority of the island locals suggest that he is returned to his raft and sent out back to sea. A fisherman who deals with the sea daily claims that sending the stranger away would result in his death. Though he gets to stay on the island, he is neglected and viewed as a savage. In the end, he is returned to the sea that brought him to the island. The fisherman, who was obliged to help the stranger, was punished with the burning of his fishing boat.  The island is later surrounded by a large wall, and birds that come near are shot down, to ensure "different" people never find their island again.  

Though Donne's poem and Greder's story have different moods and endings, they share similar ideas.  People who discriminate others are the lesser.  The killing or ignoring of another human being causes you and your people to be smaller.  The island's people shunned a man they think of as different, and ended up isolated and alone on their island.  Only living close to people you accept as your own "kind" causes you to be close-minded, and in the end, alone.  An island.   

Science Long Term Homework

Task B: Visit this site and choose 5 tasks to complete.

I chose:

Task 35

Task 77

Task 90

Task 94

Task 95

35: In a garden flower, figure out the different parts. Locate the stamens (pollen-producing male part, consisting of filament and anther), pistil (female part that will mature into a fruit, consisting of stigma, style and ovary), corolla and calyx.

I cut open a bellflower (I'm guessing that's the name) in half to reveal the complicated tubes and stems. After reading this site, I realized that this flower has a superior ovary. The ovary carries ovules, which are the fertilized seeds in the pistil. This flower also had male and female parts, as flowers often do: the stamen, which produces pollen; and the pistil, which catches pollen to fertilize seeds.

77: At night, find a streetlight or backyard light and watch for insects who flutter into it. These insects are trying to navigate by the light as if it were a star. However, as they fly, trying to keep the light at a certain angle as must be done to fly in a straight line, they begin passing by the light. They turn to compensate, then have to turn again, and before long they are circling the light and crashing into it...

I've kept a light on in my room at night, and watched the bugs attracted to it. They seem content with flying around it in many circles before eventually disappearing. After researching why bugs continue to bump into lights after surely having done it many times before, I've gotten some answers. Moths are nocturnal insects well-known for being attracted to lights in an otherwise dark location. Some scientists claim they view light as a safer location, as their source of light is the moon, and flying upwards is advantageous in an attack. Others claim that they use the moon for navigation at nighttime, as it never disappears, until daytime begins. When they do see light, they "become disoriented as they never expected to reach the moon, or fly above it".

90: Most insects are either "chewers" or "suckers." Wander around looking at miscellaneous insects, deciding which are chewers and which are suckers.

This website deals with different bugs, the mouths they have, and whether or not they use it for sucking or chewing. Butterflies are considered "suckers". They use their proboscis to suck up nectar from flowers. Mosquitoes have similar means of getting their nutrients. They begin their feeding process by sticking their proboscis in, not a flower, but their live victim's skin. They continue by sucking up their blood. Humans feel irritation after being bitten by a mosquito, because the saliva of the parasite causes an allergic reaction in our bodies.

94: Understand your local weather by looking at clouds, seeing weather maps, etc.

It rains quite often in KL, usually every day, but mostly not for such a long time. You can often tell when it is about to rain because of the dark, heavy clouds in the sky. The humidity in the air might also be a bit more uncomfortable than usual, as the water vapor in the air has reached its breaking point. The weather reports often include forecasts of thunder/lightning storms, or party cloudy skies. The temperature is usually in the 30's in Celsius, upper 80's in Fahrenheit.

95: If you had to personally kill the animals providing the flesh you eat each day, would you do it? Is it moral for you to simply pay others to kill the animals you eat? Think about these questions.

I don't usually eat a lot of meat, but when I do, I don't ask myself these questions very often. There are some animals I think I'd be willing to kill myself, and others I would never even dream of killing. If I was stranded on an island with not enough fruit in the trees or vegetables in the ground, I may be willing to catch a fish. Anything bigger or bloodier than that, I don't think I would be able to stomach. When I am safe at home with plenty of food to eat, fishing might be something I'd do for myself, but never any other animal. I don't think it is very moral for me to have others kill the animals I eat, and this has created some doubts about my diet and the meat I put in my mouth. If I can't kill the animals myself, do I deserve to gain energy from the lives they had lived before?

Do governments have a duty of care to their citizens and as such should they provide free access to books in the form of libraries?

Yes, governments are obligated to take care of their citizens. The government basically is the people, they represent them and must make sure their needs are met. I do believe that free access to books should be provided, because not everybody can afford buying books on a regular basis, or having an internet connection.

Libraries can really come in handy to those who need information but can't find it anywhere other than books. Not everybody can get these books themselves, however, and a library can really help this problem. This is why I don’t think libraries should be closed.

My Name!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

-William Shakespeare


Hime Cecelia Chadwick is my full name. Hime means “princess” in Japanese. Though my dad tells me it was my mom who chose my name, she tells a different story. Apparently, she wrote a long list of names that she liked, Japanese and American alike (my mother is Japanese, whilst my father is American). My father was the one who looked through it and chose what he liked (and he was very picky), which turned out to be who I am today, Hime. Cecelia, when I looked it up on Google, means “blind”, or “way for the blind”. This isn’t, however, how I got my middle name. It’s actually my dad’s mother’s name, though it does fit me, as I am extremely near-sighted. Chadwick means “From the warrior’s town” or something of the sort, and is from my dad’s side of the family, whose ancestors changed their last name to Chadwick to sound American, as they were from Holland and trying to get into the U.S.

I can’t choose a color for my name, because my name is who I am, even if it doesn’t sound like it. Am I a soft pink color, for the princess my name hints myself to be? Am I a dark purple for a shy and not-easy-to-spot color? If I don’t know exactly who I am, I don’t know what color I am, much less the color of my name. As for the meaning of my name... I don’t like to think of myself as a princess, as modern “princesses” may be viewed of as somebody spoiled, and I don’t like to be thought of this way. When you look up "Hime" on Google, you get suggestions for "Hime make-up" and "Hime nails". This feels very girly, and I don't feel that I am a very girly person. If you were confused with the image at the top of this post; that's what I think looks like a "Hime" type of person. Also, the pronunciation of Hime in Japanese is different than that of English, and mispronunciations cause me to feel uncomfortable and annoyed. In Japanese, Hime is something soft and pretty-sounding, while in English, it can end up sounding rough and strange. My name is something special to me, and having somebody call me something else does not make me happy. In third grade, I was new to my school, and very quiet and shy. My teacher misheard my name, therefore, for half the year I was known as “Himen”, until we got a new art teacher and I corrected everybody when telling her what my name was.

I’m happy with my middle name Cecelia, though sometimes people think this is my first name as nobody really hears about anybody with the name “Hime” (like on an attendance sheet: “Cecelia, Hime Chadwick” is what it says). What I don't like is that it is also feminine, which adds to the girly-ness of Hime. This makes me feel that my name is unbalanced. Hime Cecelia Chadwick- doesn't that sound like you're about to see a girly person? Or is that just me? You may view Hime as something weird and foreign, in which case it does not look pink and flowery at all. What I feel, however, is that, if I had a less princess-sounding first name, my name would sound better. However, I am happy with my name. I like my middle name because it adds a nice ring to my entire name: Hime Cecelia Chadwick (my fourth-grade teacher said it sounded like an author's name), and because my grandmother, whom I inherited my middle name from, is somebody I admire.

I don’t think I could be happier with any other last name than Chadwick. It means, “Defense warrior” or “from the warrior’s town”. I used to be teased about it when I was younger, being called “Chad-wicked”, and this caused me to feel slightly annoyed that I didn’t have my mother’s maiden name, “Kina” (which, apparently, means “judged” in Hawaiian, though this means nothing to me), as my last name. However, now I do feel proud of being a Chadwick, as it is an interesting last name and completes my full name. My name may not suit me very well, or even make much sense to those who don't speak Japanese, but I'm proud of my name, because I was named, still am, and continue to be Hime Cecelia Chadwick.

Be Yourself, Everyone Else is Taken

The current title of my blog is also the title of this blogpost: "Be yourself, everyone else is taken." -Oscar Wilde. I chose this quote as the title of my blog because it can really touch some people, as it did me. There are many people out there who feel insecure about the people they are, and wish they could be like someone else, or are willing to trade places with that person. This is a horrible way to feel and leave people feeling sick and unhappy with themselves. But the truth is, trying to be like someone else is just wasting the person you are, and some people never realize that. We are all who we are for a reason, and we've all got our place in the world. This quote really makes sense, and the words are stringed together in perfect harmony to help bring Oscar Wilde's point across.

I also like how Oscar Wilde made us seem very individual, unique, the way his quote went. Like we're something to search for, to buy, to want. His wording was excellent, and those are the reasons why this quite was chosen as the title of my blog. Thanks for reading!

-Hime

Everything Has a Beginning

How was the world created? You can find out in this movie, based on Japanese mythology:

I'm Almost a Seventh Grader!

1. What pieces of work and learning are you most proud? Explain.

There's so much I've accomplished this year, so many assignments and projects. The one I am most proud of is what you're looking at right now: my blog. I think my blog deserves the most pride because I put the most effort into writing what I thought and felt, and a lot of our blogposts were asking for that. I liked writing about myself, and reflecting on work, like I'm doing now. (because everybody enjoys talking about themselves!) The blogposts were one place we could just write and write about how we felt about something, including how we've done this year. This resulted in me working harder and genuinely asking myself, "How do I feel about this?"

2. What were your greatest challenges? Explain.

My greatest challenges were probably finding time to go above and beyond what was assigned, and shoot above the goal. This wasn't so bad for me during the middle of the school year, but near the end (about this time) I started getting seriously lazy and avoided doing homework, and only worked on what was assigned, so I didn't push myself very much. I think what I will work on next year (and now) is finding some way to be enthusiastic about work and my grades, because right now I'm not feeling that I'm working my best.

3. Reflecting on your growth this year, what did you learn about yourself as a learner?

I've learned that I enjoy working on projects, just so I can finish and reflect on them, like I'm doing now, and see what can be improved. The literature circles (lit. circles) were not simple assignments, but I finished them and now I can look back at them and think about how my responses could have more information from the book, or how my connections could have more details. I've also learned that I may need to do something to help me feel more ready to work, because in some assignments I'm not trying my hardest.

4. To evaluate your work habits, choose 1 of the following from each category (and provide explanations):

a) Behavior

-Could be improved

-Satisfactory

-Perfect

I say 'perfect', not because it's absolutely perfect, but because my behavior is slightly closer to perfect than satisfactory. I don't purposely make trouble or try to get others hurt, so I don't think my behavior is any less than it should be. My behavior in class is fine, my behavior in working can have more enthusiasm, and my behavior anywhere else is fine, too, I suppose.

b) Participation

-None

-Satisfactory

-Actively participate in class

I don't raise my hand very often in class, unless I have a question that hasn't been asked by any other students yet, or an answer that hasn't been given by anyone else. This can be changed, if I manage to grow out of the shell that contains me when in front of a classroom of people.

c) Organization

-Needs serious help

-Satisfactory

-I'm super organized

Organization is something that runs in my mom's side of the family, and sometimes I can't stand anything being disorganized or messy, so I give everything an order. This is something you can see in everything I do, even in writing this blogpost, by dividing up the sections with the questions as headings. This may not make it look very natural, or attractive, but it makes it easier to read what needs to be read, and that's what's best for me.

d) Effort

-Needs serious help

-Satisfactory

-I always go above and beyond what is required

Like I had mentioned in a previous paragraph, I went above and beyond earlier in my sixth grade year, but I can't say I've 'always' done it, since I'm getting sloppier with my work as the end of the year comes closer.

5. Based on your reflections, write two personal learning goals for Grade 7 next year.

Goal 1- In Grade 7, I plan to

Work my hardest on projects and assignments, and find a new way of looking at school so I'm motivated to do just that.

Goal 2- In Grade 7, I plan to

Get more sleep, and recreational time so I can feel better about doing work, and actually trying my best.

6. Is there any more information that you'd like the teachers to know?

Something I'd like my future teachers to know is that I am very quiet in class discussions, because I don't feel comfortable about sharing ideas with a crowd of people that I may know well or just slightly. Strangely, I feel better about discussing in large groups if I'm talking with people I don't talk to often, because I am more comfortable about sharing my ideas with people who will only have what I say to judge me, and I don't think my ideas will produce too many negative thoughts about me. If I have to discuss ideas with people I know, let it be a small group, maybe four people, because I feel considerably more comfortable with a small group than a whole classroom.

7. Finally, go back to when to your first few months of sixth grade. What "Words of Wisdom" or "Advice" would you like to pass on to the Class of 2018?

Some advice I'd like to give to future sixth graders are based on things I've experienced this year, most of them regarding homework. One thing I've learned is: DON'T LEAVE YOUR HOMEWORK TO THE LAST MINUTE!! This tip came in handy during the dreaded "Lit. Circle Time", where you have multiple passages, questions, responses and so on to work on over the course of a week, and the worst mistake you can make on lit. circles is to leave it to the night before it's due. This is advice you ('you' being anyone new to sixth grade next year) may very well be given several times, but I can't stress how important it really is. More words of wisdom include working your best on projects; if the requirement is two paragraphs, write three, or more, and add more information than what's assigned. Also, it's not the length of what you write that matters, it's the content. The length can help with adding more so the audience continues to stay interested. Don't use it to mean you write nonsense and make it look like five paragraphs of good work, because it's better to be two of outstanding detail. And the most important of all, that will help you with homework, friends, and just life in general, is to enjoy yourself, and what you're doing. Have fun!

The end is near... of the school year, and of this blogpost.