I think so far this year, in humanities. My work has been pretty good. I think I could improve but for the most part it has been good. A challenge of mine is, when in class, making my hand writing neater. My goal for next quarter is to write more then required and to space out the time I worked on it.
Lucian Figliulo Eighth Grade Humanities
Part Time Indian Literary essay 10/16/15
Would you chose to go to a better school if you knew it would help your life dramatically? In the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Arnold, the Spokane Indian protagonist, makes the bold decision to go to a school off the rez where he is the only person of color. Arnold attempts to escape the poverty and hopelessness of life on an Indian reservation in Spokane, Washington. He attempts to convince Rowdy, his best friend, to go with him. But Rowdy angrily refuses to leave the rez behind. Rowdy should have left the reservation and gone to Reardan to escape being a victim of the vicious cycle of poverty and his father’s abuse, but he was not courageous enough.
Rowdy’s father’s abuse is a force that oppresses his son. It makes Rowdy feel paralyzed and unable to escape the reservation. Rowdy’s father, along with many others on the reservation, suffers from alcoholism. Many of these people are able to control themselves but Rowdy’s dad has no limits: he is just cruel. One time Arnold saw Rowdy and thought, “His father is drinking hard and throwing hard punches, so Rowdy and his mother are always walking around with bruised and bloody faces.” (16) Rowdy’s father does not treat his son or his wife with respect and does not acknowledge their feelings. Rowdy’s father’s abuse prevents Rowdy from leaving the rez and escaping the cycle of poverty. The best way for Rowdy to escape his father’s abuse and to make sure he does not repeat his father’s mistakes is by going to Reardan. If he had chosen to go with Arnold they could have undergone a transformation together. Rowdy’s father’s abuse is a force that brings him down but along with that is the poverty in the community and family.
Rowdy, along with most native americans on the Spokane reservation, feel an extreme sense of hopelessness. This comes from the lack of resources, educational inequality, poverty, alcohol and drug abuse in this community. Rowdy is a victim of all of these forces and could possibly escape them if he had the courage to go to Reardan, like his best friend Junior. But he is too oppressed to take action. Poverty has made him feel like he can’t change his life. Poverty has made him feel inferior to everyone else. When Junior tells him that he is going to Reardan, Rowdy says to him: “‘You always thought you were better than me.’” (52). Rowdy has come to believe that he’s not smart or able to do anything with his life. He internalizes the oppression poverty generates and feels like he can never make anything of his life in the way junior is trying to.
One could argue that Rowdy is courageous because he doesn’t abandon his father or the reservation and wears the abuse like a battle scar. But, he is not brave enough to make the bold decision to switch schools. When rowdy and junior were playing basketball they started to talk, “‘Where are you going to school next year?’ I asked. ‘where do you think, dumb-ass? Right here, where I’ve always been.’” This quote shows that still after that hole time rowdy is still not courageous enough to take the big step to go to reardan. He is unable to think about change in his life.
Rowdy is better of going to reardan than staying on the hopeless reservation with his abusive father and impoverished family. Rowdy should have left to either be able to stand up against his father but he can’t because he is the victim of abuse and poverty. Seeing indians as inferior is reinforced by stereotypes portrayed in the media and in our modern American culture. Native Americans are victimized by the ignorance of mainstream america. The message that they get from the media is that Native Americans are stupid and ugly. Kids like Junior and Rowdy have come to believe that this is the truth. This all amounts to rowdy being unable to take action on his life and go to reardan.
Lucian Figliulo
Eighth Grade Humanities/Art Project
Memorial/Monument Study
Memorial/Monument Design Artist’s Statement
The First lady memorial.
I have chosen to memorialize the first ladies of our great nation. I have done this because first ladies have not been represented in a memorial or a monument , except for eleanor roosevelt, whose memorial is only part of FDR’s. First ladies (or first people) are extremely important because they have done so much for the country. For example, michelle obama dedicates her time to child health issues and other domestic issues. first ladies have to power and privilege to speed their ideas and messages but have never been memorialized for the great things they have done and are doing. Normal visitors walk around the perimeter and are allowed to take photos and view the names of the first ladies (first people). Only spouses of the elected president are allowed inside the perimeter of the monument. They have the responsibility to upkeep the plants and shrubbery inside the monument. this symbolizes the importance and of their role and how unique it is to be a first person. I want visitors to be able to walk around the monument and see the ring from all angles because the ring symbolizes the partnership between the first lady and the president as well as the partnership between the citizen and leaders of the country.
The response that I want my viewers to have is an emotional connection to the first ladies and what they did for the country. Some viewers might have a closer connection than others but all will understand what first ladies mean to his country. I would place the monument on the mall in washington D.C. close to the washington monument because being next to the washington monument it makes us look back to the first leader in our country and gives my monument a sense of depth and history. Viewer will be able to look back at long history of first ladies as they see our first president.
Lucian Troop Figliulo.
This is a homework assignment that I think I did good on
1. Were the Crusades a success? If so, for whom?
The Crusades were over all not a success. I think the crusades were not a success because 2 of them did not reach their goal. In the first crusade the goal of the Christians was to take back Jerusalem from Muslim rule. The first Crusaders achieved their goal. In the second Crusade the goal was to take back Edessa. It had been under Christian rule before it got taken over by the Muslims. The leader of that Crusade was Louie the VI. He decided to not take back Edessa but to head for Damascus. He failed to take Damascus. On the 3rd Crusade Richard the Lionheart was the leader. On the way to Jerusalem he decided to go back because he knew that if it was under Christian rule again the Muslims would just take it back.
2. Both the Muslims and the Christians claimed God’s favor. Whose side was God on?
I personally believe that God was on neither side because God would not want people fighting. Both sides were fighting in the name of God and both believed miracles happened for them. The Christians believed that Jerusalem was where Jesus died and rose from the dead so it is very important to them. The Muslims wanted Jerusalem because it was where Mohammed went to heaven. If both sides believe God was on their side then both would think that God would protect them. But this was not the case. Both sides did good and bad during the fighting but both lost a lot of people.
3. How and where do we see the effects of the Crusades today? Can you infer how they affected people’s views of other religions?
There are many things that the Crusades have affected. One positive effect of the crusades was people from the West were going to the East and they had relationships with each other. People from the west took on the culture (food, politics, and traditions) of the East. There were a few negative effects too. There are still Crusades today. There are still conflicts between Israel and the rest of the Middle East. People are still fighting in the name of God. The words from the Crusades are still used when people want to use strong language. George Bush said, “This is a Crusade,” when he wanted to attack Iraq. Jihad used to mean struggle but now it’s related to terrorism. Many people today think that most Muslims are terrorists. A positive effect was that both sides learned more about the other’s religion.
“How do you say it- bold”
Hello I’m going to tell you all about king Louis. I hate him. he always want to be like a monk and I tired of it. When I went of crusade with him I thought that we would win we were a thriving country and when would take the holy land. But no we barley made it out of there alive. THEN HE PUT ME IN PRISON wait no that was my other husband. It was romantic the way we met but thats not the point the point is he is a word a queen should not say. oh and when we got divorced I was the one who made it happen not him me. So he says to me “The clothing and jewelry is-how shall I say it? more bold than we see in pairs. and I’m very scared because the we dress bold I would not like to live in pairs.
p.s.
I recommend this cite http://www.writing.com/
well my light is running out …
“get your feet out of the water”
1. Do the opposite of what ever your Gandmere says.
2. Love someone of lower rank than you (Clotare)
3.Do things that you’re not suppose do. For instance, if you’re a boy then weave and if you’re a girl, write like me.
4. Don’t be up tight.
5. If you’re forced to get married, don’t. I was not brave enough to do so.
6. Don’t go to the privy to burp.
In the book “Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen the main character is a 13 year old boy named Brian. He was traveling by plane to visit his dad in Canada because his parents are divorced. While he was on the plane suddenly the pilot had a heart attack. So then Brian tried to fly the plane but he couldn’t so the plane went down. Now Brian is in the Canadian wilderness and he has to survive by himself. He has to get his own water, has to find his own food and make a shelter.
Brian has to survive and in order to do that he has to do unusual things. One time he even ate a turtle egg. “ It had a greasy, almost oily taste, but it was still an egg. His throat tried to throw it back up, his whole body seemed to convulse with it, but his stomach took it, held it, and demanded more
One of the things that i liked was that the author uses 1 word sentences to describe a feeling. This way of writing pulled me in and it made me want to read more. paulsen writes “divorce. the secret.”
over the course of the book some amazing things happen that you would never imagine.
One example is that he and his brother always talked about surviving in the wilderness and what they would do if they had to. I talk about this too but i didn’t actually have to do it.
A second example is he escaped the plane that had crashed into the water and lived to tell the tale. So if you think thats cool then imagine this. Before that he was flying the plane. A 13 year old boy flying a plane.
A third example is he pulled porcupine needles out of his leg by himself.
If you want to figure out how he survives, how long he survives and the secret well then you can find out by reading the book” Hatchet” by Gary Paulsen.
