Blog Post Week 11-Interview

The following is an interview by yours truly asking an up and coming author, Cody Davey about his new children's story which can be read here. (If he did it)
Q: How old were you when you first started writing?
A: I first started writing at the prime age of 17.

• Ahh, such a young, innocent age.

Q:What influenced your writing?
A: What  really influenced my writing was the support of my classmates and the people I had behind me. I could not have done it without them.

• Im glad I could help with your creation.

Q: Why did you start writing?
A: Well you see, I was given an assignment and I really did not want to fail, so I figured I should do it.

• Sounds like a good reason to me!

Q: What is your story about?

A: It is about a young rooster who gets called to war, and on his return to life on the farm he has to deal with his normal everyday life again.

Q: How did you come up with this story?

A: I brainstormed a few ideas and once I narrowed it down to this one, snowball effect; I kept rolling with it until it got bigger and better.

Q: What conflicts does your character face?

A: He goes to war, and when he returns home he has to deal with all of the animals not knowing what he went through.

Q: While writing your story, what problems did you encounter?

A: I lacked some motivation to get going and the intelligence to develop the characters well.

• Amen to that!

Q: How did you overcome these problems?

A: Hmm, I haven’t quite done that yet. I’ll get back to you on that one.

• I look forward to hearing it.

Q: What is one symbol of your story?

A: The rooster represents a Vietnam veteran soldier.

Q: Did you use other works to base your story on?

A: Yes, I used Rambo and the story Animal Farm.

Q: Who would you recommend to read your story?

A: Errrbody!

• I like the attitude.

Q: Who is your favorite character?

A: Rooster. He’s a champ!

Q: What is the title of your book?

A: A Rooster’s Call to War

• Makes sense...

Q: Is there foreshadowing?

A: There will be, sure.

Q: What kind of metaphors or similes do you use?

A: The good kinds.

• Those are the best kinds!

Q: How many pages is your story?

A: TBD

Q: Are there a lot of visuals to your story?

A: Yes, it’s a children’s book, duhh.

• Silly me...

Q: Did you enjoy writing this book?

A: Not really. I felt like it was not too much fun and a lot of unnecessary work and pressure.

Q: Were you pressured by the deadlines issued to this assignment?

A: Oh Yeah! There was not enough time to complete my masterpiece.

• Mhm, I heard that.

ME: Well Cody, it was great talking with you about your upcoming children's story and I look forward to speaking with you again in the near future. Goodbye.

CODY: Peace.

Story Rough Draft

Page 1:
In honors calculus a class did take place, with looks of confusion on every student's face. They tried and they studied and notes they did take. But there was always one student who never stayed awake.
Page 2:
He slept, he talked, he doodled all class. So when it came to the test he just couldn't pass. Instead of paying attention and doing his work, he just sat and complained and drove everyone bizzurk. His name was Cody; Cody the Turtle. And passing calculus would sure be a hurdle.
Page3:
Test day would come and when he sat in his seat, he could nearly feel his heart quickly skip a beat. He had no clue what could be on this test. For he was always too busy being a pest. Problem number one, find the answer for X. He would read the question and onto the next.
Page 4:
One day in class, the teacher exclaimed, "Test tomorrow on range and domain! Also, there will be continuity questions, instantaneous rate of change, and line progressions!"
Page 5:
Cody stared in disbelief, full of awe and shock. Class was almost over so he looked up at the clock. Half past two and school was almost done. He gathered up his books and quickly started to run. He ran all the way home and didn't look back and unloaded his books from his stuffed backpack.
Page 6:
It was three o'clock when he opened his book and was not going to stop no matter how long it took. He was determined to study to ensure he would pass because he was sick and tired of doing horrible in the class. An hour passed by, but not so much luck. Every problem he read he kept on getting stuck.
Page 7:
Things were going no where, so he decided to close his eyes. Before he knew it he was waking up to the sunrise. "I must have just napped", he said to himself. Then he looked at the clock that was sitting on his shelf. "Seven o'clock, hmm that's not too bad!" Then he sprung out of bed with all the energy he had. "Seven in the morning!", he nervously screamed. "All of that studying must have been what I dreamed!"
Page 8:
Math came around and he began to perspire. Then he noticed next to him the girl he admired. Tori the Turtle; the smartest in the class. Then Cody thought of an easy way he could pass. He sneaked a peek at her paper to check for the answer.

I had two more pages but they got deleted and I cannot remember what was written. More is soon to come. Enjoy.

What Makes a Good Teacher

What makes a good teacher? One may think it is a teacher that has a great deal to offer. Another may may feel that it is someone that leaves an everlasting impact on their life. Regardless of the definition, everyone has sat through a class for a period a day with that one teacher that they consider remarkable. For me to consider a teacher truly great, a few things have to happen. A few characteristics a teacher must contain for me to consider them a good teacher are that they enjoy what they do, they leave an everlasting impact, and that they have fun.

One must have pride in their work to truly enjoy what they are doing. For a teacher, pride and admiration for their job is arguably the most important trait to have because it is a job that comes with such great stress and and determination. With admiration, a job can only become quicker and easier than that of a someone who does not enjoy their job. If a teacher detests her job with a great passion, then it is only going to cause them stress and force stress and hatred upon the students.

We all have those few people in life that leave an impact that we will never forget. A teacher that leaves an impact of such immense proportions is rare to find, but when they arrive, the impact they leave is just as important, if not more important, than any other. One may be impacted by a teacher through their words of wisdom, or the education is which they bring upon the students. For me, what makes a teacher so impacting is  one who can relate to their students and understand what they are going through as maturing young adults. They have been in our shoes long ago and they understand the stress and hard work that come along with being a responsible student. For a teacher to connect with their students and offer advice and help to them, remembering that they were once in their position, is of much importance because it shows that teacher truly cares about the students. Also, what makes a teacher impacting is one who offers inspirational and wise points of views to their students. One who inspires helps to aspire. With inspiration from the teacher, comes aspiration from the students to go after their goal and believe that they can do anything.

Lastly, what makes a good teacher is one who can have fun while doing their job at the same time. What makes a boring, dull teacher is one who stuffs notes down the students' throats and hand out the assignment, with no hope of ever having a decent time in class. However, a teacher that takes the lesson, flips it, and turns it into an activity that teaches the students, but also gets them involved and allows them to have fun, helps to make a good teacher. It is always important to find the most amount of fun out of something that can be so boring at times, therefore a teacher that incorporates the lesson plan into a fun activity makes them a teacher of importance and good quality.

Among these characteristics, there are several more that help to make a good teacher. What makes a good teacher is different from student to student, depending on the way that student learns and how they like to incorporate their knowledge. If a teacher does not contain these characteristics or other positive characteristics in their job, then that person should consider taking a different path. It is only going to make their life, and the lives of those students easier if that teacher does not teach. It is avoiding a bad situation that can only get worse and for the students to do well and  succeed in the class, they need a teacher that can offer  them something that no other can. As students, we look to teachers for advice, knowledge, and encouragement, and if a teacher cannot offer that to their students, then they have no business in the occupation of teaching. Learn we must, succeed we try, and positive influences we need.

Comments for week 7

http://sydneycochran7.blogspot.com/2011/10/we-were-given-right-to-freedom-of.html?showComment=1320025261526#c4843571098790232753

http://nathanefuller.wordpress.com/2011/10/28/mentor-text-2-to-sir-with-love/#comment-39

http://codydaveyenglish.blogspot.com/2011/10/first-blood-vs-call-to-war.html?showComment=1320025639469#c5299659833089032756

http://freelandjesse.blogspot.com/2011/10/walking-dead-season-2.html?showComment=1320025767617#c1590299678623423904

Mentor Post

My story, Problem Solving, deals with the main character Cody and his willingness to do whatever it takes to pass math. Never paying attention, he finds it difficult to focus and therefore do well when it comes to the tests. One day, Cody realizes there is no way he can pass the test, so he results to cheating. Through the course of the story, the audience sees the how desperate Cody is for a passing grade, but when things go bad, Cody cannot help but feel shame.

To help write my story, I thought of one of the most infamous cheaters who ever lived; Barry Bonds. Bonds was accused of taking steroids during his lavish baseball career. In an article written by Ewen MacAskill, he writes on Bonds' conviction and how he only made it worse for him by denying the truth and pleading innocent. I use his approach as a guideline to make the audience understand that it is the wrong approach to the situation.

Another source i used in order to help my story take off was an article published on foxnews.com. Mark McGwire, another baseball great, was accused and found guilty of taking steroids during his baseball career. However, instead of denying the truth like Bonds did, McGwire came clean and admitted to taking steroids. He was caught and owned up to it becuase there was no way to deny the clear evidence.

I am using these articles in order to show the importance of being honest and having good morals. If Cody had taken the Bonds route, he would have just gotten into more trouble than before because he lied about it. Instead Cody takes the honest route like McGwire and only benefits himself and eventually, gets a second chance.

Comments week 6

http://tucker-wheaton.blogspot.com/2011/10/much-to-blog-about-nothingexcept-bruins.html?showComment=1318814913150#c2366856744173361971
http://sydneycochran7.blogspot.com/2011/10/perseverance-key-to-success.html?showComment=1318815678148#c7126876306863856890
http://codydaveyenglish.blogspot.com/2011/10/waking-up-to-music.html?showComment=1318816113850#c7009988038576955523
http://adamferguson16.blogspot.com/2011/10/land-of-gweeblets-prologue.html?showComment=1318816397715#c3027276197279755255
http://alexjosephson.blogspot.com/2011/10/controversy-is-cheerleading-sport.html?showComment=1318816589819#c4550523591747222813

Comments for Week 5

http://freelandjesse.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-i-believe.html

http://tucker-wheaton.blogspot.com/2011/10/this-i-believe.html

http://nathanefuller.wordpress.com/2011/10/07/this-i-believe-essay-nanas-hugs/#comment-33

http://licensetobemorallyrational.blogspot.com/2011/10/blissful-blindness.html?showComment=1318288770192#c5403403494487613615

http://sydneycochran7.blogspot.com/2011/10/personal-narrative-shifting.html?showComment=1318289049254#c1985248584540693218

http://chandlermayberry.blogspot.com/2011/10/life-is-prize-live-every-moment-like.html?showComment=1318290841651#c591037349233559112

http://codydaveyenglish.blogspot.com/2011/10/new-path.html?showComment=1318291078380#c7580236738518859366

Success of a Man

When success is achieved, it usually comes with the price of defeat. In order to truly know the feeling of success, one must first go through a series of difficulties and failures, only to make them understand the sweet joy that comes with success. With failure, we as human beings are able to recognize the pain and sorrow that come along with it which makes us strive to further better ourselves in order to avoid the feeling of failure in the future. When one thinks success, a number of definitions may cross the mind. To some, success means being rich and living a life of luxury. However, to some people, success is being surrounded by loved ones and doing what makes you happy.

The true definition of success in my opinion is living a life that is filled with a plethora of happiness and joy and doing what you love, regardless of the material things in which one has. Growing up, I lived a life that was filled with careless joy. Running through the yard on a hot summer’s day I was able to make do with what he had. I was never a kid who thought about what we didn’t have, rather a kid who was relieved and blessed for having what we did have. With a roof over my head at all times, I was able to feel safe and secure throughout my childhood. I look back today and realize just how lucky I was. With people living on the streets, desperately in search for a job, or a meal, I understand the importance of being able to sleep in my own bed at night with a roof over my head, and a house full of people that love me right down the hall. As a young child, I looked around and noticed the unfair circumstances that surrounded me. I would go to school and listen to all of my friends bask in the glory of getting that new expensive item that was just ‘to die for’; and as I sat and watched I could not help but feel disappointed and ashamed. I look back now and reflect on the past, thinking of how ridiculous it was to be ashamed of my childhood. So what my parents didn’t get me everything I wanted, they got me everything I needed and still do to this day and for that I am forever grateful.    

                Looking back today, I realize that my childhood is what made me the young adult I am today. My views and opinion on success are based off of my childhood, making me understand that just because one does not have a lot of money does not mean they are not successful. Success is measured in whatever way one feels necessary. As a maturing young adult, I use my past in order to focus on my future. I did not have a lot as a child, yet I was a still a little boy full of joy. My parents made sure that I lived a happy life as a child because it was those years that would shape and mould my beliefs and opinions for the future. I reflect on the past and look at myself in the mirror today and realize, that no matter my economical circumstances and no matter my lifestyle, my life is my life and my opinions are my own. I am who I am and I am proud of that fact. I am successful. 

Morality Through Literature

                Everybody has morals that differ from one another. Each person has a definition of what is considered good and what is considered bad. What one person may consider a good moral, someone else may consider it as a bad moral. Whether a moral is good or bad is impossible to classify. In Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief, he gives each character a set of morals that differ from each of the other characters. The characters he uses to display these differences include Liesel, Liesel’s birth mother, and Liesel’s foster father Hans Hubermann.

                An instance where morality is displayed in Liesel’s life is when she steals the books. While attending the burial ceremony of her brother, Liesel discovers a book in the snow, The Grave Digger’s Handbook. It is here where steals her first book. This leads to the stealing of numerous books throughout the course of the novel and allows the audience to understand the moral standpoint of Liesel. Liesel also succumbs to the pressure of stealing food from the farmer, showing that she will do anything for the greater good of her and her family. Some may question this act and consider it as immoral. However, it contains good intentions as she is only trying to feed her family. Thievery is an illegal and immoral act, but with good intentions as she has for the act, some may look at it as a moral act.

                Liesel’s birth mother puts her kids up for adoption in the beginning of the novel. As such an awful act as it may seem, she does this with good intentions. She does this act in order to keep her children safe from the Nazi party. Many people may see this as she does not love her children, but puts them up for adoption in order to save them and keep them safe.

                Hans Hubermann contains a characteristic that may seem foolish to some. Hubermann does not agree with Nazism and their way of going about things. He paints over graffiti that is disrespectful towards Jewish people and takes a positive stance for their safety and rights. Going against the Nazi way, he hides a Jewish man in his basement for a period of two and half years, something that the Nazis would consider immoral. For Hubermann, this act of kindness is considered moral because he is doing a kind and generous thing for someone in need.

                Zusak uses each character as a pivotal piece to his novel, The Book Thief, in order to display the differences between each of their morals. What one may consider as immoral, another may consider as moral with good intentions. There is no complete definition as to what is moral, for everybody is entitled to their own opinion. Zusak’s novel does a magnificent job to display the differences between people’s morals and beliefs and to show why it is impossible to characterize something as moral or immoral.

Comments for Week 2

http://codydaveyenglish.blogspot.com/2011/09/personal-blog.html\

http://tucker-wheaton.blogspot.com/2011/09/moral-compass-guide-to-decision-making.html?showComment=1316387444556#c8706574464984083087

http://freelandjesse.blogspot.com/2011/09/believe-in-yourself.html?showComment=1316387582495#c2534481565319143694

http://licensetobemorallyrational.blogspot.com/2011/09/walk-in-my-shoes-for-day.html?showComment=1316387829845#c1157499454401270154

http://worldlitblogyo.blogspot.com/2011/09/my-moral-compass.html?showComment=1316387967440#c6135062640839701787

My Moral Compass: The Path to Happiness

Family and friends are the most important aspect of my life. Through the good times and the bad, no matter what, your family and friends are there to support you. If you make a mistake, they are the first to look past it and accept the fact that we all make mistakes. It seems as though the unhappy people in the world are those that have nobody truly close to them and the reason behind this is simple. They have nobody to be open with, nobody to share their ideas with, and nobody to connect to. My family and friends are the most important people in my life because I know that as soon as I am feeling lost or confused, they are always there to point me in the right direction, much like a compass.

Confidence is essential to achieve anything in which you want in life. Being confident is the only way to get what you want. You have to have a positive attitude to achieve anything that you wish to achieve. You need to have confidence in yourself and also in others around you to ensure a guarenteed positive result.

Love is very important to have in one’s life. The love of others and for others allows you to make and keep connections with other people that are essential to ensure happiness. The love of my friends and family is strong, one of the strongest connections in my life which makes me who I am. Without the love of my family and their love for me, I would be nowhere and I would have no one. Love also relates to the things you love. You must love what you do in order to be truly happy with it. The love one has for the people around them and that love the people around them has for that person shapes and makes who that person is.

Music is the greatest way to express yourself and your feelings. Take a look at every new artist out there. They all have one thing in common; they use their words and beats to express their views and opinions, in order to open up the world to new things. Everybody listens to music and it does not matter what type it may be, they all have the same purpose. The purpose is to let the world know who they are, what they believe in, and to just make people happy and inspire them. With music, the world moves in a new direction, one beat at a time.

Comments for the Class

http://nathanefuller.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/superhero-morality-vs-our-morality/

http://tucker-wheaton.blogspot.com/2011/09/definition-of-morality.html

http://licensetobemorallyrational.blogspot.com/2011/09/license-to-be-morally-rational.html?showComment=1315787177894#c213150675782426339

http://codydavey.blogspot.com/2011/09/discovering-morality-and-what-it-really.html?showComment=1315787568016#c2844482405136465849

http://freelandjesse.blogspot.com/2011/09/way-i-am.html?showComment=1315788014685#c5735757417048758804

Good Morals and a Good Conscience

One's opinion on the subject of morality most likely differs from that of another. There are multiple ways to judge morality and different interpretations that make morality something personal to an individual. A common characteristic to what makes morality unique to an individual is how that person is brought up in life and the living conditions in which endure. One with an extravagent and rich lifestyle may focus their morals around money and obtaining what they desire through the act of purchasing it. They may believe that to truly be happy and have good morals, that is done through the act of money. However, if one's lifestyle was rather dull and not as extravagent, they may focus on the little things in life and being happy with what they already have. Their moral is more likely based on having family and people they love around them. To bring up a point on subject of slavery, most people now think that slavery was all in bad moral. However, the slave owner of the older times would have argued that slavery was of good morals and good nature.For one instance, it was all they knew. This was the lifestyle that they lived and they made slavery sound acceptible using the proof of the Bible and the society around them. Morality is also widely shown through the art of music. Many songs today have a message to them that make you focus on good morals and having good morals. From the lyrics of Kid Cudi's song "Cudi Zone", he writes, "Only rule of thumb; It dont really matter where your from. All that really matters is where you're gon' go." The message he is trying to display is that it doesn't matter what your past was like, all that matters is how you use the past to get to the future that you want. It doesn't matter how you were brought up or how you lived when you were younger. All that matters is that no matter the circumstance of the past, you can always use that to propel yourself into the future and make a life worth living. A personal belief I have on the subject of morality and what it takes to be moral is that you have to live like you want to live and not let anybody push you around. As long as one lives how they truly want to live and lives a  life that they are proud of, then they in fact of good morals. If one is easily scared to take risks and go against the will of the others, they will never reach full potential or fully happiness and are only robbing themselves of pure happiness.