Grace's English I Blog

Muskaan: Research Post Juliana: Q3: Week 3 ATDPTI response

Thesis: Eleanor of Aquitaine was the greatest female ruler ever to govern in Medieval Europe because of her unique inheritance, queenship in France, and her influence on the crown and court of England.    For my research project, I chose Eleanor of Aquitaine. I chose this person because after briefly discussing her in History, I wanted to learn more about her life. As it turns out, Eleanor's life is extremely interesting. I am really glad that I chose this topic because there is plenty to write about, and her life is sort of like a reality tv show. In addition to being very dramatic, Eleanor of Aquitaine left an amazing legacy on chivalry and courtly love that carried itself into the Renaissance.    Eleanor began making history at the young age of fifteen when she shockingly became the heir to her father's duchy. During the twelfth century it was very uncommon for women to inherit things. After becoming the duchess of lands larger than those held by the king of France, Elean

   So far, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian  by Sherman Alexie has been an interesting book. At first I thought it was going to be one of those cheesy novels, but it actually isn't. The story reveals the harsh life of a boy named Junior. Junior is an Native American Indian that lives on a reservation. I didn't realize how tough life was for Native Americans. I had no clue that the people living on those reservations face many hardships. I really enjoy ATDPTI because it gives me a better understanding of what life is like on a reservation, and it makes me appreciate the things that I have.    I also enjoy that the novel includes cartoons. It adds character and lightens up the tough story-line. In addition to cartoons, the characters are all very well-developed. the author does a good job of describing everyone that Junior comes into contact with. I also think it is unique that the story is written as Junior's diary. The reader gets to see Junior's feeling

Katherine: Research Update Anna Katherine: Winter Break  

   During Martin Luther King Jr. break, I went To Houston with my friends. We spent the night at one of my friend's houses on Friday, so that we could leave early for Houston the next morning. On Saturday we woke up at 6am. We got dressed, brushed our teeth and got ready to leave. After a quick breakfast of croissants and hot chocolate, we were on our way. It only took us about 4 and a half hours to get there. After arriving in Houston, we dropped off our bags at the hotel room, and headed to the Galleria to shop. We went to many stores, like Nordstrom, LuLu Lemon, and many more. The Galleria is definitely the biggest mall that I've ever been to. At around 2:30 we had lunch at a restaurant inside of Nordstrom. We all split two pesto pizzas which were so good. After more shopping and dinner at the Cheesecake Factory we went up to bed.    The next morning we got up and had biscuits for breakfast. The mall didn't open until 11, so we waited around the hotel room until the Gal

   For my research project, I chose Eleanor of Aquitaine. So far, I am very happy with this decision because the topic is turning out to be very interesting. I chose this topic because we briefly discussed Eleanor in World History, and I wanted to learn more about her life and legacy. As of right now, there are many aspects of her life that did not know about before I began researching. An example would be how much drama there is in Medieval monarchies. It seems that Eleanor was always involved in some sort of issue with her husband. I am really glad that I chose this topic because I am not bored of it, and there is plenty of information to include in my essay.    The most difficult thing about the project was the annotated bibliography. Although it wasn't hard, it was very time consuming. Right now I am working on the notecards. They are also not hard, just very time consuming. I am hoping that the outline and draft of my essay will be easier since we are doing the notecards. I t

Katie: New Semester Reflection Juliana: Q3: Week 1 New Semester Reflection

What is the difference between living and being alive?    The difference between living and being alive can be a very complicated argument. I like to think of it being a simple concept. Being alive is merely existing on the Earth. If you are alive, you are going about your days with no enthusiasm or excitement in your life. Living is spending your time on Earth in the best and most productive way possible. A person who lives doesn't care what others think, and sets goals to look forward to. A person who lives may go on adventures or trips, or maybe never leaves the city they were born in. You don't have to be extremely wealthy to live, you just have to have the drive and determination to want to live.    Being alive is not as fun as living. You don't get to enjoy yourself because you are to busy worrying about other things that don't matter. I'm not saying that you have to let go all of your worries to live because there are matters that are unavoidable in life,

       During the fall semester I learned many things. The most important being, how to manage time well, how to prepare for tests, and getting used to what my teachers expect of me. Switching to EHS was not a hard transition, but I  definitely had to get used to my new schedule. I really enjoy the schedule here because you don't go to every single class everyday. This signifies that I had to adjust the way I manage my time, meaning I could procrastinate just a little on my homework... When taking tests at Episcopal, each class is very different. After the first quarter, I was able to get used to how each teacher makes his or her test. Math was a little harder for me to get used to because my old school had a little bit of a different curriculum. Continuing with the new teacher reflection, during the first semester I had to get used to each of my teachers' different styles of teaching. I can gladly say that after my restful break, I know exactly what is expected of me in death