wiki 5 20/20 - great analysis... scary speaker, huh?

Hitler Speech          11-5-09

Eye contact

He has impecable eye contact.  Hitler never has to look down at a sheet of paper.  Therefore he does not get caught up in reading off of a sheet of paper.  He talks directly to his audience and never seems to break eye contact.  In my opinion, this gives speakers more power.  He clearly means every word he is saying.  Hitler is also good in his speaking clarity.  He never trips over his words during the speech.  This shows all the characteristics of being well-rehearsed; however, all of his passion and enthusiasm is still intact.

Hand Gesures

Hitler generally uses only one hand while speaking.  His right hand is constantly moving while his left hangs by his side.  I personally believe hand gestures add a lot to a speech.  They can help emphasize a point.  Although Hitler might be a little obsessive when it comes to using them, it gets the point across. 

Hitler has a true gift for giving speeches.  He can make his audience excited when he is and quiet when he calms down.  That is a unique talent that most people don't have.  I obviously can not understand him but the emotion and fury is still there.

wiki 4 - 0/20 - no posting

wiki 3 - 20/20 - wow - You're done already for this week - SUPER! I can't see his posture from where I sit in chapel so I wouldn't have caught what you did! Good job!

Chris Mizel's Speech          10-19-09

Chris has rather poor posture when he speaks.  He always leaves his right leg bent behind his left leg while standing.  Sometimes he will casually walk around but other times he is comfortable standing behind the podium.  His posture is not incredibly distracting because he rarely moves.  It is just not appropriate for a more formal speech.  Also, I have caught on to the little details of it because I have been around him so much with cross country.  Another thing Chris does is he mispronounces some words.  Generally it's just a couple during one sermon but it is enough to distract some people.  I say this because I noticed some people laugh when he said a couple words.

Some good points were that Chris spoke loudly.  He had a good pace and never sounded nervous or rushed.  He maintained eye contact with nearly everybody in the gym which is not an easy thing to do in Lutheran High's gym.  Also, he kept his message short, sweet, and to the point.  The length of Chris's speech kept people focused without boring them.  In my opinion, unless long speeches are incredibly interesting, most people will start to zone out.  

wiki 2 - 20/20 - HA! I am glad someone finally did this one. Isn't she a total hoot!? This was one of the most parodied speeches in history after it happened.

Miss Teen USA 2007 Speech          10-15-09

There is nothing good to be said about South Carolina's speech.  Even if one disregards the content of her speech it still leaves much to be desired.  She had major problems with eye contact.  I believe she was not looking at the camera because she was focused on the audience in front of her.  However, South Carolina still had issues.  She was constantly looking from one side of the room to the other.  It is good to have eye contact with the whole room a couple times during a speech but her tactic was distracting.  Her head was almost constantly moving.  Another problem was the way in which she delivered her answer.  I know she had no time to previously prepare her respone but she needs help with public speaking.  South Carolina started off her speech with a good rate and sounded confident.  However, as the speech progressed, she began to stumble.  She fumbled over multiple words and repeated phrases a couple times because she messed up on what she was trying to say.  This also worked against her.  Her fumbling over the words made listening to the actual content of the speech difficult.  It causes the audience to have trouble in following what she was saying. 

On a side note, even extremely poor public speaking could not have distracted the audience from her speech in particular.  She may be a very smart person.  However, as far as this speech goes, she did not sound intelligent at all.

Ron Paul "What if..." Speech          10-9-09

Ron Paul had an overall very good speech.  He talked slightly fast almost to emphasize the urgency of what he was trying to say.  He also had a very short, almost unnoticeable pause after each question.  It was just long enough to show a new topic.  Paul had obviously practiced his speech multiple times.  This was evident because he never had to pause to think and rarely tripped up on his words.  In my opinion, his eye contact could have been better.  I felt like he was reading to me more than speaking.  Paul hardly looked up and when he did it was extremely brief.  However, this could be due to the fact that he was speaking to a nearly empty room.  After watching the speech several times, I noticed he had a slightly slunched posture for the duration of the speech.  It was not, however, a very distracting thing to me because he was not swaying or moving around.  The last point of a critic I have is his gestures.  As I recall, he had few to none.  I think they could have been helpful in certain parts of the speech.  If I were to give him some advice, I would tell him to use more eye contact, stand up straighter, and possibly use some gestures to emphasize certain points. 

This is not part of my actual response but I would just like to mention that I really enjoyed his speech.  Ron Paul was not even close to my favorite presidential candidate during the election.  However, I found this speech to be engaging and he makes some very valid points.  I also believe more people should hear this speech. 

wiki 1 20/20 - great response work!

The Perfect Child          9-23-09 

               Anna bolted through the door, “Ugh I can’t believe Shelby.  She thinks she’s so much better than everyone else.”  Shelby was Anna’s twin sister, head cheerleader, and Tommy’s new girlfriend.  Tommy happened to be captain of the basketball team and Anna’s crush of three years.  Anna screamed at the thought of the new couple and gagged when she saw them together.  Even worse, the entire school praised the couple as if they were celebrities.           

            “It’s infuriating,” she yelled.  “How could she say yes?  She knew I liked him.  She’s my sister and she knew and she still said yes.  Mom it’s just not fair!”

            “Sweetie, don’t worry.  Everything will be fine.  He’s only a boy and you two are sisters.” Her mom’s attempts to comfort Anna were in vain.

            “You don’t understand.  My life was good and now it’s ruined.  It’s all her fault!”  Anna continued to scream as she stormed up the stairs.  She stomped down the hallway, past Shelby’s room, and into her own room.  Anna passed through her doorway and slammed the door immediately.

            Steam was erupting from Anna like a choo-choo train, and she decided it was best for her to simply go to bed.  Therefore, Anna brushed her teeth, put on her pajamas, and went to bed.  But she could not sleep, for as she lay down, evil thoughts raced through her head.  She imagined life without her “perfect” sister.  After all, Shelby was the perfect child.  She got straight A’s, helped with Sunday School, played three Varsity sports, and held a part-time job.  If there was a flaw, Anna sure couldn’t find it.  Maybe, Anna thought, I could cut off Shelby’s hair while she’s asleep.  That would show her.  Or, maybe Tommy will break up with her.  Then, her life wouldn’t be so perfect.  Similar thoughts filled Anna’s head as she drifted off to sleep.

            While sleep encompassed Anna, her sleep walking habit also went into effect.  Soon, she was thrust into her own world that existed solely in her sleep.  As she slid down the stair rail, Anna dreamt about her childhood.  She thought she was six again and sliding down a long, yellow slide.  She was monkey barring across the dining room and bounding back up the stairs to try the slide again.  After about four more times, the slide began to bore her.  She saw a swarm of bugs coming toward her.  In an effort to escape from them, she hid herself in what she thought was a porta potty but was in reality Shelby’s room.   In spite of her best efforts, some of the bugs still managed to come in.  She warded them off by grabbing her jacket and by cramming them into the sink.  Anna tried to hold them in tight, but they were fighting back hard.  Right as her grip loosened one of them escaped and…

             “AAAAHHHHHHHH!” Shelby screamed as if she were being murdered.  Startled, Anna awoke with a flash to her on top of Shelby with a blanket covering her mouth.  In Anna’s efforts to trap the bugs, she had instead been blocking Shelby’s passage of air.  Rather than move, Anna continued.  Ha-ha, she thought, maybe now I will be the best.  Maybe now Tommy will like me.  My life will be so much better now.  These thoughts swam through Anna’s mind as she continued to hold the pillow over Shelby’s mouth until it was done.  Shelby was no longer moving.  Her body had turned limp and the color that had flushed her skin before was but a memory.  As Anna walked back to her room, the realization of what just happened hit her.  But all she could feel was glee.  And as she set her head down upon her pillow, she thought one last time about Shelby.  None of it mattered anymore, because Anna was finally the best.  She had defeated Shelby and tomorrow everyone would know.

The New Kid          9-16-09

wiki 5 - Dont' see a posting for this week, Katrina. That was disappointing becuase you usually have interesting things to say.

Yeah it was disappointing for me too.  I meant to do it but it simply blew my mind.  I am not sure how I forgot but I did.

The Finish of Patsy Barnes          9-10-09

I really enjoyed this story.  I love when there are connections in the story to one of the character's past.  In this story it was between the horse Patsy rode and the horse that killed his father.  For me, these connections make the story more interesting and fun to read because it pulls me and causes me to think a little harder.  Also, I like the message, or what I took from the story.  It is a great showing of determination by the boy.  He did not steal or do something rash when he and his mother were in a bind.  I would have been extremely disappointed if the boy would have lost the race.

Antaeus          9-10-09

I know what it's like to be put in T.J.'s position. I have moved several times and always being the new kid is not always fun.  You have to leave everything you're familiar with and get thrown into a new situation.  You try to fit in and make new friends but sometimes it is hard.  I think T.J. adjusted well. He was confident and determined.  Although I can relate closely to T.J., this was not even close to my favorite story.  I know there is a point to every story but I did not find a strong one in this story. Also, I think it was sad that he ran off at the end of the story, and it did not seem to effect anyone's life. 

There Will Come Soft Rains          9-3-09

     3.  What sorts of things does Bradbury "leave to your imagination" in this story.. in other words, what sorts of things do you infer or sense go with the plot that are NOT directly stated?

      Bradbury leaves alot to the imagination.  He challenges the reader to create their own beginning to the story.  There is not much structure to it.  All the reader knows is that there are now no humans but there once were and that something burned.  I believe there was some way that radiation eliminated the humans.  I'm not sure where the charred marks and the outlines of where the people were came from.  It is quite depressing to think of a world with no humans where the house ran life.  It seems so strict, orderly, and boring.  There is no room for life or creativity.  A sense of individuality, which humans treasure so much, is now gone.

Usher II  9-3-09

How did it make you feel when at the end you had rooted for an "anti-hero" (Stendahl, the murderer) to succeed? How was Bradbury able to make you want to see him succeed?

     It was weird because until you mentioned the anti-hero, in class, I did not even realize I had rooted for Stendahl.  In fact, this happens to me alot.  When I am watching movies, especially war movies, I always root for the side that the movie is being told from.  Sometimes it's the Germans, other times the Japanese, and most the time the Americans.

     I am not creepy or psychotic but I wanted him to kill Bradbury.  Bradbury came across to me as a rather dumb, incompetent man.  He had little to no knowledge of Poe's previous works and seemed annoying.  Also, it helped that Stendahl was so crafty and clever. 

     This is slightly off topic but this is my favorite story we have read so far.  It had an edge of mystery and problem solving to it.  I enjoy when the author wants you to understand what is going on in the story but does not spell it out to you.

August 28th

First question; what is the main reason people have so much difficulty simply being HONEST or at least up front in dating situations?

     In my opinion, honesty is a big problem in most relationships.  It is hard for someone to be completely honest with another person.  People are always searching for reassurance or acceptance especially in their partner.  It is very easy to tell a "little white lie" in order to make someone like you more.  Also, on some more personal issues, it is hard to put yourself out there.  People don't want to be fragile or vulnerable so they hide behind little lies and keep their guard up at all times.  This is a way to protect themselves; however, in the end, it just ends up hurting most people.

August 28th

Would you consider what Mike did an act of deception? Is he lying or not?

     In a somewhat twisted way, I know that what Mike did is an act of deception and he is lying to his grandma.  However, I do not see it as entirely wrong.  He is following his mom's instructions of "going along with it" and "humoring her(the grandma)."  Some people may think he went too far with it but i do not believe that.  His grandmother is mentally ill and she is burdened by memories from the past.  I think he is only being a good grandson.  He wants her to be able to live the short rest of her life in peace.  She needs to make peace witht the events from the past because there is no way for her to change that.  She accomplishes that through Mike's act of deception.  Although it was a lie, I have a hard time of seeing it as a bad thing when it helped the grandma so much.

Good job on Wiki 2! I appreciated your frank opinions! Super job and great awareness of others in your answers. How's project #4 coming? 

August 21st

What parts of Updike's style did you like/dislike? Is this a "good" story?

     I like Updike's style of writing.  He captures the reader and he is very descriptive.  I like to be able to visualize the situation and feel like I am part of the story.  Also, his story shows how much people assume about you just by a glance.  It's not even a first impression.

       At first I did not like the story, I thought it was a stupid story with a pointless ending.  However, after we talked in class and you explained more of the deeper meaning to the story, I began to enjoy it.  It showed how the heroes have a harder time because they take a stand against injustice.  I am not great at seeing the deeper meaning on my own but once explained I can see how it is threaded throughout the short story.

August 18th

Finally, I am curious why you think he entitled it "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky"...and speaking of the Bride.. if she's important enough to be part of the title, why doesn't Crane even bother to tell us her name? Why do you think he chose to do that?! 

     I believe he entitled it "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" because that is where the story initially begins.  Also, the bride may not seem significant at first but the whole story revolves around her and her coming.  That is the reason why Jack Potter was not in town when Scratchy went on a a drunk rampage and also the reason why Scratchy did not shoot at Jack.  As far as why he chose not to tell the readers her name, I think he wants the readers to input some into his story.  He gives hints as to what kind of person she is but wants the reader to ultimately decide what they think she was before coming to Yellow Stone.  I like that because then the story seems more personal to me and I become more engaged in the story.

     Stephen Crane seems to enjoy using the contrast between what is expected and what actually happens.  When first starting the story, I would have never guessed that there would be a drunken man out shooting dogs or that Jack would come face to face with him at the end of the story.  Also, Scratchy just walking away from the fight was a surprise.  I enjoy them because they keep the reader on their toes.