Uprising vs. Rebellion

Upon watching the video and learning about L.A. in 1992, I now realize that the events in L.A. started out as an uprising but then became more of a riot due to the people that joined in and the chaos that emerged from this. I believe this started out as an uprising because there was injustice with the Rodney King decision, and the black race had a cause to uprise. Other races did join in because of the inequality at the time, but the main issue here was between black people and the cops. The riots turned into a crazed frenzy, which ultimately was not called for, and why I believe this has been coined the term a riot. Many people joined in on this chaos with no real cause except just for destruction. Overall, I don't think that either term if fully appropriate, but if anything this should be called an uprising due to the driving force behind why all of this started.

1992

Before seeing this documentary I knew very little about the riots in L.A.. The only thing that I can really recall is the Sublime song that talks about raiding the streets after police brutality on Rodney King. With this being said, I have found this documentary to be very powerful and informative so far. The scene of Rodney King getting beat up is very graphic but I feel that it is necessary for students to view this because it betters our understanding of why the riots happened in 1992. This really reminded me of If He Hollers Let Him Go because of the mistreatment of citizens due to racial discrimination. It is pretty sad to think that our nation and court systems did not provide justice in 1992. With that being said, even though we have a lot of progress to make,  I feel that if something like this happened in today's society there would be justice given.

Howl

This poem was pretty powerful for me because of the vivid imagery it portrays. It brings up the dregs of society but also the realness of society. Upon reading this, I got a pretty clear image of the streets of Brooklyn as well as other main cities that could be pretty similar. This poem highlights a lot of failed talent and aspirations that lurk in the streets of Brooklyn. One example of this is the line, "I saw some of the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness" (Ginsberg 2). This shows that ultimately it is the society at this time and location that gets to the minds of these intelligent people and acts as a poison. It finally ends with a solomon note that relates to the great Western frontier and the "tears" that are associated with this.

Implicit Bias

I thought this video was actually very interesting. Even though we may not think of ourselves to have bias in certain topics, the way that we are raised and the society around us shapes our ideas and our unconscious. 

The first test I took was the race test. I went into it knowing that I was not biased but for some reason the result came up as moderately biased. I now realized that my responses on this test reflect the my social life throughout the years and how I have been raised to consider different aspects of the media. The second test I took was the age test and this one said that I actually slightly favored old people when I thought I liked young people more. Once again, I feel that this was a reflection of the way I have been raised and the comfort that I associate with old people. 

Overall, I believe that this can relate to If He Hollers Let Him Go because even the people in society who were not blatantly racist at the time of the 1940's, they were influenced by media and their views were shaped uncontrollably by the harsh conditions of this time. When mass society is racist, it is hard to change one's views even if you don't explicitly agree.

If he hollers let him go

One aspect of these novel covers that hit me as soon as I saw them was the image with the black man and the white lady. Every one seems kind of mysterious and I think this does portray the time period because relationships between black men and white women were uncommon and frowned upon by many. This is a dark part of Californian history but it is essential to understand the covers of these novels to help paint a picture of what times were like back then. One novel that I liked was the one with the black man with his fists up. I believe that this shows him as a powerhouse, ready to fight against racism in society. This image is pretty powerful and shows the strength that African American people had back in this time period.

Noir

Before learning about this critical aspect of production throughout history, I had no concept of what noir was. That being said, most movies to this day have a lot of aspects of noir in them. For example, there are many cases of fem fatale in modern action movies as well as the "detective" figure who falls in love. I find this to be very interesting because you can see this concept outside of movies in videos, games, books, etc... Furthermore, it is fascinating how much a black and white movie can draw you in; it allows me to play closer attention to the plot and discover details that I would not consider in color. 
In our noir project, we used a couple critical themes. Our fem fatale figure was a "widow" (Karli) and we have the classic detective who is trying to solve the mystery of the murder. That being said, we brought in some modern aspects as well with a storyline based on a friend group.

Intensity on film

As soon as I saw this photo I thought of the lady's husband in the noir that got murdered in the passenger's seat of the car. This photo is pretty impactful for me because you can see the surprised look on this man's face before he got his throat slit. This looks straight out of a Hollywood film but is actually reality which can give you goosebumps. Furthermore, you can see the detective in the darkness behind the murder victim just speechless at this gruesome scene. Overall, it is evident that Hollywood films got a lot of their inspiration from real events that were happening in the area at the time. This is a scene of a classic hit on a man in a car and conveys many intense aspects of crime in this area.

Fallacies

This image impacts me because of how it represents a typical family at the time. Many people come to America in search for better opportunity but the fact was at the time that most American families were just scraping by and sometimes did not have enough to even feed a family. This really has an effect on me because I picture if my family was in a position like that and also consider my ancestors who were around at this time. This relates to a common theme in the Locust of expectations versus reality because of what people come to Hollywood for. One can dream but for every success comes another person's loss and the light can not only be shun upon success in this area. If a full understanding of Hollywood wants to be obtained, one must consider the losses as well.

Hollywood

The song "Into the Great Wide Open" is really interesting because of the aspects of the California Dream it conveys. For example, when Eddie gets on the bus he goes to Hollywood in search of opportunity like most people do. The future is wide open for him. He gets a girl there and learns how to play music, eventually becoming recognized. This is something that less people are able to accomplish but still a component of life for some in Hollywood. He eventually surpasses Van Halen on the charts, which would be hard to do at this time. The fame gets to his head and he is consumed by the fallacies of society in Hollywood. This causes him to drop in the charts and causes a relationship failure with the woman that actually means something to him. He ends up right back at the tattoo shop at the end as the result of Hollywood chewing him and spitting him back out.

This theme is something that is present in Day of the Locust because of the same location of Hollywood.  I feel that Todd shares some aspects of the experience that Eddie Rebel had in the video due to the life of Hollywood being filled with ups, downs, and curveballs. The pursuit of something that is hard to attain in a city that is full of falsely lead aspirations is something that is present in the video and the book.

My community

Sage Hill School can very well be defined as a tide pool. Each category of the school represents a different aspect of the tide pool. For example, freshman are the hermit crabs with how timid they are for the most part, besides a few brave hermit crabs. The predators would be considered the teachers by some, but I would call it the overall Sage curriculum. This tends to be hard and the productive and efficient students make it out alive while others are eaten up. The water in this tide pool would be the actual Sage Hill campus itself. It contains us and sometimes restrains us. I think the seniors are the fish that are swimming around because they have a way out soon when the tide comes up: in this case the end of senior year. 

One social group that I am apart of at Sage is the Ocean Club. In this club, I am the leader which is a very honorable thing for me. That being said, the group of people doesn't really even need a leader because we get along so well. The social structure centers around the ocean and we are all equal here. The ocean unites us and provides a backbone for this community.

Gotta get to the sea

Long drives on the road
But where do we go from here?
Just get to the sea

This haiku was influenced by my love for the ocean. It is something that is more powerful than any aspect of life for me. I fear it, I love it, and I am connected to it. California wouldn't be California without an ocean like this.

Layer's of California

When I think of the South land I think of the beautiful beaches of Southern Califonria. Since Southern California is very close to Mexico, I also think of the vibrant hispanic culture. In "Santa Ana of Grocery Carts", Girmay writes, "when we started, there were cousins & two parents,
now everything lost has been to you" (Girmay 28-29). This line stands out to me because of the way that the hispanic culture has been a minority in society and sometimes is segregated. That being said, I have a great appreciation for the Spanish culture and its influences in California.

The Heartland represents a vast history of California and stands as a frontier in my eyes. With its long ranges of corn rows and agricultural land, the heartland stands for the true "heart" of California. That being said, people in the heartland are often limited by the emptiness of the open land. For example, in "We in the Fields", Emerson writes that the workers are, "hopelessly longing to know the red beauty" (Emerson 13). In my perspective, this idea of the red beauty represents the horizon and the city life of other parts of California. This is something that people want to experience, and this often leaves this part of California forgotten.

The Bay Area is somewhere that I have visited a few times in my life. When I think of this area I consider the vast fog banks and vibrant city life of San Francisco. San Francisco is an area that is very influenced by Chinese culture. In the streets of China Town, this culture is very prominent and in Amy Tan's, "Fish Cheeks", she displays this influence. With many Chinese immigrants coming to the United States, a struggle emerged to preserve their culture while assimilating to the customs of the Untied States. Tan writes, "and even though I didn’t agree with her then, I knew that she understood how much I had suffered during the evening’s dinner" (Tan 1). This is a story of a Chinese girl finally appreciating her culture after being self conscious due to her feelings for a white man. Ultimately, this culture contributes to the diversity in this area and many other parts of California. 

Huntington Beach

People come to Huntington Beach for different reasons.
Some visit, some stay, and some are lost.
When the sun rises, some are quick to get up
Some are not.
People from all cultures hit the streets in the morning traffic haze.
It seems like everyone is going somewhere,
has something to do, in an endless cycle of routine.
When the afternoon arrives, the smell of dead skunk hits the neighborhoods.
All the kids smell like skunk now days.
Night arrives and emotion floods the street.
A street fair is set up down town.
Culture vibrates through the city as the night is woken up.
A girl rushes to a trash can after too much alcohol for the night.
She's 15 years old.
People walk by this girl, all by herself, but no one cares.
It's easy to make a mess in a city like this,
but hard to pick it up.



This poem was inspired by my experiences and what I have witnessed growing up in Huntington Beach. This is a beautiful city, but also a city with many dark aspects to it. It seems like the the preservation of innocence continues to be lost throughout time. I wanted to highlight this idea of the sunshine and the shadows of Huntington Beach.

Family of the Coast

This picture of my mom, sister, and me, is my California representation due to a few factors. First of all, my family is the most important thing for me and most of the members in it reside in California. Furthermore, the ocean represents a crucial part of California for me. Because of my love for surfing, I am attracted to many parts of California's coast. From San Diego to Santa Cruz, there are waves that break throughout the year and I like to drive to score the best conditions. Overall, two essential parts of California for me is family and the coast.

Nicaragua 2

I had plans to go to the village today and help with reconstruction but unfortunately the roads leading into it were closed due to heavy rain and floods right now. It feels like the rain won’t stop but hopefully there are some breaks in it so I can head over this week. That being said, I am setting out tomorrow on the main beach here to do a cleanup rain or shine. Due to the floods and rivers that have formed out of nowhere, a lot of garbage has washed up along the beach. Hopefully we can make some good progress tomorrow.

A drive through Nicaragua

I arrived in Nicaragua last night. We walked out of the airport and there was a distinct smell of a third world country. It’s not a bad smell, it was just familiar and brought back a sense of nostalgia for me after coming here four years ago. My uncle and I asked the taxi guys for a ride to the hotel. They all started laughing for some reason, and one taxi guy says it is close and he will take us there for five dollars. It turned out the hotel was directly accross the street from the airport, about twenty steps away. That’s when we understood what they were all laughing about.
I woke up this morning to get ready for the car ride to Playa Iguanas. This is where I am currently staying. This car ride was nothing like I’ve ever seen before. We set out on the main rode and immediately there were students and workers protesting on the streets with large blockades.  I asked the driver what it was all about and he told me that the students hate the president of Nicaragua. He dropped their pensions a little while back and huge riots emerged. A little over two weeks ago 608 people were killed by police in a tragic incident. He said the president restored their pensions but it was not enough because many people died already. All they want now is for the president to step down from office. The government can’t do anything about the road blocks because protestors set them up all trhoughout Nicaragua in all the main roads. The protestors have certain times where they set them up and most of the citicens are ok with it because they don’t like the president either. That being said, they let tourists through because they realize this is something that can’t be stopped and is good for the economy. Our van got stopped by a young man in a ski mask. He opened the door and looked inside, then shut it and told us we could go through. This was a little different than a drive through Newport.
The car ride continued. It’s pretty crazy all of the things you can see on a road through Nicaragua. We drove past pueblos (villages) and saw little children sleeping in baskets on the side of the street. It was shocking for me to realize that these children have nothing in life. A little farther down the way I saw a man that appeared to be jacking off on the side of the road.. Little kids walked by him and seemed to walk past it like it was a common occurence. The worst thing was that there were no police or anyone  around who cared to stop him. I know this is a little intense to read but this is the state of poverty that a lot of these villages are in.
This car ride gave me a new perspective on a lot of aspects in my life. I know that change is slow, always has been, and always will be, but I think more people need to be aware of what is actually going on in this part of the world and a lot of other parts like it. This gives me a new appreciation for the life that I live.

Flash Cultura

About three years ago I went to my friend Jack's house for a dinner with his family. Jack and his family moved to America from China so they welcomed me with a traditional Chinese dinner. This was really new to me because I had never even known their were different dinner customs than the ones associated with my family. We started out with funny looking cups and appetizers and they had this small circular table so everyone was squished together. Even though I felt a little awkward trying to use chopsticks to pick up grains of rice I ended up really liking all of the foods that I had never tried before. Though this was very foreign to me, it really made me appreciate the way that other cultures have their own idiosyncrasies. This experience made me realize that there are so many styles of food and family life in the world and that I should be open to trying new things.

My name

Though it would seem like the name Gregory has been passed down through centuries in a family, it was pretty much chosen at random for me. My parents were originally going to name me Gavin up until a couple days before my birth when they heard the singer Gregory Isaacs come on the radio. After discussing this topic, they determined that Gregory is a better fit. I think that my name fits me because it is not the most common name in the world which makes me unique. One of my favorite big wave surfers is also named Greg so this makes me feel connected to the waves when I am in the ocean. I have watched him on television since I was very young and this provides me with a positive view on my name. In this way, I have felt like I have carried on a legacy with the name Greg every time I get in the water. I have not encountered any problems with my name, however, I prefer being called Greg instead of Gregory because it is easier to say and just sounds better in my opinion. If I had the decision, I would not change my name because the name Greg reflects a unique and positive individual.

Progression

Coming into sophomore year, I was a little unprepared for the focus that I needed to put into english. I soon realized I had to dedicate more time and effort to my studies when I saw that my grades were suffering due to lack of preparation. That being said, I think I have made some good progress this year. I am learning how to incorporate the different aspects that are very essential in an essay such as developing a clear-cut thesis statement and textual evidence, supported by analysis to argue a point. Another major growth of mine has been participation in class. In August, I found myself nervous and sometimes doubtful when it came to sharing my opinions. Now, however, I feel much more comfortable due to the positive atmosphere created by the people around me.
Though I feel like I have made some solid progress this year, there are also different things that I can improve on. First, I think I can do a better job of trying to analyze a piece of literature and find the deeper meaning behind the text itself. I also could improve upon creating more detailed thesis statements. I think that my thesis statements have improved a lot from the beginning of the year, but there is still room to improve as far as incorporating all of the components needed. Lastly, I would like to be better prepared for in class essays, as I have struggled a little bit with my past two. My ultimate goal for this semester is to be able to get an A and I think that I can do this by working on paying attention to detail. Overall, this has been a great year and I look forward to improving my writing skills throughout the rest of the school year.

Censorship

While reading Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress,  I noticed that the Communist belief system in China at the time placed a big emphasis on banning certain books that were influenced by Western society. I understand how the motive of this is to get people to cooperate with what is being enforced by only teaching them one thing, however, I do not agree with this ideology. Without reading different perspectives and topics within literature, it is easy to be close-minded. Taking away specific forms of literature in society is an act of stopping people from becoming globally aware. In Balzac, I could relate to the narrator's curiosity about other forms of literature outside of the Communist restrictions. That being said, I was shocked when I saw that the Bible was being challenged as a banned book. People should be able to practice their religion freely and in banning this type of literature, it is an act of discrimination upon a certain group of people within society. I also believe that banning certain types of books creates negative views on the beliefs that the books represent As I touch the coarse cover of a new book, I am overwhelmed with the crave to gain knowledge. I think that everyone should be able to experience this sensation and read whatever they please.