The Importance of Scholarships

Scholarships are very important, yet also diverse. There are many different kinds of scholarships to help students get into schools, such as college. Although this is their most popular use, scholarships are important for other reasons. Scholarships can increase a schools' diversity. If students who have special abilities or features all apply for a scholarship to a college, the campus will be made up of a variety of students. A colleges' popularity can increase as well. If there is an interesting scholarship that many people like and want to apply for, that college will get more publicity. Also, a colleges income could increase. Students are generally more inclined to apply to a college that offers them money, rather than paying for all expenses themselves. Because of this, more students will enroll into a school that offers scholarships, increasing the amount of money that school gets over all.

Admission Requirements

There are several things that I still need to do for acceptance into the collages I want to apply to.
1. Finish High School
2. Take the SAT and ACT
3. Get more letters of recommendation
4. Raise my GPA and Rank
5. Apply to the collages
I will have all of these tasks completed by 2016 graduation of next year.
Academically, I am where I need to be, but I would like to be a little higher.
These collages may be the ones for me, but I will not really know until I determine what I want to do with the rest of my life.

I college worth it in the U.S.?

A college degree is very important today in society. Jobs are really only given to those with the most degrees and college experience. I, personally, am interested in building a career for my self, and having a job that I want. It is going to be very hard to do that if I do not go to college and gain the experience. It is true that college generally takes a lot of time, effort, and money but that is what will be expected of you at a good job. It is definitely worth it to invest all of one's resources because college plays a HUGE role in one's life. I think that it would be much better if jobs took those with the most experience on the particular job, rather than the person with the best degree. 

The other country I chose to study was Australia, and their school system is very similar to ours in the U.S. The opportunities are not much different, and the schools seem to teach the same material. The only notably different aspect about the schools and their grade levels is that they are called by different names. other than that the opportunities are fairly similar.

Spring Break Plans

For Spring Break, I plan on spending a lot of time working on the One Act Play production for competition, and do homework. I may see my grandparents, but that is pretty much it. I an probably going to try and hang out with Jordan Barnes if her schedule ever opens up. On breaks like these, I really just enjoy sleeping. I will also catch up on some shows that I have fallen behind on, and watch a lot of movies.

More Dead Poet Society Question Answers...

1. The most influential leader I have ever had was God. He had such an influence on me, because it is because of him that I am alive, and I base my whole life on him.

2. I think that John meant that we read poetry because we feel something inside of us. I do agree with him, that we all read poetry because we have emotional connections to what is being said, not necessarily because it is cute.

3. I do agree with Keating’s second quote, that in order to understand something (especially from someone else) we have to see from their perspective.

4. I think that professor Keating told his students to “contribute a verse,” because he wanted them to find a life motto on their own. He means for the boys to all contribute a line about what life means. I think that my ‘verse’ to the world is “let everything you do be for the glory of God.”

More Dead Poet Society Question Answers

1.  I do think that Neil would have committed suicide whether or not Mr. Keating was his teacher, because either way, he would have stumbled  upon the flyer for the play and gone through with it. It was essentially the conflict the play created that led to Neil’s death, not Mr. Keating’s teaching style. However, Neil might not have chosen to do the play if he had not been given the courage to do so, and what helped him was “Carpe Diem.” “Carpe Diem” was one of the main themes of the movie.

2. I think the bravest of all the dead poets was Todd, because he had been living his whole life in the shadows and unnoticed, so he grew very nervous and frightful when any attention was called on him. Then, in the last scene of the movie, he stood up on the desk to show Mr. Keating that he did learn from him about life, and that the paper the boys signed was false. Even though he stood up too late to save his teacher, he stood up in time to save himself. The coward was Neil, because he decided to not face his problems and just end his life, taking the ‘easy way out.’ A coward runs and hides, but a brave person faces his fear head on, and changes his life himself.

3. When I was watching the movie, I actually thought that Neil had found the poetry book when he found Mr. Keating’s yearbook, and decided to use it during the “Dead Poet’s Society” meetings. I do not think that Mr. Keating would look back on that time (when he had already told Neil to burn his yearbook) of adolescence, sneaked into one of the boys’ dorm rooms, and left them a little ‘gift.’ Also, at the end of the movie, after Neil’s death, Mr Keating was looking at the poetry book found in Neil’s desk, and seemed to be surprised and reminiscing.

200 words plus

In the Dead Poet’s Society there are several challenges shown throughout the course of the movie. I think that the obvious theme of the movie is to beware of conforming, and be your own person. A few characters who helped illustrate this main point include Mr. Keating, Neil Perry, Todd Anderson, and Charlie (Nwanda) Dalton. Mr. Keating wanted his students to know that life was more than just getting an education and pursuing a career that made them successful and gave them money. Life is about so much more, and he wanted his students to understand that. He also wanted them to appreciate poetry (which was appropriate considering that he was the poetry teacher) but he did it in a very unique way. One of the activities that he had his students do was to walk around a courtyard, but to their own step. He was showing them that when they write and read poetry, it means something special to them, and it should be unique. He also wanted them to learn that in life, sometimes you have to be your own person, and not conform. Neil Perry’s story is very tragic, and can leave a lasting impact. His passion was acting, but his father felt that if his son pursued that passion he would be throwing his life away, so he told him that he was sending Neil to military school. Neil was so grief stricken, and he thought that the only way out of his future life of torture was death. He was so afraid to conform to his father’s ideas of his future that it literally killed him. Todd was my favorite character and, I think, the most influential. He stood up for what was right, even though it scared him to death (figuratively). Charlie was also afraid of conforming, but not to the detrimental extreme of Neil’s fear. He just wanted to make sure that he was uniquely different, which is one of the reasons why he ‘changed his name’ to Nwanda.  

Post-Viewing Activities: Follow Up Character Questions

1. I think that the character Todd changed and developed the most in this film, because at the beginning he was very shy and reserved and towards the end, he took a big stand for his teacher. At first, he did not want to hang out with Neil and the rest of the boys in the group, but they roped him in anyways. Then, he was so scared of reading poetry out loud, that he refused to do so in the Dead Poet's Society meetings, and even neglected an assignment in order to get out of reading poetry. However, his teacher, Mr. Keating, had Todd come up with a poem in the spot, which started his 'coming out of his shell,' and the love that he had for his teacher. Also, Neil's suicide made Todd want to do the right thing more than ever, because he knew the real reason for his friend and roommates death.

2. One of the static characters is the boy's principal, because he is just as intent on controlling the boys and what they learned in the end of the movie as he is during the beginning. Another static character is Neil's father, because he did not accept the fact that it was his decisions which made his "precious son" kill himself, he placed the blame on Mr. Keating, the different teacher. He never owned up to what his actions meant to his son, and thought the same way as he had before.

3. Mr. Keating is the kind of character that makes the people around him want more for their lives. He encouraged his students to not necessarily resist conformity, but find what 'they' wanted to do in life. He wanted the best for his students and thought it necessary that all of the boys learn what made each of them happy, and wanted them to find out their own meaning to life. I think that he might have been slightly changed by Neil's suicide and what people will do in order to place blame they feel they do not deserve.

4. Todd Anderson overcame his fear of being noticed and the center of attention. He was uncomfortable when a teacher asked a question for fear of getting it wrong, and being ostracized. Due to several events described in the previous questions, he was able to break out of his shell, and stand up for what was right.
Neil Perry's fear was that he would go through his whole life doing something that made him unhappy, just because that is what his father wanted him to do. Unfortunately, he did not overcome his fear, because he thought he could escape his looming fate by committing suicide, which not be the conclusion or resolution to anything.
Knox Overstreet's fear was that he would let the girl of his dreams that he knew would make him happy get away from him just because she was dating another guy at the time. The movie really ended his conflict when Neil killed himself, but I think that they might actually have had a relationship after the play.
Charlie (Nwanda) Dalton's fear was that he would conform, and become like everyone else. He, I think, realized towards the end to the movie, that standing up for what you believe in and being stupid about it is a line which he crossed.

Two Questions

1. Discuss the role(s) of women in the 1950s as portrayed in the movie. How are they different from the view of Katherine Watson?

Women in the 1950's were very domestic and submissive. If a woman was not married by the time she was out of college, then she was considered to be an old maid. They were supposed to cook and clean and take care of the children, and make sure their husband had all that he needed. And divorce was out of the question. Even if your husband beat you, you still stayed with him. People would look down on women in society who were in their thirties and not married, and those who had been divorced. Katherine Watson thought how many women think today. How people are people, and women can take care of themselves. She did not think that marriage was bad, but at such an early age and for the wrong reasons, she opposed it. 

1. Katherine Watson was said to be "subversive". What is your understanding of this term?

My understanding of the word "subversive" is trying to get rid of a disagreeable system or leadership, and change it to your own idea of what it should be. In this case, Katherine Watson was trying to make her authority and students understand the true roles of women. She successfully was able to make the girls understand her passion, but not the board of the school. 

Facts vs progressive teaching

Catherine was a "progressive" teacher, and taught outside of the box. At first, her students did not accept her style, because they had always been taught the facts. They memorized all of the information in the syllabus before the class even started, so that the teacher did not have to teach them anything, and they could go to "independent study." However, their plan backfired, because Catherine used their advanced knowledge in her teaching. She pushed the girls to write better papers, and even gave second chances when they did not expect it. Facts can be retained, but I have always remembered information when an eventful memory is associated with it. When the teacher uses activities and interesting class discussions to teach the information, like Catherine did, I always remember the material more solidly, rather than memorizing blunt facts.

Best Theme

I think that the best theme in the movie, "Mona Lisa Smile," was that being empowered and your own person and not conforming to social ideals is important. However, that best part about that theme was that being intelligent and one's own person does not mean that you have to stray from the normal. If what makes you happy and fulfilled is actually doing what you were raised to do, then the more power to you.

Mona Lisa Smile Prediction

I see this movie, Mona Lisa Smile, being about a teacher who wants to empower young girls to have dreams and live up to the. Not just get their MRS degree. The students will not agree with the teacher's views at first, because all they have known is to get married, not make a career and a livelihood for themselves. Society back then was telling young girls to get married, and their teacher wanted to teach at that school to show the girls what they were missing. Then, some of the girls start to take some of their teachers advice, and thank her for it. I think that this story is not just about women's role in society, but about the character's different perspectives on life.

Test Upgrade

In High School, tests can usually be studied for the night before, or the day of, and a student can still receive a good grade. Cramming for a test or a quiz and making A's is a commonly known tactic in High School, yet things change in college. Normally, if your professor holds an exam, and you don't know the information the week of, you are in big trouble.Knowing the information way beforehand is the key to success in college. Then again, each professor is different, but the mentality of having to study almost every day is a good one. High School testing is easiest for several reasons. For example, reviews are often given, time before class to study is given, and one-on-one time can be made with the teacher, unlike in college. Organization, and section studying is a good way to learn information in both High School and College.