Topics?

I never thought that it would be so difficult to find a junior theme topic that I not only was passionate about, but that also fit the correct criteria. The first road block is that every student must have a why question. I know I speak for all inquisitive words when I say, "who, what where when must be very offended." So many of my amazing questions where not started off with the word why. However, its not a problem that an accomplished, crafty and dashing writer like me cant get over. The funs not over yet though. Now the author of the junior theme must make sure that his/her question and thesis are not bias so that they do not wrongfully lead the reader into their opinionated death traps. Nevertheless, the main issue that I am dealing with is that even if I know that I have a good why question that is un-bias, I still don't know if my topic is perfect. Every student at new trier knows how important the junior theme is, so what could possibly be scarier than writing an entire paper on the wrong topic (That just sent chills up everyone who is reading this blogs spin didn't it?) So as you can probably tell, I have many concerns regarding the junior theme, so if anyone would like to give me a few pointers or any help at all it would be greatly appreciated.

Cropping photograph/Jesus parralel

Our discussion today in class about the cropping of the picture in "Soiling of Old Glory" really intrigued me. One might think the the simple act of cutting out a section of a photograph would be such an insignificant act that no one would care. However, the amputation the photograph went threw stirred up a heated discussion that nearly the entire class participated in. Was the photographer honest in cropping the photo or was he pulling a fast one on the American people and not telling the whole story. I personally believe that the photograph is the property of Stanly Foreman (the photographer) and if he decided that cropping the photograph was the best way to express himself through his art, than he has every right to do so. Nevertheless, by far the most interesting part of the discussion was when we took a closer look at the stance of the man being assaulted by the stars and stripes. He was hunched over with his arms up, his left leg was bent, and he was being stabbed. Obviously, this is shockingly similar to the sight of Jesus on the cross. thought that something like that can be caught on film, thus becoming immortal sends chills through my spin. At first I didn't think much of it, but throughout the day the image of that man being assaulted with the symbol of our great nation kept popping back into my head. Evantualy I came to the realization that not only did the man have a shocking resemblance to Jesus, but he had a similar dilemma. Christians believe that Jesus died for our sins, thus sacrificing himself for the good of his people. In a way the man in the photo is a sacrifice too. After this photo hit the news tands there was an uproar in the black community and many white people were coming to the conclusion that this violence against african americans has gotten out of control. Im not saying that what happened was good in any way shape or form. It is just a very peculiar parralel.

Your Welcome America

Over the weekend HBO had a special live showing of Will Ferrel's smash hit Broadway show in titled "Your Welcome America A Final Night With George W. Bush." The comedic icon plays the former president George W. Bush. Anyone who has a sense of humor and watches SNL knows the hilarious Bush impression that Ferrel does. Ferrel's impression might not be as spot on as the so called funny man frank caliendo (hes not funny). However, the "Anchorman" star puts his own little spin on the ex commander and chief that is utterly irresistible. He creates this character in Bush that enables the audience to see him as this over privileged dim wit who always has a good time due to some form of blind confidence. Complete with the Texas accent and infamous glare Ferrel's Bush is so funny that it is difficult to know where will Ferrel ends and George Bush begins. I enjoyed this progrom not only because I am a huge fan of the comedian, but also because it gives me faith in America. Many people take for granted all of the freedoms we have concerning free speech. A person could not get away with making fun of a government official on this grand a scale in some other countries. So I know this is a tough time for many Americans, but just keep solace in the fact that we are still allowed to enjoy great shows like "Your Welcome America."     

Rushmore

Last week when I was home sick I watched one of my all time favorite movies, Director Wes Anderson's "Rushmore." Wes Anderson has made other great movies like "The Royal Tenenbaums" "Bottle Rocket" and "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." Obviously, this was not my first time watching Rushmore, so to say that I enjoyed watching the film even more this time would be a lie. However, on this certain day I was able to view the film on a completely different level, due to something I read on the inside of the DVD case. While I was perusing the inside of the case I came across a little bit of literature on the making of "Rushmore." The significance of the literature was that it draws a direct connection from "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to "Rushmore."
This is what I found and I hope that whoever reads this blog will feel the urge to rent Rushmore not only because it is a hilarious movie, but also because of what it means in regards to Huckleberry Finn.
"The title of Wes Anderson's Rushmore refers to the ivy-covered prep school attended by the films central character, Max Fisher [Jason Schwartzman]. Max, with his bushy eyebrows and imposing glasses , loves his school beyond reason and is Rushmore's number one go-getter-editor of the school paper, president of the French club, organizer of the calligraphic society, proud member of the wrestling team. He is also, as the headmaster notes, "one of the worst students we've got." In his eagerness to succeed, Max is failing. It is his one character flaw, and the organizing principle of a profoundly American comedy in the direct tradition of Huckleberry Finn.
Mark Twain used his adolescent hero to provide an outsider’s viewpoint on a rapidly stratifying American society, a republican dream pulling apart into divisions of age, income and race. Rushmore is also about class divisions—Max, the son of the local barber (Seymour Cassel), is attending the exclusive school on a scholarship—but Anderson and co-writer Owen Wilson, more wishful thinkers than Twain, use comedy to imagine the healing of those divisions, the reweaving of relationships across the lines of class and generation.

Your own raft

In Huckleberry, Mark Twains rights about the raft that Jim and Huck share as this Utopia where everything is at peace and life is great. Life on land is chaotic and perplexing, but on the raft, floating down the river everything makes sense. I found this very interesting because it got me to thinking that pretty much everybody has their own place much like the raft. A place where somebody can just be theirself and calm everything down for a while. As teenagers, many things get us flustered, so it is important to have such a place. For me, there is nothing better than sitting in my room, listening to music, starring at the posters on my wall and reflecting on my past 24 hours. Plastered all over the walls of my room is album artwork and posters of my favorite bands. Perhaps Huck wouldn't like Foo Fighters if he were around today, but I can guess that being in nature is just as calming for Huck as being in my room is for me.

Home Alone...... with my parents

Today during dinner tonight my mother pointed something out that gave me a deep chill throughout my whole body. She said that my brother Quinn was going to be gone pretty soon and I better get used to the idea of being the only kid in the house. I grew up with three very loud and very rambunctious older brothers who always made it easy for me to go along unbothered because my parents were busy worrying about them. However, now that I am the only child left in our house I know that I will get more unearned attention than Paris Hilton. Every little thing I will do will be the story of the week and I will have a catastrophic overflow of questions on a daily basis. Im not saying that I don't love my parents but like most teenagers I can get very grouchy and if on one of these bad days I don't feel like answering any questions and my folks poke the bear, I don't know what's gonna happen. I hope that I am making mountains out of mole hills and I guess there will be no way of knowing what it will be like until my bro Quinn leaves in the fall. I just hope that I will learn to embrace all of the attention and that my parents will figure out that sometimes teenagers just need to be silent.      

ACT; Absolutely Can't Take it

There is not a single person on the face of the earth who enjoys taking standardized tests. The uneasy sleep the night before, the constant anxiety over not finishing a section in time and the hand cramps from filling in bubble after bubble. There is nothing positive about the experience until eight weeks later when you find out the results (granted that your results are something to feel positive about) and by that time the ordeal has been wiped from your memory as if you witnessed a horrific car accident so your brain just deletes it from the desktop or your mind. I'm saying all of this because on Saturday I was lucky enough to be able to drive down to ETHS and take the ACT. Fortunately I was not the only one who is lazy and didn't sign up fast enough to take the test at New Trier, so there were quite a few Trevians in Wildkit territory. However, the night before when I thought I was to be the only one in E-Town, the thought of being alone in a school that I am not accustomed to just added to my stress that I would get a low score. I have always been an over thinker and that translates to a poor test taker. I read the questions to many times and the passages to slow, and I second guess myself more than Elliot Reed. Therefore, whenever it is time for good ole Zack-e-boy to take an important test I am always less than thrilled. I don't like the idea that a large part of the descision that goes into whether or not a person gets into the college they want on based on one day of testing. There are so many brilliant kids out there who get great grades, but don't do as well on the ACT and SAT as kids who pull in C's and B's because they are lazy. I guess what I am trying to say is that I know the system sucks, but we all have to accept it because it's not going to change any time soon. So what if your ACT score is not the best. If you work hard you will end up in the right college.