Collage project:
Educational Autobiography:
Ellie Duke
Jan. 7. 2014
Period 3-4
Educational Autobiography
Elementary school was a very positive time for me. Although I don’t remember much, there are small distinctions that take me back to those days. In fact, a song that I hear often that reminds me of my years in Elementary school is “Scar Tissue-Red Hot Chili Peppers.” This song represents all of those years in my opinion because not only did I listen to the song a lot, but just the easy going tune was who I was. Not to mention, lot’s of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s songs are that way and I consider that to be an attribute of myself back at the time.
Middle School was full of emotion, drama, and expectations. I struggled immensely during all three years. A song that best portrays my feelings and who I was in middle school would have to be “Pursuit of Happiness-Kid Cudi.” Once again, I did listen to this song a lot but beyond that, it got me through the dreaded middle school. The chorus line being, “I’m on the pursuit of happiness,” it made me happy. Because I was so displeased and bullied those three years, this song reminded me to remain happy in all circumstances and always look at the pros to life.
In Highschool, I feel as though I finally reached my peak and I was on track with who I was and where I was. A song I think best displays my emotions and stability so far this high school career would be, “All About That Bass- Meghan Trainor.” Although I don’t listen to that song often or at all for that matter, I think that it’s main message is to be confident in yourself. Coming to Animas High School, I feel that I’ve broken out of my shell and I’m happy to be who I am and I’m happy with where I am right now in life.
Jan. 7. 2014
Period 3-4
Educational Autobiography
Elementary school was a very positive time for me. Although I don’t remember much, there are small distinctions that take me back to those days. In fact, a song that I hear often that reminds me of my years in Elementary school is “Scar Tissue-Red Hot Chili Peppers.” This song represents all of those years in my opinion because not only did I listen to the song a lot, but just the easy going tune was who I was. Not to mention, lot’s of Red Hot Chili Pepper’s songs are that way and I consider that to be an attribute of myself back at the time.
Middle School was full of emotion, drama, and expectations. I struggled immensely during all three years. A song that best portrays my feelings and who I was in middle school would have to be “Pursuit of Happiness-Kid Cudi.” Once again, I did listen to this song a lot but beyond that, it got me through the dreaded middle school. The chorus line being, “I’m on the pursuit of happiness,” it made me happy. Because I was so displeased and bullied those three years, this song reminded me to remain happy in all circumstances and always look at the pros to life.
In Highschool, I feel as though I finally reached my peak and I was on track with who I was and where I was. A song I think best displays my emotions and stability so far this high school career would be, “All About That Bass- Meghan Trainor.” Although I don’t listen to that song often or at all for that matter, I think that it’s main message is to be confident in yourself. Coming to Animas High School, I feel that I’ve broken out of my shell and I’m happy to be who I am and I’m happy with where I am right now in life.
Creative historians Project
During this project, our class read two books: All Quiet on the Western Front and Slaughterhouse5. Also, we wrote a 3-5 page short story but I did not participate in that. For each book we read, we had a socratic seminar in regards to our feeling and perspectives of the book. Below are my seminar reflections for both books.
All quiet on the western front seminar reflection:
Ellie Duke
Humanities
Sellers
September 11, 2014
Seminar Reflection
In my opinion, the first seminar of the year was a success. There were tons of valid points being discussed and I learned a lot of other information and connections I didn’t know I had before the discussion.
Two ideas in particular that I had the largest reaction to was the idea that Paul learned the truth of war after killing the French soldier and the idea that this book is or isn’t an anti-war novel. The truth of war that Paul experiences in chapter 9 is both saddening and filled with horror. He had been so immune to what he was doing this entire time until now. When we decide whether or not this is an anti-war novel, we had to discuss what the author was trying to array in the book. For many of us, we thought of Paul as the author and all of the author’s thoughts translate back into Pauls head. Both of these thoughts added to my knowledge of WW1 because I was able to see this book through the eyes of someone else and understand on a deeper level what happened in WW1 now.
A major question that was brought up in the seminar yesterday that stood out to me was, “In chapter 2, why do the men react so strongly to the deaths of the horses, and ignore the deaths of men? What does this say to you about the effects of war?” In my opinion, I think that many of the soldiers share the same backgrounds. Some of them came from cities, some from small towns, and some from big farms. Hearing the sound of wounded animals might take the past farmer’s minds back to their past life. They might remember their farms, their animals, and even more importantly: their families. In general, all of the soldiers feel a guilt because the horses had nothing to do with the war. They were forced there to help soldiers and then immediately be killed. The horses were filled with confusion. Just reading about this wrenches at my heart because I have a love for all animals and to hear about the suffering and pain they all went through is difficult for me and clearly many more people.
In my seminar group, we discussed the connections of the soldiers with people we see today. In WW1, it was evident that the soldiers didn’t know exactly why they were fighting. They were told many bias facts and they never heard the other side of the story. Just like these soldiers, I connected them with the people of North Korea. In North Korea, they are almost brainwashed. They all look up to the “wonderful leader,” as if he is a god. They’ve all developed a hate for the United States of America but they don’t know why. There are plenty of other examples that back up this idea of biases, but that was just one that we connected to the book.
In chapter 9, a scene takes place where Paul kills a French Soldier. The book focuses on Paul’s thoughts but does not focus on Gerard’s. From my viewpoint, I feel that the soldier is seeing his life flash in front of him. He forgets all about the sharp pain in his lower abdomen and remembers when he was back at home. He remembers his daughters voice and the way she smiled at him. He remembers his beautiful wife who he’s always loved and how many moments they’ve shared. Just like Paul, I assume he comes to the realization as well. The truth of war. He’s never experienced what it’s like to be in this position. Gerard thinks of the thousands of soldiers before him. He realizes that war is horrific, but for now, all he can do is wait for blackness to conceal his mind.
In conclusion, this seminar has been far more outstanding than any other I’ve been apart of in the past. I can’t wait to see what discussions the rest of the year will bring to us.
Humanities
Sellers
September 11, 2014
Seminar Reflection
In my opinion, the first seminar of the year was a success. There were tons of valid points being discussed and I learned a lot of other information and connections I didn’t know I had before the discussion.
Two ideas in particular that I had the largest reaction to was the idea that Paul learned the truth of war after killing the French soldier and the idea that this book is or isn’t an anti-war novel. The truth of war that Paul experiences in chapter 9 is both saddening and filled with horror. He had been so immune to what he was doing this entire time until now. When we decide whether or not this is an anti-war novel, we had to discuss what the author was trying to array in the book. For many of us, we thought of Paul as the author and all of the author’s thoughts translate back into Pauls head. Both of these thoughts added to my knowledge of WW1 because I was able to see this book through the eyes of someone else and understand on a deeper level what happened in WW1 now.
A major question that was brought up in the seminar yesterday that stood out to me was, “In chapter 2, why do the men react so strongly to the deaths of the horses, and ignore the deaths of men? What does this say to you about the effects of war?” In my opinion, I think that many of the soldiers share the same backgrounds. Some of them came from cities, some from small towns, and some from big farms. Hearing the sound of wounded animals might take the past farmer’s minds back to their past life. They might remember their farms, their animals, and even more importantly: their families. In general, all of the soldiers feel a guilt because the horses had nothing to do with the war. They were forced there to help soldiers and then immediately be killed. The horses were filled with confusion. Just reading about this wrenches at my heart because I have a love for all animals and to hear about the suffering and pain they all went through is difficult for me and clearly many more people.
In my seminar group, we discussed the connections of the soldiers with people we see today. In WW1, it was evident that the soldiers didn’t know exactly why they were fighting. They were told many bias facts and they never heard the other side of the story. Just like these soldiers, I connected them with the people of North Korea. In North Korea, they are almost brainwashed. They all look up to the “wonderful leader,” as if he is a god. They’ve all developed a hate for the United States of America but they don’t know why. There are plenty of other examples that back up this idea of biases, but that was just one that we connected to the book.
In chapter 9, a scene takes place where Paul kills a French Soldier. The book focuses on Paul’s thoughts but does not focus on Gerard’s. From my viewpoint, I feel that the soldier is seeing his life flash in front of him. He forgets all about the sharp pain in his lower abdomen and remembers when he was back at home. He remembers his daughters voice and the way she smiled at him. He remembers his beautiful wife who he’s always loved and how many moments they’ve shared. Just like Paul, I assume he comes to the realization as well. The truth of war. He’s never experienced what it’s like to be in this position. Gerard thinks of the thousands of soldiers before him. He realizes that war is horrific, but for now, all he can do is wait for blackness to conceal his mind.
In conclusion, this seminar has been far more outstanding than any other I’ve been apart of in the past. I can’t wait to see what discussions the rest of the year will bring to us.
SlaughterHouse5 Seminar reflection:
Ellie Duke
10/3/14
Sellers
Seminar Reflection: Slaughterhouse Five
The slaughterhouse five seminar yesterday was both very opinionated and extensive. One idea that we discussed for quite some time was whether or not Kurt Vonnegut had intended on this book being an anti-war novel. Some said it was and some said it wasn’t. In my opinion, I feel that it was an anti-war novel because everything that happened was so unfortunate and there wasn’t many positive moments that were covered. Another idea we discussed was whether or not this book had changed your views on war. For most of us, it had because we all agreed that the book was so devastating and the truth of war is evil. I for one, still believe that war is horrific after reading this novel. Overall, there were many great ideas that we gave and received from each other.
In my opinion, I feel that our seminar yesterday was very smooth and in depth with the context. One question that we asked ourselves was “Did Billy really get kidnapped by aliens and travel in time?” Many people said he did but I disagree. I believe that it was all in his head. Along with the PTSD, he had many side effects and I think this happened to be one of them. He used the ‘T people’ to allow him to escape from his past and keep moving forward. Because Billy had an incredibly miserable life for the most part, the past is haunting him everyday and it’s his imagination that allows him to avoid breaking down. Although the seminar went well, I feel like I didn’t push myself to speak and make connections to the text.
I can connect the book to a poster designed by artist, Joe Simboli, made in 1968. On this poster, it shows how the countries combined kill peace. All of their efforts to ‘saving their country’ demolishes world. This connects to the book because this is an anti-war poster and the book is as well. It shows the effects that war has and how negative they can be. In the picture, it shows how the countries all form a noose that is choking a dove. In other words, the countries are killing off world peace and creating even bigger problems.
The book, Slaughterhouse Five, connects with All Quiet on the Western Front because both are describing the common effects war has on a soldier. For example, PTSD was talked about in both books. Many of the soldiers were miserable and in fear of death everyday. But, as you proceeded through both of the books, the soldiers changed and decided that death was better than what they were dealing with on a daily basis. I think of both as anti-war novels because they both don’t emphasize the positive attributes that was provides, but only the negative ones. Overall, both books are very similar as they are both anti-war novels in my mind.
10/3/14
Sellers
Seminar Reflection: Slaughterhouse Five
The slaughterhouse five seminar yesterday was both very opinionated and extensive. One idea that we discussed for quite some time was whether or not Kurt Vonnegut had intended on this book being an anti-war novel. Some said it was and some said it wasn’t. In my opinion, I feel that it was an anti-war novel because everything that happened was so unfortunate and there wasn’t many positive moments that were covered. Another idea we discussed was whether or not this book had changed your views on war. For most of us, it had because we all agreed that the book was so devastating and the truth of war is evil. I for one, still believe that war is horrific after reading this novel. Overall, there were many great ideas that we gave and received from each other.
In my opinion, I feel that our seminar yesterday was very smooth and in depth with the context. One question that we asked ourselves was “Did Billy really get kidnapped by aliens and travel in time?” Many people said he did but I disagree. I believe that it was all in his head. Along with the PTSD, he had many side effects and I think this happened to be one of them. He used the ‘T people’ to allow him to escape from his past and keep moving forward. Because Billy had an incredibly miserable life for the most part, the past is haunting him everyday and it’s his imagination that allows him to avoid breaking down. Although the seminar went well, I feel like I didn’t push myself to speak and make connections to the text.
I can connect the book to a poster designed by artist, Joe Simboli, made in 1968. On this poster, it shows how the countries combined kill peace. All of their efforts to ‘saving their country’ demolishes world. This connects to the book because this is an anti-war poster and the book is as well. It shows the effects that war has and how negative they can be. In the picture, it shows how the countries all form a noose that is choking a dove. In other words, the countries are killing off world peace and creating even bigger problems.
The book, Slaughterhouse Five, connects with All Quiet on the Western Front because both are describing the common effects war has on a soldier. For example, PTSD was talked about in both books. Many of the soldiers were miserable and in fear of death everyday. But, as you proceeded through both of the books, the soldiers changed and decided that death was better than what they were dealing with on a daily basis. I think of both as anti-war novels because they both don’t emphasize the positive attributes that was provides, but only the negative ones. Overall, both books are very similar as they are both anti-war novels in my mind.
Vietnam project
Because the semester was coming to an end quickly, we as a class chose to create an art project that displayed a key concept or symbol of the Vietnam War. The project was very open ended and creative. I chose to produce a project that focused mainly on the US soldiers and their will to conquer and Agent Orange, the gas draped across Northern Vietnam. Below is my artist statement that summarizes the project and the steps it took to complete the final draft.
Artist Statement:
Ellie Duke
Artist Statement
My art project communicates my perspective of the mission: Operation Ranch Hand. The background of my art piece is a sunset that fades from red to orange to yellow. The majority of the painting is orange which signifies the Agent Orange Gas that was draped across Northern Vietnam. In the woman’s face, her eye is droopy which was one of the many side effects Agent Orange had on the Vietnamese. The child’s head is almost cone-shaped which was a birth defect caused from the gas. The tree represents the main goal of the mission, which was to make all trees leafless for more visibility. And last, the gun in the bottom-right corner is the view point from a US soldier. Even after they’d caused so much damage on the land and people, they still had no mercy. Overall, I see this entire event to be horrific and illogical. The art piece displays my guilt and bafflement for being an American Citizen and doing this to these people at that time.
In exchange for a successful final product, many drafts with a lot of adjustments were produced. At first, I drew a very rough picture of what I planned on creating into my final. I had some peers critique it and they gave me feedback that completely shifted my original plan. I made four drafts with the same process each time. My first draft and last draft are completely different and for the better.
My inspiration to create simple, “black and white” characters, comes from an artist named Dae Hyun Kim whose art revolves around simplicity. I found that with such a basic color scheme, it was easy to make the background standout. Also, I think the art almost looks modernized and I think it’s a really interesting attribute overall.
Artist Statement
My art project communicates my perspective of the mission: Operation Ranch Hand. The background of my art piece is a sunset that fades from red to orange to yellow. The majority of the painting is orange which signifies the Agent Orange Gas that was draped across Northern Vietnam. In the woman’s face, her eye is droopy which was one of the many side effects Agent Orange had on the Vietnamese. The child’s head is almost cone-shaped which was a birth defect caused from the gas. The tree represents the main goal of the mission, which was to make all trees leafless for more visibility. And last, the gun in the bottom-right corner is the view point from a US soldier. Even after they’d caused so much damage on the land and people, they still had no mercy. Overall, I see this entire event to be horrific and illogical. The art piece displays my guilt and bafflement for being an American Citizen and doing this to these people at that time.
In exchange for a successful final product, many drafts with a lot of adjustments were produced. At first, I drew a very rough picture of what I planned on creating into my final. I had some peers critique it and they gave me feedback that completely shifted my original plan. I made four drafts with the same process each time. My first draft and last draft are completely different and for the better.
My inspiration to create simple, “black and white” characters, comes from an artist named Dae Hyun Kim whose art revolves around simplicity. I found that with such a basic color scheme, it was easy to make the background standout. Also, I think the art almost looks modernized and I think it’s a really interesting attribute overall.