"Their Eyes Were Watching God"

     In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie Crawford, the main protagonist, was a young woman who lived with her grandmother in the south. She was a young woman who had to lear throughout her life that she controlled her own destiny. In the movie Janie can be caught in a few scenes peacfully gazing into the sky and when asked what she is doing she would reply, "Watching God". Whenever Janie was "Watching God", she was at peace with herself the moment was genuine and blissful. Nature represented a utopia it was where Janie could be care free.  Also Janie goes through three marriages demonstrating that relationships can not thrive without affection from both people. 

Reflection

     Taking AP this year was a real eye-opener, the class not only challenged me mentally, but in this class I had to use time management skills. I mean while taking this class I was exposed to so many types of literature. It actually amazing to see how much I have grown in taking the class.
   My AP teacher Mrs.Day knows what she is doing; she can pull the greatness out of any student willing to put forth the effort. Mrs. Day knows how to reach various types of students, and will work with them in many situations. In the past i hav had teacher who care, but Mrs. Day takes the time to meet her students and learn thier personalities.
    After taking AP lang this year I am anxious about AP lit next year. Hopefully Mrs. Day will have more to expose my concise mind to. Unlike last year I am actually prepared for next year's challenge.

Th Boston Massacre

     On April 15, 2013 the city of Boston had a marathon, and during the marathon, there was a bombing. The bombing killed three and injuring one hundred three. It was all unexpected; it caught the not only the city, but the whole nation off guard. This event is thought to have been the doing of  a terrorist plot. So, like 9/11, it has many instilled paranoia in many American citizens.

      Luckily, there have been two indentified suspects in the bombing brothers Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed during a firefight, leaving his younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the run in Boston.

Tamerlan Tsarnaev, right of picture, was shot dead by Boston police early Friday morning. His younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, left, remains at large. Photograph: REUTERS.

Fiscal Cliff

     According to Thomas Kenny, the “Fiscal cliff” is the popular shorthand term used to describe the conundrum that the U.S. government will face at the end of 2012, when the terms of the Budget Control Act of 2011 are scheduled to go into effect. Toward the end of 2012 the Democrats and Republicans had decided to to work together in order to make compromises to coincide with the fiscal cliff. While many solutions had been attempted like the tax increases imposed on those earning over $400,000, yet they were merely prolonging the punishment.

     In this cartoon the donkey and elephant, which symbolize the democratic and republic parties, have worked together to build what looks like an unfinished bridge. There is no money to build a bridge, especially one of such manitude. If America did have the funds we  would not be in such a predicament. The bridge has done nothing; it looks like a waste of time,energy, and effort.

Why Now

     Why wait until a man has reached his seventeenth year? Why wait until a man is making his second Superbowl appearance? Why wait until a man has openly announced his retirement upon the conclusion of the season? Why wait until a man has inspired a a whole city and willed his team through turmoil?
      According to sports illustrated Ray Lewis, all-star middle linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens, "allegedly used a banned deer-antler spray to recover from an arm injury earlier this season." After missing most of the season Lewis returned during the playoffs and led the whole NFL in tackles. When asked about the spray Lewis dismissed the "stupidity".
     The whole fiasco could simply be a ply put in place by steroids dealers, in order to advertise their product.  "What's the best way to get consumers to buy your product? Have a sports star deny ever using it.",Abby Ellin rhetorically questioned. "This is probably one of the biggest sales days for it since when we launched it about a year ago,"  -Brianne Vaskovardzic.
    A similar situation occurred a few years back with Barry Bonds, former major league baseball player, he was denied entry into the hall of fame on "alleged" steroid use in 2013. During his last year of play while closing in on the record for most home runs of all time, the steroid controversy appeared. Both he and Lewis while on the verge of greatness have had their reputation tainted with such speculation.

The Hoax

     College football fan know the story of Notre Dame's all-star linebacker Manti T'eo; he as a heisman runner-up, his background story had helped push his team to an undefeated season. According to T'eo his girlfriend,Lennay Kekua, had died of cancer September 12. Hearing the story of a fellow teammate losing his significant other should be enough to motivate any great player grind it out.
      T"eo was later interviewed by ABC's Katie Couric."You stuck to the script. And you knew that something was amiss, Manti," Couric said. "Katie, put yourself in my situation. I, my whole world told me that she died on Sept. 12. Everybody knew that. This girl, who I committed myself to, died on Sept. 12," replied Te'o.
    Now, with all that aside, if T'eo found out his so called "girlfriend" was never dead on December 6,yet on December 8 he again publicy mentioned his "dead girlfriend". Why would T'eo knowingly continue with this travesty? What it to propel his campaign to win the heisman trophy? Or did he simply enjoy all the attention?
    Although T"eo was also duped, he still went on with the story after he found out the truth. The emotions that had to engulp him when he learned the truth. For his teammates to discover that their inspiration had come under false pretenses, has to be devastating. And what about the coachin staff, the cousellors, the guidance, the claerhead; why they were also apart of the scheme. What a...a HOAX!

The Harlem Renaissance

     The Harlem Renaissance, or "New Negro Movement, was known as a cultural movement from the 1920's to the 1930's. The Renaissance even reached  French-speaking black writers from African and Caribbean colonies who lived in Paris. During this time many blacks began creating and experimenting with many forms of art. Many popular African-American poets, playwrights, and authors emerged during the movement.
     Ridgely Torrence was a big contribution to the start of the renaissance. His Three Plays for a Negro Theatre, was among one of the first plays to demonstrate that blacks actually felt humane emotions and their yearning for greatness. Torrences plays were refered to as "the most important single event in the entire history of the Negro in the American Theater." by James Weldon Johnson.
   James Weldon Johnson, author and politician, was an early civil rights activist. He was a highly invovled leader in the NAACP. Johnson also made history by being one of the first African-American professors to teach at New York University.
    Langston Hughes, novelist and poet, is one of my favorites from this era. He wrote about how "the negro was in vogue" during the renaissance. Hughes often wrote about the everyday struggle of a typical black person.