Working Details

Work Times:
4/18/13=Portfolio; 30 min.
4/19/13=Portfolio; 30 min
4/21/13=Portfolio; 100 min.

Poem

Snake, by Morgan Dyne
One sunny day, a snake is slithering along,
Into a sneaky hiding place. The place is under the sink.
I open the cabinets blocking under the sink, and
There is a snake in our house.

I shut the doors of the cabinets, wondering what to say or do.
I slowly back away
Trying not to scream. So, I run to my mom and explain:
"There is a snake in our house."

Justin is crying, while Griffin is cracking
up. I am shrieking while my mom is freaking out;
She takes a big can, thinking she would carry it out.
There is a snake in our house.

My mom silenced us so the snake wouldn't be upset.
The silence in our house is a scary noise.
My mom sweeps the snake into the can, and shows it back outside.
There was a snake in our house.

This poem is named "Snake,"for self-explanatory reasons. I used sibilance, consonance (which could also be cacophony), and repetition. I wanted the snake stanza to sound like there's a hissing sound with the s and sh sounds in the poem. Then, in the third stanza, I wanted it to sound harsh and a little scary, because everyone in the house was scared, so I used a k sound. The repetition in the poem was the last line of each stanza was always the same, except the very last line. In the first three stanzas, the last line is in present tense, but in the last stanza, it's in past tense, which represents that the snake WAS in the house, but isn't anymore.

Reading Times/Post #2

This week, I'm, going to skip the second post about what I want most in the world.
I led the book discussion for Life of Pi.

Reading Times:
4/8/13=Life of Pi; 50 min.; 47 pages
4/9/13=Writing Center; 25 min.; talked about my paper and how to improve it
4/10/13=Portfolio; 30 min.; Writing Remix outline
4/12/13=Paper revision; 26 min.; fixing what I talked about @ the writing center
4/13/13=Writing Remix; 30 min.; film some scenes for commercial

Analyzation

I decided to analyze the song "One of Us" by the pop group ABBA. The first thing I analyzed is the rhyme scheme throughout the piece. The rhyme scheme is:

a a b c c c d d e f e g g h h h i i j k k k d d e f e g g h h h h f e g g h. I also noticed an abundance of sibilance lines. For example, "romances; chances; easy; so; us (major word); staring; wishing she; somewhere; instead; sorry; herself; stupid; small; saw; myself; concealed; stubborn; misconceiving; started; show," are all words that have an 's' or an 's' sound. Another repetitive sound I heard was the 'y sound, like "crying" or "lying." The tone of the song, based off of the rhythm of the lyrics, is gentle and dreamlike, although, the sibilance within the song makes the lyrics have a harsh tone. Overall, the song has harsh lyrics. The accents in the spot they are in creating a little bit of a raspy tone along with soothing lyric sounds. You can feel the sadness the song is about through the sound of the lyrics. I also feel that the sibilance of the song makes a purpose of the song's sadness.

Most words in this song rhyme. As explained before, the rhyming pattern shows that all of the lines that are the same letter end in a word that rhymes. The first line is "They passed me by, al of those great romances / You were, I felt, robbing me of my rightful chances."The rhyming pattern is observed as double, single, triple, double, single, single, single, double, triple. Then, it repeats. The rhyming words give rhythm to the lyrics, which is probably why the lyrics of a SONG. Another thing I noticed was that there is an odd line break. The lyrics are "One of us is only / Waiting for a call." It makes the song sound good, but the lyrics, written on a sheet of paper, look weird. In the end, it makes for a great euphony for the song.

Lyrics:

http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/abba/oneofus.html

Life of Pi

I read the first part of Life of Pi earlier this year. Then, I decided to put it down for who knows what reason. I, now, regret doing that because of how great that book actually is. I now can appreciate such a good book after I have finished it. This adventurous book explains his struggles when he's left on a boat with a tiger. At the end of the book, there is the disbelief of his story, and, although his story compels you to believe his story, it is an unbelievable story. He claims it to be an all too real experience for him throughout the book. I think this book is fiction, I almost believe that it's a true story.
I also loved this book for the fact that there's a great show of human vs. nature. A young adult boy experience the real world all too soon. Real world, in this sense, means the great outdoors of the Pacific Ocean, all while he's trying to save his life and a 450 pound tiger's life. This book tells in detail about his survival. The whole time, I was supporting his life in the book. I wanting his to succeed in feeding himself and finding drinkable water and living on a lifeboat with a huge tiger. The story just drew me in. I would recommend anyone who is looking for a book. I would especially recommend this for people who like survival and outdoor stories.

Reading Times:
4/4/13=Life of Pi; 15 min.; 10 pages
4/5/13=Life of Pi; 34 min.; 30 pages
4/6/13=Life of Pi; 78 min.; 72 pages
4/7/13=Life of Pi; 102 min.; 98 pages

My New Paper

For my new paper, I've decided to redo my literary analysis. I've decided to work on sentence fluency and conventions. My voice is fine in the paper, along with, my word choice. I worked on my organization with an outline, required in class. Dr. D says that my ideas are great with a strong argument and well supported evidence.

The two aspects of my paper that I choose to edit are sentence fluency and conventions. The reason I chose to work on sentence fluency of my paper because there are quotes that are independent. Quotations are the main issue with sentence fluency. I also chose conventions because a few times, I put the quotations inside the period. Also, I have one comma splice. The conventions I messed up on are major conventions, and that is why I choose to fix them.
Reading Times:
3/17/13=City of Glass; 35 min.; 33 pages
3/18/13=City of Glass; 28 min.; 28 pages
3/21/13=City of Glass; 10 min.; 9 pages
3/21/13=City of Glass; 47 min.; 46 pages
3/23/13=City of Glass; 26 min.; 24 pages
3/24/13=City of Glass; 18 min.; 16 pages

Jane Goodall's Mistake

Plagiarism is frowned upon in the English world. Plagiarism, as the dictionary explains, is "the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own." Jane Goodall is known throughout America, and the world. With such famousness, people know what you do in your life and judge your, in this case, her actions. The fact that she thought it was right to use "the practice of taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own," or plagiarism, in a huge source, or primary source, is completely wrong in the world. Many people have lost jobs over such an act. This act, being so serious, should be treated seriously. The fact that it was let off lightly makes this affair worse than it is. Another worsening aspect of this subject is the lack of heart with the apologies. This issue is a huge deal and following through with such act shouldn't be dismissed as if nothing happened. The apologies for doing this act contained no feeling and nothing was sincere.
To fix this situation, I would redo the book. After the reproduction of writing it, there should be strict editing in order for no mistakes to happen with plagiarism. They editors, writes, and anyone involved in the first copy of the book should be fined for what they've done. This act shouldn't go unnoticed and untreated; it should be resolved with discipline. After the fine is paid, they should truly apologize for their actions. Plagiariam is a big issue, and, no matter who you are, it should never go unnoticed. Even with Goodall, there should be no tolerance.
Sources:
New Oxford American Dictionary

Reading Times

Reading Times:
3/9/13=Nervous Conditions work; 56 min; Playlist
3/11/13=Nervous Conditions; 16 min.; 14 pages
3/13/13=Nervous Conditions work; 20 min.; Playlist
3/14/13=Nervous Conditions work; 42 min.; 3 letters to Nyasha
3/15/13=Nervous Conditions work; 17 min.; 1 letter to Nyasha

Why Nervous Conditions should be read next year

Nervous Conditions was a decent book to read. I did feel that the book was slightly irrelevant and didn't have a point to it as a book. Although this is my thoughts, I also thought this book was a fun book to read. It also had some riveting moments. It was a slow read for me, but I am a slow reader. This book, I believe should be in next year's curriculum. This should teach the students of next year about the situation in Africa and how many people have to live. This teaches children the hardship of African people. People in America need to understand how lucky they are with the life they have. This book also shows the lives of African people from one of the lowest view points, a young girl in Africa. It shows a different world, a world that needs to be shown to young children.
Also, the very common dogma that "history repeats itself" explains why we have history class or anniversaries of events. This book shows what it's like in Africa 20-30 years ago. This could happen again today: it could already be happening. With this book you see what it's like to be in Africa: what the situation is in Africa. Reading this book causes awareness of the situation in Africa to the people who read this book. Awareness of situation can cause solutions to the problem of a caste system, malnourishment, women being treated poorly, and education of only men, providing them with jobs, and no jobs for women without education.
Another factor to look at for this book to be read is the projects. The projects produce thought processes of the book and points for the students. The projects and quizzes show that the student is reading the book and doing what they are supposed to do. The projects of this book provides thinking and wondering. The wondering provides discussion.
This book provides discussion because of the opposite society from the book. Teenagers don't understand the society of Africa, but this book provides a glance at it. Ninth graders will have questions on this society and will want to understand what's going on. So, this book provides questions for class discussion, discussion with friends, and discussion outside of school. The logic of students will enhance when this book is read because they will ask questions and get answers. The answers they receive will give them an understanding of the book and, as a larger picture, the society of Africa.

Masks

I feel like we are taking about masks, henceforth, the title. I feel like everywhere you go, you have to behave and act a different way. Like most of you with siblings, and even without, your parent(s) would always tell you when you were younger, or even now, "Behave in the store," or, "Don't fool around." While they say this they know how you and your brother/sister usually act at home, but your parent doesn't want you to act that way in public. Most of us, as I'm sure of, not only have friends from school, but also friends from other places, like, as the prompt says, sports or church or even online. I have two major social groups in my life with many friends, church and school. I also have a different social environment in my home. At school, there are so many people, and with that amount of people, I don't fell that it's necessary to always be the loud one that I am elsewhere. I feel more reserved and quiet at school. I don't always express my opinions or sign up for a lot of things. The people in school expect of me to be quiet and maybe not sign up to do things. They may expect me to be a good student, but not be crazy and open. School is the observing deck of my social life.
The next level of my social life would be my youth group. Some of my closest friends are there. At my youth group/church, I'm very loud (and obnoxious at times). I sign up for sot things they offer, leadership mainly. That's where most of my life is. I usually have a great time and I am allowed to express my opinions freely with people who listen. There, I'm so open and loud there. That level, I consider the ground floor, where I can be open, but also not showing every side of me. Not everything that needs to be revealed. When I come into the youth group room, people expect me to be loud, and maybe annoying, and to lead things when there is offering.
My house though, is my mini sanctuary where I can be totally and completely who I am, although maybe getting in trouble for being too loud and crazy at times. My secrets are with my family who I am open with. I feel like I can be so open to them because they love me no matter what. There is no judgement at my house, which allows me to say what I feel whenever I feel it. This is my basement. The place where it's private and quiet, and although messy or dark or dirty, I can be at peace.

State Powerlifting Meet: a detailed description into my mind

State meet is coming almost here. There s so much to worry about. Also, so much to be good about. What happens if I don't get my weight? Coach B has told us that someone will mess up at the meet. Will it be me? Will I embarrass myself and the team? Relax. I shouldn't be worrying. I'm great at this. I've also improved so much over the year. I now am squatting, recently, 155 pounds. That is crazy. I mean the weight on the bar is huge, immense. Then, dead lift, on of the best lifts I can do. What if Coach B wants me to do 300 pounds? I mean, he wanted me to do 285 at the last meet and even that was an insane weight. 300 pounds will be crazy for me to do. But, I feel confidant I could make it. The thing that's worrying me most, though, is bench press. At regionals I failed it. I couldn't lift 120. Why? It was all about positioning. All I'm saying is that I hope to get 135 pounds for bench press. Can I make it? Remember: pull down AND back, place it on your sternum, breath in and out SLOWLY, back arched, and feet flat on the floor, under you. If I can do those three things correct, I'll make the weight. Hopefully, this meet will be fine. I can do it!!

Reading Times:
3/5/13=Nervous Conditions; 10 min.; 7 pages
3/7/13=Nervous Conditions work; 30 min.; Prezi
3/8/13=Nervous Conditions; 36 min; 30 pages
3/9/13=Nervous Conditions work; 22 min.; 2 reading guides
3/9/13=Nervous Conditions; 27 min.; 23 pages
3/10/13=Nervous Conditions; 28 min.; 21 pages

Evaluation (post #1)

So far, I think I've done a pretty good job with my work. I feel that I could've worked harder on my work earlier because of later turn ins or not reading all the chapters. I will improve by reading what I need to and doing my work throughout the week instead of all at once. I feel like my most favorite mini-project was the reading guides, and my least favorite was the vocab test. I thought the vocab test was going to be something different and it was a bit of hard work. Also, I liked the character bookmark, although it was a bit time consuming. I think this is a better way to do projects than doing one huge project at the end. Think C2 layered project will be easier than the first. I like this process where we choose.

Reading Times:
2/27/13=Nervous Conditions work; 15 min.; 2 reading guides
2/28/13=Nervous Conditions work; 47 min.; character bookmark
2/29/13=Nervous Conditions work; 58 min.; 2 reading guides, vocab test
3/3/13=Nervous Conditions; 13 min.; 9 pages
3/4/13=Nervous Conditions; 10 min.; 6 pages
3/4/13=Nervous Conditions work; 20 min.; Prezi map

Nhamo Reflection (post #2)

In Nervous Conditions, Nhamo dies, as we all know (or at least she mentions it a hundred times). I want to reflect on what impact he had towards other characters, and how he, although he was a jerk, was an excellent student. Nhamo isn't liked by most of the characters, except maybe Jeremiah. One of the first memories of him, by Tambu, was of him beating his sister for not doing what he's told. Another memory is his gloating. Since these memories are all from Tambu, we can clearly tell that she does not like her brother. Neither does her younger sister, Netsai. Netsai, in fact, openly admitted that she doesn't like Nhamo.
Although, by this he is put out to be a jerk, he is a very good student. He loved reading books and always graduates top of his class. He also picked up a totally new language (English) within a few months. Nhamo is the next provider in the family, meaning he has to work hard to provide. I feel that that is a tough goal and weight to carry on your shoulders. I feel that Nhamo takes that goal seriously because he does well in school and is able to succeed. Until he dies, I feel that he pulls his weight and succeeds so that his family can be provided for.

Reading Times~4

2/18/13=Nervous Conditions; 15 min.; 14 pages
2/19/13=Nervous Conditions; 21 min.; 19 pages
2/21/13=Nervous Conditions; 26 min.; 26 pages
2/22/13=City of Glass; 27 min.; 27 pages
2/23/13=Nervous Conditions; 13 min.; 11 pages
2/24/13=Nervous Conditions work; 14 min.; 1 reading guide
2/25/13=Nervous Conditions; 24 min.; 20 pages
2/26/13= Nervous Conditions; 10 min.; 8 pages

Reflection on Research Paper

1. Summarize your writing process on this paper, pointing out what you found most difficult, most useful, and least useful.  Is there anything you would do differently next time?  Is there anything you think I should do differently next year in preparing students for this assignment?

I think the outline was very helpful. I basically put all of the paragraphs for my paper within my outline. I used my outline to create my paper. That was the most helpful. I also liked how Dr. D looked over our rough draft and commented because that helped me out a lot. The least helpful was when we trusted our classmates to grade our paper. I tried my best to grade others very detailed, but others didn’t grade my paper as well. I liked how we were in our group for grading our papers, but sometimes it could’ve been better.

2. What feedback did you receive (from peers, me, or anyone else), and how did you respond to it?

I received feedback from my classmates, Dr, D, and my mom. The feedback from my classmates was not great. The two people who graded my paper barely graded my paper. I didn’t think my paper was that great, and I wanted as much feedback as possible. The feedback from Dr. D was helpful because she graded in between the lines and she knew what she and I were talking about. I liked that feedback. My mom was also helpful. She gave me advice on things that could be fixed and that made my paper better.

3. Using the traits of good writing and features of strong research papers, what are the strongest and weakest aspects of your paper?

My paper, I believe was not poorly written. Although to be honest, I didn't write the paper with traits of good writing and features of strong research papers in my mind. I believe my organization could have been better, but it was a very organized paper. Also, word choice could have been stronger, along with my conventions. My sentence fluency, at first, was not very good, but in the final draft, that was one of my best traits. My ideas were great for my topic and they flowed quite nicely. Lastly, my voice in the paper was informative because it's a research paper. I didn't really have much of a voice in the paper, but I hope to have informed people about my topic.

4. Is there anything else you would like me to know as I read your paper?

I hope you like it!

Reading Times-3

2/5/13=City of Glass; 32 min.; 30 pages
2/7/13=City of Glass; 15 min.; 15 pages
2/8/13=City of Glass; 24 min.; 20 pages
2/11/13=City of Glass; 9 min.; 8 pages
2/13/12=City of Glass; 27 min.; 26 pages
2/14/12=City of Glass; 47 min.; 43 pages
2/16/12=City of Glass; 23 min.; 23 pages

Reading Times-2

1/30/13=Clockwork Angel; 21 min.; 18 pages
1/31/13=Clockwork Angel; 29 min.; 24 pages
2/1/13=Clockwork Angel; 33 min.; 32 pages
2/2/13=Clockwork Angel; 18 min.; 18 pages
2/3/12=Research paper; 12; putting information into paper form
2/3/12=Clockwork Angel; 42 min.; 41 pages

Reading Times

1/21/13=Clockwork Angel; 26 min.; 23 pages
1/22/13=Clockwork Angel; 17 min.; 17 pages
1/22/13=Clockwork Angel; 8 min.; 7 pages
1/23/13=Research; 21 min.; annotate and finding sources
1/25/13=Clockwork Angel; 14 min.; 14 pages
1/27/13=Clockwork Angel; 49 min.; 46 pages
1/28/13=Clockwork Angel; 23 min.; 22 pages

Research

My research topic is on Muslim intolerance post 9/11 in America. My research question is 'what are different types of Muslim intolerance going on in America, how are Muslims reacting, and how can we, as American, fix this problem?' My answer is this: Muslims don't like the fact they are being judged; Muslims, every day, experience intolerance but what they dress and look like, and one way Americans can fix the situation and create mutual understanding is showing Muslims as good people, especially through entertainment. I decided to choose this topic because I love religion, and, being Christian, I decided that I could look at different religions. Also, there were broad topics to choose from. So, I saw an intolerance topic and I decided to pick Muslim intolerance. Since there has always been religious intolerance in the world, meaning Muslim intolerance, I thought I should single out a certain time period and place. So, after 9/11, there was more than usual intolerance. That's how I picked my topic. So far, I've found a few sources. The majority is from a book full of interviews from kids about their faith journey. The three religions talked about are Christianity, Judaism  and, wait for it, Islam. Finding this book was a little bit of a heavenly sign. This book has helped me so much. I've found about five sources and they all are great and different. I think that I've found the information I need. One thing I probably need to work on is finding a direction for my paper.

My research topic is about Muslim intolerance post 9/11 in America. When choosing this topic, I was thinking about my intrest of religion. Another factor I thought about while choosing this research topic was the broad topic, Intolerance Through the Ages. I decided that Muslim have had a incredibly great amount of intolerance towards their religion, and I thought that would be an interesting topic to learn about and discover. After my thought on this interesting, specific topic of mine, I thought I needed to narrow it down to a more specific topic towards my research paper. I narrowed the topic by adding a specific time and place. My research question is what are different types of Muslim intolerance going on in America, how are Muslims reacting, and how can we, as American, fix this problem? My sources help me to answer this question. My sources are incredible. I believe I found my book only by luck. After asking the librarian, I found a book about interviews on different religions. One of the religions is Islam. Five or six of my sources are from this book. They describe how people feel about the intolerance and injustice they experience, which answers part of my research question. I also found a few news articles and journals on the different intolerance of Muslims after the 9/11 bombings, answering another part of my research question. A few different intolerances are job intolerance and disrespect of the Islamic faith. The final part of my question is answered by an opinion. By creating a mutual understanding, I think we could show Muslims as good people through entertainment and Hollywood. Movies and television are becoming the entertainment of all and by showing Muslims in movies as the "good guys," people will treat them right and respect them. The direction of my paper though needs work.

The Squirrel

Over the past few weeks, I have been taking Driver's Ed. My protégé, being my driving instructor, helped me to drive. He, being was incredibly erudite, showed me everything there is to be a driver, except for road kill. After I completed the driving course, I felt like I was being inducted into the position of Chief Driver, because I thought I was that good. On Monday, my mom told me that I could drive around in the parking lot of school while we were waiting for my brother who was practicing his avocation, wrestling. This took me by slight surprise, because usually, I had to become a militant for something so small. I guess my crusade of trying to drive whenever finally and come to an end, me winning. So I raced over to the other side of the car and hopped into the seat. I buckled my seatbelt and put the car in drive. I start driving to the school parking lot, thinking that I was a teenager prodigy of driving.
It hadn't even been a whole minute yet, when my mom gasps. I ask her what the matter was and she took me by surprise when she asked, "Did you not see that?" I had no clue what she was talking so she said it. "I think you just ran over that squirrel." I felt that my 'Oh-so-great driving skills' had lapsed. This very raucous news to my ears. So I made a circle in the parking lot to go back and see if I had really hit a squirrel. The dead, tiny, gray body laying on the side of the road showed me the tacit answer. Don't squirrels usually have the demeanor to run away from cars? My mom being adroit, got out of the car, went over to the squirrel with a piece of thick paper, and scooped it into the grass so other cars wouldn't drive over it. This had given me the definitive answer that the squirrel was officially dead. When we picked up my brother, he affronted me by calling me killer. Then, after my dad found out, he made me watch a TV show that had the same idea in one episode. I felt like a pariah by the end of the day. I can't believe I killed a squirrel.

Reading Times:
1/14/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 9 pg.
1/15/13=Clockwork Angel; 48 min.; 46 pg.
1/15/13=Research Project;26 min.; annotate
1/16/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 9 pg.
1/16/13=Research Project=30 min.; research, annotate
1/17/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 10 pg.
1/18/13=Clockwork Angel; 10 min.; 9 pg
1/20/12=Clockwork Angel; 26 min.; 24 pg.

Research Update

So far, my research has been going great... For last week. I feel a little overwhelmed if I'm going to be honest. To my rescue though, was a book I found in the library. I was very lucky. The idea came from Wendy. She had gotten an Art book and I thought that maybe I should get a book as well. I found four different books, and one of them I have used greatly. I did find a few articles online for my benefit, but online, I found it was harder to look for just the right article. I don't think I'm ready to write a paper yet. I don't have everything I need for it, and I don't know how I can put together a paper with what I have yet. I wonder when the first draft is due... I am still working on finding research, and I still need to paraphrase a few of my sources.
This paper is definitely taking it's toll on me. I haven't had too much stress on it, but I feel like it will eventually. This is my first research paper and one thing I learned is to think about a topic I like. Not just a topic I think would work and go on my way and do it. I need to next time pick a better topic. Also, I realized that the internet is all that glamorous. I know that the people who are reading this are thinking, 'Wow she's stupid!' 'Of course it's not glamorous.' 'Did she not know that?!' etc. I just want to say that I did know that, but this project has officially proved it to me. Books are my preference source for this project, and maybe many projects to come.

Reading Response

I haven't read as much as I would like to, but I got in my 150 minutes. I read two books this week. The one I've been reading in class is Life of Pi, and the second book I read is Clockwork Angel. Clockwork Angel is an interluding book in between now and when I start to read City of Glass. Life of Pi is getting very intense, and it's a litte sad because he's all alone in the ocean with the tiger. He wants to be rescued, but no one is coming. He has this hope (which is diminishing) that he will be saved immediately. Also, he's really scared because, wouldn't you be if you were on a boat with some wild CARNIVOROUS animals? But I can't wait to read more.
Clockwork Angel is also very good. I've read it in 7th grade, but I wanted to reread it. It's very good and I remember bits and pieces, but most things I have forgotten. I am in love with this book and it is very good! Nothing has really happened. The book has a very slow beginning, and a little confusing at first, but I understand it. I'm glad i'm reading it again!

Reading Times:
1/7/13=Life of Pi; 10 min.; 9 pg.
1/7/13=Clockwork Angel; 20 min.; 18 pg.
1/8/13=Life of Pi; 10 min. 9 pg.
1/9/13=Clockwork Angel; 45 min.; 42 pg.
1/11/13=Life of Pi; 10 min.; 7 pg.
1/12/13=Clockwork Angel; 18 min.; 16 pg.
1/13/12=Clockwork Angel; 48 min.; 45 pg.

Free Post: Research Project

For a duet project, World History and English both require the 9th grade to do a research project. In W.H.,  Coach Coco handed out a sheet of paper for his class to choose a broad topic. I considered the sheet for a few days before truly looking into what topic I was going to choose. I discussed with my mom about it, and she considered it with me. I thought of intolerance through the ages especially hard because I never agreed with intolerance, and thought I should look into something that I had a strong opinion about. After I thought about different intolerances through the ages, one thing that immediately came to my mind was Muslim intolerance. I don't necessarily know why that topic came to mind, but I couldn't get it out of my head, and when I told my mom she seemed interested as well. I thought this topic would be an easy, and amazing one because of it's large importance in this world today and the wide knowledge and sources of information I could use. I actually was excited... Then we actually started the work.
When we began to work on the research, I found out i had to narrow my topic down to a specific statement. So, I am now working on the specific topic 'Muslim Intolerance Post 9/11 in America.' It stills seems intriguing to me, but the sources are limited. Also, my paper is going to have more information on Muslim Intolerance throughout previous years as well as post 9/11 because I have to compare the difference. Now I realize that my topic isn't as exciting as before. Although this is the downside, the upside is that 1/3 of my paper is to be written on how to create mutual understanding with this intolerance, and I have a great idea on the mutual understanding than that of the research. So, although this is a very long rant that you probably don't want to read (if you are even doing so), I appreciate you letting me take this weight off my shoulders! I also hope your topic is less stressful than mine, and i hope you are not experiencing this along with me.