journal #24

Semester exams is something I think every student dreads. The worst part about it is that it kind of ruins the excitement of Christmas break. Break seems so close, yet so far away. Eight semester exams stands between you and freedom. I remember my first set of final exams that I experienced freshman year. I remember being completely paranoid and not knowing how much or how long to study for so I had started studying at least two weeks in advance. I was so anxious about them and was constantly bugging my teachers to give me the study guides as soon as possible so I could prepare myself. I probably went through over two hundred note cards or more to make flash cards for myself. Not surprising, I aced all of my exams and had no reason to worry as much as I did. It was my first set of exams though so you cannot really blame me. Being my junior year now, it seems almost impossible to study two weeks in advance. It is hard enough trying to study for your final tests and finish your projects that are due the week before final exams even starts. Junior year has definitely been the most challenging year so far and I am sure my exams will be just as challenging. My plan to study is simply becoming a social outcast. this weekend. I have little plans for this weekend so I my time will be consumed with studying, studying, and more studying. I think one of the best ways to study, for me anyways, is to not procrastinate and wait until the night before to study for the final. My process includes making note cards of all the study guides and then caring around the note cards with me everywhere. Any spare moment I had, whether its riding in the car, or extra time left over at the end of class, I use it to whip out my note cards and study for my exams. Something else I think is important in preparing for finals is to make sure you have a filling breakfast the morning of. There is nothing worse to be distracted by when you are testing, than a growling tummy.

Journal #23

Being self sufficient is actually the reasoning for why my family and I just moved. We were living in a really nice house in a neighborhood that we loved, but have recently moved in the past week in order to be self sufficient. Our new house is not in a neighborhood and sits on fifteen acres of land. With this new land, we plan on growing trees, starting  a huge garden, and maybe even raising chickens. All of this in order to be self sufficient. To me, being self sufficient is being independent and living and doing things on your own. It means not being dependent or reliable on others in order to survive. This is something that Emerson is really emphasizing in his essays that we have read so far. He talks about self reliance which is very similar if not identical to self sufficiency. I think to be self sufficient you must have a good work ethic. This is because you are doing this by yourself, so if you decide not to work, then nothing will get done. Responsibility also plays a big role in being self sufficient because if whatever you are doing fails, or does not get done, there is no one else to blame but yourself. Being self sufficient is a very good characteristic to have I think because it is something that you will need for your entire life and something I think you must possess to be a successful adult. Your mom and dad are not always going to be there to take care of you and pay for everything. Although it is great now, you will eventually have to learn how to provide for yourself. This is one of the reasons my parents are stressing me about getting a job. They want me to get experience and see what it is like to work and earn for myself. I definitely understand where they are coming from and am currently job hunting. Hopefully within the next few weeks, I do will be on my way to being a more self sufficient individual.

Kateb's Analysis

Kateb's analysis of Emerson's Self-Reliance was very interesting to see. One of the things I liked about it was that we could see someone else's reactions and the perspective of someone who read the exact same thing I did. It is always interesting to see what other people get out of it that differs from you. I really liked the way that Kateb brought up the topic of Emerson's Self Reliance. Instead of going straight into analyzing it, he explained how it has been quoted and used even in advertisement and commercials as well (Kateb). It is just kind of a fun fact that you would not know from only reading Emerson's essay. In the beginning Kateb also takes the time to kind of explain Emerson's style of writing. He explains it as very assertive, but not always supported. "In fact, many of the assertions are not assertions at all. He does not stand behind most of his utterances, even though he expends his full virtue in them. In his experiments, he is more like Plato than even Nietzsche is. Emerson is not Thoreau" (Kateb). One of the things Kateb does a really good job is using support through out his analysis. He uses several quotes and different sources to back up what he is talking about. One example would be when he quotes all of the things that significant people had said about Emerson. The quotes stated exactly who said them and used accurate citing of his sources as well. These quotes described Emerson's character, helping you get a better idea of Emerson's perspective while reading his essay. One quote was by Walt Whitman who explained how Emerson is the type of person who does not take an exact side, but is open minded and sees all sides. Whitman also talks about how Emerson was trying to influence others to believe in little besides themselves, being self-reliant(Kateb). One of the key points talked about in Emerson's Self-Reliance is the importance of individualism and self trust. Kateb takes not of this and further expands on this idea. He talks about how in order to be self reliant, you must also have self trust. This is what gives an individual the ability to be their own person and be creative. "Every individual is a new individual and can, with self-trust, do in the world something not yet done but worth doing. Creativity is always possible; creativity is actual when people trust themselves"(Kateb). I liked this part of Kateb's analysis because I think it effectively elaborates the potential and importance of self trust and individualism that Emerson talked about in his essay. One of the things I personally took out reading Emerson's Self Reliance was that individual experience is more valuable than something you are taught or read about in books. Kateb noticed this as well and expanded on Emerson's idea. "The fact is that Emerson insists with a characteristic insistence that we can assimilate our active experience only retrospectively and that this condition is not lamentable but productive of intense intellectuality. It may be easier to observe immediately than to experience immediately, but memory is needed even to make the best of one's immediate observations" (Kateb). Overall I think Kateb's analysis was very well written and definitely helped understand Emerson's essay form a different point of view.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind." In Emerson's Transcendental Etudes. Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 2003. Quoted as "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc

Journal #22

Snow is a wonderful gift that can be a blessing and a curse. Too much snow can cause many problems, but the right amount can be awesome. Being born in Michigan and growing up there has made me no stranger to what "real" snow is. Here in Illinois, the concept of a lot of snow is much different than in Michigan. Springfield is not really known for getting a lot of snow, but some years we do get a pretty good amount. Nothing compared to the blizzards in Michigan though. We drive up usually every other winter to Michigan to visit my family. Around the time where their snow receiving is at its peak.I remember one year when we visited, there was over five feet of snow! I thought it was the coolest thing ever. My grandpa used his giant tractor to clear the driveway of all snow and piled it into one huge mound. This was literally like twelve feet tall. It was ridiculous. The cousins and I went to town. As soon as we got the okay, we quickly threw on all of our snow gear and headed outside to the great mound. We made some pretty epic snow forts and even burrowed tunnels through the massive pile. It was an eleven year old's dream come true. Then of course hours later when we were all worn out, we came back into the house where grandma had hot chocolate waiting for us. Like I said though, too much snow can cause problems. This could be a good thing or a bad thing depending on if you like being stuck in your house or not. I remember my freshman year when we got a good amount of snow one night and it was enough to cancel school. Since the streets were not plowed, we could not drive anywhere, but it could not stop me from walking to my two best friend's house who lived in the neighborhood. It ended up being the perfect snow day.  

Journal #21

Emerson's quotation covers a very mature matter. My initial reaction reminds me of the stage in life where you are finally figuring out the truth of the world. That the clouds are not made of cotton candy and life is not always great and dandy and sweet as candy. The reality is, life is not perfect and neither are you. People are going to let you down and there is nothing you can do about it. Even the person you look up to the most will one day disappoint you. They are not perfect either, despite what you think. This quotation reminds you to be your own person, separate from others. Relying on other people is weakness. That is basically what this is implying. I do not believe this is always the case, but I do agree that people disappoint. Especially in today's society where we have such high standards for each other. This quotation also focuses on the importance of individuality. It says "imitation is suicide". I like this part of the quote because it is very blunt and does not beat around the bush. I feel like this is something that is definitely applicable to our society today. Everyone feels like they have to look and act a certain way in order to be accepted. When really, you were made an original for a reason and if you try to be like everyone else, you always fall short. An original is much more valuable than a copy. This reminds me of another quote I have heard before, but I do not remember who the author is. It talks about being yourself, everyone else is already taken. From this, I also got the idea that good things only come through hard work. This is explained in the part about the kernel of corn. Overall, I have learned so far that Emerson is very supportive of self-morals, hard work, and self-reliance. All of these fitting the characteristics of Romanticism.