The Junior Circuit

As the calender races to November 3rd, I feel confident in my first marking period at high school. I find all my classes enthralling and interesting, but none are more so than 10th period Language Arts with Mr. Steven Mogg.

In this junior Language Arts class, we began our adventure into the world of grammar, literature, and vocabulary by reading Yann Martel's The Life of Pi. Within that novel we learned about survival and religious values, and came up with our own mantras. We set our goals and aspirations for the upcoming year.

While reading Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, we learned about many different concepts. We learned how rumors and gossips are detrimental to many people, and cause nothing but bad things. Also, we delved into the days of 1930's Alabama, and discovered the racism and inequality that ravaged the whole southern United States.

As for how we went about learning, we utilized 21st century technology. Every Tuesday and Friday we worked on these very blogs, uploading posts discussing underlying themes and illusions to To Kill a Mockingbird. I found this very helpful and thought it helped us make better connections to the novel. I think that other classes should utilize technology like we have in this class, as it makes projects easier and more enjoyable to work on.

All in all, I have found my junior year exciting and interesting, and am doing very well grade-wise. I enjoy all of the curriculum we are learning, and hope that the following quarters will be as enjoyable as this one.

May(er)comb, Alabama: TKAM Musical Connection

One of the main themes of To Kill a Mockingbird is the fact that society has issues that must change. Jem and Scout are immensely disappointed with the town of Maycomb and their underlying racist values, as shown by the anger and confusion felt by the two children after Tom Robinson is unjustly convicted of rape just because he was African-American. A song that connects to this theme is Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer. One lyric of the song states:

"now we see everything that's going wrong
with the world and those who lead it
we just feel like we don't have the means
to rise above and beat it "

These words greatly exemplify the feelings of the two Finch children, as they realize everything that is wrong, but as children cannot do anything to stop it. They don't have "the means" (the influence) to beat "it" (racism). However, even though this realization is grim, like this song, they maintain an upbeat and optimistic attitude towards the end, thinking that the world will change.

The Greatest Social Injustice in the World

In America, we consider our country "the Land of the Free". We pride ourselves in our freedom of self expression, and our set of morals and ethics. We open our arms to men and women, blacks and whites, Asians and Europeans, mentally or physically disabled. It is utterly frowned upon to make fun of these groups. However, one group in our country, and the whole world in general, has been mocked, shunned, and persecuted since the beginning of humanity. These people make up 10% of the world's population, but most of them are forced to hide their identity in fear of being resented. These people, homosexuals, are the most tortured group in the whole world, and nothing has been done to prevent this.

If you walk across a hall at Wissahickon High School, you are likely to hear the word "gay" used in a derogatory fashion. This adjective has gained such a negative connotation that anyone who actually fits the description is now looked down upon. It is used as an insult on television, in movies, in writing, and music. Homosexuals have done nothing to elicit this negativity, and yet new phrases are penned every day, creating more ways to destroy a person's self-esteem.

Think about the right of marriage. Drug dealers, murderers, and racists all are able to tie the knot. The menaces of American society have this right, yet hardly anywhere are perfectly innocent lovers who happen to share the same gender are not permitted to wed. When people say that it isn't natural for people of the same sex to be in love and wed, that is not so. Their identity as a homosexual is in fact a natural occurrence, something that these people are born with and have no control over. Their chemicals in their body cause them to feel affection for the same sex, so in what way is this not a natural occurrence?

From the Stonewall Riots to Harvey Milk, gay pride has attempted to fight for its existence. More and more homosexuals are feeling more comfortable to come out. Icons such as Ellen DeGeneres, Ricky Martin, and Neil Patrick Harris have all come out recently, realizing that their stature may help the process of gays embracing their personality.

There is still a long way to go. Gay teens every week are committing suicides fueled by self-loathing and regret. Hopefully, one day, homosexuals will be accepted and embraced in American society.