Hamlet

Ben Dillard
William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a classical tragedy that has many deep and compelling themes, and “deeper meanings.” The play is a story about how Hamlet discovers that his father (the former king of Denmark) was murdered by his brother (now the current king of Denmark) and his father’s ghost comes to tell him to seek revenge. After learning this news Hamlet begins to act strange, and seems to have gone mad because of his father’s death, but his only aim is to seek his revenge. Throughout the book Hamlet puts on various acts and schemes to fool almost everyone in the kingdom, but he also come closer to his goal. At first I was intimidated about reading a novel by Shakespeare because of the strange vocabulary, but as I started to read the book I was surprised that I was able to read and understand what was being said and what was happening. I ended up liking the way the book was written and how interesting the vocabulary was, so I ended up greatly enjoying the novel.
My Interview:
Me: Why did you even suggest this book to me?
Alex: Hahaha! Well I remember having to read Hamlet in high school and I thought it was an interesting book. I also had you read it because as you know I am working on my game ( Alex is currently in the proses of designing and building a PC game) and I wanted you to read some kind of play or screenplay so you could help me out with the story line and dialogue, and that was the only one that came to mind.
Me: Well thanks (I smiled) I was actually scared when you told me that I should read Hamlet, mostly because of the way Shakespeare writes and all the strange vocabulary that would be in it.
Alex: And how did you handle it?
Me: Well after a few pages it was fine, like I understood almost everything. It actually kind of scared me that I was able to understand what he was saying. But I did enjoy reading the book a lot, and I like how he would describe the actions the characters would be making every now and then, and how they would enter or exit the scene. I just thought it was very interesting, and a little funny.
Alex: Really? I remember being so lost when I first read the book in high school! But at least you did pay attention to all those little details. Do you think you could help write a screenplay and dialogue now that you have read some kind of an example?
Me: Yeah, I feel that I could but I would defiantly need a lot of help. But over all I feel that I can.
We continued to talk but we ended up getting into a lot of details about the game that he is designing, and he showed me all his sketches and the story line, characters, weapons, skills, everything. I didn’t end up helping out with the game very much this summer, but we still got a long ways to go, so I am sure I’ll be able to help out more later on. I also had a good time reading this book, it showed me that I shouldn’t be afraid of Shakespeare and that you can pick up a few skills but just reading a book.

The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks

Ben Dillard
The immortal life of Henrietta Lacks
Henrietta was an African American tobacco farmer who was married, and had five children, the oldest Elsie, was deaf and mute. At the age of 30 Henrietta was diagnosed with cervical cancer in February 1951.She was treated at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, in a time in which hospitals were still segregated. As doctors customarily did at that time, during her treatment without her knowledge and consent a sample of her cancerous tissue was taken and given to researchers. In the lab, the researcher discovered that Henrietta’s cells were extremely good at growing replicating themselves, and they aggressively climbing up the sides of test tubes. Because they had the ability to regenerate quickly, the cells, named “HeLa cells,” have been invaluable to medical research. They have been the source of human cells that many scientist and doctors have tested vaccines (including the polio vaccine) and drugs. Henrietta’s cells are called the first “immortal cell line.” This was because on other person’s cells have lived longer than a few days outside of the body, but Henrietta’s cells are still alive and growing to this day in almost every research lab around the world. The family wasn’t even aware that her cells were being used in this way until the 1970s, when they were told by chance. Scientists had tried to sever Henrietta’s identity from the cells. Medical students and scientists report being told by professors that the cells had originated with a “white woman” named Helen Lane. But scientists did occasionally seek out Henrietta’s family to ask for tissue samples. Because of the family’s circumstances and poor of education, it was hard for them to understand why people wanted these samples, and they grew very suspicious of scientists and journalists who visited them over the years, wanting something from them. Henrietta’s younger daughter, Deborah who was only 2 when her mother died, had once asked researchers if, by studying Henrietta’s cells, they could tell what her mother’s favorite color was, or whether or not she liked to dance. The entire book gave me a deep interest in science and the science community. It has also opened my eyes as to how far racism has tried to overtake and rewrite history.
My Interview:
Me: Why did you suggest this book?
Barbra: Well, when you asked me to suggest a book that had to do with biology this was the first book to come to mind. My good friend lent it to me, and after I got a few pages into the book I couldn’t put it down.
Me: What do you think got you so interested in this book?
Barbra: Hmmm, well I think it’s the fact that science, well the science community tried to sever all ties with Henrietta because she was a black woman. They found one of the greatest discovery in the scientific world, and the family has not been properly accredited biased on the fact that the credited would have gone to a Black Woman.
Me: Having said that, what was your favorite part of the book?
Barbra: Hahaha, I don’t know what to tell you. I just feel in love with the entire book! I just love how the author goes through this amazing journey to find out what really happened all because of this tiny spark that her high school teacher started by simply giving her, her name. What about you? What was your favorite part?
Me: Hahaha, My favorite part was when she was talking about how sometimes a few of Henrietta’s children would go swimming in this bay that she always told them to not go swimming in because it was dirty and they would get sick, and when she heard that they were down there she would go get a switch and go down to the bay and whip them. It just reminded me of the stories that my Dad and my Grandmother use to always tell me about my dad, his siblings, and his cousins would always get in trouble and how they would always get beet with a switch by their grandmother.
The conversation branched off and we went from tangent to tangent. We mostly talked about family stories that related to some of Henrietta’s stories, and also about how the only real reason people didn’t want to give her credit was because she was a woman, and because she was black. Over all we had a wonderful discussion, and I am actually very glad I was able to read this book, and I gladly suggest it to anyone who is remotely interested in science, or a great novel.

Sustainability Visit

What is your name?
"Andrea."

What is your role here at the farmers market?
"I'm that Manager of this farmers market. And I also sell my foods at this stand."

How long have you been coming to Farmers Markets?
"Well ,my family owns a farm, and the first time I was able to help out at my fathers Farmers market I think that I was around 15. I still farm at my family's farm today, that's were all my food comes from. And I started this farmers market about two years ago."

Do you feel that you help not only the enviorment, but also help people become healthy?
"In a way I do feel that I help people make healthy choices when they by my food, and I feel good that I can do something to help the enviorment."

Questions:
1. What struck you about the location you visited? Was it what you expected, or very different?
Well the Farmers market that I visited was in the parking lot of an abandoned school, so I thought that it was a little creepy. But after we walked around a bit it really reminded me of a swap meet. The people that were selling the food, mostly sold fruit and i thought that they would be selling all veggies. And they also sold stuff like jewelry, art supplies, and blankets.

2. Which items were cheaper than you expected? Which were more expensive?
The oranges were really cheep, that surprised my little brother. And the cherry's were the most expensive item at three different stands, but I still bought some.

3. Do you think you will start going to a farmers market more often? Or using a community garden? Or supporting a CSA?
I don't think I will start going to a farmer's market that often, but I will keep it in mind.

4. How do these locations fit into our essential questions of "Why Don't People Live More Sustainably?" and "How Can I Convince them to do So?"
Well people wont try to live more sustainably because they can't afford to buy expensive food. Organic food is kind of expensive, but it is important to eat healthy. We can convince them to do so by giving them information on how it can help them become health, and how it can help your family to become healthy.

School Garden

1. What will happen to the garden during the summer?
They don't know what will happen to the garden during the summer, maybe someone from facilities will check up on it.
2.How hard is it to manage the garden?
Pretty tough.
3.How often do you work on the garden?
We work on the garden on Wednesdays and Fridays. So around like four hours a week.



Reflection

Does this inspire you to start your own garden?
No, but it does inspire me to help my mom with her garden.

Would you like to continue the seniors work?
I think it will be great to keep planting more plants and vegetables. We could make the garden big and may be have a grade lunch with all the food we would grow.

How did the visit change you?
Well the visit tought me that we had a garden, and that it is not that hard to make and maintain a garden.

My Parents Response

So I started to tell my parents about the movie that we were watching in class. I talked about how we got to see how animals were treated and the enviorments that they lived in. They said that they all ready had know about facts like that, and have tryed to change their diet. So I told them about how if they companys that make the meats feed the animals what they eat naturly for a week, the animals would be much healther, and that their would be less problems with the meat. Their responce to this was that people would be healther if big companys started taking cair of the animals and feeding them what their supposed to eat insted of feeding them corn, just so they could make easy money, their would be less problems and people would be healthy.

Dialectic Journal

In My Ishmael the chaptersSchool Daze and School Daze II, we looking at topics that they talk about, Rachel Sokolow, and how Ishmael watched her grow up and start school and how excited she was but as she grew older here interest decreased.
This is one of the quotes that I favor in these chapters.
“People imagine
That they'd like to see their children enter the workplace with really useful business skills, but if they
Actually did so, they'd immediately begin competing for jobs with their older siblings and their parents,
Which would be catastrophic. And if graduates came out of school with advanced skills, who would bag
the groceries, Julie? Who would do the sweeping up? Who would pump the gas? Who would do the
filing? Who would flip the burgers?"
"I suppose it would turn into an age thing."
"You mean you'd tell Johnny Smith and Jennie Jones that they can't have the jobs they want, not
because others are more qualified but because others are older."

Village Savior

Ben Dillard

January 18, 2010

"Darling, could you go and get some water from the well for the day?"

"Yes Papa," a blank look came across her face as she thinks about the day of work ahead of her.

"Oh, and could you pick up your little brother from school after the prayer?"

A look of joy and happiness came upon her face "Yes Papa!" She loved her little brother as if he were her own son. That’s why a question has been in the back of her mind for a while. "Papa?"

"Yes Darling?"

"Shouldn't we be worried about the resent raids of near by villages? I mean, what if we get attacked? What will we do?"

"They know that we are one of the poorest, if not the poorest village, so really we have nothing to worry about. And if they do come, all we can do is hope and pray."

"Ok, Papa." But this feeling inside of her, it was over, whelming. She knows something is going to happen, and it will happen soon.

As they arrived at the temple the prayer began, that same feeling came upon her again. She could feel it, something is pulling her to go, to go and find some one. She turns her head, and she sees a tall dark figure run cross the wide dirt road. The feeling rushed over her again, but this time in different waves. Each one stronger than the last, to the point where she finally stands. The feeling has completely taken over, and its as if she has no control of her body movements. So all she can do is just watch as her body takes her to the place where the dark figure once stood. She looks for any singes of where the figure might be, the heat from the sun slowly warms her face, but with no traces of the mysterious figure she starts to wonders around the village. This small village, this is where she was born, raised and will one day die in. This is her home, and yet she has always wanted to leave, so she could see the world. Her entire life she has always done what others have asked her, and yet she has not gotten her one and only wish, she just wants to see the world.

Then it happened, the one sound that is like the roar of a lion, the scream of death that brings about the cold wave of the reapers hand. The sound of a single gun shot filled the village. She opens her mouth but nothing came out, she ran back to the temple when a whole berage of shots go off. Bright flashes of bright lights and dark red blood cover the windows of the temple. Only one thought goes through her mind, her little brother and the other children at the school. She ran, and ran with a look of calmness and clarity on her face, she was on a mission to save the children.

Before she ran up to the school, she checked to see that no one would see her cross the empty field that the school was built upon. Within three minutes, she was able to gather all of the children and teachers. Now came the challenge of getting them out of the village, quickly they assembled at the back of the school and quickly crept across the field. They silently weaved through the back roads of the village until they finally got out of the village and to the edge of the jungle.

The teachers took the children deeper into the jungle, and Darling was able to finally hold her little brother in her arms. “Yaya, I want you to stay with the teachers no matter what happens. Promise me?”

With a big smile upon his face the words “okay!” came from his mouth with a playful and happy voice. She knew he didn’t understand what was happening, and she knew that one day he would and talk about how brave he was. But right now there was one final task at hand. That is, to save the rest of the village. With one deep breath she ran back into the village, heading for the only radio that the village owned. When she finally got there she flipped the switch and with a calm and quiet voice she began pleading for someone to answer. “ Hello, any one! My village is being raided, many of my people are already dead. The children are safe but there are still people who need help! Please any one! Help us!”

“Hello!”

“Hello, yes, can you help my village?! Please!”

“Calm down, we are sending reinforcements, they should be there in two minuets. Can you estimate how many people are raiding your village?”

Her eyes widen, her breathing stopped, there it was again, that horrible retched feeling that has warned her about all of this. She slowly sets down the radio, and turns around facing the door.

“Hello! Miss? Are you there! Miss!”

She could hear her own heart beat to a constant rhythm, like the quiet yet suttle flow of a river. There he was, the tall dark figure standing in the doorway. This time she knew that he was here for her, as he slowly raised his hand she could see that he held a gun. And just like that he pulled the trigger, that horrible sound yet again came upon her ears. She had always wondered what it was like to die, but to her surprise it was more like simply lying down as if you were to fall into a deep sleep. She lied there, as the warmth slowly left her body, eyes wide, motionless watching the dark figure slowly fade into the darkness that filled her
eyes.


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