*I collaborated on this project with Hannah Maltba and Jenna Ramsey.*

As you read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, you first read that for Ebenezer Scrooge “[i]t was the very thing he liked. To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance” (stave 1). Ebenezer was a selfish man who wanted to be left alone. During the story, three Ghosts of Christmas visited him and he changed. From then on, he “was so fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions” (stave 5). This was our inspiration for the words Ebenezer speaks through the six diary entries. We wanted to show how he could go into a pandemic happy to be away from people but come out of it only wanting to surround himself with those who can bring smiles to his life. We also chose to use cholera as the pandemic in the diary entries because A Christma Carol was published in December of 1843, which would be when the third pandemic of cholera was taking place. 

December 19, 1843

People around town are saying there is a pandemic spreading. I don’t know much about it, but they say it’s called cholera, which is caused by contaminated rice and water. This is the third pandemic of it too. I’m not worried. Ever since my friend and business partner Jacob Marley died, I don’t talk to anyone. That is fine with me though, I don’t like human interaction. The only time I leave my house is for work or to go get food. So, social distancing will be easy for me. I would much rather just stay inside by myself and away from everyone. Plus, I don’t like rice anyway!

December 23, 1843

I’m starting to like this whole cholera pandemic. It has been a few days, and I haven’t been happier. Of course, I’m not much of a happy person anyway. I’ve been able to stay at home with absolutely nobody to annoy me. I never did care for people. All they care about is being happy, friendly, and sharing with each other. Well, I’m perfectly fine staying healthy right here, with my own things, and nobody else. As long as I don’t get cholera, I hope this pandemic never ends.

December 27, 1843

The people here are in a panic. Many local businesses are shutting down, and it is hard to find essential supplies I need such as food. No one wants to borrow money right now because they are afraid they will lose their job and not be able to pay it back in time. The authorities are suggesting people stay inside and avoid contact with people as much as possible. As long as my business doesn’t shut down and I still have food to eat, I’m not concerned with other people’s needs. I am the successful business owner of Scrooge & Marley. I have nothing to worry about. However, I have been visited by three ghosts. The ghost of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future. The first ghost used my own words against me, the next ghost tried to show me the celebrations and warm spirits of people around christmas, and the last ghost showed me the future and even my future death. What they had to show me is a lot to consider over this time in isolation. 

December 31, 1843

Due to this pandemic and people not going out and doing as much business, I have begun to lose money. At first, I was extremely upset and angered by this because I need to make a profit to stay in business and make a living! However, as this pandemic has progressed, and I’ve lost more and more business and money, I have begun to wonder if it really matters that I am losing money. I have made and saved enough money over the years that I will be able to survive. I will still be able to pay my bills and buy necessities, at least for a few months. While I have been stuck at home, I have begun thinking and reminiscing on my good friend, and business partner, Jacob Marley. I wonder how he would have been reacting and dealing with this pandemic. I’m starting to wish that I could go out.

January 4, 1844

When will all of this be over? I know that I’ve not been the most pleasant individual to be around, but this quarantine is starting to affect me greatly. As surprised as I am to admit it, I am slightly missing social interaction. I truly think that those ghosts had something to do with it. Ever since they came to visit me, I’ve had a whole new outlook on life and the relationships I hold, or rather the lack of those relationships. With this new outlook, I have a desire to reenter the world and try to have, in a way, a fresh start to things. I am thinking of possibly changing how I run my business ever so slightly. Once I am able to reenter the world, I am hoping that I will be nicer to folks and be more understanding towards them. I want to be more pleasant and make the most out of the time I have left with the people around me.

January 8, 1844

I want it gone. I want the whole pandemic, the isolation, and all of it gone. I regret that I ever treated anyone the way I did, especially Bob Cratchit. I don’t want to be the man that says Bah Humbug when someone says Merry Christmas any longer. I realize now that you have to surround yourself with people who are happy to be happy. I also have to give to everyone else just because I can. But, I just don’t know how I can do any of that stuck in this house any longer. It is not fun sitting around the house by myself all day anymore. I need interaction and laughter from other people. I’ll just be ready for when the sick people get better and when this all goes away. Then I will go make things right with the world. I know now that you’re never too old to change.

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. 1843. Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm. 21 April, 2020.

Do you think you will be remembered after you leave this world? One may hope to be, but sadly, many people are not. In Percy Bysshe Shelly’s poem, Mutability, he compares humans to clouds. He makes the comparison that humans are clouds because of how they are forgotten after they leave this world. He states that although one may accomplish a lot in their life, it can easily be forgotten. He continues this thought by saying, “[t]he path of its departure is still free: Man’s yesterday may neēr be like his morrow” (lines 14-15). I think that the cause of one being forgotten is as years pass, and times change there are always new people doing things in this world that may overshadow one that has already passed. Another reason could be that the younger generation of children were not informed enough about their ancestors to carry on and be able to talk about what they did years down the road. 

Percy Shelly’s claim goes along with Mary Shelly’s book, Frankenstein. In the book, Victor is confronted by a person who claims he should be Adam. We later find out that this figure is a monster. After the storm, the monster confronts Victor and wants to tell his story; however, Victor does not recognize him and does not want to hear his story. The monster responds to him by saying “ I am thy creature; I ought to be thy Adam, but I am rather the fallen angel, whom thou drivest from joy for no misdeed” (89). From this, one can conclude that the monster was upset that he was not remembered. We can see this from his statement that he should be Adam because Adam is a biblical figure that will always be remembered and talked about. 

In conclusion, the circumstances of Frankenstein not recognizing the monster is an example of Percy Shelly’s Poem. After reading this, one may refer to the monster as a cloud. Throughout history, many people are forgotten no matter if they left a legacy or not. I am sure that it was hard for the monster to realize that he had been forgotten after his time on earth was over. I think that there are two very different reasons Mary Shelly included this poem in her book. The first is  because she wanted people to realize and understand that not everyone will be remembered. Although it is sad to think about your long life on earth being so easily forgotten, it happens to most everyone. I think that after Mary Shelly’s family passed away, she may have realized that no one knew who they were anymore and that is what sparked her idea to include this. Shelly saw from personal experience with her family these things. One may also take this as a positive thing to not be remembered, because this can help you to know that the mistakes and things of the past will not always be looked at and soon people will not remember them. 

Works Cited

Shelley’s Frankenstein.” Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 1818, 1831. Barnes and Noble,

          2003.

Shelly, Percy Bysshe. “Mutability”. The Norton Anthology of British Literature: The

Romantic Period. 10th ed. Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. W. W. Norton, 2017. pp. 776-767

Francis Danby’s “Disappointed Love” (1821) W.W. Norton

While first looking at the painting Disappointed Love, one may not understand the depth the artist Francis Danby is trying to prevail. Danby’s painting showcases “[a] young woman, her face and individually concealed form the viewers, allies her with allegorical representations of melancholy mourning figures placed atop mortuary monuments…”. (C6) Readers can relate this image to Mary Shelley’s book Frankenstein because of all the disappointment she faced in her life. Many things Shelly faced included, “[h]er mother had died as a result of giving birth to her; her half-sister, Fanny, had committed suicide about a month after [her] nineteenth birthday; four of her five conceptions [also] ended tragically, the last a near-fatal miscarriage; her husband, Percy, was droned in 1822, six years after their marriage”.(xiv) One may assume that the tragic and disappointing events in Shelly’s life is what inspired her to create the fiction novel Frankenstein. 

Works Cited

Danby Francis. Excerpt from “Disappointed Love.” The Norton Anthology of British Literature: The Romantic Period. 10th ed. Stephen Greenblatt, General Editor. W.W. Norton, 2018. pp. C8

Shelly, Mary. Frankenstine. Introduction and Notes by Karen Karbiener. Barnes and Noble, 2003. 

-By: Ahira, Caroline, and Madison

Are games beneficial to the growing minds of young students or is it all just an educational fantasy? When researching this topic we found several viewpoints on why games are beneficial in the classroom. Using games in the classroom can help students use critical thinking, memorization, offer opportunities for the creation of meaningful context, reduces stress and anxiety, and engage students. 

Some faculty members or teachers might be questionable about the usage of games in the classroom. For example, if they use games then it would take focus out of the work and be more focused on the game aspect. However, other teachers have found “[t]he game design experience had a positive influence on the participants’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and perceptions regarding the use of digital games in the classroom. The participants became more interested in, more confident, and less concerned about using digital games in teaching after designing their own educational game.” Board games can also help stimulate the young minds of children, “ Several board games have been proposed to help students learning English as a Second Language (ESL), games reduce the stress imposed on students and they also contribute in raising students’ motivation and confidence… anxiety”. Rather than following the standard rules for the game, the teacher can slightly alternate the rules of the game to help the students learn the topic the curriculum is trying to teach while still making the lesson fun. Through this gaming technique, it can help engage students; “ Similar to project-based learning, game-based learning puts students in authentic situations that require them to think critically about solving problems”

In this modern time, board games are a thing of the past. Video games are becoming a new trend in the educational spectrum for young children, as well as adolescents,“digital games could help students develop higher-order thinking skills and 21st century skills beyond making learning fun and engaging. However, “the major concerns participants had about the use of digital games in the classroom included distractions caused by games (18 %), dependency on games (16 %), effectiveness of games (16 %), students focusing on gameplay rather than on learning (14 %), and others’ views (6 %). 

In conclusion, games in the classroom have a positive effect on students. Although, others view it as a detrimental effect on their education path because it can distract them from the inner meaning of the lessons that are trying to be taught. Studies have found that the games can help students use critical thinking, memorization, offer opportunities for the creation of meaningful context, reduces stress and anxiety, and engage students. 

Annotated Bibliography

An, Yun-jo, and Li Cao. “The Effects of Game Design Experience on Teachers’ Attitudes and Perceptions regarding the use of Digital Games in the Classroom.” TechTrends, vol. 61, no. 2, 2017, pp. 162-170. ProQuest, https://login.proxy032.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1871543354?accountid=9935, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11528-016-0122-8.

In this source, multiple authors convey the abstract thought that specific game designs can help advance young minds of students by stimulating them with the usage of fun. Li Cao and Yun-jo both agreed that games in the classroom are a positive tool to get students engaged in academic lessons. Also, they said that students feel more inspired to continue on their education and found that it boosts up their confidence levels and decrease their anxiety levels.  

Farber, Matthew. “Gamify Your Classroom.” The Education Digest, vol. 81, no. 5, 01, 2016, pp. 37-42. ProQuest, https://login.proxy032.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1754113535?accountid=9935.

In this source, Farber talks about the positive effect of having board games as well as games on electronic devices in the classroom. Farber says that having these games in the classroom helps students use critical thinking, it engages them, it involves them having to collaborate with each other and use problem solving tasks, and it helps the students work together to create a common goal.

 Harris, Lois R., Gavin T. L. Brown, and Joanne Dargusch. “Not Playing the Game: Student Assessment Resistance as a Form of Agency.” Australian Educational Researcher, vol. 45, no. 1, 2018, pp. 125-140. ProQuest, https://login.proxy032.nclive.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/2002038666?accountid=9935, doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13384-018-0264-0.

In this source, Harris talks about how students react differently to playing games inside of a classroom. Harris brings up a main point where he writes that students that do not play a game tend to react differently in a classroom than the kids who do play a game. Not all of the students act the same way as the others and playing games is a big part of it. Harris talked about the different tests that were made to prove each of the effects that happen in a classroom. Teachers use games in order to see how students react differently and how it affects them in the classroom to either become better or become less associated in class.

In the Spanish Culture, they set aside two days called The Day of The Dead. This event is on November 1st and 2nd. On these days, the families celebrate and remember their family members and loved ones that have passed away. This day is not sad but rather a celebration of their life filled with gatherings and fun. The movies The Book of Life is a story that is told in a mexican town. The main character are three people that have been friends since they were young, Manolo, Maria, and Joaquin. Manolo and Joaquin have both always wanted to marry Maria. When they were older, Maria went off to study abroad, Joaquin joined the military, and Manolo studied to be a bullfighter although his passion is playing music. Although they are many years older, Manolo and Joaquin still both want to marry Maria. They are all reunited and become trapped in a love triangle… I guess you will have to watch the movie to see what happens!

My favorite character was Manolo because although his family wanted him to carry out the heritage of bullfighting, he was passionate about playing music and he wasn’t afraid to follow his heart and  stick up for what he wanted to do. The theme or lesson of this movie is that your family and friends are the most important thing in life and even if they don’t completely agree with the decisions you make, they still love you and will support you.

In Chapter 7 of Tara Westover’s Educated, a tragic and scary event occurs. Tara was ten years old at the time. On a bright and sunny morning, Luke and his dad got up to go work at the junkyard. , Luke was in his room tying twine around his waist to hold his jeans up and retaped his boots.At the junkyard,  Luke was working to puncture the gas tanks in cars so they could then use the cutting torch and scrap the cars for metal. While carrying a bucket filled with fuel, Luke stumbled and spilled gas all over himself. He let the sun dry the gas and he went back to work. Later that day, Luke was using the torch when he struck himself with the torch causing flames to burst onto his legs. The twine was wrapped tight around his waist causing him to not be able to get his jeans off.  Tara heard the screaming from the home as Luke was running toward her. In that moment, Tara had to make some quick choices so that she could help Luke.

 Tara’s mother, who was not home at the time, was a Midwife and had many essential oils and home remedies for things. After stopping for a minute trying to figure out what she should do, Tara quickly ran in the house and got a trash can, filled it with cold ice water, stuck Luke’s leg in it, and gave him some oil to wake him up. It was not long after Luke woke up that their mother arrived and took Luke in the house to see if there was any infection. As the mother did this, I could imagine Tara was very nervous and anxious about Lukes leg being infected as she was the one that took care of him and tried to prevent this from happening. No matter how serious the infection could have been, the family refused to visit the hospital. After a thorough examination, her mom determined that there was no infection. The family’s prayer was answered, “ about three weeks after the fire, Mother announced that the skin around the edges of the burn had begun to grow back and she has hope for even the worst patches.” Luke’s leg healed and he was able to return to work. 

After Luke’s accident, the family teased him about wearing the twine around his waist instead of a real belt. The morning before Luke and his father returned to work, his father came into the kitchen where the family was eating breakfast “a man ought to have a real belt, dad said….. Holding him a leather strap with a steel buckle.” Although the Westovers have faced many tough challenges, the Lord does provide and they get through each one which brings them closer as a family.

In conclusion, Tara is faced with many touch choices in this chapter. The choices that she made conveys how she looks at Luke because she remembers Luke the same way she did before the accident and nothing changed that. Tara did the right things when Luke first came to her which helped his leg not to get infected and for him to later return to normal. Tara and her family will always remember the stories about Luke and his twine and how he wrapped it around his waist each morning before work. Although they were faced with many touch challenges, they get through each one and it brings them closer as a family as well as it creates more memories for them. 

Work Cited

Westover, Tara. Educated. Chapter 7, pages 67-71, 2018

In the past, I have written a few assignments where I had to do research. I wrote a bibliography and a Tvography. When writing a bibliography over the summer, I researched information about my life in order to compile a good bibliography. I started off by writing down all the important events in my life that I could remember. Then, I did some research to find out things that I could not recall. I asked my parents of many important events that they recalled. After hearing many stories I did not remember, I looked through pictures and baby books to help me gather more information about these events. After taking notes and getting all the information I needed, I sat down and started drafting my bibliography. Not only did I write about this event, but I also wrote about how the event impacted my life and helped me become the person who I am today.

When writing my Tvography, I had to pick my top five favorite shows. I then brainstormed about the shows that I watch the most and my favorites. The most difficult part was choosing my fifth show because I had many other favorites to choose from. So I took a few of my favorites remaining and picked the show I watch the most out of them and that was my fifth show. After finally choosing the five shows, I began to research information about each show so that I could give one a good summary incase one was interested in watching it. I started off by looking at the ratings, views, and my favorite/ least favorite parts of each. Then, I began to conduct my Tvography. I believe that this Tvography went well and I was able to give one my unbiased opinion about each show.

While reading chapters 24-26 of The Norton Field Guide to Writing, it indicated that my own disciplinary interests are likely to do with business courses. For example, the textbook says “…you’re likely to read case studies of specific companies and write business cases and other communications.” I think that this conclusion is pretty accurate because I am pretty good at being able to read something and summarize it. I also think I would enjoy being able to adapt my reading and writing skills to the various academic fields that I may encounter.

In conclusion, I have done multiple research projects in my past. I think that doing many different kinds of writing such as research papers has helped me become a stronger writer. I think this is also good practice for me as I go into the future and go off to a four year college.While writing a bibliography, I did research about my own life to find out events that I could not recall. While researching a Tvography, I did research about each show so that I could give accurate and efficient summaries about each. I think that writing these papers have made me a stronger writer and has helped me to grow in some areas.

Citation:

Bullock Richard, et al. Chapter 24 : “Fields of Study.” The Nortan Field Guide to Writing with Readings and Handbook. 5th ed. Norton, 2019 pp 293.

My name is Madison St. Clair. I am a Junior at Alexander Early College. This is my first blog post. In this blog, I will be discussing my top 5 favorite shows to watch from a variety of different places including Netflix and Hulu.

I chose these shows by the ones that I watch most frequently and enjoy the most. The hardest part was to pick my 5th favorite show. The show 911 on Hulu is a show that I came across about 6 months ago. I instantly loved the show and all the action packed into the episodes. Northern Rescue was a show in my suggested list on Netflix that I found about 3 months ago. I was not sure if I would like it at first but after I started it, I wanted to binge watch the rest of the season. Heartland is the most recent show I have started watching. I think one reason I started watching it is because it has a lot to do with horses and I love horses.

I do not know too much about the shows yet, but I’m very excited to continue watching it. Criminal shows are one of my favorite things to watch. Criminal Minds is a show that I had heard of before but never watched until about a year ago. As soon as I watched the first episode, I knew I was going to like the show. Finally, Friends is an older show that my family likes to watch and I have watched for several years.

Favorite Tv Shows

Hulu

• 911

Netflix

• Northern Rescue
• Heartland

Direct TV

• Criminal Minds
• Friends

Sources

Bacci, Mark, et al. “Northern Rescue.” Netflix Official Site, 1 Mar. 2019, https://www.netflix.com/title/80202258.

Brooke, Lauren. “Heartland.” Netflix, 16 June 2016, https://www.netflix.com/title/70171946.

Carnegie, Dale. “Watch Friends Online: Stream Full Episodes.” DIRECTV, Simon and Schuster, Feb. 1937, https://www.directv.com/tv/Friends-SWpiSHBuTnh1TEU9.

“Watch 9-1-1 Streaming Online: Hulu .” Watch 9-1-1 | Premieres Sep 23 at 8|7c, https://www.hulu.com/series/9-1-1-b3519825-4053-4065-b3a6-e93125fb7d54.

“Watch Criminal Minds Online: Stream Full Episodes.” DIRECTV, Jeff Davis, 22 Sept. 2005, https://www.directv.com/tv/Criminal-Minds-bE1IdTVwWkhqV3c9.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

You’re going to publish a post today. Don’t worry about how your blog looks. Don’t worry if you haven’t given it a name yet, or you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just click the “New Post” button, and tell us why you’re here.

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