What college are you going to?

I am going to USF.

What are you going to miss the most from SHCP?

SENIOR PROM!

How was everyone's prom? Was it what you expected, better or worse? What did you think of the location, food, music, etc?

I had an amazing time! =) It was better than i expected and i didn't think the food was that bad. However, i think the performance by the jacka sucked and it made people not want to dance.

2 in a half weeks left of school, just wanted to know what you guys think and what colleges you guys are going to?

I am going to USF and I'm excited about new oppertunities.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE DEATH PENALTY IS RIGHT?

i think that the death penalt y is wrong because law enforcement does not have the right to take away someone's life, no matter what the crime was. i can see how victim's families would disagree with me but it is still wrong either way you look at it.

Sandra Cantu Case

Everyone knows about what happened to Sandra Cantu in Tracy. Right now, they have arrested Melissa Huckaby for her murder. If her charges stand and she is convicted, do you believe she should get the dealth penalty for what she has done? I believe she should because doing what she did to an 8 year old girl, shows no regard at all for her. I can't understand how you can kill another person's child when you have one of the age. The thing that really disturbs me in this case, is the fact she raped her with a foreign object. That is what the tipping point was for me in deciding she should get the death penalty. 

Colleges

Well, this isn't so much of a hard-hitting question... but I was just wondering what colleges everyone is going to? It's so hard to remember what people say so I just wanted to start a topic to find out where people are going. I'm going to Loyola New Orleans : )

The Swine Flu

So, recently in the news there has been a lot of talk about the Swine Flu. I was reading an article about it and whether or not it will turn into an epidemic - basically it said that it is too soon to tell. Personally, I am not very worried about it because it does not seem like the kind of thing I could contract but I was wondering what everyone else thinks about it? Do you think it is going to turn into an even bigger deal?

Do you think it was fair that they took away senior privleges?

I think they overreacted about the situation. With one month left to go, they should have at least gave us a warning. They also should have conidered only taking away privleges from those who weren't at school. What do you guys think?

Day of Silence- 04/17/2009

So today is the Day of Silence, which is a student-led day of action were those who support making anti-Lesbian Gay Bi Transgender bullying and harassment unacceptable in school. It's a day where students are silent the whole day to symbolically represent the silencing of LGBT students.

• -What is your opinion about the Day of Silence? Do you think it is effective?
• -Would you be able to participate in this day of silence to prove a point? Would you think kids at our school will participate in this?
• -Have you ever even heard of this before? If not, what are your feelings about students doing such a thing?

Love takes time...

I feel that inorder to love a person it takes time and progression. It's hard to love someone right from the start. You can say that you have a feeling you will love them but you have to interactact with them first. Love is a strong feeling that doesn't happen over night so I believe that love is a journey.

What do you think true love is (you can reference LOTC)?

Do you think that true love is love at first site? Is love when two people enjoy each other more and more as they progress in a relationship? I think that it is both. Some people say that right at the moment they saw each other for the first time, they just knew that they loved each other. I also think that as you spend more time with someone and learn things about them, you begin to love or fall in love with someone. What do you guys think?

I do...

In the last week two states have granted marriage equality to all their citizens, irrespective of gender. Marriage is, or should be, both a constitutional and a human right.

Opponents of marriage equality argue that the institution cannot be changed. Yet it has had many faces over the centuries, while different cultures have varied definitions of what marriage is. Opponents of marriage equality among the religious community argue that granting equality to all will destroy the fundamental tenets of society as we know it. However, in every country and state where marriage equality is the law, the world has not come to an end., as predicted by the forces of social repression.

There is a generational divide between us...how many od my contemporaries feel about marriage equality produced Prop 8 and its passage – I would like toknow how the younger generation feels about it.

Mr. Beeche

Do you think that Florentino should have waited so long to tell Fermina that he loves her?

I don't think that he should have waited as long as he did. He waited for 52 years almost to tell her three words "I Love You." I wouldn't want to have something on my conscience for that long. It is not healthy to keep something like this bottled up, especially after 52 long years. He never moved on in his life and this was eating him up inside for so long. He tried covering it up with meaningless relationships, but that didn't turn out too well for him. I could never wait that long to tell someone anything.

Could you live happily ever after?

What if your reality became magical? If you woke up one morning to find that the world as you know it was twisted into a magical-reality-like mesh of the physical and the fantastical, do you think your existence would be more fun, difficult, interesting, unbelievable, scary? Can you use past works to emphasize how you would feel? For example, do you think life would be more vengeful if you could cook powers into meals like Tita in Like Water for Chocolate?

And, how does that make you feel?

What are your opinions on magical realism blogs? Do you find them helpful and interesting? How much time do you spend thinking of your responses? Do you come back to read other students' answers every couple of hours? Would you recommend them to a friend?

What do you guys think of President Obama'a campaign so far?

I am interested to hear what you guys think of his campaign thus far and thought that I would change the subect.

Love in the

By Wednesday please try your best to have Chapter 1 read. We will be discussing in class Setting, Themes and a bio of Gabriel García Márquez.

What is the meaning of the candles buring in the last scene in "Like water for chocolate"

I think that it meant that their paasion was "ignited" again to what it was 20 years ago when they were young lovers. What do you think?

Magical Realism in Like Water for Chocolate

What are some of the magical realist aspects in the movie, Like Water for Chocolate? Are there any ways we can connect this movie to some other works we have previously read or watched?

Like Water for Chocolate

In the film, Like Water for Chocolate, Tita falls in love with Pedro. However, her mother does not allow Tita to marry him, due to the family tradition. Instead, she arranges for Tita's sister, Rosaura, to marry him. As a result, Tita turns to cooking food that greatly affects her family. It can be said that those actions were unappropriate for the position a daughter or sister has in the family. However, it can also be said that her actions were suitable for the acts committed against her. Given her circumstance, do you think Tita's actions were acceptable?

The Grass Dancer - Lydia

Lydia, Harley's Mom, took a vow of silence after her husband and nephew died. We now know that the reason for her silence is because she believes her words are what killed them, the night they left for their drive she told them to leave - to get "out of her hair". She blames herself for their deaths. Do you think it is fair of her to take a vow of silence, to never talk to her son Harley, all because she blames herself? Is it fair to Harley who must be burdened with the grief of the loss of his Dad and brother as well as the agonizing silence of his mother?

The Grass Dancer - Harley

All throughout the novel, Harley Wind Soldier has had a heart-shaped hole in his chest. Pumpkin, a talented grass dancer was able to momentarilly fill it. Why do you think that a complete stranger was temporarily able mend the void that had plagued him for years, while the people close to him, including his mother, seemed unable to get near?

THe Sixth Sense

The film you watched this past week, The Sixth Sense, is pure Magical Realism...what aspects of the film would you use to support his statement?

Mr Beeche

Magical Realist aspects in The Sixth Sense

The film you watched this past week, The Sixth Sense, is pure Magical Realism...what aspects of the film would you use to support his statement?

Mr Beeche

Check the homework site!

My dear students,

Please check the homework site for the updated list of explications...do not forget when your s is due and bring enough copies (16) for fellow classmates and me.

Mr. Beéche

What are some symbolic elements in the movie "The Green Mile"?

The tiny mouse, also know as Mr. Jingles, encounters the men on The Green Mile. At first Paul and the rest of the guards wanted to kill it, but as the movie progressed the men didn’t feel the same way. They saw the mouse as a friendly creature. Eventually Del takes him in as a pet which shows the compassion that he has. Mr. Jingles could perhaps symbolize the loneliness that the men feel on the Mile. This is the main reason that prevents the men from killing the mouse. Only Percy, who is cruel, still holds a grudge against the mouse and when he stepped on it, he shows everyone that he doesn’t care about anyone other than himself.

The Green Mile

Everybody has got to love Mr. Jungles!

What do you think Mr. Jingles symbolized? And why was he important or necessary for the movie?

or

So far, all of the literary works of Magical Realism that we have read in class have had social critques in mind. Do you believe that there is a message that The Green Mile is trying to relay to us? If so, how does that message relate or apply to our society?

How do you think the main theme of family will continue to play a role in The Grass Dancer?

So far throughout the book, family, ancestry and tradition have all played a key role in Harley's life. The Sioux tribe in the book revolves around their traditions in the past and all of the legends and tribesmen/women that came before them. Harley's Father died before he was born and it has become apparent that his absence affects Harley greatly. My question is how do you think this will continue to mold Harley into the person he is/is going to become? Do you think his past will continue to follow him or do you think it will become inconsequential later on in the book?

What to you is the major theme or point the author is trying to portray in the Grass Dancer?

I think that tradition is one of the major themes that is portrayed in the Grass Dancer. Harley wants to be like his ancestry of warriors. This goes along with values that each character has from what background they came from. I also think that life lessons are being taught through the stories of the characters. Harley is still trying to discover himself which is what some people can relate to.

Pan's Labyrinth

I thought the movie was an excellent representative of magical realism. Ofelia's imagination combined a fantasy world with reality. There was a lot of representation within each character, as everyone learned from doing their heads. I think one of the points that the movie was trying to say was to never loose your wonder, and your imagination, no matter how old you get. 

Pan's Lab

As an example of Magical Realism, Pan's Labyrinth happens to be the best movie produced in this literary genre in recent years.

In class we will be discussing the symbolism found in the movie, but in particular, that represented by each one of the twelve characters: Ofelia, Ofelia's Mother, Capitán Vidal, Mercedes, The Doctor, Pedro (Mercedes' brother), The Faun, The Monster in the dining hall, The Sick Tree, The Fairies, The Labyrinth...

I invite each one of my students to share their thoughts on this movie, its characters and their symbolism and what the teaches us about Magical Realism as a whole...