The best blog post of them all

To a fellow peer,

Greetings whoever you may be. Maybe you are someone that I talk to a lot or maybe this is the first time we have ever met (nice to meet you). Maybe we meet up before school or after school to chill or do work. Maybe you suffered through physics with me or survived film's treachery. Maybe you sat though months and months of never ending TOK presentations in class. Hell, maybe you accidentally clicked on this link or got me confused with the other Andrew (Here is his link in case: Link). Moral of the story is, it doesn't matter who you are, I want to thank you for making these last two years so memorable.

Through my high school career, I was that kid that firmly believed in the "get in, get out mentality." I would arrive at school, finish all my work, and leave. I didn't care too much for meeting new people. I didn't care for becoming part of a community. I just wanted to graduate and move on with my life. I was the kid that sat in the very back of the room and never spoke a single word. I was the kid that no one really cared for since I was always in the back doing my work. No one really knew who I was until the end of the first semester. I didn't know anyone and nobody knew me and I was fine with that. However, once I became part of this program, everything changed. I was not expecting to meet people like you; people that are supportive, charming, funny, extremely intelligent, passionate, and full of life. I was not expected to feel so welcomed into a community with so many brilliant minded students such as yourself. You were the reason why I finally found a place in school.

Whoever you might be, I have many fond memories of you. Maybe you are the one that walked to the back of the room the first day in Oliver's English class and sat next to me without saying a single word. Maybe you are the one that approached me one day and showed me your Bob Duncan fan fiction in the middle of film class. Maybe you are the one that said "I love DOTA" when I was watching league of legends videos the first day of physics class. Maybe you are the one that I have had multiple classes with since the beginning of my high school life. Maybe you are the edgy one that wears the same white jacket everyday. Maybe you are the other one that wears the same black jacket everyday and can't beat a puppy in a fight. Maybe you are the one that though Iodized salt was Lodized salt. Maybe you are the one that is 100% a lax bro but runs track instead. Maybe you are the one that I tried to teach how to code. Maybe you are the goofy one that randomly started being called something different mid year and never missed a day of class. Maybe you are the one that was an oompa loompa for the play. Maybe you are the one that criticized my parents white couches when you came to my house. Or maybe you are the first person to ever ask me for advice and introduced me to a brave new world which I am still unfamiliar with.

Regardless of who you are, you have made these last two years of high school the best that they could have been. Many people try to forget their high school life once they graduate, but thanks to people like you, I want to remember every second of them. Even though I have suffered through countless restless nights working on the millions of projects that IB forces us to do, I do not regret joining this program. Those restless nights and years worth of stress are worth meeting amazing people like you. Thank you for making these last two years of high school the best that they could have been.

I wish you the best and hope that you are able to achieve everything you set you mind on,

Andrew Lopez

Witty Whitman

Step 1: Document Analysis
To be honest, Whitman really needs some college rule notebook paper because his writing is all over the place. The way he writes constantly changes between pages, especially with his font size and his line spacing. His writing kinda resembles mine when Beller says there is only 5 minutes left to finish the essay and I just finished the intro. I noticed that his writing goes from a neat paragraph structured format to diagonal senseless scribbling between pages. I believe that this shows that Whitman's style of writing and thinking is very spontaneous. When he thinks of something, he quickly jots it down before he forget its it; which could explain that awful formatting. Judging by the fact that in some of his pages have corrections on them, such as scribbling out a word and rewriting it on top, it seems that he also goes back and rereads what he wrote when he has time. I imagine that most of his writing comes to him when he is doing ordinary everyday stuff, such as walking from place to place. When he gets an idea, he whips out his dandy notebook and quickly writes down what he was thinking only to check it when he is in the comfort of his home. The drawings in the notebook seemed strange to me but I believe that this shows that Whitman is inspired based on his surroundings. He might see something cool and sketch it or maybe write a few sentences and move on. I think its kinda like when someone is walking and they find a interesting rock on the floor and for no reason they are compelled to take it with them. To anybody watching, this attraction to the rock is strange, but just like Whitman's drawings, it means something to that person.

Step 2: Notes
I'll be honest, I was never that interested in Whitman himself until I read those notes. I found it really interesting how Whitman was able to take inspiration from such small things; such as just looking it Lincolns face. Just like the rock, small moments like those were enough to inspire him to write so much about the president and the America. Am also amazed by how these little ideas that he wrote in his notebook, which he carried around with him (called it), could involve into such beautiful and meaningful poems. Also, Whitman's ambiguity when he writes is interesting. He really doesn't specify who he is writing to but is always talking to "you." This ambiguity allows for so many interpretations of his works which is fascinating and allows his poems to become so much "deeper."

The American Dream

The American dream is the idea that living in the U.S allows for unlimited opportunities and that anyone's dreams can become a reality. Everything is possible as long as you work for it and this ideology has become a symbol to represent the U.S. The climax of the American dream can especially by seen in the 1920's with the amount of wealth, economic growth, and freedom that the people experienced during this time. People had so much money that they were buying unnecessary stuff that was super expensive just to flex on people. The economy was extremely strong and people had money to throw around so why not do it? Also, women were experiencing more freedom than they have ever had before. Many of the Victorian ideologies were abandoned and women were able to express themselves in the way in which they chose. Also, they were finally given the right to vote allowing their voices to be heard in the government which was a huge step towards equality. Taking into consideration the amount of good things that were occurring during this time, Fitzgerald representation of this time period makes a lot of sense. Showing how Gatsby throws parties almost on the daily, and by having all the main characters live in mansions is a perfect representation of the 1920's; people spend money simply because they can.

However, I view the American dream to be something like a Venus fly trap. The promise of prosperity and opportunity lures its prey, and by the time they notice truth about their situation, its too late; they are trapped. This prey that I am referring to are the immigrants, more specifically Hispanics that come into this country is search of a future. During the summer, I volunteered at the Center of Hispanic families which specializes on helping Hispanic families with immigration issues. When I was talking/working with these Hispanic families, I always heard the same thing; they were here in search of a better future or job opportunities. Many of these families left their countries to come to the U.S because they were lured by the American dream's promise of a better life, but unfortunately this promise is mostly false hope. Many of the families that came to the center typically talked about the discrimination that they faced since they were Hispanics. Many people came searching for help since they were unable to find jobs or they needed food since they didn't make enough money to support themselves or their families. With some of the families, I even learned about the hell they lived in since they were forced to flee their country and come to the U.S illegally. Their stories were extremely depressing and what made it worse was that sometimes the conditions they face in the U.S matched those that they fled from. Just like a fly falling into the mouth of a Venus fly trap, these Hispanic families are forced to live harsh lives since they fell for the trap called the American Dream. 

But hey, lets be a bit more optimistic. For some families, this dream became a reality for them. They were able to beat the grasps of poverty and make their dreams and ambitions come true, even if it was only temporary. When my parents first came to the U.S, years before I was born, they were in search of jobs and a better future. My dad even came with the dream to open up his own his own business; he wanted to open a family restaurant. However, both of them were undocumented during

that, making their dream almost impossible. My parents lived in a very dangerous, violent, and poverty stricken part of New York where they both worked low paying jobs. However, through their dedication, they were able to start building up their lives. Long story short my parents were able to make a living and find jobs that allow them to support the family. Also, when I was in middle school, my dad was able to temporary open the only Ecuadorian Bakery in Raleigh, which unfortunately didn't last, however, he was able to make his dream come true. 

If you don't give me Macbeth, I will give you $20 Mrs. G

My Dumpster Fire  (Click Link for IOC)

Notes

Criterion A: 4

- I mentioned the rest of the play occasionally but I feel that what I stated, such as rhyming to indicate supernatural involvement, was basic. I also talked about the main themes shown throughout the book but I still don't feel like that is enough for a higher score

Criterion B: 3
- I rarely mentioned how the literary devices has any effect on the reader. Quite frankly I didn't think of that when I was making my notes so I didn't have anything to say about it. However, I though my analysis of language was half decent but it still needs work

Criterion C: 3
- I believe that my IOC had a basic structure that allowed for understanding however I felt that during some points it got messy

Criterion D: 2
- Coherency and language used was honestly a dumpster fire. I made a some errors, which caused me to go back and correct, however, I felt that I was at least coherent enough to get the message across.

2/24/19 Freebie

I've got you covered...

Am tired and feeling a little sick so am just going to get straight into it. The first thing that I noticed that all 4 covers shared was their sort of dull color scheme. All of them, some more than others, have a sort of foggy/blurry color scheme. This is probably a stretch but, this color scheme makes it seem almost like if the images are being erases, especially the bottom right hand one. When I first saw this, I though that this could symbolize how the clones are essentially deleted from existence in the book. They are born in separate environments, donate at certain centers, then die without having left a trace on the world expect a vague memory their friends hold. Aside from this, each book cover holds its own significance.The top right cover shows an important part of the book but. when combined with the book title, has an interesting meaning. The boat is tied to the piece of wood, but the wood seems to be getting erased by the hazy clouds. Once the wood is gone, the boat will essentially "let go" and drift off. The bottom left shows the important organs that they donate and show how the clones are viewed as vessels for these organs, not actual people. Lastly, the bottom right shows a young girl spinning and fading into the background which I interpenetrated as being the lost of innocence. 

Cover Choice 1

I chose to take a deeper look into this cover because I liked this one the most out of all of them. I felt that this one held the most face value as well as the deepest meaning. At first glance, I though this was a cool image but then I noticed that a lot of the organs were missing from the image. While reading the book, I always wondered what organs were being donated and this book cover finally gave me an answer to this question. Another thing that I noticed was the difference in font that his cover had. This cover has more of a sinister, horror movie feel to it which I felt nicely described the book. Alright enough of the face value stuff, we are going deeeeep now. Going back to the font, it seems like it was written by a child and kinda looks like the sinister "help" messages written in blood in movies but without the blood dripping down the wall(you look it up I'll pass).What I believe this represents is the way the clones feel about their circumstance, the donations and all that good stuff. From the book we know that they have dreams and ambitions, but their shortened lives wont let them do any of that. I believe this represents their cry for help. They want to be free but their fate is predetermined and they cannot do anything about it. The depiction of the organs within a T-shirt silhouette I found to also have a interesting meaning. I believe this is societies view on clones; they are simply vessels for organs. They don't view them as humans, they are viewed as resources; like the way we view cattle or other animals we use. The fact that the other organs are missing also enforces this idea. Society only cares about the organs that are necessary the same way we only care about the usable parts of the animals.The clones in the society are simply viewed as animals and resources. 

Cover Choice 2

I already passed the word count so am going to skip the face value thing and go straight to the juicy stuff. The image shows an interesting juxtaposition of color between the girl and nature. She is wearing a red shirt in a very green environment, and for my non artsy fellows like me, red and green are complete opposites. I believe that this contrast sends a "these people are not natural" sort of message, othering the clone population. At the same time, this cover also shows the humanity withing in clones. They can feel emotions, which is seen by the way the girl is sitting and her facial expression, and react to them just like everyone else. If our humanity is defined by our ability to interpret and react to complex emotions, by definition, clones are also humans and should be treated like so. This cover shows the other side of the argument, the opposite side of the previous cover. This cover shows the perspectives of the Hailsham guardians and those who supported the Hailsham project. They believe that clones are humans, not animals. 

Innovations in Story Telling

David Cage TED Talk

The Ted talk I chose to watch was called How Video Games Turn Players Into Storytellers. The talk was given by David Cage, the story writer for the popular video game, Detroit: Becoming Human. In the talk, Cage explains how he wants to revolutionize the way stories are told. He explains that modern storytelling, which consists of novels, films, television, etc., is very linear. The writers determine what is going to happen and there is nothing that people can do about it. The audience of this form of storytelling are simply spectators who react to what is predetermined to occur. Cage wants to revolutionize story telling by putting the audience in the novel. He wants to allow the audience to make the decisions and control the story. By doing this, the audience becomes more immersed.They are no longer watching the story unfold before them, they are creating the story. Decisions and actions that they perform dictate the end game therefore the audience is able to feel the consequences for their actions. This is Cages goal with his interactive storytelling; putting the audience in the shoes of the writer.

In order to sell the idea of interactive storytelling to the audience, he allows them to experience it first hand. In the talk, he gets an assistant to play a small part of Detroit: Becoming Human, but allows the audience to make the decisions. When there is a decision to be made, he prompts the audience for a choice and allows them to experience the result of this decision. Aside from this, Cage has a lot of credibility on the subject considering that he was the story writer for many other successful interactive games; such as Beyond: Two Souls and Heavy Rain. Both of these games have over a 90% "liked" rating from their players and they have been recognized by their phenomenal story elements. In order to create all these fascinating interactive stories, Cage has been working for more than 20+ years in the industry; the man knows what he is doing.

If you know me, the reason why I chose this TED talk is obvious. I love playing video games so naturally I gravitate to anything dealing with videogames. More importantly, the talk was about the storytelling in video games which is super important to me. One of the determining factors, when I am deciding if I like a game or not, is the story within it. On my free time, I typically find myself watching videos of people explaining aspects of the game's lore (story) or connecting segments of it to create the full story behind the game's world. I consider being able to control how the world developes or its back story to be a privilege and I always try out new games that allow this to happen. I enjoy having control over my personal story and I enjoy feeling the consequences for bad decisions. Everything in the game becomes more entertaining and can cause serious thought, which is amazing. Some of my favorite games apply aspect of interactive story so it makes sense that one of the most renowned interactive story writer's Ted talk intrigued me.