Final Bits of 2017

Last weekend before Holiday Break!
Who can't wait for school to end?! ME!!!!!
Who will have too much homework?! Me...
It's mainly from one class, but that one class feels like 15 at once. Let's not talk about it.


Any-hoo...

So we're officially done with Lord of the Flies. It's time to focus on other things... like the research paper! It's supposed to be 3-5 pages long, which sounds sort of okay. I did a lot of long papers last year, so this is fine.

As I said a few posts ago, my topic is on curfew laws. I think I explained it quite thoroughly down there, so I'm not going to reiterate it all here. Instead, I'll reflect on how's my project going so far.

I know we were supposed to choose topics that we're really interested in so our thoughts can fire away on paper. But the thing is, the topics are all supposed to be controversial issues in our world, and controversies don't interest me in terms of getting "fired up" in any way. The curfew thing fired me up the most compared to the other topics I saw, but not in general. The curfew things I wrote in a post down below was fun to write though, because since it's only a blog post, I can speak as freely as I like. However, in a research paper, I need to be formal. I don't want it to be stiff, but you know, I can't use words like "you know" or "think about it." That's what is also kind of bumming me out on this paper. How am I going to fill that page count when it's on controversial stuff? Last year's papers consisted of one about myself and one about a book. Controversy isn't exactly fun, and I think we all know that. Luckily, I have a ton of reasoning to back up my views on curfew laws, so that should cover things up. I've always been a good writer too, so... yes I'm pretty sure this will be a good paper. I'm not turning around now. I have no doubts about the results, just the process a bit.

I just want to throw this out there: The world has way too many issues!
When we started the topic research, we used the Virtual Reference Collection to help us pick a topic, and my oh my were there a lot! There were obvious ones, bizarre ones, and ones so overlooked that you never realized that it's actually a big deal. Even crazier, that list clearly doesn't have all the world's problems. When you think about it, the real list is endless. Our world is a mess. Is it possible to solve them all?

By the way, I'm sorry if this whole post feels short or weird in any way. Not much happened this week, so this was what I came up with. I feel bad to end the year with a post like this, and I wish it was a little more in depth, but I hope it's okay.

So, there's that! This is my final post of 2017. This year was a lot of fun in lots of ways. I actually don't want the year to end. 2018 is such a huge number! Kindergarten started 10 whole years ago and that number is getting bigger... AHH! Sorry. I love the past and present. Anyway, I'm sure 2018 will be quite an adventure, and you'll get to know all about it in
The Wonderful World of Me, Myself, and I!

✰ Wishing you all Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year! ✩

Lord of the Flies Final Debate

Warning: If you haven't finished reading Lord of the Flies and don't want any spoilers, stop reading this!

This week was debate week on Lord of the Flies. We had to discuss our opinion on two topics:

1. Jack is an effective leader.

2. The kids on the island didn't become bad; they were bad from the beginning.

We had to say whether or not we agree with each statement, and provide a ton of evidence why. I completely agree with these statements.

Topic #1: Yes, Jack is an effective leader.

You see, there's a difference between a good person and a good leader. There's also a difference between a good leader and an effective leader. I think we can all agree that Jack was a pretty selfish, arrogant, and unkind person. He constantly bragged about himself being choir leader and the most fit person on the team, and he made fun of Piggy whenever there was a chance to. He insulted the littluns as well. Jack didn't have any qualities of being a good leader, but he had every quality of being an effective leader.

An effective leader is one who gets the job done.

A good leader is one who gets the job done and keeps everyone happy.

Jack is an effective leader, not a good one.

Here's one such example:

In the chapter "Beast from Water", when Ralph called for an assembly, many of the kids laughed and even shouted over Ralph while he was talking. No one took him seriously. However, when Jack took over the assembly, the children were mostly quiet. He spoke so assertively and slammed words down on everyone and successfully got to his point.

Another example is shown in "Cry of the Hunters", where Jack managed to get nearly every kid on the island (except Ralph) to join his tribe and fulfill the roles he assigned. Sam, Eric, and Roger were all part of Jack's tribe, and they listened to him with utmost loyalty - something Ralph wasn't able to fully achieve back in his tribe.

Basically, no one ever really liked Jack, but he was the only one able to get the job done. Ralph had tried to do this, but things were a bit flimsy for him. No one ever took Ralph seriously, but they did to Jack.

I put this in a post a long time ago, but I think it suits this one too, in a way.

Jack is more of a boss than a leader, but either way, he's still effective.

Onward!

Topic #2: Yes, the kids were always bad from the beginning.

Okay, here's the thing. The way I interpret this, "bad" essentially means not innocent. It doesn't necessarily mean monstrous. In my opinion, they were never innocent to begin with - everyone except Piggy, that is. I'll be referring to "everyone" as everyone besides Piggy here.

Think about it. When everyone got together on the island, one of the first things they thought of was how to eat. They weren't afraid of slaying the life of a little piglet. Jack actually had a small knife with him! No innocent kid would think about slaying an animal for food so casually, let alone have a weapon on him. At least, I wouldn't. The fact that they all had that dark, violent thought in them shows that they aren't good kids. If you think that hunting for meat is okay to think about given the circumstances, then think again. We all know Piggy is a pure kid. Did he think about hunting for food at first? No. He ate fruit. Sure, they were poisonous, but the fact he decided to eat fruit instead of looking for a source of meat shows that he's the innocent one and everyone else weren't.

Honestly, when you think about it, no one was really afraid of the situation in the beginning of the book. If I was stranded on an island, I would be freaking out! My first thought would be as to how in the world am I going to go home? There's no one to help me. What am I going to do?! It fills me up with fear just thinking about that. Instead, these kids just focused on having fun, Ralph especially. Jack just wanted to show off and hunt. These kids aren't taking anything seriously.

I will say this, though. Their time spent on the island definitely amplified their lack of innocence, gradually shaping them into monsters. It's only natural. I mean, they've been there for so long without proper authority and joyful resources. Their frustration eventually became corruption. But Piggy had always been the same, pure, logical kid. It just goes to show that he was the only good kid on the island from the start, meanwhile everyone was always bad. The island just made it worse.

Okay, I'm done rambling my thoughts. Wow, this is a long post... I wanted to say all this at the debate in class, but it got steered in so many directions that I didn't have a chance to strike. I really felt like going back in time and doing it all over again, but I guess it's okay. I probably would've messed it up anyway, given my fear of speaking in front of people. It's just not my department. Anyway, I'm glad to have read Lord of the Flies. I always knew what it took to be a good leader, given the shows I watch and the games I play, but this book was thought-provoking in a lot of enjoyable ways.

Curfews

For my research project, the controversial issue that I'm working on is about curfew laws. Should there be curfew laws?

Many places believe that curfew laws help limit trouble and/or crime.
Many other places believe that curfew laws unnecessarily target innocent teenagers.

Personally, I feel that curfew laws are absolutely essential in a society, and it doesn't target teenagers in an unfair way at all. They have so many benefits!

First of all, what good can result from a teenager (or anybody) being out late at night? The answer is nothing at all. When it's night, it's obviously dark and most people are asleep, so that's the time for crime and gang activity to take place, and we all know that youngsters are involved most of the time. One might say that they have party at night. I say that doesn't matter. A party should finish at a maximum time of 9pm, maybe 10pm, but even that's too late still. Literally nothing good can happen at a late-night party, especially for girls. Most teen girls go to parties dressed in such a way that will obviously attract evil eyes. They're bound to get involved in all sorts of trouble. In the end, if the girl ends up entitled as a "victim" for whatever reason, people start sympathizing with her. I never feel sorry for them. I'm sorry if that sounds mean, but it's their own fault! Why was she up so late at night? Why was she dressed that way? She caused everything. Of course, the boy/girl responsible for entitling her as a victim is also at fault here, but the other girl is as well.

An example of a curfew law.

In my opinion, The curfew for ages 14-17 is a big stretch. It should be lowered.

There are curfew laws taking effect during the daytime too. Those laws say that children and teens cannot be in public during school hours without a chaperone. Certain malls have also begun to limit the hours that teens can enter without an adult present. Some teens have begun to feel that they are treated unfairly because they haven't done anything wrong. I personally don't see anything wrong with these rules. The only reason a student shouldn't be in school is if he/she is sick, on vacation, has an appointment somewhere, or some other excusable reason. There's no reason to wander around outside or go shopping at that time. Okay - say for example, a student wants a break from school and just decides to stay home and have fun with the family. I actually do that sometimes! Well, then the curfew laws don't apply in this case because you'll be at the mall with an adult (a family member.) There's no reason why the teen should be out by him/herself. Plus, even if you are by yourself, the mall curfew law still allows you inside! It's for a couple of hours, but it's not as if they don't allow you at all. There's no reason to be so whiny and call the laws unfair. Those teens are just eager to get into mischief since they're willing to complain about such a reasonable rule. This is part of the reason why they're called "teens" and not "adults." Teens can't take care of themselves properly out there. No matter how responsible they may think they are, they're just immature mini-adults. Most of them aren't responsible anyway. They're bound to get into trouble out there.

Curfew laws can also make parents more alert of their children's whereabouts and lives. No parent wants to find out that their child has been caught sneaking out at night, and they especially don't want to hear that they've been arrested or something. With curfew laws, parents can be more alert towards their kids, making sure they obey the curfew laws. My parents and I watch Fox 5 News a lot, and there's a certain thing I like about that channel when it comes to this topic. As soon as it hits 10pm, there's a commercial saying: "It's after 10pm. Do you know where your children are?" I think that commercial is a really good idea! New York (as far as I know) doesn't really have any curfew laws, so this commercial acts as a tiny substitute for it. Whatever it is, I think it's cool.

Basically, I think curfew laws are great. It helps keep the community safer, and parents can be more alert towards their kids' whereabouts, along with being at peace as well. This is just a preview of what my research paper is going to be like. I'm pretty sure it's going to be a great paper, because I can happily defend this. It annoys me to bits when teens think their parents are on their case all the time, claiming them to be "overprotective" and all that nonsense. Parents and adult officials are just doing their best to make sure they're safe! There's nothing wrong with curfew laws at all.