College Essay

Dominic Fago

English IIIB/ Bell 3

Ms. Wilson

3 May 2013

Discuss how your travel experiences have affected you as a student and a citizen of the world.

Fortunately, I have had many opportunities to travel with my family.  Not only have I traveled across the country, but also across the world.  I have been lucky enough to eat pizza in Italy, climb the Alps in Switzerland, walk where history was made in Germany, and enjoy the romantic views of France.  Going off of the beaten path, you can truly enjoy the wonders of the world.  Through my travel experiences, I have gained a deeper appreciation of the world’s geography, history, and cultures.

My traveling experiences are ones that I will never forget.  I find it astonishing how much you can learn from family vacations.  Traveling through Europe, I was able to gain a much better understanding of exactly where major conflicts, such as World War 1, took place.  It was amazing to walk on streets that were hundreds of years old, and visit castles from the medieval time period.  In my mind, I could visualize battles that took place on the grounds before me, and everyday life inside castles.  These types of experiences helped me make connections with what I have learned in school.

As student, sitting in a classroom, you are not able to truly grasp what life is like around the world through textbooks and lectures.  Once you become completely immersed in another society, it becomes easier to learn and understand that culture.  When I traveled to Europe, I gained a whole new understanding of people and diversity among us.  Many times we would drive to a place where there wasn’t much tourism to get a truly authentic experience.  Shopping for food and eating in restaurants, where no one spoke English, provided me with a great learning experience in communication.  Simple tasks like filling a gas tank, asking for directions or getting on the right train proved to be a challenge.  I found it amazing to see what life was truly like outside of the United States. 

As a citizen of the world, I have become much more aware of how and why people view things a certain way.   Now, I better appreciate the cultural differences among people, how they travel, and where they worship.  Traveling with my family has opened up my eyes and my mind to what the world has to offer.  I know how to be a responsible citizen of the world and show respect to others as I visit their countries.  Citizens in Europe proved to be both friendly and helpful.  

Family vacations in the U.S.A. and traveling throughout the world will forever be a part of my life.  Everyone should get the opportunity to travel outside of their comfort zone.  Being surrounded by people speaking different languages, eating new foods, and interacting with new people make you a better citizen.  Traveling to new places allows you to learn more about the cultures of the world than any text book could teach you.  After studying about the world in school, then actually traveling to those places, my outlook has changed.  As a citizen, I can relate to more people and have conversations with people from other countries.  It is easier for me to put myself in someone else’s shoes and view a conflict from their perspective, regardless of the issue.  My travel experiences have made me eager to explore more cultures and have changed the way I think about the world.

Mis En Scene

Time Perspective

“the way you perceive time can influence your happiness today and all your tomorrows.” According to my results, I have a time perspective that is relatively rare. My highest scoring section, Past-Positive, is stated as being “relatively rare in the United States general population compared to the above types,” according to thetimeparadox.com. The article says people in this category tend to make actions and decisions that are based off of decisions made in the past. Another category I fit into was Present-Hedonistic. This classifies people as being “Self indulgent, playful, enjoys all things that bring immediate pleasure”.

From these results, I mostly agree with the descriptions given. Many of the decisions that I make are based off of my past experiences. I usually measure the trade-offs for a given action, and try to see what will work best for me and the people I’m with. I also love to be with others and like to bring joy to people. Something that I disagree with according to the article, is the statement that past-positive people “avoids [things] that involve much effort, work, planning, or unpleasantness”. I am one who enjoys challenges, because of the rewards that they bring. I also try to do things that go above and beyond, and stand out.

The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B5D75q8QwYlTY2JBNHZrZ2dEYW8/edit?usp=sharing

Post 4

Presentation Response and Self Reflection

Self

Overall I think that our presentation went well, considering it was the first one.  There is defiantly room for improvement in future presentations. Something that I feel like we did well was allowing everyone to have a chance to say something during our presentation.  I also think that the way we distributed our work load among the members of our group went well.  I am proud of the way that we were able to communicate clearly with each other, as well as take constructive criticism.

I feel as though we needed to put more time into how we were to present the project.  I personally feel like I put a good amount of focus into the content of the sections that I was responsible of, but did not put the time into how I would actually present the information.  After reading and analyzing these poems by Williams Carlos Williams, I better understand the meaning of free verse poems.  I also learned about Google docs and how that is very useful in a group presentation.  In the future, I will be sure to designate time to the actual oral presentation and make sure that everything I am to present flows smoothly.

Presentation Responses:

Poetry

I found “Poetry” by Marianne Moore to be very relatable.  I feel as though through her poem is written in such a way that everyone, no matter your personality type, can relate too.  She states early on in the poem “that we/ do not admire what/ we cannot understand”.  This line is one that is meaningful and can be understood by everyone, giving us a sense of connection to the poem.   As mentioned in the presentation, Moore uses repetition of person connections, which I agree does show how poetry can be about anything.

Ars Poetica

“Ars Poetica” to me has many similarities to “Poetry” by Marianne Moore in the sense that both poems are about poetry.  A great point is made that “poems should take no effort, just like watching birds”.  This sentence seems to be a common theme in the majority of the poetry presentations.  Many of the authors that were studied wrote poems in a simple way or about simple things, but brought up ideas in their work that portrayed a deeper meaning.  MacLeish does a great job of describing poetry in his poem, and also provides us with an insight to his thought process as to how to write poetry.

Red Slippers

I believe the poem “Red Slippers” by Amy Lowell has one of the deepest meanings out of any of the poems presented.  This poem brings up questions such as why don’t people notice the shoes? And how do people become oblivious to bright things in life?  This poem also does a great job of using imagery.  The author describes the scene in a way that you can clearly picture it in your mind.  This is something that everyone can visualize, without understanding the poem.

Somewhere I have never travelled

The poem “Somewhere I have never travelled” by EE. Cummings is composed of many metaphors, as mentioned in the presentation.  There are many times though out the poem where the author compares things to nature and the seasons.  I also found it intriguing how the author used parenthesis.   By using them, it is as if he is personally giving you insight as to what he is talking about.

Helen
To me, “Helen” by Hilda Doolittle was one of the most intriguing poems.  What made this poem stand out was the strong use of allusion and similes used in the poem.  The author also wrote this poem in such a way that it is easy to understand and picture what is occurring.  Another thing that really helped with understanding this poem is that there is a movie that can help you further the content of the poem.  I think that Doolittle did a great job of writing this poem for her audience and using historical facts to portray an incredible story.

Poetry PPt

Blog Post #2

The overall theme of a design should reflect you as a person.  Create the design based off of your personal experiences, preferences, and personality.  When you first go to a website or read an article, the first thing that you notice is the font of the title, and the color scheme.  Chances are you’re not going to read something if it has a boring title, or doesn’t appear to “look” good.  You need to first capture your audience with your appearance.  Choose font titles that stand out, yet are easy to read.  Be sure that your sub titles can also be easily read and stay consistent, to give a more professional look.

Besides the actual text and fonts used, the next most important part of a design is the color.  You need to have a mood or tone set throughout the design.  Use colors that describe you, but also make sure that they are applied appropriately.  Make sure to choose colors that will also make the title stand out, and easy to read.  Often light colors such as yellow are hard to read, especially on a computer screen.  Keep your color theme consistent.  You don’t want to overwhelm your audience, you want to welcome them.