Raising Digital Awareness

It's important to draw visitors to your site because you want the information you're providing to be seen and used by others. The problem I have right now is I'm not effectively providing the information I want to the targeted group I want to draw in. If I want to give my viewers the most value I think I should improve my design and add more original information about my topic. It's important interact with others who view your site because they are the ones who can help you improve.

Literature Analysis

General
1. The first story, "1922" in the book Full Dark, No Stars by Stephan King is about a man named Wilfred James, his wife Arlette, and his son Hank. Arlette wants to sell the 100 acres of land that they live on and move to Omaha, but Wilf (as he was known as) and Hank want to keep the land. They come up with a plan to kill Arlette so they can stay on the land. Wilf gets Arlette drunk, slices her throat, and throws her down a well on their farm. After the deed had been done, Wilf and Hank have a guilty conscience. Throughout the story they feel like their lives are being haunted. Hank ends up getting Shannon Cotterie, the love of his life, pregnant and running away with her. The couple became fugitives because they needed a source of transportation and income. Living their lives like that did not last long. Shannon was shot in the stomach while they were robbing a bank and to make it worse while they were driving away she went into labor. They stopped at an abandoned building where Shannon begged to be shot to escape the pain. Hank shot her and then killed himself. Wilf was devastated when he heard the news. He had to sell his land and move to the city because of money issues. He became a librarian. One night in a hotel he practically went insane, maybe because of Arlette, and felt like he was being bitten by rats all over his body so he committed suicide. His body was found with his own bite marks all over  it.

2. The theme of the story is if you make a bad decision in life it can lead to a guilty conscience and a life of despair.

3. To me the tone of the story was suspenseful and nervous. I was always wondering what was going to happen next and I was nervous about what would happen. Wilf and Hank also felt suspense and were nervous throughout the story. They were always afraid they were going to get caught and got nervous every time someone came to their farm.

4.

• Conflict- Wilf and Hank killed Arlette and they had to keep that secret to themselves. Also Hank and Shannon had to avoid being caught when they became fugitives.
• Protagonist- Wilf was considered to be the main protagonist in the story.
• Antagonist- The antagonist was Arlette as well as Wilf's own mind because although Arlette caused the conflict, Wilf's mind played tricks on him because of his guilty conscience.
• Dialogue- The story was a combination of narration by Wilf and dialogue between the characters.
• Didactic- There were multiple references to God in the story. Wilf and Hank wondered if Arlette went to heaven with God and they also wondered if they would.
• Flashback- The whole story was Wilf flashing back on his life.
• Foreshadowing- Arlette's ghost, or Wilf's mind, said that Hank and Shannon would kill themselves and then later on hit ended up happening.
• Narrative- The story was a collection of events in Wilf's life that made up a story.
• Setting- The main setting of the story took place on the farm in Hemingford Home, Nebraska. This was where Arlette, Wilf and Hank lived.
• Character- The main characters were Wilf, Arlette, and Hank. There were also many other sub characters who also contributed to the story.

Characterization

1. Direct- "My son, Henry Freeman James, aided me in this crime, although at 14 he was not responsible;"

                "Arlette was a warm-natured woman."

    Indirect- I couldn't find any indirect characterization.

2. Stephan King did change his syntax and diction when he would focus on different characters. For example, he would have the characters speak different to portray their different personalities.

3. The protagonist (Wilf) is definitely dynamic. His appearance, thoughts, and actions changed throughout the story. He was forced to do some stuff that he never thought he would do. 

4. After I finished reading the story I felt like I knew Wilf. It kind of felt like someone I knew had been lost when he committed suicide at the end.

Is There an Expert in the House?

An expert in my masterpiece field has certain qualities that make him an expert. To be considered an expert in my masterpiece field, I think they should be able to coach me both mentally and physically and they have to have passed the test that I will be faced with. If he can coach in a way that shows results, then he is definitely an expert in my book. Also if he has passed the masterpiece test, then he should be able to mentor me through it and help me study for the test.

This is Only a Test

My masterpiece test takes place on the baseball field and can be completed over time. I elaborate more in the post below.

Masterpiece Test

My masterpiece test can't be completed in a classroom it has to be completed on the baseball field. The test is the opposing team and each question is a new batter. If I get the batters out, I get the question right and if I don't, I get it wrong. My performance will determine whether or not I passed or failed the test. This test is similar to every other test because I have to prepare and then be able to perform when it's go time. All in all, I will be faced with many tests this season and if I pass those tests I can be considered worthy of my field.

Unrecognized Entrepreneur

The essay I wrote in class on Friday was one of the easier essays I've written in a while. I understood the topic well and I was actually prepared because I had read up on the topic. The essay helped me realize that my masterpiece topic, in a way, makes me an entrepreneur. Now I know that I am a product that I'm trying to sell to others. It's a strange way to look at it, but I think it will help me because I will want to try to make myself the best product in the market so that people and colleges will want to evaluate me more. Overall, Friday's experience was a positive one.

I, Entrepreneur

(a) The person I designed my 10 questions for is an entrepreneur according to how we described it in class.        He himself is the product that he built to show off to others. It was a risk he was willing to take and it paid      off.

(b) With that being said, I am also an entrepreneur. The only difference between me and him is he is more           accomplished, but I have many opportunities ahead and I need to be ready for them. Some day we will         be the same.

(c) Society thinks that you need to be an expert on something to be an entrepreneur and this isn't necessarily      true. The simplest idea can make someone an entrepreneur. Someone just has to be willing to stand              behind that idea 100% and make it into something great. This is why entrepreneurs are getting younger          and younger. People don't need to become experts, they just need think differently than everyone else.

10 Questions

1. What does your diet look like?
2. Who inspired you?
3. How did you become well known?
4. What do you think the best pitch is?
5. What college did you go to?
6. What are the best exercises for a pitcher?
7. What keeps you motivated?
8. What is your favorite quote?
9. How do you deal with adversity?
10. In your opinion, what is the number one thing to focus on while reaching for your dream?

Benchmark Project

The topic I chose for my senior project is baseball, specifically pitching. I have a ton of resources surrounding the topic and so far everything is going smoothly. My network in class has been extremely helpful and I'm glad I have people to go to when I need help. Not only do I have a network of friends inside of school, but I also have professionals of my topic helping me outside of school. When things don't feel right with my mechanics I can go to these professionals and get their insight. With the addition of professionals to my network I am able get the help I need for my on the field experience as opposed to the educational help I get from my in class network. As for my public network, I haven't really utilized that aspect of my project yet. I'm not sure how to start my public network at this point in time. This year's baseball season has just started and it's time to start that part of my senior project. All the resources I have all acquired and the help I have gotten will have to be implemented into my game if I want to be as successful as possible. As the season goes on I will continue to consult with my networks and continue collecting resources to make sure that I have no regrets at the end of the year.

Resources: 4

16. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_confidence.htm

-Importance of confidence while pitching.

17. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/left_handed_pickoff_move.htm

-Left handed pickoff move.

18. http://www.ericcressey.com/the-1-cause-of-inconsistent-pitching-velocity

-How to keep a consistent velocity.

19.

Resources: 3

11. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/running_poles.htm

Conditioning for pitchers.

12. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_control.htm

-Working on control

13. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_arm_care.htm

-Taking care of your pitching arm.

14. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_strategy.htm

-Strategies to pitch against batters.

15. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/pitching_strategies.htm

-Situational pitching

Resources: 2

6. https://www.competitivedge.com/catalog/baseball

-Baseball/Sports psychology to help succeed.

7. https://www.fresnostate.edu/chhs/kinesiology/degrees-programs/sport-psychology/

-Something I'm interested in for college.

8. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/baseball_nutrition.htm

-Proper nutrition to let pitchers perform to the best of their ability.

9. http://www.active.com/parenting-and-family/articles/3-ways-to-improve-focus-in-sports

-How to have better focus.

10. http://www.thecompletepitcher.com/cutter_grip.htm

-How to throw a cutter effectively

Spring Vocabulary #8

arsenal- collection of weapons
It's good to add new pitches to your arsenal.

skimp- expend or use less time, money or material on something than is necessary in an attempt to economize.
Don't skimp on insurance.

consultation- process of formally consulting or discussing
Tomorrow I go in to finish my consultation with the teacher.

flair- special ability to do something well
She had a flair for languages.

inclusion- being included in a group
Some schools demand the inclusion of students in sports.

notorious- well known
John is notorious for lying.

impose- force to be accepted or put in place
I don't like the new rules that are being imposed.

culprit- person responsible for a crime
We need to find the culprit

threshold- intensity that needs to be exceeded to get a reaction.
Some people have a high pain threshold.

niche- activity that suits someones talents.
Pitching is my niche.

pulmonary- relating to the lungs
Baseball players need pulmonary conditioning.

foresight- the ability to predict what will happen or what will be needed in the future.
He had foresight to make sure he had an escape route.

candid- truthful and straightforward.
The coach was candid when speaking to us.

fluctuate- rise and fall irregularly
The pitchers velocity fluctuates.

vulnerable- susceptible to physical or emotional attack.
The kid was bullied because he was too vulnerable.