my summer sucks

EmperorNero

Golden Member
Jun 2, 2000
1,911
0
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first, I decided to take government in summer school since I can't fit it into my regular school year schedule. the teacher sucked...she made AT LEAST 10 errors on the exam - and she only gave us credit for 5 and justified it by saying "I've been lenient on the other assignments so 5 points is plenty." but the exam accounted for 20% of our grades so it's much more valuable than those assingnment points.

then my dad is making me wake up at 9 every morning to prepare for pre-algebra next year. I have this sorta thick workbook that makes me cringe whenever I see it.

and lastly, I have the summer reading program crap for english: I have to write two essays (2-3 pages long):

1) compare and contrast "the adventures of huckleberry finn" and "the scarlet letter" and tell what make them so american.

2) compare and contrast the "grapes of wrath" (which is a hell of a fat book :() and "death of a salesman" and explain how they are about the failure of the american dream.

school starts on august 31, and I've only read death of a salesman and the first 1/4 of grapes of wrath - I'm screwed.

summer is supposed to be slack off time for me :(.
 

ltk007

Banned
Feb 24, 2000
6,209
1
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august 31st? You have plenty of time. I have two read two books and take extensive notes. Then I have to read 4 long LONG chapters for AP Bio (college course) and write a 8-10 page report on some other stuff. I haven't started and school starts on the 12 of september or something like that.
 

Halz

Senior member
Jun 25, 2000
335
0
0
Looks like you grabed too many peanuts from the peanut jar at once and now your hand is stuck.

I know how you feel. Except in my case, I could not drop any of the peanuts because they are what I needed to get my hand out of the peanut jar.

Smash the jar.
(Or use the peanut you have in your head to figure out that you could use the peanut oil in every peanut to grease your hand up so it slides out of the jar with ease)
 

Crypticburn

Senior member
Jul 22, 2000
363
0
0
you guys got it easy! I have to ummmm... well.... they want me at work.... and I need to ummm.... well, build my new computer..... that's a lot :)
 

Capn

Platinum Member
Jun 27, 2000
2,716
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compare and contrast essays were the bane of my highschool existance. Plus they serve no purpose other than busy work for a student. Give me a topic that serves a purpose other than to kill more trees and I'll give you a good paper.
 

DarkKnight113

Member
Feb 4, 2000
140
0
0
i agree, capn. i don't really understand what purpose essays like that serve other than to keep us from our forums... i'm in high school now, and i think it's kind of unfair to assign summer reading. isn't the purpose of summer to give us a break from school?
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
21,941
5
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'Compare and contrast' essays help build critical thinking skills and higher order thinking. Anybody can regurgitate a book or write a thesis paper, but not many can comprehend or read between the lines of such books like Death of a Salesman. For instance the movie Fight Club... how many people still believe the main theme of the movie was about the glamorization of violence? Even some of those that liked the movie thought it was nothing more than that (i remember seeing something on Dateline or something that adolescents and young adults were forming clubs just to 'fight' after the movie). They didn't see that it was a social commentary on our consumer oriented society.

And as for a rough summer. LOLOL. All that's wrong with your summer is that your behind in your work, probably no fault of anybody else but yours. Maybe you should look at some of the others your age that are living on the streets because of family abuse. Buckle down and pull a couple of all nighters and catch up. Solve the problem instead of whining about it. I always seem to procrastinate too, but a couple of all nighters and i'm all caught up (i'm a 4th year Honor Psych student). Fear is the best motivation for me.
 

JoeKing

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
10,641
1
81
really, you should enjoy the books you read. Death of a Salesman and Grapes of Wrath are two of my most favorite works. Don't lookat how big a book is, just get into the story and enjoy it. In the end (especially with Grapes of Wrath) You might find you actually regret the book has ended so soon. When there is so much more to tell. But then that is a major point of the story.......ahhhh I see says the blind man ;)

Anyway wait until you get to college.

--edit--
damnit now you got me thinking of Grapes of Wrath and now I have to type it out somewhere.

Look at the story this way, not upon the family, but at the situation at the time. At the basic dreams and wants of humanity. At the unfairness in life with the struggles and small triumphs of the human soul. Notice the stripping of honor and home, and the search/need/want of another place to call home. Where the question of what is really the "american dream" (major point but you really have to define it) and who really achieves it. And whta people will do to try to follow it on a whim. Where some become lost in the struggle and the people around do not want/can't see (another BIG point)

Ok I'm done, I feel better now. No more voices in the head....must sleep now. :)