Character Goals

Character determines whether your friends, classmates and family members see you as a leader and respect you as a role model; I want to have the character that everyone would expect from their leader and practice the whole.

I will try to be responsible for all my promises and be accountable for my actions. Responsibility is one of the most important characters a person should carry. “Responsibility is the price of greatness (Thinkexist.com).” To become a leader or anything great, you have to have the responsibility. I will accept what I have done wrong and take consequences following so that I would never do the same thing the next time. Also, I will try to be careful when I make promises, make sure that it is possible for me to fulfill, and once promised, to practice it in any circumstances. By the end of the semester, I want to be self-confident that I am a person of responsibility.

Since the trust can’t be granted but only earned, I will try to earn the character of trustworthiness throughout this semester. “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with the important matters (Thinkexist.com).” To be trustworthy, you have to be careful of every single little detail of truth. If you lie, or go around telling the fact that shouldn’t really be spreading, no one will get to trust you. I will try to deliver on my promises and to act honestly at every turn. Trustworthiness is the character I really want to have as a person.

Citations:

Churchill, Winston. "Quotes for Responsibility." Thinkexist.com. 31 Jan 2007..
Einstein, Albert. "Quotes for Trust." Thinkexist.com. 31 Jan 2007.

2007, A Beginning as a 15-year-old

Goal 1) I will use strategies to address writing to different audiences.
Method) I will try to write toward various audiences and differentiate them by using unlike voice, word choice, and organization. I will also try to approach my writing in several ways. Don’t just write one kind, but explore dissimilar kind of writings such as poems, short stories, research paper etc.

Goal 2) I will use precise and descriptive language that clarifies and enhances ideas and supports different purposes.
Method) Try not to drag my point, but be simple and my idea is clear. Use descriptive words to make my writing picturesque and readers be able to imagine what I write.

Goal 3) I will use commonly confused terms in written compositions.
Method) I am well confused with these words, so try to use them a lot in my writing so that I’d clearly know the difference. It’ll help me for the SAT too.

Goal 4) I will use a variety of primary sources to gather information for research topics.
Method) Since I had only used the internet encyclopedia, Wikipedia, which I had just learned that it isn’t reliable, I will try to use many other internet sites. Also, I will try to use the printed-copy sources in which I can get from our school library.

Goal 5) I will work on organization, so that by the end of the year, I will have improved.
Method) Instead of using similar structure or design of a writing piece, I will try to vary them. Organization is important and different looks drive readers into “wanting to read” mode, since they are not boring.

A Single Step toward the World (Poetry Portfolio)

To Michael Kwon,
wishing his recovery.

Preface
Since young, one of my favorite writing was poetry. However, it always seemed that I cannot get out of the structure of my childish poem. I didn’t have any chance to learn to write poetry, properly in class with a teacher before, so when I heard that we are going to write poetry, I couldn’t hide my joy. I waited and waited for the time to come, until I found out that we are not going to free-write our poems. “There were different ways to write poems?” that is exactly what I said. And at the same time, I liked the fresh challenge.
My best and most inspired work always came from my bedroom. Even though I try my best in the classroom to write something, all I can do for 70 minutes is to sit and write something unworthy. I always had to rewrite the things I wrote in class; not a single writing was left untouched. Bedroom is a place where my comforts are. I dream, I love, and I imagine the most beautiful things there. As I lie down, looking at the ceiling, I can think of all sorts of things without any worries. Maybe there is this idea-making-machine in my bed, the machine of ideas and dream.
Things that are mysterious, things that suddenly make me wonder, and things that give me unforgettable impressions inspire me the most. They make me think more deeply and see everything in different point of views, which leads to the creativity. For example, when I was in the bathroom, my friend and I were talking about how funny it is to stand in front of the door and listen to all those different sounds that are created, when I said, “This is it, for my sound poem!” The idea of the ‘Two Rooms’ narrative poem inspired me also. I was in an agony of choosing what I want to be when I grow up and what path I should walk on, when the poem compared two different things that were very contrasting. It came right into my heart, and I so wanted to compare two of my dreams this way.
I value the voice the most in the writing process. Every writer has one’s unique way of wording phrases and that could be the beauty of the person’s poem. The voice can decide who the poem is for, and the purpose of the poem. I am not really good at showing voice, and it is a category that I need to work on harder; however, I had tried my best. The most important thing I learned about writing poetry is the way to use all 6 traits of writing appropriately in different kinds of poems. I also learned how to describe something effectively. The poor description could kill the poem, so the word choices were really important, too. I hope as readers go through this portfolio, they could feel the beauty of poem. For those who don’t like poetry, I hope my poems can change their hatred into love.


Restroom

Audience: Elementary Children
Final draft
Sound Poem


“Bang! Bang!”
People beating the door.
“Me first! Me first!”
Shouts of people waiting

“Crash!”
The cry of the door
“Crash!”
The injury of the door

“Shhh~!” Listen!
There goes the flush!
As soon as the water sucks down,
People get ready for race.

“All done!” they say
With relief in their voices.
“Drip! Drip!”
The water drops are left
In their empty spaces.


Two Rooms of Dream

Audience: Young adults
Final draft
Narrative Poem


I live in a doorway
Between two rooms

In one room
I find my foot,
Tapping to the melody
My hand races down the string,
My arm dances in the air.
As I create my music,
I dream of the day
Finding myself on the stage
Being one of the greatest musicians

In another room
I find my hand,
Scribbling down the paper
My pencil starts to cry
My brain starts to beseech.
As I fill out each and every word
I dream of the day
Finding myself in court
Being one of the keenest prosecutors.


Lovely Fly

Audience: Young adults who hate flies.
Final draft
Process Poem


An angel,
With shining eyes
Staring at you with tears
Reflecting yourself
In a hundred points of view
Waiting for you to see itself
Landing on your food.

An angel,
With rainbow-colored wings
Flapping here and there
Searching for a place to land
A place to give you blessings
A blessing for you and me
A blessing of germs.

An angel,
With beautiful lips
Full of love for everyone
Kissing this and that
Finding for its true love
And, once it discovers you,
Kisses you with black lips.


Message is clear, focused, concise, and easy to summarize. It is very interesting to read the poem from the beginning because of the title. The readers get to think, "How can flies be lovely?" and start reading the poem. I compared the fly to an angel because I thought the angels were the most clean and beautiful thing there could ever be. I use pretty adjectives, that are usually used to make an object seem better and make the readers think of something in a positive point of view. However, as the fly is described more and more, it somehow makes the reader feel disgusted. The last line of every stanza is always a turn. Although it is the only line of the stanza that doesn't use pretty words, it makes the whole poem disgusting. Even I was disgusted by the idea of being kissed by a fly with a 'black lip.' This poem is not appropriate to read before reading, nor for the people who love flies, since their thoughts will change after reading the poem. One question that can come into mind is, "How can this be a process poem?" The answer is, as the readers have already felt, basically how to turn the positive point of view to negative toward the fly by reading the poem. The conventions are good, and the idea was really good. Even I was surprised at myself, how I could think of such topic!


The Very First Day

Audience: Young adults with experience of the first day of school.
Final draft
Pantoum


That day I was unprepared
The first step toward high school
Painful and harsh they declared
Armful of projects soaked with drool

The first step toward high school
Walking up and down the stairs
Armful of projects soaked with drool
Who cares about friend affairs?

Walking up and down the stairs
Everyone looks so worried and anxious,
Who cares about friend affairs?
Seeing teachers’ keen eyes checking who’s conscientious.

Everyone looks so worried and anxious
Painful and harsh they declared
Seeing teachers’ keen eyes checking who’s conscientious
That day I was unprepared.


Message is clear, focused, concise, and easy to summarize. This poem makes me think again of the first day of high school. Although time has passed, it makes me smile of the day. Adult readers, who have been in high school a long time ago, may have hard time to draw one's memoir out, but I am confident that it is a memory to enjoy thinking about. The description of the poem is done for the readers to enjoy, for example, the textbook soaked with drool makes you imagine when you were sleepy while studying. This poem contains my own experience, when I was really worried and anxious, hearing a senior say that it is a worst time of life to be in the high school. The readers could feel the tension of the first day. Your mind is full of thoughts of the tests that is coming up and how to prepare for the first test of the year. The grades you get from then go to college so no one is left behind. The conventions are good, and the word choices are well done. However, I think if the poem was longer, it could have been better. Overall, the Pantoum organization was in a good structure and was well written.

How to Bake Chocolate Chip Cookies (Process Essay)

What is your favorite snack? What is your favorite kind of cookies? Chocolate chip cookies are the most delectable. They just melt in your mouth like marshmallow and sweeten your mouth quickly. Once you start eating, you cannot stop. However, not all chocolate chip cookies are like that. That could be too hard to bite or too sweet to eat. Now I will share with you my secret home recipe. Be aware! You might become addicted very easily!

First, you should check if you have all the tools and ingredients. If not, you must go to the nearest grocery store and buy the highest-quality products. The tools you need to make the dough of the cookies are the bowl, mixer, and the measuring spoon. You need 200g of butter that melts well, and you can know this by the price, since in most of the cases the expensive butter melts better. The 50g sugar has to be sweet enough for you; but not too sweet. You also need 120g of brown sugar, and 1ts of salt. These ingredients are used often for other dishes, so you can just get whatever you use the most. 2 eggs are the best to buy the fresh ones because they are very sensitive. You might get sick if you use the old eggs as part of the ingredients. Plus, to add more taste to your cookie, you need 1ts of vanilla, 100g of walnut, and 300g of flour. Oh, and don’t forget 180g of chocolate chips for your chocolate chip cookies! It’s okay to use more chocolate chips if you want, but this is just the right amount for most of the people. Now you are ready to start.

The next thing you need to do is to melt the butter in the air-temperature. The air temperature is the state of being neither too cold nor hot; as it is worded, it is the normal temperature of the air. When the butter is ready, mix with sugar, brown sugar, and salt. You can recognize the ready butter by being able to blend it easily with other ingredients. Then, break two eggs in, making sure the shells don’t go in. You will have hard time taking them out even if a single fragment goes in. Mix the again with vanilla until it becomes creamy. It usually takes about 2 minutes to make it sufficient for the next step. Include flour, chocolate chips – the most important things – and walnut.

The last step is baking. Make the shape you want your cookies to be with the dough. However, limit the thickness to 2.5cm since they might not cook well if it is too thick. It’s also safe to make it round and help the cookies being baked well according to my own experience. Place it carefully on the cookie sheet, and be careful to leave spaces between the dough. When you bake them, the cookies expand and rise, so they may stick to each other. Put it into the oven and keep track of the time – 15 minutes.

Check the condition of the cookies. There are two kinds; the cookie can be crunchy or it could be soft and sweet. The conditions of minutes you spent to bake the cookies and the thickness of the cookies determines between the two kinds. If the cookie is cooked just as much as you wanted them to be, it is time for you to enjoy! It will be the best chocolate chip cookie you have ever tasted~! Wasn’t it easy? Why don’t you try it yourself and carry them around with you as snacks? Again I warn you, aware of the addictiveness!

Forgiveness (Definition Essay)

Many religions have different views on one subject; same with forgiveness. As all religion treats forgiveness as one of the major topics, it is very important. When you ask a group of people, “What is forgiveness?” everyone will have a different point of views. As a Christian, the forgiveness of others is amongst the spiritual duties. “God is generally considered to be the original source of all forgiveness, which is made possible through the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus, and is freely available to the repentant believer.” (“Forgiveness”)

The forgiveness in Christianity came from God. The Bible states, “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your father may forgive you your sins.” (Mark 11:25) God has sent Jesus, his only son, to forgive human beings to forgive us. Jesus has suffered the worst things a mankind could ever suffer, and had died for our sins. Since then, we are able to be forgiven from God through Jesus. God was the first one to ever forgive human beings and is still forgiving us everyday and lead us to the bright side of the world.

What if there isn’t anything such as forgiveness? Forgiveness is needed to call forgiveness, so you would never be able to form relationships with anyone. There is no perfect person in the world that had not had a single sin, except for Jesus Christ. Without forgiveness, all human beings would never be able to go to heaven. The word ‘heaven’ would never exist in the first place.

Forgiveness… One might ask, “Friends forgive each other, but it’s not really through Jesus. Then why do we need to believe in Christianity and why do we have to be forgiven by God?” The big difference there is that people can forgive each other once at a time about a single thing. But it is too little compared to the amount of sins you made. Plus, it is almost certain that you would not be able to go to every single person you sinned against and be forgiven by them. However, God can forgive you in everything, no matter how much there are and how serious they are. He is the great God.

Forgiveness means a lot to people around the world. There is no one who doesn’t want to be forgiven after all the bad things they’ve done. It gives people comfort as much as it is treated importantly in religions. Without the word ‘forgiveness,’ there would have been no purpose of God and the religion named Christianity. There would have never been such a word as Christ and heaven. Also without forgiveness, people will never be able to bear the weight of the sins they had made by themselves throughout their lives.