Beowulf was portrayed as a hero who fought off a great monster, Grendel, in order to protect his family, country, and serve God. Beowulf was more of a person while Grendel was a creature, far from a human. In today's society, we consider our soldiers our heroes, however, soldiers are still fighting their own species. So who is more similar to Beowulf than soldiers? I believe Martin Luther King comes very close to a person with heroic traits and he was also a person who had to fight a horrid monster, a prejudice society.
Of course a prejudice society is more of a metaphorical monster, but a monster nonetheless. Martin fought for the rights of his people and although he didn't use weapons, he still won the battle of racism and equal rights with his words. In my opinion, Martin Luther King Jr. had a tougher battle than Beowulf. His challenge was to change the minds of a HUGE society of white people, while Beowulf had to fight one enemy. Both heroes fought because they believed God wanted them to take action and protect their country as well as their families.
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Me
My name is Iliana Elias, Ily for short and I just had a birthday September 4th (yay!). Out of my three years at Whitney Young, my favorite classes have always been my English classes. I've always loved how liberal the class was - yes, there were assignment rules, but at the same time you were allowed to express your own style. Improving my writing skills is a great interest of mine so I'm hoping to learn new techniques and also use British Literature as an influence for my writing.
Aside from academics, I played basketball my freshman and sophomore year on the JV and varsity team for Whitney Young. This year I decided to go a different route and get into cross country and track. I love it so far because I appreciate the independence of the sport. I think all sports have a mental toughness factor, but running in particular focuses a little more on this area. You have to do it for yourself at the end of the day.
Music has consistently contributed to my happiness. My taste in music dips into so many different genres. I like everything from India Arie to Kendrick Lamar. My all time favorite artist however, is Lauryn Hill. There is not one song by her that I didn't like. I feel like all her music is genuine and raw.
I am the middle child of 5 kids. I have an older sister, 22, an older brother, 23, and two younger brothers, ages 12 and 14. My family is probably the most valued group of people in my life.
Aside from academics, I played basketball my freshman and sophomore year on the JV and varsity team for Whitney Young. This year I decided to go a different route and get into cross country and track. I love it so far because I appreciate the independence of the sport. I think all sports have a mental toughness factor, but running in particular focuses a little more on this area. You have to do it for yourself at the end of the day.
Music has consistently contributed to my happiness. My taste in music dips into so many different genres. I like everything from India Arie to Kendrick Lamar. My all time favorite artist however, is Lauryn Hill. There is not one song by her that I didn't like. I feel like all her music is genuine and raw.
I am the middle child of 5 kids. I have an older sister, 22, an older brother, 23, and two younger brothers, ages 12 and 14. My family is probably the most valued group of people in my life.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Don't jump!
Earlier today was the annual Shamrock Shuffle. The only thing anyone fears on this day is the possible soreness in your muscles you feel the next day. But today, people feared for a man who attempted to jump off the state street bridge into the Chicago river. The police were able to safely remove the man, but the Shamrock Shuffle had to be rerouted.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/19330082-418/man-threatening-to-jump-off-bridge-reroutes-shamrock-shuffle-run.html
In this article, we don't know exactly why the man wanted to pursue something so dangerous but we do know that this is a struggle against danger. This man came a couple seconds away from ending his life. There has to be more to his reasoning. Maybe he believed his life was difficult or that he didn't belong in the world. Either way, it's crazy to know that some people are so stressed that they choose to end their own lives. It was also in the eye of the public. I feel like this was done on purpose because there's no way he didn't know hundreds of people would be running by that day. Maybe in the back of his head he secretly wanted someone to stop him. I hope the man is okay and isn't diagnosed with anything severe.
http://www.suntimes.com/news/19330082-418/man-threatening-to-jump-off-bridge-reroutes-shamrock-shuffle-run.html
In this article, we don't know exactly why the man wanted to pursue something so dangerous but we do know that this is a struggle against danger. This man came a couple seconds away from ending his life. There has to be more to his reasoning. Maybe he believed his life was difficult or that he didn't belong in the world. Either way, it's crazy to know that some people are so stressed that they choose to end their own lives. It was also in the eye of the public. I feel like this was done on purpose because there's no way he didn't know hundreds of people would be running by that day. Maybe in the back of his head he secretly wanted someone to stop him. I hope the man is okay and isn't diagnosed with anything severe.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
C'mon Bulls
This article is about our injured-battered Chicago Bulls. They currently have four of their key players out due to injuries and their most important player doesn't have an official return date. The bulls currently have a 6 game losing streak.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/sports&id=9032323
The Bulls' future doesn't look too bright with four of their star players out. Everyone pretty much said the Bulls without Derrick Rose won't get anywhere and so far it has been proven true. I think the Bulls are struggling a lot with being mentally tough. They can't let something like this bring down their performance skills, they need it to tell the players that are still healthy to step up to the plate.
Of course the Bulls knew losing Derrick Rose would make things rough, but they have to know how to tweak their game to match the scenario. I hope the Bulls can pull through now that it's getting closer to the regular season.
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/sports&id=9032323
The Bulls' future doesn't look too bright with four of their star players out. Everyone pretty much said the Bulls without Derrick Rose won't get anywhere and so far it has been proven true. I think the Bulls are struggling a lot with being mentally tough. They can't let something like this bring down their performance skills, they need it to tell the players that are still healthy to step up to the plate.
Of course the Bulls knew losing Derrick Rose would make things rough, but they have to know how to tweak their game to match the scenario. I hope the Bulls can pull through now that it's getting closer to the regular season.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
More Gang Violence in Chicago
Just this past week, baby Jonylah Watkins was shot 5 times alongside her father who was shot several times as well. Both victims underwent surgery but unfortunately the infant didn't make it and was pronounced dead March 12. Her father remains in the hospital under serious, but stable condition.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-baby-jonylah-watkins-dead-shot-times/story?id=18710150
This story honestly breaks my heart. Once again, the struggle against gang violence is prevalent. Her father is known for gang affiliations, which is the assumed reason for this attack. The gun violence in Chicago is unbelievable. We are now at the point where hearing about a shooting is normal. The fact that a baby was killed due to gang violence is beyond my point of comprehension. Babies are humans at their most innocent state who only make choices like "Should I cry to let mommy know I'm hungry?" not decisions of whether or not they want to affiliate themselves in gangs. This baby was just as innocent as Hadiya Pendleton. They were both children who did not decide to involve themselves with gangs but by chance, happened to die from gang violence. I just want to know when gangs will realize it's not worth it. It's not worth giving the city a bad rep and it's not worth ruining their lives as well as ending lives.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-baby-jonylah-watkins-dead-shot-times/story?id=18710150
This story honestly breaks my heart. Once again, the struggle against gang violence is prevalent. Her father is known for gang affiliations, which is the assumed reason for this attack. The gun violence in Chicago is unbelievable. We are now at the point where hearing about a shooting is normal. The fact that a baby was killed due to gang violence is beyond my point of comprehension. Babies are humans at their most innocent state who only make choices like "Should I cry to let mommy know I'm hungry?" not decisions of whether or not they want to affiliate themselves in gangs. This baby was just as innocent as Hadiya Pendleton. They were both children who did not decide to involve themselves with gangs but by chance, happened to die from gang violence. I just want to know when gangs will realize it's not worth it. It's not worth giving the city a bad rep and it's not worth ruining their lives as well as ending lives.
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Another Loss for Whitney Young
On March 8th of this year, Whitney Young boys varsity basketball played their rivals for a second time this season and had to face yet another loss. This game was a tough and important game-it was the sectional game that would've left them 3 games away from the state title. The Whitney Young boys were devastated after losing to Simeon for the second time this year. They were hoping to send their seniors out with a ring, but unfortunately their hard work wasn't good enough compared to Simeon's work ethic. The boys are out for the season but they plan to bounce back next year.
http://www.maxpreps.com/blogs/maxwire-national-blog/vcDAlX64dEWvg_k1zV7sdQ/friday-playoff-rundown--simeon-slams-whitney-young-in-illinois-4a-playoffs.htm
The boys demonstrated what it's like to face one of the most hated struggles: when your hard work just isn't good enough. My favorite quote of all time is "I hate to lose more than I love to win" and it clearly applied to the boys this past Friday. The boys ended the game in tears and almost made me cry with them. It's hard to experience so much success and then fall short or lose it all. I hope the boys show that this season only made them stronger and they reach higher achievements next year!
http://www.maxpreps.com/blogs/maxwire-national-blog/vcDAlX64dEWvg_k1zV7sdQ/friday-playoff-rundown--simeon-slams-whitney-young-in-illinois-4a-playoffs.htm
The boys demonstrated what it's like to face one of the most hated struggles: when your hard work just isn't good enough. My favorite quote of all time is "I hate to lose more than I love to win" and it clearly applied to the boys this past Friday. The boys ended the game in tears and almost made me cry with them. It's hard to experience so much success and then fall short or lose it all. I hope the boys show that this season only made them stronger and they reach higher achievements next year!
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Restaurant Closes After 17 Years of Being Open
Recently, the neighborhood Cuban-Mexican restaurant, Cafe 28, had to sadly close its doors. The owner, Rick Miranda, explains that they simply were not getting enough business which made this past year very difficult in terms of staying open. At one point, they had to forfeit their liquor license due to being behind in fees. Miranda does hope to reopen and maybe relocate, but for now it looks like Cafe 28 will no longer be in service.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/chi-cafe-28-to-close-feb-25-but-hope-remains-20130222,0,1212469.story
For a business to be successful, it must have a steady amount of customers. Cafe 28 struggled with keeping their doors open because of many obstacles which led to slow business. For example, the construction nearby probably prevented local customers from wanting to walk over to the restaurant and it probably limited the amount of available parking. It saddens me when business have to close, and in this case, a business that has been open for almost two decades! There are so many jobs being lost along with this closing like all the cooks, waiters, bussers, hosts, and the chef. I hope they are given another opportunity to reopen their phenomenal business again sometime in the future.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/food/stew/chi-cafe-28-to-close-feb-25-but-hope-remains-20130222,0,1212469.story
For a business to be successful, it must have a steady amount of customers. Cafe 28 struggled with keeping their doors open because of many obstacles which led to slow business. For example, the construction nearby probably prevented local customers from wanting to walk over to the restaurant and it probably limited the amount of available parking. It saddens me when business have to close, and in this case, a business that has been open for almost two decades! There are so many jobs being lost along with this closing like all the cooks, waiters, bussers, hosts, and the chef. I hope they are given another opportunity to reopen their phenomenal business again sometime in the future.
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