Journal 24

In preparing for my semester exams, my plan is to take everything I need home for the weekend and make a whole bunch of note cards. I do not know that there is much else I can really do. I need to run through the note cards a ton, but really, it is as simple as that. I think there are other ways to study, but I find note cards to be the most effective option. This way, I am able to focus on only that, and not get distracted with trying to reread the same same piece of paper over and over. I do not feel like I get much done when I try to read a paper through as a study technique. I feel like I learn more when I do not have to rely on someone else quizzing me and I can just focus independently.
Some people are waiting until the last minute to review for their finals. I do not plan on being one of those people, although that is probably how this will turn out. I guess I just need to find some enthusiasm and try to get through this next week. I really need it in order to make it. I want to try and get a ninety-six percent on my Advanced Algebra Two final, that way I can have an A for the semester. The rest of the grades that I need only require me scoring eighty percent on each test. I am not too worried about any of my finals really. Even if I completely fail on all of them, I will still have all A's and B's. I should not stress out about them, but I also cannot forget that they are still important, and I do have a chance of getting all A's for this semester. That is a pretty important opportunity for me, especially in my junior year. I really want to try and make that goal.

Journal 23

I believe that being self-sufficient means someone is independent, and relies completely on his/herself, instead of depending on others to help them accomplish things. This usually means getting things done on time, doing what you are supposed to, and taking on opportunities alone. You must deal with everything on your own if you want to be considered self-sufficient. I do not think that I could consider myself this way. I would be no where without the people who push me to do what I do. I always want to just slug around and do nothing, but people around me make me accomplish things. I do not really want to know what will happen to me once I move away. I would probably fall into a wave of nothingness for a while. Everyone would forget I existed.
The people who push me tend to be very self-sufficient. My mom is. She is probably the best, most independent person that I know. I really admire that about her, but I really do not care for that lifestyle. I used to think that I was independent, but now I really doubt it. If people never made me do things, I would never do them. I think the reason I ever do anything is because I have this pre-conceived notion that I HAVE to. Like, if I want to do well in school, I HAVE to show up and do the work. If I want to go to college, I HAVE to do well in school. If I want to be happy in life, I HAVE to go to college. It has just been drilled into my brain that way. If I was raised differently, I probably would have given up a long time ago.
I like that my family is self-sufficient. I do not know what I would do if anyone else seriously relied on me. I do not think I could do a very good job of making sure someone else did something. I suck at things like that. I should never be a mother.

Emerson Review

 "His variety of declarations tempts us to say that he contradicts himself, but even if we resist the temptation, we are still not sure where he finally stands. We can admit the force of his impeachment of consistency in "Self-Reliance" (p. 265), but may still wish that his assertions did not so frequently collide and perhaps qualify one another to the point of damaging all of them, leaving us suspended and uncertain" (Kateb). 
This quote basically explains the feeling that I get when reading Emerson's "Self-Reliance." He makes so many points that at times, he contradicts himself at times. Overall, though, he makes the point that a person needs to live life for his/herself instead of trying to rely on the explanation of others. If one tries to only listen to what others say, they will never get the full experience of what is happening in the world. You live for yourself instead of hearing stories. You should base most of your opinions on your own experience rather than the opinions of everyone else. 
In Emerson's essay, he says the following: "Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your contemporaries, the connection of events. Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark." This is personally my favorite part of the essay, even though if comes early on. It probably makes the most sense to me. I am not religious, but I believe what he says here. He basically says that we need to accept ourselves no matter what everyone else thinks. I agree with most of the points written in the essay, and I think that this depicts Emerson's ideas quite well.
Our reading is mendicant and sycophantic. In history, our imagination plays us false. Kingdom and lordship, power and estate, are a gaudier vocabulary than private John and Edward in a small house and common day's work; but the things of life are the same to both; the sum total of both is the same. Why all this deference to Alfred, and Scanderbeg, and Gustavus? Suppose they were virtuous; did they wear out virtue? As great a stake depends on your private act to-day, as followed their public and renowned steps. When private men shall act with original views, the lustre will be transferred from the actions of kings to those of gentlemen." -Emerson. I feel that this quote is very eloquently  written. It shows exactly what the point of the essay is, while also creating an emotional feeling for the reader. 

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind." In Emerson's Transcendental Etudes. Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. 2003. Quoted as "Self-Reliance and the Life of the Mind" in Bloom, Harold, ed. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Updated Edition, Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York: Chelsea House Publishing, 2006. Bloom's Literary Reference Online. Facts On File, Inc. 

Journal 22

Snow is probably on of the most beautiful aspects of winter. It sometimes seems like there is nothing prettier than looking out the window in your warm house and seeing all the white perfection falling from the sky. I cannot thing of anything more comfortable than seeing that vision, curling up with a blanket, making hot chocolate, and reading a really good book. A lot of times, it makes me fall asleep. I wish I could explain how comforting it is to me. I absolutely adore knowing that there is a freezing cold world outside the walls of my house and being completely safe as I watch it become worse.
The best thing about the snow is that you know that it could get worse throughout the day. I could watch it fall all day, piling higher and higher. If the sky becomes dark, you know that it is going to become bad. You open the door for two seconds, and it tries to flood into your house! It has a mind of its own, it seems.
I do not, however, enjoy going out into the snow. It is far too cold for me. I get cold extremely easily, so going out into the world is disappointing. I just like to watch it fall, I do not like feeling it on my skin. I always fear that I will freeze all the way to my bones and curl up and die. That thought always passes through my mind as I walk out into the "winter wonderland." I dislike that thought. I never want to freeze to death. I do not think anyone wants that. Maybe I should focus on trying to stay warm rather than looking somewhat presentable. I always think about if I look okay before adding more layers, then I don't. I should bundle up better, that would make sense. I wish I was more logical sometimes. This year, if I go out into the snow, I will not worry about my appearance and worry more about my warmth.

Journal 21

This quote basically tells me that one should not rely on others to set a standard for one's self. I think that it means to not compare yourself to someone else, and instead create your own view and standards. I also believe that it is saying that this insight comes with time. As you grow you start to understand how other people do not matter as much as it seems when you are young.
So if you really think about it, we could either go our whole lives listening to what others say or following what it common to believe, or we could go by what we really think. We could think for ourselves instead of basing our actions on the opinions of our peers. When we decide to stop worrying about these ideas, we decide to take control of our lives. You should never let someone else influence what you believe or your opinion. Sure, it is good to take other people's thoughts into consideration, but when it all comes down to it, you are ultimately the only one who knows yourself.
When you are young, your parents or the people who watch over you are really the ones who make you who you are. The habits and mentalities we gain while we are just babies can be seen much later in a person's life. As a child, you're vulnerable to whatever the people around you do or say. Although these are large parts of a person's character, as they get older, people should be confident in themselves and make their own choices as to who they want to be. This can be difficult at times because we honestly do not have much control over our lives until we get out into the world on our own. Until we at least get to college, we have to live by what our parents say. Once we get to that point, we have to be independent.