Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Elements of position


-       They are comfortably spaced, with about an inch between them
-       They are sitting side by side
-       Their elbows touch once in a while
-       Sometimes they put their arms up between them, creating a barrier
-       They sit hunched over the table
-       When they aren’t talking to each other they lean in different diretions

-       It is easier to keep a conversation going when we are both leaning in slightly
-       When I lean out it gets harder to interact
-       When I turn a little sideways it is harder to talk

Wednesday, October 24, 2012


The two girls are in each other’s personal space, which means that they know each other well and are good friends. They normally stay about the same distance apart, but gradually drift together or apart as they walk. When one person gets ahead of the other, they wait for her to catch up. This means that they have known each other long enough to be comfortable and act normally.

When I talk to someone I know well, I usually stay near the edge of their personal space. I don’t want to be too far away so it seems like I don’t like them, but I also don’t want to make them uncomfortable. When I get too far away, it is harder to talk about things that I normally would, because I don’t want everyone to hear everything I have to say. When I am saying something private, I usually go into someone’s personal space to say it. When I am good enough friends with someone, the boundaries don’t matter as much, because we are both very comfortable around each other. It takes a certain amount of trust to let someone into your intimate space.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Diction

I am not comfortable talking a lot until I get to know someone pretty well. Once I know them I get very comfortable using language! I am also more comfortable decoding what someone is trying to say when I know them well. When I first meet someone, I don’t usually speak a lot, because I try to get a feel for what kind of person they are based on their actions and words. Once I feel like I know the person a little better, I contribute more to the conversation and ask them questions. I think one thing that I have started doing at Hotchkiss is being more comfortable talking to people, asking questions about them, and really getting to know them. Once I get to know someone, it usually doesn’t matter who they are, I can speak to them comfortably. I usually watch what I say more with people who think have a really high opinion of me, because I don’t want to disappoint them. If someone is in the same position as I am (i.e new to a school) I am more comfortable and can find more things to talk about with them. I am uncomfortable talking to people who are really shy or I think don’t want to talk to me. If someone doesn’t talk a lot I get very uncomfortable, and believe it or not, start talking enough for both of us! Both of my parents are lawyers, so I know how to use language to my advantage. When someone of authority is mad at me, I know to not talk very much, and to just let them get it out of their system. I know when to apologize and act like nothing happened. With people older than me, I know how to speak respectfully and to keep some things that I might want to say to myself.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Character Study



·            Olandine Reed
·            1787-October 13, 1857
·            Died at age 70
·            Widow of Charles McArthur (Sept. 2, 1840)
·            2nd wife of Josiah Reed (June 23, 1863 at 87)
·            Josiah’s 1st wife was Diadama Reed (D. January 13, 1828 at 47)
·            Mother of Peter, Caroline & Mary McArthur
·            Step mother of Alanson Reed (D. July 14, 1846 at 36), Betsey Mariah Reed (D. July 14, 1812 at 6)
·            Grandmother of Darius M. McArthur (Peter &Mary) (D. Sept. 8, 1848)
·            Grandmother of Charles J. McArthur (Peter &Mary) (D. Sept. 2, 1848)
·            11 year age difference between her and her 2nd husband
·            Devoted member of the Methodist church
·            Born in Boston, MA
·            Grandparents from Germany
·            Dark hair & eyes light skin
·            5’4”, 120 lbs
·            Oldest child, other 2 siblings died
·            Working class parents
·            Father worked on a whaling ship, gone a lot
·            Mother was a seamstress
·            Father died when she was 12
·            Had to help her mom support their family
·            Lived in Boston until age 12, moved to rural MA
·            Caring and devoted person
·            Sometimes impatient and insecure
·            Volunteered her time to help others
·            Hard working
·            Community minded
·            Outspoken at times
·            Very steady mentally
·            Had a lot of responsibilities after her father died
·            Very healthy, only surviving child in her family
·            First husband killed from falling off a horse
·            Left with three young children at 25
·            Married her second husband at 28
·            Stepson died killed in Mexican American war, body brought back to CT
·            Peter married Mary and had two children, who both died from injuries from a fire.
·            Daughter Caroline married and moved to North Carolina
·            2nd daughter Mary married and moved to New Hampshire
·            Mother died in 1800 of unknown causes
·            Olandine died at age 70 suicide