the link of the final project
https://youtu.be/w0sTJuCtzzQ

 Final Reflection

      I can’t believe that I have been taking acting class for two marking periods already. During these two marking periods, I have been working on a lot of different projects, and I have learned many useful things from each of them. This class really helped me a lot, and it was absolutely an unforgettable experience for me.

      Before I took this class I was really nervous, because I didn’t know how this class is going to be like and I also didn’t know what I am going to do in this class. So when I first came to this class, I was pretty shy and nervous, at the same time, I didn’t have much confidence in myself. I didn’t participate a lot for the first few weeks because I was shy to express myself and I was a little bit afraid to say my thoughts out loud. After I realized this problem, I worked pretty hard on and became a little better than before, I started to participate more in the class. After that, I became more familiar with my classmates, we started to get to know each other more and cooperate more because it was a pretty small class. I really liked every project, because I think they were really fun and helpful to me. I can always see problems and learn form them from each project. For example, after I did the monologue project, I realized that I have to slow down a little bit when I talk and I also have to speak louder. After I did the movement activity and the slient movie, I learned that my acting is better than my speaking, so I decided to work harder on my lines. But at the same time, I had so much fun when I was doing these projects; I really enjoy the proccess of doing them, and I could feel that I was actually improving. These projects has never made me feel like obligations.

     At the beginning of the second marking period, I did a serious scene with Jack. During this project, I could feel that I had more confidence in myself, and I started like doing this kind of project more than before. I wasn’t that shy anymore, and I think I was pretty into the character. For my final project, I picked a very sad and dramatic poem; it was a totally new challenge for me, but I really liked it. I think I could see my improvements through all these projects, and this class has really changed me a lot. Now I think I will be more confident and feeling more comforatble when I am speaking in front of the public, and I will be more willing to present myself to the others. I think this class made me become a more active and outgoing person, which was a goal that I always wanted to achieve. 

     At the same time, I liked the class atmosphere so much. It made me feel very comfortable when I was in the classroom or the black box. I liked all of my classmates a lot, although there were only three of them. They were all very very nice and they really helped me such as give me advice on many of my projects. I was also more willing to express myself in front of them and I had so much fun with them. And I also want to thank Mrs.Guarino for so much all the advice she gave me on my projects and her patience in me. She didn’t put any pressure on me, instead, the activities we had in class made me feel relaxed and comfortable. 

      I can only think about good things when I think about this class, it has taught me so many things that I had never expected it would. I really liked this class a lot and I think I will never going to forget these two interesting marking periods!

   Now our class has been working on our final project for a week. In this week, I’ve made a lot of progress on my final project. I’ve been thinking a lot on how to make it better. My final project is that I am going to present a very sad and dramatic poem.

   First, of course I have to work on the memorization of the poem. The poem is chose is called the “Sweet Agony”. It is pretty long, so it took me a little while to try to memorize it. After working on it during class time, now I think I am good with most of my lines. I think I just have to make sure I won’t forget anything when I am performing. After I am done with memorization, I have to work on adding emotions into my performance, which is a pretty difficult part for me, bacause I have to think about the tempo of my poem and what syllables I shold stress or where I should pause. I want to make my performance as detailed as possible. Since English is my second language, it might be pretty challenging for me, but I really like it because it is also the process of learning. And I am also thinking about having background music while I am performing, because it will make the atmosphere better and make the audience more into the situation. I am probably going to use a song composed by a Japanese musician called "风居住的街道”, which means “The street that the wind lives in”. Because I think this song really matches the poem a lot.

   I also think I need to be speak really loud while I am performing, and I need to slow down the tempo because it is a serious poem. I think I also have to focus on my pronunciation a little bit because I it is going to make the poem sound more natural. I am very excited about to see how my final project is coming along, and I hope it is going to be good.

     Now we are working on our final project for the next two weeks. What I am going to do for my final project is I am going to perform a poem called the “Sweet Agony”. This is a serious poem, and it is also very sad and dramatic, which might be a big challenge for me. I have to work really hard on understanding what the author is trying to express through the poem and find a good way to act it out.   I actually really liked this poem when I first saw it, I think it is a very “deep” poem and I also think the language that the author uses is very beautiful, which makes me have the desire to act it out. I have an idea of having background music while I am performing because I think it is going to make the atmosphere even better. This is totally new for me, and I am not very sure how the result going to be, but I will still try my best to understand the poem and try my best to stay in the character. I think I also have to work on my articulation and my tone a little bit in order to make the poem sounds better. I hope my final project is going to be great!!


(This is the poem that I am going to perform)
Sweet Agony
What do you see when you look in my eyes?
A freak? A nameless being?
Or maybe simply another face in the endless sea of people
What do I see when I look at myself in the mirror?
I see pain, laughter, tears, smiles, fatigue, and endless energy.
What do I do 
When the world I live in
Doesn't know I am suffering?
I feel the scars
On my heart
My arms
My wrists
And I think back to a time when I was truly alone
Wondering the streets at night
The sky dark and stormy,
With the cold rain falling down on me
It was like the sky was crying
All the tears I was too afraid to shed myself
That was along time ago, 
but still I can feel the sharpness of the blades upon my soul
My skin
My heart
Sometimes at night I sit up
Stare at my window
And cry, for all the pain I still sometimes feel.
I wonder if life is meant to be more then this, 
This town
These people 
These feelings
I am like a caged animal, 
Trapped inside bars
Locked in, with no hope to escape
I scream
Yell
Cry
But no one hears me
I stand alone
On my own little path of life
That I have been on for as long as I can remember
With a broken heart
A broken soul
A broken mind
Still I struggle on
So that I can maybe see beyond this world
Of darkness and despair, 
So I can see the world beyond,
Of love and life and happiness
So here I stand,
A smile on my face, 
Even though I am being torn apart on the inside.
I will continue to smile, 
And feel
And love
And I will survive; survive to tomorrow
So I can learn to trust again
And this sweet agony
That has been with me all my life
Will be dispersed
Become nonexistent
Gone
No more.
And I will finally
Be 
Alive.

Source: http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/sweet-agony