Mary Poppins! Write in Time!

A Test Case: The Garden Party

2011-08-14T13:53:00.000-07:00

What It Signifies
The Garden Party by Katherine Mansfield signifies the class clashes that so often grip societies. The story speaks not only of the clashes, but of the almost inevitable inability to escape biases based on the class separations.

How It Signifies
The Sheridans live up on a large hill, while the story speaks of the lower classes living in cottages around the base of the hill. This suggests that the Sheridans, because of their class, are "above" all those around them on the social scale. Also, the family's position allows them to look down on everyone else, while others are forced to look up to them, the general mindset of the higher and lower classes, respectively.

Laura's hat seems quite an important aspect of the story to me. The author kept mentioning it time and again, so I can't help but feel that it carries significance. The hat is given to Laura as an appeasement, meant to distract her from the horrible accident and convince her to attend the party, stunning, as she usually would. She got numerous compliments on the hat, and it was said that she had "never [looked] so striking." It seems almost ironic to me that on the day she descends to the slums of lower society, that she would be more presentable than ever, that she would look her absolute best, in shimmering clothes and a brand new, stunning hat. It's almost as if she is unknowingly asserting her dominance over the lower class. As she views the body of the dead man, she decides that she has no real need to worry about having thrown a party, and she says nothing to the man but "forgive my hat." Is she apologizing for wearing such an extravagant hat so near such a grief-filled house? Or is it because she is wearing such a beautiful and expensive accessory near those who could never afford it? Is she saying she's sorry because she "knows" she's better than these people but she didn't mean to show it? I just wonder why these are the words she chooses to send the man off with, instead of just saying she is sorry about his accident, or that his family has to live alone.

Laura also seems a bit frightened by the cottages. They are described as "mean," and the house of the deceased as having a "dark knot of people" outside. The women who speak to Laura are described as "queer," "oily," and "sly." The words all seem pretty creepy to describe people and places with, and that can signify that Laura is wary of the place she is visiting.

Laura seems the most hopeful of the Sheridan family for escaping conventions. She feels something for the family of the poor carter, and feels that it would be most inappropriate to throw a party on the day of an accident of a man who lived so close to them. Her family, of course, disregards her instincts, almost to the point of taunting, and she compromises with herself to enjoy the party and remember the poor man later. This compromise, coupled with Laura's reasoning later as she visits the house of the deceased, show the difficulty of escaping from class expectations and regulations. She reasons with herself that neither the man's life nor death has anything to do with "garden-parties and baskets and lace frocks," and that she should no longer let his accident interfere with the life expected of her.

Chapter 24:...And Rarely Just Illness

2011-08-05T19:59:00.000-07:00

According to Foster, one of the most "picturesque" and proper deaths-by-illness to be employed in literature is death-by-tuberculosis. One of the many TB-filled stories out there is Moulin Rouge. I feel a little typical writing about this, because I'm probably not the only one, but oh well.

Principles of Disease in Literature

1.In Foster's opinion, TB is quite picturesque, giving the ailing an almost ethereal beauty as they travel farther into the arms of Death.

2.The mysteriousness of TB is not quite as present today, but when it first reached epidemic proportions, no one knew where it came from, how to stop it, or how to avoid it.

3.Symbolism and metaphors are extremely possible, as TB is a "wasting disease."

A major theme of Moulin Rouge is "love conquers all." By one of the lovers, Satine, dying, and by Christian (the other lover) narrating the story, telling of his irrevocable and unconditional love for Satine, the story truly reflects this theme. The two battle innumerable obstacles standing in their way, and triumph over them, only to have Satine dead at the hands of disease. Hmmm, that's a bit ironic. Dying may not seem like conquering love, but Christian's devotion to Satine, even in her death, writing down their story of love so that it is never forgotten, is truly a reminder that love can battle even the most permanent of separations.

Tuberculosis is a proper death for Satine. Throughout the course of the story, she's already proved that she's too strong for a simple death. She fought the Duke and his devotion, she fought against her background as a courtesan, and she fought to escape her life and aspire to her real passion: acting. Foster claims that TB is "picturesque," giving the ill a "bizarre beauty." Pale, "almost translucent skin," "dark eye sockets," the "appearance of a martyr." How fitting this is for Satine, a beautiful woman, who is known as the "Sparkling Diamond" of the brothel in which she works. For her to take on beauty even in her death is only proper. This also sets well with the theme of the story. Several of the themes of the story are based on the bohemian values of "freedom, beauty, truth, and love." Satine's "beautiful" and "picturesque" death bolsters the theme of beauty. In her death, she is also freed from the underworld of the brothel in which she worked for so long, and from running from the fates she does not want to have to succumb to.

Interlude: One Story- Archetypes

2011-08-05T19:38:00.001-07:00

An archetype is a basic story that occurs time and again in literature. It is the original outline on which many subsequent novels, plays, movies, are based.

Take one of your common archetypes: two people enter into a forbidden love, and end up doomed because of their damned passion. Countless stories with this basic plot exist, probably most notably Romeo and Juliet. My favorite example, though, and one of my favorite stories/plays of all time, is Aida.

The title character is princess of a small African country, Nubia. When Egyptian soldiers raid her country, they unknowingly capture the princess as a slave. Knowing that she will be killed if she reveals her royal identity, Aida bravely enters into slavery with many of her people, and acts a source of faith and courage for all her fellow slaves. Through a series of events, she falls in love with the soldier who originally captured her, Radames. Naturally, as the story goes, he loves her in return. But there's one problem: Radames is arranged to be married to the daughter of the Pharaoh. So of course, Radames and Aida hide their passion from everyone around them, Radames avoids his betrothed, Amneris, and eventually they are both sentenced to death when their love is revealed by an attempt to run from Egypt together. And as the archetype would have it, they get to die together. Amneris, still in love with Radames, takes pity on the two lovers and appeals to her father to let the two be buried alive, their execution sentence, together.

With many twists, differing details, jokes, and foreign circumstances, Aida manages to retell an age-old story in a completely new and fresh way.

Side note: This is one of my favorite plays EVER! It's an amazing story, has a great soundtrack, and touches my heart every time I see/listen to it. So basically, this is just a little side note telling you to see it if you ever have the chance!

Chapter 17: ...Except Sex

2011-07-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

Nearly everyone has seen the 2007 movie Juno. In this movie, teenager Juno McGuff becomes pregnant, and we all know how that happens. But interestingly enough, the movie isn't about the boy and the circumstances leading up to the taboo subject of sex. The movie starts after the sex has happened, and only briefly goes back to it. There is a flashback where Juno is telling the viewers who she had sex with, but nothing is shown: The movie jumps from right before the act back to Juno telling her story. So what does it mean when a movie revolves all around sex, but there's not really any in it?

The movie is all about what results from sex: pregnancy. More specifically, Juno's pregnancy. A teenage girl, still struggling through high school, trying to figure out what she wants, who she likes, has learned that she is with child. If that's not the epitome of stress, I don't know what is. Juno deals with her situation beautifully. She finds a couple to adopt her baby, and throughout her pregnancy she grows up. She learns how hard it is to part with a part of herself, not only her baby, but the girl she left behind when she stumbled upon womanhood.

The suggested sex, which is of course verified by the fact that Juno is pregnant, makes the movie way less about the actual sex, and way more about the struggle that Juno is going through. It shows that Juno is not, in fact, a "tart" who really "gets around," but is a girl who just wasn't careful enough one night, and now must pay the consequences. In my opinion, the movie isn't just about the problem of teenage pregnancy: it is about dealing with what life throws at us, learning to live with the results of the actions we make, and doing so in such a graceful way that we grow and learn from what we've been through. And who said sex couldn't mean more than just sex?

Chapter 15: Flights of Fancy

2011-07-18T21:27:00.000-07:00

When most people relate flight to effects on a story, it is human flight, or flight by some actual character. In the novel The Kite Runner though, I find the flight of the kites to mean something more than just a simple kite flying contest.

1. The first contest we see: Amir and Hassan working together. Amir flies the kite, cutting the strings of other fliers' prized weapons, and Hassan assists while waiting for the final competitor to be cut down. He is the kite runner, the one who chases the trophy down. But back to the point. Amir and his father differ greatly. They often do not get along, and hardly ever see eye to eye. But one thing they can relate over is the annual kite flying competition. Amir's "Baba" supports him in the contest and Amir knows that if he can only win and bring home the kite of the final opponent that his father will be pleased with him. So the flight scene that we see with Amir, with glimpses of a pleased Baba in the crowd, signifies an escape from the usual world of disagreement and disappointment, to a world where father and son can be united and love one another with no tension.

2. The second: Amir has traveled back to Afghanistan to see a dying friend, and promptly rescues Hassan's son Sohrab from the house of his long-time enemy Assef. Sohrab has endured losing his parents, living with a cruel master who forces him to entertain and rapes him, and later attempting to commit suicide when he believes that he may have to live in an orphanage. Amir eventually takes the boy back to California and adopts him, where Sohrab, reclusive after his experiences, refuses to talk or interact with anyone. That is until, at a picnic, Amir flies a kite with the young boy. Sohrab's interest is sparked as Amir reminisces about his flying days with Hassan, and the boy comes out of his shell, if even just a little, to participate and even speak to Amir. This flight symbolizes exactly what flight so often means: freedom. With the release of the kite into the air, Sohrab releases some of his anger, depression, resentment, and embraces a little bit more love and acceptance. He begins his journey to becoming whole again, to becoming completely free from the harsh feelings he harbors. Amir, guilty because he blames himself for part of Sohrab's mentality, begins to free himself from his guilt as he sees his adopted son open. He releases his blame and welcomes the inviting thought of a healing Sohrab. Like the kite soars through the bright blue sky, Sohrab, and even Amir, let their souls fly free on a lovely summer day.

Chapter 10: It's More Than Just Rain or Snow

2011-07-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

In Jodi Picoult's The Tenth Circle, weather, or more specifically, snow and ice, plays a very important role. There is nothing but cold and wet in the entire story, as the novel takes place in a wintry Maine, and later, Alaska. The weather helps set the tone of the novel: cold, cruel, harsh, unforgiving. With themes such as rape, murder, suicide, and adultery, it's no wonder that freezing, chilling weather was chosen to be in the background.

Trixie Stone, all within the first few chapters, has to weather (nice pun, right?) the hardships of being raped, resorting to self-mutilation, and learning of her mother's unfaithfulness to her father, Daniel. The snow, just like the awful crime of rape, is forceful and relentless and can be extremely cruel. Trixie's cutting on the other hand, to her, is a refreshing method of cleansing her mind and subtracting from her pain. It's fresh and new, and makes her feel better, while in reality it is only harming her. The snow, likewise, is a beautiful, cleansing blanket, fresh and clean with a tendency to please people and make them feel a little bit of magic, but people forget that snow can ruthlessly kill when it's power is forgotten. Snow's ability to turn from beauty to cruelty, a betrayal of sorts, parallels the implications of Laura Stone's affair: a betrayal to her husband and daughter.

Later, suicide and murder enter the scene, as Trixie's rapist is found dead, splayed across the ice coating the river, which ultimately caused his death. At first, suicide seems to be the answer. But after new evidence is uncovered, it is apparent that Jason was, in fact, murdered. The two methods of death are, of course, cold and bleak, enhanced by the presence of snow, and the role that the ice played in the death of Jason.

When Trixie can longer handle living in the small town where everyone knows her past and where she is surrounded by horrible memories, she heads to the most remote place she can think of: the tiny Alaskan village in which her father grew up. Being during the dead of winter, the whole of Alaska is blanketed in snow and plagued by blizzard. The blizzard fits in perfectly with the story, as it characterizes exactly what Trixie feels inside: turmoil, ice, hatred, fear. An endless stream of harsh, cold feelings.

Chapter 7: ...Or the Bible

2011-06-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

Biblical allusions and parallels are extremely common in the world of literature. The Bible is perhaps the most often used text referenced to create deeper meaning or to provide a similar situation to consult when reading. For example, while reading Les Misêrables I could not help but notice certain qualities in Jean Valjean that were reminiscent of your average redeemed sinner and even Jesus himself.

Jean Valjean is the classic redeemed sinner: he has a history of theft, deceit, violence. But Valjean, after an encounter with a person of faith, he vows to honor that man and follow the path of righteousness. He becomes merciful and loving, and tries to live a life of goodness to glorify his God. Valjean is the bad boy gone good.

Jesus is, to the world of Christianity at least, the savior of the world, of sinners everywhere. He bore the sins of all to allow everyone a shot at Heaven. While not so grandiose an action, Valjean also is a savior. Not to the world, but to a little girl, Cosette, whose mother is dead and who has no family to care for her. Jean Valjean rescues her from a horrible life and shows her love, and is indeed a savior in her dim world.

Like Jesus, Valjean has his self-proclaimed enemies. While Jesus dealt with countless persecutors who mocked him, did not believe in his divine origin, and eventually crucified him, Valjean had an inspector constantly on his tail, trying desperately to convict him once more. Javert shows no mercy to Valjean, chasing him for years and attempting to thwart his retrieval of young Cosette. In Javert's eyes, there is nothing more important than the recapture of ex-convict Jean Valjean, prisoner 24601. He does not understand mercy or grace, does not care of the fate of Cosette if she has no life with Valjean, and does not attempt to understand the possible consequences of his manhunt.

But despite the awful tension between Javert and Valjean, Valjean still manages to extend forgiveness to his pursuer. In a truly "forgive they know not what they do" situation, Valjean forgives Javert for all the grief he has caused in Valjean's life, and then Valjean actually passes on the opportunity to kill Javert and instead sets him free. Furthermore, just as Jesus willingly gave himself to die, waited in the garden of Gethsemane for his captors and betrayer, Valjean informed Javert as to where he would be after the battle at the barricades. Javert received all the information from the willing ex-convict to finally capture Valjean and throw him back into prison.

But the similarities between the two texts do not stop at Valjean and Jesus. Judas, Jesus's betrayer, feels horrific guilt after he realizes the monstrosity of his action. Unable to cope with the guilt and ask for forgiveness, he resorts to a desperate measure: suicide. Javert, similarly, feels guilty about arresting Valjean after being spared from death by the same man. He knows that he cannot capture the ex-convict and not feel awful, so he leaves Valjean at his house with the intention to never chase after him again. However, Javert's highest duty is to the law. He cannot cope with arresting Valjean, yet he cannot cope with not arresting Valjean either, for if he neglects to do so, he will be compromising his vow to obey and enforce all law. Javert, like Judas, sees no escape from his dilemma, and throws himself from a bridge into the Seine.

After seeing the similarities between the Bible and Les Misêrables, I was able to see that the novel is not only a story of an ex-prisoner gone good, a miserable man turned happy by his new devotion to God. The story, as it turns out, is a modern redemption story, the tale of a man who is forgiven and takes on the qualities of Jesus, acting as savior, friend, and even redeemer himself. Valjean indeed attempts to "be perfect as [his] heavenly father is perfect."

Chapter 5: Intertextuality

2011-06-26T17:41:00.000-07:00

Intertextuality is the "ongoing interaction between poems or stories." Intertextuality most often deepens one's reading, and adds more meaning to a specific text. Intertextuality can include a reference to another text, an allusion, a similiarity that gives more meaning, or a parallel to another work.

In Sarah Dessen's book The Truth About Forever, the narrator Macy briefly discusses a book she is studying in her English class, a play by William Shakespeare. Since a huge theme of the book is death, and the effects that it has on people, it is no surprise that the play is one of Shakespeare's tragedies, Macbeth, in which death and murder is a central idea.
In this play, there is much conspiracy, from plots of regicide to plans of flouting heirs their right to the throne. While on a much milder level, there is also conspiracy, though maybe not immediately recognized, in Dessen's book: a mother's forceful plan to guide her daughter in the way she sees fit, co-workers plots to make Macy's life miserable, even friends' plans to improve her way of living and find her an "extraordinary boy."

Macbeth's wife Lady Macbeth is very influential to her husband. She has enough persuasion prowess to convince him to kill his king. Acting on Macbeth's ambition to become king himself, the Lady's skills give her the power to convince him to how to live, to often control his actions. Like Macbeth, Macy is in a relationship in which her partner has the power to influence, and even often control, her lifestyle. Jason, while maybe not knowing what he is doing, constantly uses Macy's struggle for perfection to get her to do what he wants: join Student Council, do yoga, take over his job at the library for the summer, anything that will help her, in his eyes, reach, or at least glimpse, "perfection."

The struggle in Macbeth culminates in battle, and while no physical confrontation is initiated in Dessen's work, Macy and her mother Deborah do eventually "battle out" their different ideas for Macy's future and the way she should live. So while they don't actually fight to the death, Macy confronts her mother to gain control of her own life and to bring forth issues the two have had with each other since the death of Macy's father.

Though probably not often seen, there are parallels between these two texts that scream intertextuality. After seeing them myself, I was awed at the discreet, and possibly unintentional, parallels between them. This book just goes to show that a novel is never completely original, that there will always be parallels, plot steals, allusions, or theme similarities to another work in nearly every text, whether intended or just by happenstance.

Chapter 1: 5 Aspects of a Quest

2011-06-16T18:37:00.000-07:00

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Thomas C. Foster recognizes that nearly every trip in literature is, in fact, a quest. There are five aspects to a quest: "(1) a quester, (b) a place to go, (3) a stated reason to go there, (d) challenges and trials en route, and (e) a real reason to go there." These five things can be applied to most journeys in literature and film. For example, the novel and movie The Wizard of Oz is the perfect example of a quest.

Quester: Dorothy
Place to go: Emerald City
Reason to go: To find a way home
Challenges: The Wicked of the West, the flying monkeys, the enchanted trees, etc.
Real reason to go: To learn what she really wants with her life and that she will always be able to return to her home with Auntie Em and Uncle Henry

Toulmin Teacher Argument

2011-04-11T11:00:00.001-07:00

In today's society, teachers have become severely mistreated, grossly disrespected. Many debate over how to raise the status of teaching and how to promote the emergence of fresh, young teachers. As primary contributers to the cultivation of the youth of America, the teachers not only should be respected, but need to be respected in order to completely fulfill their duty to instill in the American youth a sufficient education. I agree with Vern William's statement in this article that teachers should be allowed more control over what and how they teach. Government workers, who may have never even spent time around typical high school students of the day, create a curriculum, decide what sources to use, and how the teacher should present the material. Why not leave at least some of those decisions to the ones who actually spend their time in the classroom with the students? Teachers get to know their students, the way they think, the way they learn. Teachers know what their students can and cannot do, and how best to present the subject material to each individual. By allowing them to take over part of the curriculum, and especially the way the curriculum is taught, teachers will gain respect in the classroom, and eventually in the country. The teachers that students remember and respect when they are grown are not the ones who sat reading from a text book, or who presented a powerpoint lecture every day. They are the ones who made learning a unique experience, who had real conversations with their students, who taught the kids more than just how to solve a logarithmic equation or what the Populist Party was. They are the ones who broke away from convention and grabbed the steering wheel of the classroom away from those who are used to making the decisions and used their influence to create not only an education for the students, but a life as well.

Great Gatsby Analysis

2011-03-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Fitzgerald's hopeless and reminiscent tones reflect his character's realization that time has slipped from the beautiful and magical past to a future in which all hope is lost. As time wears on, the magnificence of the land is destroyed and the country falls into a grim future which offers no chance of achieving dreams. The land itself no longer possesses its past wonder, Gatsby's dreams managed to escape him, and the people must beat on to a grim future even when they long to return to the more admirable past.

On the last page of the novel, Fitzgerald's diction shows a marvelous land full of life and beauty. The old island once "flowered" for sailors as they stumbled upon a "fresh, green breast of the new world." The trees that once occupied the land had whisper[ed] and the entire scene filled man's "capacity for wonder." The words display an almost surreal land full of opportunity and hope, but it is made clear that the country has fallen from the peak of glory and lost its aesthetically pleasing structure. "For the last time in history" man saw in a "transitory moment" the wonder of a new world. The passing of the awesomeness of the land is compared by Fitzgerald to the passing of dreams. Gatsby was so close to his dream that he could "hardly fail to grasp it," but he did not know that it was "already behind him." Like the freshness of the land, Gatsby's dreams had diminished and past before he could realize what had happened and stop them from escaping him. His dreams melted into obscurity, leaving him with no hope of coming close to achieving them.

In the next to last paragraph, Gatsby's dreams are compared to a future that is constantly moving beyond reach. The future is almost touchable, just beyond the distance of an outstretched hand, yet no matter how he stretches he can never grasp it. His dreams present the same dilemma: they are unattainable. All hope has been almost destroyed at this point, but is slightly rekindled by the wording and syntax finishing the paragraph. Fitzgerald says that "to-morrow we will run faster," and continues the metaphor by saying that we will "stretch out our arms farther" so that maybe one day we will be able to cling onto that seemingly untouchable goal. When Fitzgerald talks about chasing the future and dreams, his writing becomes more broken and fast paced. His statements are hyphenated and he uses ellipses. The brokenness of the writing coupled with his words convey a mildly excited mindset, a slight hopefulness that one day people will be able to achieve their dreams.

Fitzgerald's diction, syntax, and comparisons blend beautifully to enforce his character's hopelessness, to show the grimness of the present and the future of aspirations and dreams. The ethereal past has progressed to mere memory, leaving a far from splendid present to haunt the world.

Advertisment Techniques

2011-03-04T08:10:00.000-08:00

In this commercial for Olive Garden, a family gathers in one place to share a meal and quality time together. Instead of advertising only the decadent foods that could be eaten, the restaurant tells potential customers that eating together can bind the family together and really give them an experience to remember. The restaurant is using an advertising technique that the article in the New York Times talked about: displaying the joy of an experience rather than just a purchase. In a time when pocketbooks are pinched, people are much less willing to go out and spend their money on a meal when they could cook one for less at home. But by presenting amazing potential experiences, restaurants draw in customers anyway.

Consumerism According to G.K. Chesterson

2011-03-02T11:19:00.000-08:00

There are two ways to get enough: one is to continue to accumulate more and more. The other is to desire less.

G.K. Chesterson (1874-1936)

In almost every text I've read about consumerism, the idea that having less brings happiness has been mentioned. Most people, these articles said, are actually happier when they own less material things. Tammy Strobel, for example, limited her possessions to a mere 100 items, and she's happier than ever.

In the opinion of Chesterson, Strobel was happy not because she owned less, but because she desired less. With the constant burning of desire gone, we can be happy with what we already have, because we know that we are truly blessed to have so much wealth in the first place.

Chesterson also says that to get enough we can accumulate more and more. The joy brought by owning more is temporary, but by constantly building an arsenal of possessions we can renew the happiness periodically. The cycle never ends, but it does keep us content.

Chesterson was trying to tell everyone that by wanting less we could happier than if we owned the world. Maybe we should listen and start to live a life void of lust.

3rd Quarter Reading List

2010-12-13T11:54:00.001-08:00

I read 4 books, the equivalent of 10 books.

Before I Fall (470) 2 books
Nineteen Minutes (464) 2 books
Wuthering Heights (320) 3 books
Tess of the d'Urbervilles (384) 3 books

Nineteen Minutes
The tiny town of Sterling seems tranquil enough, until a brutal school shooting, killing ten, occurs at the local high school. Josie goes to school on an apparently normal day, but ends up living a nightmare as she witnesses death and destruction around her. Not only is the day horrible, but the shooter is the least likely person she could have thought of: nerdy, former best friend Peter. Peter is quickly taken to trial to Josie's mother Judge Cormier, who is later removed from the case, and Josie should be the perfect witness; except for the fact that she can't remember anything about the shooting. Peter's parents Lewis and Lacey constantly antagonize over the past, trying to remember what they could have done to send Peter to such violence. They wonder endlessly about what they could have done differently. Jodi Picoult's novel is a truly touching story that explores the world of bullying, and the concept of truly knowing a person.
I enjoyed this book so much because it was written from so many different perspectives and allowed me to really get to know all of the characters well. Every person thought so differently and had their own opinions, and it was cool to be able to think from the shooter's point of view as well as the victims. Most books about a touchy subject like this shy away from the bad guy's thoughts, but this book delved right into the heart of the shooter. I also liked the book because so much research was put into it. Picoult always researches endlessly for her novels and the research always makes the book so much more accurate and heart-warming.

Where Do Your Loyatlies Lie?

2010-12-08T10:09:00.000-08:00

After reading this article about a California woman who killed her sister-in-law, I began to think a lot about family ties and what being a family truly means. The article reminded me of a book I recently read, True Colors, about a family that becomes pitted against each other in the face of trial.

In this novel, the Grey sisters are a tightly bound unit that has always stood opposite of one person: their distant and hard-hearted father. They always loved each other more than they could express, took care of each other, and let nothing come in the way of their friendship. Then a stranger comes to town and threatens to ruin everything that the Grey sisters have with one another. When feelings are kept secret, secrets are revealed, and revelations of terrible consequence are unveiled, the three become hostile, and it seems possible that they may never be a united force again.

These two texts made me think about my family, and I began to ask myself many questions: what could lead me to separate from my family? What would they have to do for me to turn my back on them? Would I stand beside them, whatever the circumstance? Would they ever abandon me? Would we ever let any person get in the way of our relationships? And if we did become enemies, would we ever be able to forget and be a family again?

I am very glad that I came across these writings, because they got me to think about my loyalty to those I love and how far I would go to protect them. I am very grateful for my family and friends, and know that I would do almost anything in my power to keep them from danger or to help them, but at the same time I know that there are certain things that I would not be able to overlook. But until I have to face one of these events, I will just enjoy my relationships with those around me and stay fiercely loyal to them, and hope that they do the same for me.

Socks: The 12 Sentence Story of Two Girls and Their Laundry

2010-11-29T16:17:00.000-08:00

Brea and I were sitting on the floor, our laps covered in clean laundry, our hands folding countless shirts and socks, and our voices ringing with laughter as we worked. I was being responsible and collecting all my clothes; Breanna was not. My sister, the slacker, naturally neglected some of her work load and would not fold and put away her socks. I chased her across the house, through the halls, behind the furniture, around all the rooms, trying to force her socks upon her. She finally ran into her room and locked the door in my face. Big mistake. I warned her that I would find a key or that I would kick the door down or that I would go tell Mom. My threats were numerous, but my simple action stood alone. With a quick thrust of my foot, a harsh blow to the door I dealt. Who could have known I would leave behind a hole? I gasped and panicked and thought and schemed. The story I invented, the speed with which I said I had tripped, the immediate belief that my mother had in my story got me off the hook and got Brea to take her socks.

An Abundance of Idiots

2010-11-09T11:05:00.000-08:00

I love a good laugh, whether it be a giggle or a breath-taking, tear-conjuring, belly-aching outburst of hilarity. So, naturally, it is no surprise I fell head-over-heels in love with the video series on YouTube entitled "Autotune the News." My favorite episode, number six, is filled with a myriad of wonderful things: singing, dancing, jokes, clever editing. This video though, and many other in the series, have been debated as possibly offensive to those who are featured. It is true that many people in these videos, especially politicians, look like--well, idiots. But did the makers of these videos really make politicians look any more idiotic than they manage to do themselves?

Ranging from west coast to east coast, from north to south, from federal to community, America's government systems have been inflated with politicians who probably should not have been elected. And sadly, in these cases, they were the lesser of two evils. Comments I cannot believe have been said, actions that should never have been taken, choices that do nothing but hurt the politician--and these people are still getting mad at those who taunt them?

There is Sarah Palin, who I could go on about for years, who makes up words and then posts Tweets defending her mistake. Hey, if Shakespeare could do it, why can't she? Then we have people like Rod Blagojevich. Oh dear. Trying to sell a Senate seat? Really? And if that doesn't make him look idiotic enough already, his hair certainly does. Then, of course, John McCain...Is it really necessary to break into a Beach Boys song during a meeting? Also, I would hate to be the one to break it to John Boehner, but using profanities in the middle of a Congressional meeting is not professional. Especially when that meeting is being broadcasted on C-SPAN.

I have also noticed that politicians sometimes seem to have a hard time staying on topic. It is not that difficult: Just answer the question. This video even states, while Congress members have gone off on a tangent about something irrelevant to the topic, that they "thought the bill was about the climate."

I know that everyone does something a little stupid every once in a while, but I am thinking that some of these politicians need to pack their bags and whatever little pride they have left and get out of the career of politics. Either that, or they need to learn to not be surprised when their speeches end up on Saturday Night Live.

2nd Quarter Reading

2010-10-21T11:00:00.000-07:00

This nine weeks, I would like to read Vanishing Acts, The Kite Runner, and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Our classroom library has the two latter books I want to read, but the I have not found the first here. Luckily, my friend Hallie owns Vanishing Acts and she lent it to me. I actually am going to read it on her recommendation.

I decided that I wanted to read the The Kite Runner after I read A Thousand Splendid Suns. I loved the book so much and it greatly affected me, and immediately after finishing it, I knew that I would have to find the other famous book by Khaled Housseini and read it.

Referring to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I had no desire to read the book until it was recommended to my English class by Mrs. Huff. Granted, I had no idea what the story was about, but after the brief synopsis of the novel, I discovered that I really want to read it.

2nd Quarter Annotated Reading List

2010-10-19T10:53:00.001-07:00

Cook, Robin. Shock. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2001. Print. (336 pages)

Deborah Cochrane and Joanna Meissner have spent many years at Harvard, and the only thing left they have to do to gain their doctorates is to complete their thesis papers. The two long to have the money to travel to Venice for a year to work in tranquility,while also having a bit of fun, but they have no idea how to attain the funds. They soon learn that the Wingate Fertility Clinic is offering $45,000 for egg donation, and they convince themselves to donate for Italy money. When Joanna and Deborah return to the U.S., they become obsessed with finding out what happened to their eggs, but when they call the Wingate Clinic to ask, they are informed that all records are confidential and that they are not allowed the information they seek. Seeking answers, the two women assume new identities, change their looks and accept jobs working at the clinic. Their plan is to hack into the computer systems and get the information they want and then to disappear, but they soon find out that there are some strange things going on at the clinic. They decided to investigate what is actually going on, a decision that could put them in grave danger.
A huge theme of this book is human cloning, and while I knew that cloning is possible I never really thought about the technology behind it or the viability of human cloning. The book goes into great detail about the exact process of creating a clone, from the first step through the growth and development of the creature. I really did find myself truly astonished while reading of the human clones in the novel, and I thought back to research I did about cloning when I read Brave New World. I learned that human cloning is thought to be nearly inevitable, and that really the only thing holding it back is the debate of morals and ethics.

Hannah, Kristin. True Colors. New York: St. Martin's, 2009. Print. (491 pages)

The Grey sisters, after their mother's death, banded together, becoming the best of friends. Their cold father Henry cares not about his children, only for the land of his ancestors and his impeccable reputation. Winona, the oldest, is the smartest, a bookworm, who endlessly searches for her father's approval. She grows up to be the best lawyer in town, hoping that her reputation will spark a sense of pride in her father. Aurora is the middle sister and the family peacemaker. She tries to keep everyone happy, even when she is miserable and hides her own pain. Vivi Ann is the youngest and the jewel of the family. A naive dreamer, capable of immeasurable love, she is doted on by everyone she comes in contact with. Vivi Ann's life is perfect, at least until a stranger arrives in town. When Vivi Ann falls in love, the man Winona pines for is crushed, Aurora's marriage starts falling apart, and a horrible crime shatters their tiny town, the bonds that have held the sisters together for years become broken and threaten to never mend themselves. Everything changes as the sisters become pitted against one another in unimaginable ways. Their loyalties are tested and they learn all about having enemies, forgiveness, and what it means to really be a family.
Throughout the book I tried to decide which sister I was most like, but I ended up not being able to choose. Like Winona, I am a bookworm who studies hard in order to please my parents. Like Aurora, I try to keep the peace between my siblings. Whenever a fight breaks out, I am the one standing to the side trying to get everyone to calm down. I tend to try to make others happy even if I am feeling down or angry. I am a hopeless dreamer like Vivi Ann. I am constantly wishing for something more, for something to fulfill my life, for a future of happiness. But even though I have things in common with each, I am also unlike all of them. Unlike Winona, I am hard pressed to keep a secret. She never tells anyone anything, and my problem is keeping my mouth shut. Secrets are just too good to keep.(I can do it though, if I have to, if I'm asked to.) Aurora keeps everyone else happy but hides her own anger and misery. I am the complete opposite, because if I am mad EVERYONE knows it. Apparently, I have this angry face that I make when I am mad. Also, because I can't keep a secret, I end up telling everyone that I am mad and why. Vivi Ann, though big-hearted and lovable, is weak. Her joy and hope is easily crushed and she finds it hard to make a bounce back. I, on the contrary, am a fighter. I try hard to always stay strong, not just for myself, but for those around me.

Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. New York: Riverhead, 2003. Print. (372 pages)

Amir has a happy childhood in Afghanistan, always having fun and playing with his closest childhood friend, Hassan, whose face makes up the entirety of Amir's first memory and who also happens to be the son of Amir's father's servant. Hassan always protects Amir, warning him of danger, accepting blame, and taking hits from the neighborhood bullies. But even though Hassan is subjected to much insult and injury on Amir's behalf, his loyalty never wavers. That is until he is hurt in the most unimaginable way: rape, witnessed, yet not stopped by Amir himself. Though Amir can never be certain, he suspects that Hassan knew he saw what happened, because after that awful day their relationship is never quite the same, and eventually Hassan and his father leave Amir's household and the two boys never meet again. Amir grows up, moves to America and marries, and is one day called by an old, dying friend from his homeland. This friend tells him of Hassan's death and the capture of his young son Sohrab by the Taliban, and as a last request of Amir, he asks that Amir do all he can to save the boy. So as a final apology to Hassan's memory, Amir veers away from playing the role of the saved to paying tribute to the one who used to constantly save him.
The setting of the story was slightly shocking to me. Set in Afghanistan, the difference between the way I live and the way Amir lived was huge. People there used sticks with notches carved into them as credit cards, the children were out of school for months during the cold,snowy season, and the culture was unlike anything I've ever experienced. Later in the novel, after the Taliban took over rule of the country, Amir's old hometown was almost in ruins. People were executed in the street every day, and women had virtually no rights. Knowing that people actually had to live in conditions like that, that a person could walk out of their house at night to see someone being shot, that a woman had to wear a burqa that covered her from head to toe if she wished to leave her house was foreign to me, and as I read the book I became very thankful for the environment I live in. I realized how fortunate I am to live in a pretty safe country, how fortunate I am to not have to worry daily about death and terror. Above all, I was thankful that I live in a country where, as a woman, I have equal opportunity to the men around me, and that I am given all the same rights.

Independent Reading Reflection

2010-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

I will not lie, this class did not do much to improve my reading habit, because I have had a regular reading habit for a long time. For several years now I have set aside time right before I go to bed to read. I enjoy reading very much, and have always valued it, so I always find time to fit in a chapter or two.

Overall, I would say that my reading selections are pretty balanced. Some texts I read lightly and for fun, but other times I really think about the meaning of the story, or the connections it has to my life or world. I find myself trying to analyze different ideas and themes, and I must admit that I kind of enjoy it(it makes me feel smart). I indulge in a "candy" read every once in a while, but lately my choices have been more advanced. A mix of classics, adult novels, and even some nonfiction have found their way to me. I have also become proud of myself for keeping up with the news via online papers or the Daily Guard. As I have gotten older, I have also become more interested in current events, world news, or even just random subjects, and have found myself searching them online to read about them and create a knowledge basis for them.

I have to say that I do not really enjoy inking my thinking. I never have, so I commonly forget to write something down when I think it. I will stop reading for several minutes a time to think through something about the text, but I hardly ever think "hey I should write that down." I do see the advantage of recording thoughts though, because it allows one to go back and look at what he or she was thinking, instead of forgetting quickly.

For next quarter I would like to improve my think-inking. I would like to be able to read something, make a connection, and immediately write it down. I think it would be lovely to have a journal to revert to weeks after I have read a book and to make connections from that book to another text. I know that I will definitely work harder at that next nine weeks, and I already have several books that I want to read that I can journal: The Kite Runner, Vanishing Acts, and Nineteen Minutes, among others.

Socratic Seminar Reflection

2010-10-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

I must admit I was apprehensive about the Socratic Seminars my class participated in, mainly because I was positive I would be able to come up with nothing to talk about. Thankfully, I actually found talking quite easy; I seemed to have more ideas than time to discuss.

Preparing for this seminar allowed me to think deeper about the text, and therefore understand it better. I had discussed the novel some with my friends, but knowing that I actually had to come up with ideas, questions, and opinions forced me to really think hard on what I had read. Analyzing the novel really opened my eyes to so many thoughts I had never considered before, such as: Can someone truly be happy without having what makes them unique?

I found it odd at first to have people challenge my thoughts or opinions without being able to turn the discussion into a debate. In one of the seminars, my group talked about the lack of individualism in the Brave New World civilization. I thought it was disturbing because I find it hard to believe that all on Earth would ever sacrifice their uniqueness for the happiness of mankind. My idea was challenged though by classmate Sadie Duke, with her saying that the people would not have had to sacrifice their individualism, just that of the future generations.

I felt as though I communicated pretty effectively in the seminar, in conveying my ideas and listening to others opinions and considering them. My biggest fault may have actually been talking to much. I talked with some classmates later about it, and apparently in my first discussion I was talking for a about half of the allotted time. I guess I just came over prepared. Staying quiet when I had so much to say was definitely a difficulty for me. The aspect I most enjoyed about the seminar was being able to loosen up in a classroom setting, which are usually very controlled and ordered, and to simply have a discussion with my friends about mine and their personal views. The pressure of school work seemed to lift off my shoulders when I was in the circle, and I did not even feel like I was in a class; I felt as though I was just having a conversation with people around me.

My communication skills, I learned, while not perfect, are not bad at all. I have always known that I can talk well. I seem to get across my point, explaining myself well, while not dilly-dallying around the subject. I strive to be concise. My listening skills, I feel, are better than many, though once again, not perfect. My mind is almost always open to hearing others' ideas, because I know that I want others to listen to mine. The biggest fault of my communication skills would probably be my desire to turn a discussion into a debate: In fact, when Sadie challenged my idea, our discussion was actually on the brink of turning from dialogue to debate. If someone disagrees with me, I love giving examples, data, all kinds of support for my argument, although I do always respect the other's opinion. I have never, for instance, told anyone that their opinion is stupid or invalid.

I generally really liked the seminar, though a few aspects seemed to be a bit awkward. Sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by classmates, for example, puts a great deal of pressure on the people in the center. I felt as though we were cornered and being stared at. Which I suppose, we were being stared at. The only real problem I had was how we collected everyone's score sheets at the end. By giving them to the actual person scored, they could look and see what everyone rated them. That was definitely awkward! I pretty much shoved their sheets in their hands and ran away really fast, even if the scores were really good.

A Socratic Seminar, in my opinion, benefited the class more than a unit test would have, because we had a chance to discuss the book and share our own interpretations of the text. By receiving many different views, we were able to modify our own opinions and allow them to grow and mature into a multi-angled assessment. I, personally, would not object to another seminar, especially if it is in the place of a test!

1st Quarter Annotated Reading List

2010-10-11T10:11:00.000-07:00

Brown, Dan. Deception Point. New York: Pocket, 2001. Print. (556)

In the presidential race, two true candidates remain: The current President Zach Herney and Senator Sedgewick Sexton. Sexton has built his whole campaign on the absurdity of the massive overspending of NASA, and is supported by their constant mess-ups and failures, but Herney stands behind the organization. So when a NASA satellite discovers a priceless treasure buried in the Milne Ice Shelf in the Arctic Circle, Herney is ecstatic. To verify the authenticity of NASA's discovery and to play a role in boosting Herney's campaign, intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton, who happens to be the estranged daughter of Senator Sexton, is called to the Arctic. Along with two civilian scientists Michael Tolland and Corky Marlinson, Rachel finds that the discovery may not be valid at all, but a clever deception. But before she and her friends can report the find, the three are ambushed by a force of assassins. Running for their lives, Rachel, Michael, and Corky desperately try to uncover the full truth and get the information to someone who can reveal the truth to the president. But when the president suddenly finds himself on the list of possible conspirators, who can the three trust?

I found myself unable to put this book down, it was so intense! I was on the edge of my seat for the majority of the novel. I particularly enjoyed one of Dan Brown's stylistic elements: He threw twists and turns at the reader very often. This strategy added much color and excitement to the book, giving outcomes that were very unexpected and changed my view on the whole story. I feel as though Mr. Brown knows me personally, because I have a particular weakness for books that end chapters with cliffhangers, that hurl surprises at the reader, that present an outcome so wild that it causes the reader to almost gasp aloud. It was definitely the fast pace of the novel that drew me in, and I look forward to the next time I pick up a Dan Brown novel.

Johansen, Iris. Deadlock. 1st ed. New York: St. Martin's, 2009. Print. (374)

When artifacts expert Emily Hudson and her partner Joel Levy travel to war-torn Afghanistan for a U.N. mission, the two and their crew fall under brutal attack. Emily and Joel and held hostage for weeks by a man who is out to find the key to a legendary treasure. After multiple failed attempts by the CIA to find Emily and Joel, Jon Garrett is hired to retrieve them. Garrett's services have been called upon in the past, by a multitude of agencies. His orders are always the same: Complete the mission, no matter what. Garrett is too late for Joel, but he rescues Emily and soon finds himself helping Emily on her own personal mission: Revenge. Seeking her captor and the answers to the puzzle of the legend treasure, Emily accompanies Garrett on the most dangerous journey of her life.

The book was great regardless of relatability, but I found myself thinking about the book very frequently because of the connection I felt to Emily. Of course, I have never been attacked and held captive, but Emily's toughness resonated deeply with me. I have always had a tendency to shove aside feelings or memories, and to just determinedly push through a trying time or situation. Also, Emily's concentration and determination to get revenge remind me of the same qualities I see in myself when I set myself to a task, such as doing a huge pile of homework, or finishing a personal project. I always love when I am able to relate so closely to a book, and I can definitely imagine reading this book a second time.

Picoult, Jodi. The Tenth Circle. New York: Atria, 2006. Print. (416)

When Trixie Stone falls in love for the first time, she is ecstatic. Her life is perfect. She is dating Jason, a boy that every girl wants, she is the highlight of her father's life, she has perfect grades, and is popular. Then, suddenly, her universe is shattered by a single night. The fourteen-year old Trixie beings to accuse her first love of rape, of ruining her life. Jason, of course, denies the accusation, and goes head to head with Trixie in a case of he-said-she-said. Trixie's father Daniel, who is always so nice and calm, who never gets mad, suddenly turns wild with anger, and vows to do anything to protect Trixie. Trixie, once so popular in school, turns into a social pariah because everyone believes she is lying, and even her best friend will have nothing to do with her. Trixie goes on a whirlwind journey as she tries to escape the boy that broke her soul and heart and tries to find a way to reinvent herself after a traumatizing event, while her father desperately tries to keep his strong and ever-present bond to her and solve his own problems with anger.

The Tenth Circle was a very unique book, unlike anything I have ever read before. The novel tells a story in the traditional way of words, but incorporates a graphic novel as well. At the end of every chapter a segment of the comic is presented, with each chunk collaborating with the occurences of the story in the previous chapter. When I first picked up the book I was confused, wondering what in the world a comic was doing in a book, but after starting reading, I came to love not only the story, but also the format in which it was presented. I also enjoyed the author Jodi Picoult's trademark of ending every story with an unanticipated and baffling twist. Whenever I read one of her books, I spend the whole novel trying to think of the most bizarre ways she could end the book, trying to guess the twist. I have hardly ever been right. This book did manage to really get me thinking deeply about crime and varying viewpoints of an action, and the ties of family that can hardly ever be broken

Abundance: Pink's Purpose

2010-09-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Abundance, from Pink’s A Whole New Mind, takes on a jesting, yet slightly astonished tone as he delves into the mind of the average human and attempts to unveil America’s obsession with all things material and the inability to actually be fulfilled by those possessions. An outlandish amount of space is dedicated to holding meaningless objects that will soon be owned by the public. Staples, “a 20,000-square foot box”, while huge, has nothing on Best Buy, which happens to be larger than an entire neighborhood block. It seems outlandish that such space could be needed for a simple store, but apparently Americans not only need items from these places, but they need a choice of twenty different brands of said items. Pink’s choice of words to describe these stores, especially the phrase “arms race” to describe the selection of TVs at Best Buy, intrigued me, and led me to agree with his slightly taunting manner as he expressed the preposterousness of today’s demand for product. Better yet to express humor, even wastebaskets and toilet brushes can now be purchased designer! The extraordinary abundance spread through the country has led to desire for the aesthetically pleasing, simply because the greater supply there is and the more money people have, the more they look to appearance rather than function. In fact, beauty has become so important that even candles, which serve no actual purpose now that electricity is the “norm”, bring in a whopping $2.4 billion annually. But unfortunately these eye-catching knick-knacks carry little significance, because even as the population has acquired a great number of possessions, “pursuit of purpose and meaning has become an integral part of life.” We long to know our purpose, why exactly we were put here, but alas, even as we buy out the entire country, our questions are never answered.

Can I Please Get Some Scotch Tape?

2010-08-26T14:45:00.000-07:00

This 1944 ad displays a woman dropping her lunch all over a crowded bus. There is a solution to her problem: a small strip of scotch tape to hold the package together. But because of World War II, the woman will not be getting her tape anytime soon.

The advertisement is presenting to the citizens of America that Scotch tape is currently unavailable to the common household, because all that is produced is being sent to production lines for the war, or to seal ration packages for soldiers. The ad is not promoting consumerism so much as it is promoting patriotism and support for the men fighting overseas. In bringing out these powerful emotions, the ad shows instances of the three main types of rhetoric persuasion: logos, ethos, and pathos.

In prime example of logos, while the ad tells the people that they are not going to be buying any Scotch tape soon, the creators of the ad managed to slyly mention the different types and practical uses of the tape. They use the ad not only to apologize to consumers, but to promote their product for the future. By reading the ad, it can be learned that Scotch tape creates a variety of tapes-"sealing, holding, identifying, masking"- and is good for "mending torn book pages, sealing packages, and doing a hundred and one other jobs quickly, easily." The ad also talks of the soldiers' use of Scotch tape, and many people would decide that if the government trusts the tape enough to use it, that it would be logical to assume it is good tape, and they would buy it too.

The credibility of the product being advertised is very quickly established in the ad because it is used by American soldiers. The use by soldiers can be interpreted as both logos and ethos. If a product is good enough for the government, it is good enough for the people. Later in the ad, a wide variety of uses and places that the product is used is mentioned. By mentioning that the tape is used in homes, offices, and stores, it is shown that the tape can be used in all settings, and not just for common, everyday, easy jobs. Therefore, the tape becomes more trustworthy. At the bottom of the ad, the manufacturer is mentioned. In advertising, even the name of the company producing a product can greatly influence the buyers opinion, so if the producer is a well-known and highly trusted company, the product may sell infinitely better than if the company is not well-known.

The ad is very strongly oriented around the technique of pathos, as many different examples of this persuasion is used throughout the ad. The desire of the American people to do their part in the war was overwhelmingly huge, with women beginning to enter the workforce, men going to fight, and countless people buying war bonds. Everyone was eager and happy to be able to do whatever they were able to in a time of dire need. Companies across the country sent supplies to soldiers, Scotch tape being one of them, and the action would immediately cause citizens of America to approve of the product, simply because the company producing it is doing their part to help in the war, and therefore doing their part to save the lives of the many men fighting for freedom. Family members and close friends would appreciate the gesture that Scotch made when they decided to stop selling to Americans so that they could give their resources to a very important cause. Not only did Scotch donate supplies, they also used their own money, when they were not profiting very much, to create an ad apologizing to their customers. The politeness and consideration of the action would touch millions of people, and would cause people to place the company in a warm place in their hearts. The words "invest in victory, buy war bonds" would bring up a swell of emotions in anyone who had sent someone they loved into the heart of the war. The ad basically says that if the citizens buy war bonds, that they are helping to win the war. A victory would be sought out by all citizens, and they would be overjoyed to find a way to contribute to a victory.

I found the use of color in the ad to be very symbolic. When the ad was printed in 1944, the magazine it was in would not have been full color. In the forties, only select areas of print were colored, so the editors had to make significant choices as to which areas were to be outstanding. The red of the woman's suit highlights the conflict of the ad, immediately bringing people's attention to the fact that if she had tape, she would still have her lunch. The red manages to capture attention and focus in on the heart of the ad. Not only does it center attention, but the color choice, in collaboration with the subject of the ad, can bring about a strong sense of pride in the country of America. Setting in motion the feeling of patriotism would be a key objective of the ad, because it is not only saying that Scotch is used by the soldiers, but also promoting the sell of war bonds.

More often than not, ethos, pathos, and logos are used in collaboration with one another instead of individually. This 1944 ad promoting Scotch tape manages to fit in examples of all three, promoting the product from emotional and logical standpoints, and establishing the credibility of the now world-renowned Scotch tape.

We Should All Be a Bridge

2010-08-06T17:31:00.000-07:00

While browsing through some old newspaper articles online, I discovered “Woman, 22, Sacrifices Her Life to Save Her Friend in a Hit and Run.” Upon reading the title, I was automatically intrigued. The woman’s selflessness and love stood out in a world full of hate and crime, selfishness and greed, and so of course I read the article.

The article dives right into a heart-touching subject, asking how far an individual would “go to save a friend.” For New York City resident Erinn Phelan, the answer was as far as need be. Phelan pushed her friend out of the way of an oncoming car, taking the hit for herself. The friend survived with little injury, while Phelan was left brain dead, and her family had to make the unbearable decision to disconnect life support.

If laying down her life was not enough by itself, Phelan also had wishes to be an organ donor. Before life support was removed, arrangements were made for donation. This young woman’s generosity was not only present in her last moments, but was shown throughout her life. Phelan was a member of City Corps, a smaller, more local version of the Peace Corps.

This article reminded me of an old Simon and Garfunkel song “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The song basically conveys the message that the singer would be willing to help out a friend whenever, wherever, with whatever. My favorite lyric of the song is “I'll take your part when darkness comes, and pain is all around. Like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down.”

It is comforting to think that I have friends and family who love me enough that they would help share my burden in times of darkness, that they would willingly take some of my pain to make me feel better. After all, they know I would do the same for them, because regardless of who we are, we all need a bridge over troubled water even if just to “ease our mind.”

Modestly Proposing Controversy

2010-07-19T19:37:00.000-07:00

During my slow days of summer vacation I found myself antsy for something to read, and I stumbled across the essay “A Modest Proposal” by Jonathon Swift while half-heartedly looking at The Shelf.

I began the essay and immediately felt deep sympathy for the poor population of eighteenth century Ireland and, in turn, respect for the author who expressed concern and desire for a solution to the common problem of poverty. I read and awaited his proposal that he claimed would put an end to the starving children and mothers begging on the street, to the lack of food for all classes of the population, and to the thieving that was being performed every day with no indication of a scruple on the thief’s behalf. I literally felt my jaw drop and my breath stop as I comprehended what exactly the author was suggesting as he stated that “a young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled.”

I apprehensively continued, and was soon comforted after realizing that his essay was satirical and he did not intend to seriously propose cannibalism as a source of food. The most indicative phrases of satire were those which spoke of the treatment of landlords to their tenants, which through later research, I learned was a comparison to the treatment and actions of the British government. His support of the subject also seemed undermined, and his willingness to contribute to the food supply seemed slight by his closing statement of “I have no children, by which I can propose to get a single penny; the youngest being nine years old, and my wife past child-bearing.”

During the introduction of the essay, I thought of the state of our nation’s economy and the resulting increase of unemployed and homeless Americans, who have turned to begging on the streets or any other means by which to gain some money. The controversy of cannibalism also got me thinking about the big controversial concepts of the present generation. Abortion was even mentioned in the essay, which to this day, remains a constant struggle between the political parties of America, mostly based on morals, ethics, and foremost, religion.

Swift’s satirical and unexpected approach to solving the problem most likely captured the attention of the public better than a direct observation to the struggles of the city and the author’s actual ideas of help for the situation. Swift’s outright sarcasm in the essay even compelled me to wonder how many other pieces I have read with a similar style: saying one thing but in reality meaning something quite different.

The Lasting Effects of Pain and Suffering

2010-07-09T16:32:00.000-07:00

Sarah Dessen’s novel The Truth About Forever reveals the entire world of grief and suffering. Macy finds herself drawing into her shell after her father dies right in front of her. She wants nothing more than to be able to grieve for him, but knows she must let no one see her in her “weak” state. Grief is one of the strongest emotions that humans feel, and when we grieve, the core of our being is never the same again.

Macy seems to be a symbol of the very idea of grief, of how to deal when someone dear is lost. Her actions and feelings tell the world how people react to loss, and her internal struggles represent those who are less open of their feelings. Macy’s life is eventually changed drastically by her grief, and she knows she can never go back to who she used to be.

I was able to relate to this book greatly, because I too lost my father. I knew exactly how the protagonist would feel as she sat through the funeral, organized her dad’s possessions, and slowly began to understand that she would never see him again. In many ways, I could almost see the book as a story about my life, instead of a fictional character’s, because I too was irreversibly changed by what I felt.

The theme of grief in the book also reminded me of another text: the poem “The Grief of a Girl’s Heart.” While the grief of this poem may not be over such an extreme matter as death, it is no less real, as the suffering is clearly painted throughout the work.

This story not only taught me much about emotional pain, but also how to face it. The book helped me realize that I had my own problems to work through, and with some of the events in the book, even gave me ideas that could work for me. I know I will never be the same again, but at least I can be a better version of the new me.

Annotated Photo

2010-06-18T20:24:00.000-07:00

This in me, in eighteen words. Click to learn more.

Of Mice and Men

2010-05-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Detail Analysis
In his novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses parallels in his first paragraph to help outline the main characters and their actions throughout the story. His incredible use of foreshadowing helps us to know the characters before we have even met them.

"the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green." The area is green, representing the idea of being young and new. The river is deep, showing its strength and the dependence placed on it. Lennie is the green character, acting like a young child and seeing everything as new. George could be represented as being "deep," because his thoughts run deeper and have more meaning, and Lennie is dependent on him.

"slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains." The mountains are "strong" and will always be there. The rocks are, in a sense, an extension of the mountains. Lennie is physically very strong and will help George, and George could be said to be an "extension" of Lennie, always staying with him and helping him through life.

"a path beaten hard by boys coming down from the ranches to swim in the deep pool, and beaten hard by tramps who come wearily down from the highway." The path is beaten and worn, constantly walked on and relied on by people to get from one place to another. Both George and Lennie are beaten down and worn. Lennie is constantly walked on because he is not very bright and does whatever his is told. George is worn down by taking care of Lennie for his whole life. Lennie always relies on George to help him travel, to get him from one place to another.

Tone Analysis
In Of Mice and Men, the tones of helplessness and obligation convey the dependence of Lennie and George's dedication to him. Several quotes throughout the novel support the tone words.

"I forgot again." Lennie's memory is constantly a hindrance to him and George. He forgot almost everything that happened, and had to repeat things several times to remember them. George would always repeat his instructions to Lennie to be positive that he would not forget them. "Oh, so ya forgot that too, did ya? Well, I ain't gonna remind ya, fear ya do it again." George made sure to never remind Lennie of bad things he had done in the past, in fear that he would repeat his mistakes. Lennie though, did not understand why the things he did were bad. He had to be told whether his actions were right or wrong. "I ain't sayin' he's bright. He ain't." "He's my...cousin. I told his lady I'd take care of him. He got kicked in the head by a horse when he was a kid." George constantly told lies to protect and help Lennie. He lied to the boss of the ranch they went to work at so that he could secure a job for Lennie, and help him to make a living. Without George to speak for him, Lennie would not be able to get a job, and therefore would have no money for food, clothes, and other necessities.

George obviously feels some sort of obligation to Lennie if he is willing to lie to the ranch boss about him. He cared more about getting Lennie a job than getting caught lying to the man. Lennie: "I can go away any time." George: "No--look! I was jus' foolin', Lennie. 'Cause I want you to stay with me." George thought that he had to help Lennie, and would not let Lennie run away to live alone in the woods. George wanted Lennie to stay around, and George felt as though he needed to help Lennie. Also, George stayed with Lennie, never abandoning him, even though George understood that leaving Lennie behind would be the easiest path to take. "We're gonna go in an' see the boss. Now look--I'll give him the work tickets, but you ain't gonna say a word. You jus' stand there and don't say nothing." George thought he should help Lennie secure a job and make a living, going far enough to talk for Lennie and create a charade of Lennie's real past.

Theme Analysis
I believe that the theme of this book is that, in some small way at least, we are responsible for helping to look after humankind. I would agree, in a sense, with the statement "I am my brother's keeper." The tones represented in the novel give support to the theme. George's feelings of obligation towards Lennie parallel the theme, showing that many people do feel as though they need to help others, and take care of their fellow humans. Lennie's being helpless shows that everyone needs some help at some point, and when they are weak or feeling down, they need someone to lean on who is willing to be nice and offer a hand.

Dorothea Lange

2010-05-20T10:19:00.000-07:00

Dorothea Lange was quite an exceptional photographer. Her photos were inspiring and often filled the gazer with awe. A series that really caught my eye were the set of Migrant Mother pictures. She saw a young woman with several children in a lean-to tent just sitting on the side of the road, and immediately asked the woman to allow her to take pictures. Dorothea managed to capture the sorrow and hardship forced upon the family during the Great Depression. I felt, in a way, connected to the mother, because I could hardly imagine the terrible times that she had to go through, trying fruitlessly to provide for her family in a time when money was virtually nonexistant in the middle and lower classes.

The photos made me stop and think about all the things that Americans take for granted everyday. While many around the world do not even have enough food or clean water, we walk around all day texting, or listening to iPods, checking Facebook, or trying on our newest(fashionable) clothes for all our friends to see. Our lives seemed to be ruled by possessions, while others fight for life everyday. After thinking about the photos, I immediately became much more thankful for all that I am lucky enough to have.

Animal Farm

2010-05-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

In the book Animal Farm Orwell used animals as characters, instead of humans, to tell a parallel story of the Russian Revolution.

A big reason, in my opinion, the Orwell may have used animals, is because the use of actual humans to parody the revolution may have greatly offended many. Humans may have taken it as a more direct insult to their race, and the book would very likely not have been as successful.

Even though Orwell used animals, he applied very human-like qualities to them that allowed them to be related to. Humans could identify themselves with different animals, and could even forget the fact that they are actually animals. The story was very well conveyed, and the themes of the story were well represented and debated throughout the book.

The Giver

2010-04-30T10:11:00.000-07:00

Over the past year, I have been required to read a number of books with all kinds of messages. Some books have been about who we are as people, others science fiction with clues to the future, but one of the most touching and well written stories we have read is Lois Lowry's The Giver.

Jonas is an Eleven, and he is very anxious about the upcoming ceremony of the Twelves. In his world, turning twelve means growing up. It means slowly leaving the world of childhood and entering training for a future occupation. Jonas attends his ceremony to learn his future job, but is shocked when his identity number is skipped at the assignment. But he need not worry, because he is soon announced as the new Receiver of the Memory, the most honored position in all of the city. Throughout his training, memories of olden times are transmitted to Jonas, and he is given all the pain and suffering and all other unknown emotions that were known in past times, but not in his own.

Themes of controversy were represented throughout the book. Choice and freedom was a big issue between Jonas and the Giver. After the idea of choice was presented to Jonas, he began to wonder why the people in the community were not allowed to make their own decisions, such as their occupations or their spouse. He debated with himself over the pros and cons of choice, thinking that it would not be safe for people to decide because they might not make the right decisions.

Another controversial issue brought up in the book was euthinization. When a person in the community became to old, or if a newchild was not acceptable, the were released. Everyone in the community viewed this as wonderful for the old and sad for the young. In their minds, the concept of release was just a transport to another community. Jonas learns later that during release the life of the person is taken away, which introduces him to the concept of death.

The Giver was an exceptional, life-changing book, and I would recommend it to anyone, young or old.

A Closet Cross Examination

2010-04-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

DA: So Miss Bray, I see that your closet is quite...unorganized.

NB: Uhm...yes sir.

DA: I see here that you have repeatedly stored uncommon closet items in this space for several years now.

NB: Yes sir. I suppose I have.

DA: Do you not find anything odd about that?

NB: About what, sir?

DA: Miss Bray, could you tell me what this is?

NB: It is an unpacked box, sir.

DA: Hmm...suspicious. And could you tell me what is in it?

NB: Just some stuff from my old house.

DA: You mean to tell me that after living in this house for three and a half years, you still have not unpacked all of your belongings.

NB: I guess not.

DA: Hmm...suspicious. And these clothes...could you tell me where they were stored.

NB: I believe they were just sitting in my suitcase. Oh, and those were thrown on the shoe shelf. And that shirt was on the door knob.

DA: So it is true that you don't actually place things in your closet in a controlled manner?

NB: Well, yes.

DA: Upon entering your closet, we also found a roll of duct tape, an abandoned Mr. Potato Head, and a witch's hat. Tell me Miss Bray, are you a witch?

NB: Not that I know of.

DA: Well then why do you have a witches hat in your closet?

NB: I am not sure sir...

DA: Hmm...suspicious.

Hope to Me

2010-04-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

a song warms my very
being

the music flowing through
my soul

and the words piercing
my heart

Celebration

2010-04-12T10:23:00.000-07:00

I find cause to celebrate when I have worked hard to pull something off. Since January, I have been working hard every day on my part in The Sound of Music. I would walk around my house going over my part in the music that I sang, or I would run through my lines in my head.

All of my hard work paid off, because recently my high school performed our play. We had great audiences each night, and no matter what little snags we ran into along the way, we always got to the end with great results. Though I am extremely sad that the play is over, I am happy that my friends and I were all able to try hard enough to have a wonderful show.

I Wear the Mask

2010-03-31T10:22:00.000-07:00

I wear the mask like everyone else,
Hiding my face, hiding myself.
While on the outside I may revere,
Inside I am angry.

A merry melody I am ever singing
My voice forever and always ringing,
But what I am thinking is not like
The song that everyone else hears.

Happy every day, all the while
Staying tied together with a smile,
But as my emotion bottles up
I am slowly coming undone.

Even if I am hurt and sad,
Depressed, vindictive, sometimes mad,
My mask smiles on all the time
To protect everyone else

Disclaimer: I am not depressed. I do not have anger issues or schizophrenia. I just don't tell people when I am sad or angry(most of the time).

St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T10:03:00.000-07:00

If you know me, then you know that I am NOT at all, in any way, a festive person. I never dress in holiday attire and get easily annoyed with people who do get "in the spirit." So I am sure you can tell I am not lying when I say that this morning when I put on my green shirt I was not even almost thinking about it being St. Patrick's Day.

Every year on this day I am swamped and crowded by a sea of green. And I don't like it. I have worn green on this day very few years, and if someone pinches me for not wearing the color... I typically pinch them back, regardless of if they are wearing green or not. So really, to be quite honest, St. Patrick's Day is not a big deal at all to me. It is just another day of the year of which everyone just happens to look the same.

At least I will admit my less-than-stellar view of this holiday, but you can call me a grinch if you want. (At least then I would be green[[:)

Persuasion

2010-03-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

The persuasion technique that I use most in life is pathos, appealing to the emotions. Some of the circumstances I have used the method in include:

1. Convincing my mom to order something from a fundraiser. - Many fundraisers make their way to my family, especially from band. I can always convince my mom to order something by telling her that ordering helps the band get new equipment, and helps us travel. She knows I love band, so she loves band as well.

2. Getting myself ungrounded. - Once my mom grounded me from going to an event in town, but I let her know that I had already agreed to give a ride to friend, and that if I did not get to go, neither did the friend. Eventually, her sympathy and pity for the friend won out.

3. Getting a new puppy. - I told my parents that I felt left out because all the other children in the family had their own pet, and I did not. I guess they felt bad for me, because I totally got a new dog.

Others use this method in life all the time. One of the most common ways this method is used is in advertisement. Publicity agencies use this method all time to try to convince people to donate money, or help out with a special cause. Hospital ads use pictures of sick children to appeal to the emotions of people to get them to donate money for supplies or research. Charity organizations use sad stories of people whom they are trying to help to convince others to pay for food, or books, or whatever else the charity is asking for. Pathos can be seen everywhere, everyday.

That Summer

2010-03-10T18:54:00.000-08:00

In everyone's life, there is a time when everything changes, when a person's view on life is heavily altered. For Haven, the time was that summer. The one when her sister got married and she was reunited with her sister's ex-boyfriend. Sarah Dessen once again drew my attention with her novel That Summer.

Haven is a fifteen year old girl who is extremely insecure about her height. Falling at 5 '11, she is always trying to crush herself down, not only literally, but emotionally as well. Haven's world is turned upside down when her father leaves her mother and marries the local weather girl, and Haven starts searching for an escape to which she can run. She manages to find her escape in a twenty-one year old boy named Sumner Lee. Sumner, an ex-boyfriend of Haven's sister Ashley, managed to change Haven's life once, but can he do it again?

The theme of the story is tyring to learn to deal with and accept the obstacles that life has dealt. Life is, without a doubt, hard, but with the help of people who care, nothing is too much to handle. Another theme is the inability to avoid change. Change is inevitable, so people might as well try to live with it instead of trying to make things the way they used to be.

The character who intrigued me the most was Sumner Lee. the college student once dated Ashley, the older sister of Haven, but now constantly saves Haven from her thoughts and struggles. Every time Haven begins to feel overwhelmed by her life, Sumner is suddenly in her sight, instantly making her feel better with his personality and spontaneity. I can relate myself to Sumner because I am constantly on the go, often not even knowing quite what I am doing or where I am headed. I can also relate myself to Haven, though, because often when I find myself overwhelmed or faced with too much to handle, I look to my friends for guidance and strength.

I would recommend this book for girls of any age, because it is a life changing story that can offer advice to any age.

200 pages

Call of the Wild

2010-03-10T18:45:00.001-08:00

Though I expected to dislike the book very much, I actually felt my attentions captured by the book The Call of the Wild. The not-so-perfect life of Buck intrigued me, and I surprised myself by trying to relate to him, and even felt sympathy for him.

I liked the author's writing style even though it was quite different from what I am used to. Jack London wrote extremely well, and made his words easy for everyone to understand, even though he had an exceptional vocabulary and used it often. His tone was always well conveyed in any and all parts of the story.

The Call of the Wild represents our thematic unit Taking a Stand. Buck takes many stands throughout the course of his life. He opposes Spitz, and managed to gain leadership of the pack of dogs. He takes many stands not only to benefit himself, but to benefit others and to please his masters. In my opinion, the most admirable stand Buck took was refusing to sled on with Hal, Charles, and Mercedes. He was exhausted and hurt, and he knew that the ice on the river would not hold. His taking a stand resulted in him saving his life and being united with his final master, John Thornton, whom he loved with all the passion in the world.

My favorite character in this story was John Thornton. He had such a passion for Buck and his faith in Buck never failed. Out of Buck's many masters, John was the most kind and John treated him the best. Buck never felt mistreated, unloved, or uncared for. Thornton had a great charisma about him, and was an overall wonderful character to add to the story.

I would recommend this book to anyone, male or female, young or old. The story teaches lessons about survival, strength, struggle, and love, never ceasing to add a bit of fun along the way.

Olympics/Commitment

2010-03-05T11:09:00.000-08:00

Though I have already committed myself to doing my school work, I would be willing to make a commitment to try my hardest in school. I realize that my performance in high school will follow for the net several years. It will matter when I try to find a summer job, when I apply to colleges, and if I try to get an internship somewhere.

I always do my homework and I make sure to study all notes that I take. Even though my high school career will end in just a few years, I am committed to working hard throughout the course of my whole education. College won't be any easier and will affect my future just as much as, if not more than high school.

Winning

2010-02-23T10:49:00.000-08:00

Winning does not always mean just being the best. Defeating the opponent is not always most important, because a person can never truly be a winner unless he or she acts as a winner should. Winners should be kind and caring for others, and should always be concerned about his or her attitude while competing. Bad attitudes are never attractive, and as a person of whom others will admire and look up to, winners should set good examples. Winning can do much more than just please. It can inspire, encourage, boost confidences, and teach lessons. Winning also is not always about coming out on top in a game or sport. It could be about intelligence, wit, courage, perspective and attitude, behavior and performance, a person's walk through life, or love.

I am most proud of winning the respect and trust of my mother. By having this, I know I have been not only a good child, but a good person to everyone. Respect and trust from a parent to a child must be earned and then kept, and for me personally, it is often hard to keep. I know when I mess up, I am risking the respect and trust, but I try to always work out my mistakes and keep the trust.

My Stressful Week

2010-01-24T18:48:00.000-08:00

Playing a part in the school play and going to Beta convention might just kill me. Not literally, of course, but it really is extremely time consuming. This week is going to keep me so busy that it is very likely I will not get any sleep. In case you are wondering what exactly is going to have me so busy, I will share a run-down of my week.

Playing Sister Berthe in The Sound of Music, I have subjected myself to countless hours of rehearsal and singing. I have practice right after school on Monday for two hours, and then have another two hour practice on Tuesday night. Also on Tuesday, I have Beta convention practice.

I am also lucky enough to have to wake up super early two mornings in a row this week. On Wednesday I will be attending Beta practice before school and on Thursday you can find me at play practice at a lovely six a.m. I have to leave school after first period on Thursday because I have a doctor's appointment in Little Rock. Lucky me.

On Friday I am going to Beta convention and will get back from the trip at around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday morning. I just want you all to know that if I yell at you this week, it is because I am stressed to breaking point. It is nothing personal.

Because I am positive that I am not the only one stressed, click here for a little information on how to keep your stress levels down

Lock and Key(Taking a Stand)

2010-01-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Sarah Dessen once again touched my heart with her book Lock and Key. Over and over, Sarah Dessen's novels have spoken to me and told a story that I can completely relate to, and I love that about her work. Her unique writing is so easy to connect with and she always has a different story to tell.

In Lock and Key, Ruby Cooper lives a very dysfunctional life. Her mother can hardly keep a job for more than a few months and when she does snag a new one, Ruby is constantly dragged along to help. Ruby's mom is always going on spur of the moment trips, leaving Ruby alone for several days, but when her mother disappears and isn't seen or heard of in weeks, Ruby comes to realize that she has been abandoned.

Ruby tries her hardest to keep up with the rent and bills, but eventually her and her mother's landlords find out that she is a minor living alone. Social Services is called and Ruby ends up living with her older sister Cora and her husband Jamie.

Though Ruby tries her hardest to keep people at a distance, in fear of being hurt or abandoned again, she finds herself making friends and growing ever closer to the cute neighbor Nate. Ruby sees Nate's life as perfect, as she rides with him to school every morning and helps him with his errands, but she soon comes to find out that his past is as checkered as hers, and that his rough way of life may not be quite over yet.

Ruby had always thought that the need to independent of everyone was the most important quality to achieve. To her, owing anyone anything was weakness. But as she lives with her sister and brother-in-law longer, and as she learns of Nate's rough reality, she begins to worry and care deeply for others, and she gives in to her own need to be helped. Not only does Ruby allow herself to be helped, she begins to feel a burning desire to help others.

This book contained several themes. The first theme is to get to know people and to allow them to give help because nobody can carry all of life's load on their own. No one should be naive enough to assume that they can do everything by themselves. A second theme in the book is to take a stand for what is right or what is believed. In this novel, Cora and Jamie take a stand and bring Ruby to live with them after they learn that she has been abandoned. Later, Ruby also takes a stand and makes Nate let her help him after he has rejected her assistance for so long. Ruby's friend Olivia also takes a stand with her cousin Laney. Laney wants to run a 5K but Olivia knows that it may be too dangerous for her. Olivia tries her hardest to keep Laney safe.

I would recommend this book to girls of any age. It helped me to realize the importance of allowing myself to be helped when I think I have to carry a burden by myself. It also helped me to realize that there are always options out there, and that there simply are not just too many locks and not enough keys. We always have the keys we need, we just might need a little help looking for them.

422 pages (2 books)

Taking a Stand, Simba Style

2010-01-18T16:11:00.000-08:00

Between great childhood classics such as The Lion King and Hercules, who can say that Disney movies do not teach children valuable lessons? When I was small and watched these movies I, of course, did not directly interpret the lessons being snuck into the entertainment. But now, looking back on all these films, I can clearly see several lessons, morals, and lifestyles being covertly taught.

In the popular Disney movie The Lion King, Simba is convinced to run away from his home by his very own Uncle Scar. Scar convinces Simba that he is directly responsible for the death of his father, and Simba, frightened by what the rest of the pride will think about that, flees from his pending responsibilities of being king. The young lion runs and finds a home with a misfit meerkat and warthog, Timon and Pumbaa, and does not think about his home until his long-time friend Nala crosses paths with him while hunting, but also bearing bad news. Scar ended up being a total jerk as a king and let the hyenas have free reign throughout the kingdom and Simba, upon hearing this, makes his way back to Pride Rock.

In the end, Simba confronts Scar for his rightful place as king of the pride, but Scar is unwilling to go down without a fight. Simba wins(because of course in the movies the good guy always wins) and gains his right to rule.

Simba's taking a stand affected so many characters, from himself to his friends to his family. His mom was incredibly happy to see him again, as was his best friend Nala. Timon and Pumbaa rejoice for his victory, and though they are not lions, they join his pride. But the most outstanding result of his taking a stand was that he found out the actual cause of his father's death, putting an end to the guilt he felt. He was able to reclaim him rightful place in the circle of life(haha, pun intended) and was able, of course, to live happily ever after

Taking a Stand, Natasha Style

2010-01-14T10:38:00.000-08:00

Taking a stand is not always easy, but surprisingly it does seem to be easy for small children. I had no problem standing up for a cause or standing up to a bully when I was young.

When I was only four, my sister and I were playing after church with some other kids around our age. There was one boy(who will remain unnamed to save him embarrassment, because many of you know him)who was extremely rowdy and really loved to pick on little girls. On this particular day he decided that it would be fun to pick on my sister Breanna.

Big. Mistake.

He would not leave Brea alone and she was getting really upset, so naturally I was there to help. Now I am not saying I handled this the right way, but seriously, I was four. I ran up to this kid, who is two years older than me, punched him as hard as I could, and then yelled at him to leave my sister alone. It was definitely the wrong action to take, but it worked. He left Brea alone from then on. Brea was obviously pleased and, unlike my parents, she did not care that I had just hit a kid. I got into a bit of trouble, but I think it was worth it in the end after seeing my sister's face when she finally just got to relax and play without having to worry about being bothered.

Taking a stand is extremely important in our world. Everyone needs something to believe in, and there is no point in believing in it if we are not willing to defend the belief. I would like to encourage everyone to take a stand for something they believe in, although I recommend doing so in a nonviolent way. (I learned my lesson [[:)

Never Teaching Teachers

2009-12-13T13:17:00.000-08:00

One of my biggest pet peeves is when my teachers do not teach. It's like seriously, you were hired to pass on your supposedly supreme knowledge to your seemingly ignorant little students so that is what you should be doing! Here is just a few things that teachers frequently do when they should actually be teaching:

1. Grading papers from other class periods
2. Assigning busy work while they finish the book they just could not put down or do something else not class related
3. Working on things for other classes
4. Preparing a ten year long test for the class over stuff they have not even been taught (So what's the point of the test?)
5. Fantasizing about three o'clock
6. Sit there doing absolutely nothing (That is right folks! Your teachers really do just sit there and waste your time by doing absolutely nothing else besides sitting.)

Now do not get me wrong, I have some great teachers. They actually teach and they happen to be great at it. I bet the reason why the teachers who hardly ever teach are bad at teaching when they actually do teach is because they do not have any practice. Sounds plausible enough to me. Just a few tips for any teachers who might read this post:

1. If you have other stuff you absolutely HAVE to do, plan a short lesson and then use the left over time.
2. If you do not feel like teaching, quit your job because you obviously chose the wrong career.
3. If you feel you are bad at teaching, PRACTICE! Teaching your class will actually help you improve. It will show you what works and what does not, and I guarantee your attempts will be appreciated more than your students not knowing anything on the semester test.

Note to Mrs. Gillmore: I know there are several fragments in this post. I put them in intentionally because I felt they helped to convey my mood and position on this subject.

Julius Caesar

2009-12-13T12:49:00.000-08:00

Julius Caesar, penned by English playwright William Shakespeare, hooked my attention and presented a controversial issue in a different way.

When this play was handed out to my English class, I was a bit wary because I didn't think it would be good at all. We started reading, and to my surprise, I actually liked it. Though in my opinion Romeo and Juliet was better, I still enjoyed Julius Caesar, and part of that was probably because it was easier to understand than Romeo and Juliet was.

The main characters of the play such as Caesar, Antony, and Brutus were actual people. The reason that I liked this play could have very possibly been because the story involves real people and actual historical events. It was really cool to see how Shakespeare interpreted these events and to see how he thought the characters would have reacted in certain situations.

The tragedy of Julius Caesar tells the story of the murder of Julius Caesar and the repercussions that his killers faced after his death. Marcus Brutus, along with a group of patricians, plotted to kill Caesar. Though most of the group aided only because of their jealousy, Brutus helped because he feared that Caesar would claim absolute power and become a tyrant. Their plan, which at the time seemed brilliant, ended up hurting them because Mark Antony, who dearly loved Caesar, turned the people of Rome against Brutus and civil war was brought upon the empire.

A theme of the play was that all acts bring about consequences and if you are prepared to commit the act, you better be prepared to deal with the consequences. After the conspirators kill Caesar, Antony turns many of the Romans against the conspirators and war breaks out.

I generally like Shakespeare's style and way of writing. He usually writes in poetry using iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter can be recognized by ten syllables in each line, usually with every other syllable being stressed. In his plays, a lot of older language is used because of the time he grew up in. Because people in today's era aren't used to this way of writing, it can sometimes be very difficult to understand, but I think that the language aided to the historical aspect of Julius Caesar.

Though some of the play didn't interest me, all in all I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys plays or an unusual read.

209 pages

Top 10 Leaders

2009-12-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

1. Al Gore- tries to take carfe of environment, very "green"
2. Ghandi
3. Nelson Mandela- stood up for beliefs
4. Barack Obama- first black prez, now ain't that nice
5. Bill Clinton-helped improve economy
6. Jesus- saved everyone from sin
7. Eleanor Roosevelt- strong woman leader
8. John F. Kennedy
9. Optimus Prime- Optimus is fearless and amazing
10. Mufasa

What I'm Thankful For

2009-11-24T10:27:00.000-08:00

1. God- God helps us all through tough times.
2. My mom and sister- They love me and watch out for me.
3. My friends- My friends are amazing. The make me laugh and take care of me.
4. My grandparents- My grandparents rock. If there was an Awesome Grandparent award, mine would win.
5. Our country
6. A home
7. Education- I'm thankful that I've had the oppurtunity to get a good education.
8. Health
9. Crayons and Uno- I love coloring. I could not live with crayons and Uno.
10. Awesome people- If there weren't awesome people in the world, then everyone and everything would be totally boring.

Salem Falls

2009-11-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

In her novel Salem Falls, Jodi Picoult, not for the first time, managed to allow me to soar into a story that took my breath away. The complexity and intricateness of the book really impacted me. This book showed me what can happen when the smallest of actions are misconstrued, or what a lie can bring about.

A theme of the story is that a rumor or lie can always outrun a truth. In the book, Catherine Marsh, a fifteen-year old girl, wants to bad to believe that her soccer coach, Jack St. Bride loves her. She thinks she is completely in love with him, and starts to write fictional accounts of her day’s events including Jack. When her father reads of these fake inappropriate stories, he gets extremely mad and decides that he wants Jack St. Bride locked up. Jack’s lawyer, knowing Jack will be convicted of sexual assault because of the evidence collected and Catherine’s testimony convinces Jack to accept a plea bargain sentencing him to eight months in prison, instead of seven years, and instructing him that he is required to register as a sex offender wherever he chooses to live.

Another theme of the story is that people don’t often know others as well as they seem to think they do. When Jack finishes serving his sentence, he takes the few belongings taken with him to jail and immediately leaves his former home of Loyal, New Hampshire and goes a little way down the road to Salem Falls. When he arrives in this new place he sees a “Help Wanted” sign sitting in the window of a small building entitled the Do-Or-Diner and is hired as a dishwasher and busboy. The owner of the diner, Addie Peabody is curious about the man, and in just a few short weeks realizes that her mangled heart has made room for Jack. She falls for him, only knowing a handful of information about him, but trusting nonetheless. When Jack is once again wrongly accused of a crime because of his reputation, Addie begins to second guess her choices and does not know if she can put her faith in Jack. While Addie searches for answers, Jack is locked in the county jailhouse and is desperately hoping that someone will believe his story this time.

The character in this story that intrigued me most was Gillian Duncan. Gillian lives in Salem Falls, and like everyone else, wonders about the past of the mysterious and handsome stranger who has just moved in. Though Gillian is curious to know of Jack’s demons, she has secrets of her own. With no one but her coven made of her three best friends Chelsea, Whitney, and Meg knowing, Gillian practices the Wiccan art of witchcraft. Though she eventually learned of his shady conviction, Gill soon becomes obsessed with Jack and uses her powers to try and make him fall for her, or at the very least be attracted to her. When it becomes clear however, that Jack is not going to do anything with Gillian, she decides to cry wolf to punish Jack: she reports to the police that he raped her. Now everyone in the town of Salem Falls is focused on only one thing: whether or not Jack St. Bride is guilty of this crime.

Will Jack once again fall victim to the lies and slander of a teenage girl? Will he have to return to jail and serve another sentence for a crime of which he was wrongly accused? Will he ever get to truly be with Addie, or will he be destined to a life of rotten luck and routine? Read Jodi Picoult’s Salem Falls to find out. I would recommend this book to teenage or adult girls. Because it is a story of love and lies, most boys probably would not enjoy the novel, but I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good mystery or romance.

434 pages= 2books

I Think My Family Is Cursed...

2009-11-15T12:08:00.001-08:00

Wow... My family seems to have some pretty bad luck..

I guess the fact that we're all pretty reckless doesn't help. But then again, other people could be more careful too.

This week alone, my brother Chad's truck has been hit twice. Wednesday after church, this teenage boy slid and ran into Chad's truck. Today Chad was on his way to work when someone side-swiped him and then ran off.

On top of that both Chad and my mom are sick. There's no doubt in my mind that I'll get whatever they have.

Oh well.... Sad Story

2009-11-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

Sean Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens definitely has a lot of tips about how to live every day life. Though some of the advice is good and helpful, I have trouble believing everything he says. It seems to me that the author doesn't understand that these tips just don't work with some people. Real life is hardly as clean and peachy as his books makes it sound.

My favorite habit in the book is Habit Six: Synergize. Though I am skeptical of some of the tips in the book, this habit really makes sense to me. Synergy is all about working together with other people and combining talents to makes tasks and projects easier. I have realized over my years in school that pulling together the best of two or more people can really take a project way over the top. If a pair has to create a poster and one person is great at organizing facts and collecting information and another is a wonderful artist and incredibly creative, then it just makes sense for the two to combine their talents to produce one top-notch poster. Synergy doesn't just have to be used for group projects though. It's great for studying, jobs, and pretty much anything that involves interacting with other people.

The habit I have the most trouble with is Begin With the End in Mind. The biggest reason for this is that I really don't know what I want out of life. I have countless short term goals, but my biggest stressor is trying to figure out the big stuff: where I want to go to college, what I want to major in, what career I want to have when I'm done with school. I struggle with the endless possibilities and choices sitting in front of me.

Because I have not really enjoyed this book very much, I would only recommend it to a teen who is struggling with adolescence and needs some tips. The author has some good ideas, but self help books just are not the hottest buy.

MLIA

2009-10-22T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, over the last few weeks my new addiction has become mylifeisaverage.com. MyLifeIsAverage(MLIA) is a completely random website on which people post things that happened to them that day. There's no point of the website. I guess someone just made it when they were bored, or maybe they thought "Hey this would be funny and entertaining." I had no clue what to write my blog post about, but then I thought that I should write about something I actually like and I pretty much automatically thought of MLIA. So I've compiled a little list of some of my favorite posts. Hope you enjoy!

10)Today, while in the shower I noticed that I have two different kinds of body wash: vanilla sugar and brown sugar. I mixed them because I don't support segregation.

9)Today, I was thinking about how cool it would be if Halloween was on Friday the 13th. I went to an online calendar to see if it ever would be. It took me a good five minutes to figure out the problem. MLIA

8)Today, I noticed that the conditioner I use on my hair smells like bananas and looks like banana pudding. I tasted it. Turns out the similarities stop there. MLIA

7)Today, I met a girl named Unique. She has an identical twin sister. No one else thought it was funny. MLIA.

6)Today I was asking my kindergarten students questions. I asked, "What would you do if you broke a friend's toy?" A girl raised her hand and answered, "Put the parts together so it looks like it's fixed so that the next person who uses it thinks they broke it." I love my students. MLIA

5)Today, I got in trouble in social studies class. My punishment was to sit in a desk facing the back wall. We had to take a test where we labeled every South American country and its capital. Guess what was on the map I was now facing? MLIA

4)Today, my aunt was teaching my cousin about the dangers of smoking. He replied with "You know what else you should never do? Never, EVER lick an axe." MLIA

3)Today, on MSN my boyfriend said to me 'You're such an angle', meaning angel. He didn't understand why I replied 'Aww, you're so acute.MLIA

2)Today, I came home to find my son had gotten himself stuck inside a 70 dollar vase I had purchased for the bathroom. He is 18 years old. MLIA.

And my personal all time favorite!!...
1)Today, I fell and landed on a really cute guy while on the subway. This did not lead me to find my soul mate, or end with us giving high fives. It was just awkward. MLIA

And Mrs. Gillmore here's one more specially for you. It is all about a literary device[[:
Today, I saw that my ironing board cover was wrinkled. I laughed at the irony. Then I laughed again because irony has the word iron in it. MLIA

Searching for David's Heart

2009-10-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

Cherie Bennet’s Searching for David’s Heart sincerely touched me and brought tears to my eyes. The book told a tale I will never forget.

The theme of this book was about learning to live with grief. Darcy Deeton was consumed with sadness over the loss of her brother and let it overpower her. Though she knew that her brother David would want her to be happy, she could not allow herself to be happy because of the guilt she felt for his death. Another theme of the book was putting aside differences. Darcy was greatly influenced by her dad’s racism and, for a little while, let that bias get in the way of her kindness.

I could really relate to Darcy and how she felt. Knowing what it is like to lose someone close, I understood her feelings of loneliness and abandonment. Darcy struggled through daily routine, never straying from her beaten path because of fear. Fear of forgetting David, fear of being happy when he was dead, and fear of her conscience. Darcy was frantic for any piece of David she could have, so she set out on a reckless hunt with her friend Sam for the one thing that remained of David in the world: his heart. David was an organ donor and Darcy knew that someone somewhere had received his precious heart. With greater hope than she had seen in the previous months, she began her journey.

I loved the author’s style. Cherie Bennet is one of my favorite authors. Her books are timeless, capture hearts, and always have a great lesson to be learned. Sometimes I wonder if she creates her stories from experience, from hearing a story of someone else, or if she simply makes them up. Whatever she does, she has a knack for really making her story stick with a person. Bennet is not generally a very challenging author to read. Her stories are simple and easy to read, but she has a way of making her small stories very big.

This book reminded me of another book I recently read. Elizabeth Chandler’s Kissed by an Angel was similar to the story of Searching for David’s Heart. Though Ivy in Kissed by an Angel was mourning her boyfriend, she was always searching for some small comfort or hope that she could grasp and cling on to, a lot like Darcy’s reaction in Searching for David’s Heart.

Though I am sure girls would enjoy the book more, I would recommend this book for anyone. The book has potential to help people through tough times, to relate to them, and possibly even to help them start overcoming their grief.

Kissed By An Angel

2009-10-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth Chandler’s Kissed by An Angel kept me turning the pages until the very end. The book made me look at love in an entirely different way, and I’ll never forget the countless lessons this story taught me.

Though this novel was intended as a thrilling suspense story, there were also many lessons about love and life. A theme that I interpreted was not to let grief rule your life. Being sad and grieving is perfectly acceptable after a death or tragic accident, but if people let it rule their lives then they are not really living. People still need to get out and learn how to live with the sudden change they have experienced. Another theme of the book is realizing that those we love never truly leave us. They may not be with us like Tristan was there for Ivy in the novel, but they will always be in our hearts and minds. The last theme of the book that really stuck with me was to be open to love from all places. Just because a person may have lost a love does not mean that he or she should not accept it again. Though love can never be the same from more than one person, a different love can be just as good. All people need to let themselves love again after a tragedy, for without love in our lives we are not really living.

I loved the style of this book. The author alternated between the two main characters points of view. Ivy is a teenage girl whose mother just got remarried. She has a new step-brother named Gregory. Ivy ends up dating a boy named Tristan, who her friends have been trying to get her to talk to for a long time. When Tristan and Ivy are in a car accident because of dysfunctional brakes, Ivy is devastated that Tristan did not survive. The book follows Ivy in her struggle to get over Tristan and her attempts to find the cause of all the bizarre events happening to her and others all over the town. When the book switches points of view, it follows Tristan trying to find ways to comfort Ivy and let her know he is there, and also follows him as he investigates what’s going on around the city. When he finds out he desperately tries to warn Ivy of the danger that she is in, while also trying to use her friends and a mysterious boy named Will to convey the message and keep her safe.

In this book, Ivy’s life is going pretty good. She’s a little apprehensive about her new step-dad and step-brother, but all in all things are not bad. She has a great boyfriend whom she loves dearly. Then one night, while out making a delivery for work, she sees a mysterious figure in the windows of a dark house. Weeks later Ivy goes on a date with Tristan. On the way to the restaurant the brakes stop working and the two are in an awful wreck, which Ivy survives and Tristan does not. After Tristan’s death, Ivy is constantly mourning and is oddly comforted by her step-brother, Gregory, but she is rudely awakened when horrible things start happening to people around town, and she finds her cat being constantly hurt. Weird things start to happen to her too and she begins to fear for her life.

Tristan discovers that his ghost remained on Earth to fulfill some mission. He learns of the evil going on in the town and spends all his time attempting to save Ivy. He uses her friends to give her warnings and keep her safe, and eventually she learns that Tristan is there even though she can’t see him. When the bad guy around targets Ivy as his next victim, she learns that she can’t trust anybody and she decides to solve the mystery for herself.

I would recommend this book for any girl. The book teaches many life lessons and could help girls cope with many different situations. Boys probably would not like this book very much, mainly because it’s filled with love and grief, the two things boys like to avoid most.

The Time Machine

2009-10-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

H.G. Wells’ book The Time Machine can really only be described as okay by me. The story was not all that bad, but it was just a slow read and had some dull parts. In the book, the Time Traveller tried his hardest to get back to his own time period after traveling years into the future.

Although I was not such a fan of the book, it was cool to read a book written in the style that The Time Machine was. Most books written in today’s age use common language and quite a bit of slang. This novel, written years ago, is recorded in a totally different style. There were countless allusions to things I had never heard of and a hardcore vocabulary. There were several words in the book that I had to look up in the dictionary. It was neat to be able to observe how much writing has changed in just a short time. It is weird to think that when this novel was brand new that the style it was written was what was common then.

The Time Traveller was an odd character in my opinion. It really annoyed me that he was never called by name. I do not understand why the author would want to do that, because it does not really make him seem any more magical, mystical, or mysterious. It just seemed kind of like a weird thing to do. In fact, there were not very many characters in the entire book mentioned by name. The only person I recall to be mentioned by name was Weena. Weena was probably my favorite character. It was easy to picture everything she did throughout the story, from her near death to the countless dances she performed for the Time Traveller.

Based on the description by the author of the future, I would not like it that much. The book said the future was considerably warmer and that the entire Eloi race greatly resembled each other. Also, the idea of a great rift between groups of people and an inhabited underworld is just creepy. The time of the Time Traveller and his friends seemed like a much more enjoyable place to live.

In this story, the Time Traveller invents a machine to take him into the past and future. He thinks his plan has worked perfectly until he finds himself stuck in the future, due to the fact that his time machine has been hidden. He quickly locates the hiding spot but cannot gain entry to reclaim his machine. Throughout the book, the Time Traveller is struggling to find tools to help him get his machine back, while also warding off and fighting the Morlocks, the inhabitants of the underground.

I would not recommend this book for anyone who hates a slow read, or for anyone who hates being delayed by a big vocabulary. Actually I probably would not recommend this book at all, mainly because I did not enjoy it that much.

I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

2009-09-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

Spies are among us. They always are. We just never realize that they're there. Ally Carter's I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You constantly amazed me with awesome technology and a super cool story line.

The most prominent theme of this book was trying to get kids to understand that we should just be ourselves and love ourselves for who we are. The book encourages teenagers, especially girls, to discover who they are as a person and to figure out what they are going to make of themselves.

Ally Carter's writing style is pretty general with a few tweaks here and there. She delivered a lot of humor and kept the book intense enough to want to keep reading. I could constantly see myself in the setting of the story, strolling along with the characters.

Cammie Morgan is a student at Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, which happens to be the best girls spy school in the world. Cammie and her roommates, Bex, Liz, and Macy, set out on a top-secret mission: to get Cammie the boy she wants, but not let anybody find out. Cammie really likes Josh, a local, but can't tell him anything about her school, so she constantly lies to avoid revealing the truth. I loved all the characters and always waited for Cammie to crack a joke or for Macy to spout out a witty insult.

The school that the girls attend is nothing like my world. Every student is fluent in fourteen languages, can hack most any computer system, and is studying PhD level chemistry. Gallagher Academy is covered head-to-toe with outstanding security and the classrooms are filled with mind-blowing technology. The tools these teenage girls use make my cell phone and iPod Touch look like baby toys. As I read the book I could just picture the Gallagher world coming to life around me.

As Cammie and her roommates chase after Josh, they begin the much-anticipated subject of Covert Operations, and use what they learn in this class to sneak around the school so that Cammie can see Josh. Cammie's mother just so happens to be the head of the school, and she is constantly keeping up with Cammie's life. Fortunately, Cammie has always been known as the Chameleon because of her uncanny ability to go unnoticed when she doesn't want to be seen. As Cammie and Josh fall for each other, other big events are affecting the girls' lives and their decisions. Cammie is worried that she will soon have to choose between the two things she wants most: Josh and a life of spying.

This book has a very Mission Impossible-like tone to it. The girls are trying to achieve a goal the seems almost impossible to them. The book reminds me of my mind-set. I'm always dreaming of the impossible and thinking of crazy ideas that seem as though they would never work, and I always find myself wanting to achieve something that seems as though it would never happen.
I would strongly recommend this book to all girls. The book helps people realize who they are, what they want, and what they want to become. The story also proves that if we work for something that we really can have it.

Tosh and Lauren[[:

2009-09-09T18:47:00.001-07:00

We're not famous.. Too bad. But we are slowly dominating YouTube. Slowly.

Eight grade choir was crazy and we had a free day, so I've course Lauren G. and I had to get together and do something random. We decided to shoot a video in the middle of the student center all about personal hygiene. Using only what we could find in our purses. It was pretty great. We had people staring at us as we were brushing our hair, applying germ-x, and even plastering the table with spray deodorant.

Since that we've done Tosh and Lauren Talk About Sleepovers, one about Christmas, one that's only corny jokes, and acting like little kids. Our mutual favorite is What Not To Do To a Baby. It's great, we sing Bicycle by Queen.

We have a new studio now. It's really awesome, it has a couch and everything. The wall's are pinstriped and there's a record player in the corner and we use it to listen to Time In a Bottle and then we sing the song for the rest of the day. Well I do at least and Lauren yells at me to stop singing already.

I wish we would be amazingly and randomly discovered. We could be like reality TV stars or something and then we would totally flaunt and show off. We really would. We would pretty much be like two year-olds about it, but it would be funny.