The End, already.

"From writing on a blog I am hoping that it will help me grow as a writer. I want to learn more about getting my own voice in my writing. And I think that a blog will help me learn and get better."
Wow. I can say that it is crazy to go back and read a blog from September 20, 2010 that was written by me, not that long ago. But it seems like years ago. I said that I wanted to find my voice in writing, and honestly, this year I believe I did. I think this class gave me the constant freedom to be who I wanted to be, not who I thought I should be. If I wanted to memorize a poem about a wife being abused, I could. If I wanted to write an entire essay about broken hearts, no matter how depressing it would be, I could. If I wanted to read "The Secret Life of Bees" out of the list of fifty books, I could. Being given the freedom to develop as a person and as a writer is probably the most important thing I will take from this class. When you can just write, and not have to worry about your view on the book being wrong, I think you can't help but grow in the right direction. And I think as the year went on, my blogs got deeper. I wasn't just answering the question. I was saying how I felt about it and how I could relate it to any piece of material we where reading and my own life.
Reading back through every blog, I was surprised that I could tell that I was willingly responding better. I didn't realize that I was changing. That my words where becoming something bigger than they had before. That I wasn't just reading & writing. I was interpreting and comparing. Scratching under the surface, and far below it to question the author's motives, and questioning it again tell I felt I knew where he was coming from. Maybe that poem wasn't just about a flower. Maybe it was about the root, the part no one sees. Maybe it is about the personal struggle every person goes through on earth that no one sees, because it is below the dirt line. Maybe Dickens' novel wasn't just a simple story about a boy. Maybe I could relate to it more when I saw the similarities between that story and a famous Disney one about a lonely glass slipper. And by pushing my boundaries, to places I thought I would never reach, I got better.
The first time I was assigned an essay I thought I was going to a land of nightmares where I would never be able to get a decent grade because they was no way I could have that many ideas about a single book. Not just ideas, but personal ideas. Personal views and opinions. Not someone's else. Mine. But I made it through it and I was challenged. And now an essay seem like a normal thing. A blog seem like fun. My opinion seems necessary. A poem seems like a small peek into an author's world. Honors English seems like a rational class. And writing seems like a hobby.

"You'd know how the time flies. Only yesterday was the time of our lives. We where born and raised, in a summer haze. Bound by the surprise of our glory days."- Adele
When I look back at my blogs, the main thing see is that I have moved forward. I have learned. And I have grown. From my first blog saying I wanted to find my voice. To my "Boo Radley" being death. To my fairy tale Prince Charming being compared to Great Expectations. I will miss this class so much. I can't think of a better way to start off every morning of my freshman year, because I had a great class! And yes Mrs. Gilman, I will read over the summer, just not anything involving Charles Dickens! (:

My Favoirte Project!

Well first off, I can't believe I am already doing a blog on my favorite assignment of the year because to be honest, there was points in this year when I thought it would never end! So just making it here makes me beyond happy. But my favorite part of the year was near the end when we read Romeo & Juliet. I don't think it was anyone surprise that I loved the book and all the things that came with it. I also enjoyed Romero & Juliet because my that point in the year I felt comfortable in my class, in my abilities, and my work ethic in the class.
I am proud of this assignment because I not only finished an entire Shakespeare play, but I also wrote a five paragraph essay on it. Which is something I am really proud to say, because at the beginning of the lesson, I was scared I wouldn't be able to do it. And I not only finished it, I had a great time with all the projects and the acting out the scenes. And I think I speak for the class that Romero & Juliet was an enjoyable time when we not only had fun, we also learned! I hope many, many classes keep reading Romero & Juliet in the future because it was my favorite book this year and the assignments where the most enjoyable!

A Good Experience With Poetry

Well my poetry background is pretty limited to what we have learned in school. My family has never been big poetry fans besides when a child in question is under the age of 6, and needs something to put it to sleep. So basically what we have learned K-9, is what I know. But one memory of poetry does stick out in my mind so far, and that memory starts with the all inspiring words, "Poetry Out Loud."
Poetry Out Loud. I am pretty sure that all Freshman know this term very well and I would bet a good percent of the school knows it too. I learned what it was during a normal period of Honors English when Mrs. Gilman started the class with her forever frightening phrase, "We are starting something new and I love it." She started explaining how we as students would be picking our own poem, memorizing it, performing it, and acting it out in a way. At first I was scared to death. I had never done anything like this before, and I already didn't like it. But as we progressed, I enjoyed it more and more. We got to pick our own poems, and I knew that I wanted something different. And something that I could add to the poem, without completely ruining it.
I could probably still say my poem by heart, because of all the time I spent memorizing it. I picked a poem about women and how they used to lose power in marriages. I honestly am very glad I got up there and did it. I went first to get it over, and yes I did forget a line or two, but I did it. And now whenever anyone says anything about poetry I think of that moment. When I bought a poem to life all by myself. With my words, and my actions, I made the phrases literally jump of the page.
Right now, my attitude towards poetry is that is can be used in a lot of different forms. You can use it in love, in debates, and in fun. And you can write your heart out. When I think of poetry know, I think of you letting someone in to your world and letting them read your thoughts. Opening up your views to the world, in a way that isn't just sitting them down and telling them to their face.

Conflict in Romero & Juliet

"Never make a permanent decision based on a temporary emotion." I wish that I could say that I have known this quote my entire life. It I had, I would have probably done a lot of things differently and made decisions based on different factors. But I haven't and neither has Juliet. Through my reading I think that Juliet's main conflict is with herself and her own emotions. That is true for most teenage girls though, and wasn't a bug surprise for me to read. She has the conflict of being forced to marry a man she doesn't care for, and not be able to be with the man who is the love of her life and her everything. She doesn't really know how to react, because there isn't much she can do, to be honest.
I think this internal conflict relates to all high schoolers in general, not just me. High School is crazy time in our life when we are forced to grow up and decided who we want to be. And most of the conflict is between ourselves. So it is easy for people to relate to Juliet because of the struggles she goes through with herself. She doesn't have friends and support around her, and thank goodness most high schoolers do now days. But still, I think it is a struggle for every teen having the internal conflict.

Romero & Juliet is Everywhere!

Pretty Little Liars. I would be flat out lying to the entire world if I didn't say that a majority of my 8th grade school nights where spend reading the series page by page to the early morning hours. I was obsessed. The drama, the love stories and the murder mysteries had me never setting the books down, besides in my all important classes of course! But my two all time favorite characters where Aria & Mr. Fitz. They had a complicated, but completely meant to be romance that was never in a million years supposed to happen. Mr.Fitz's was Aria's English teacher but that didn't stop their relationship from secretly continuing. To the outside world in was wrong on every level but to them it was a connection that nothing could break.

The love story of Romero & Juliet and Aria & Mr.Fitz's might not be exactly the same, but the have the underlining fact that both of their love was absolutely forbidden. The two couples where not meant to far in love, but they did. The both fell for each other at the first moment and nothing else mattered. They both had people who would do anything to break them up, but their loved stayed strong. They had times that tested their relationship, and one couple did better than the other. Because with Forbidden love the outcome is unpredictable.

Connecting with Romero & Juliet

Sassy. That is something that the majority of people would say that I am good at. Not sassy in a mean way, just thinking quickly and sometimes being a little sarcastic. I would also agree that Juliet is one sassy lady. She knows what she wants and always has the right thing to say, whether it be while talking to her mother or her future lover. My attitude definitely doesn't discriminate against anyone, it is just the way I think. So throughout my reading, I connect most with Juliet when she is communicating with the people around her. But I have also connected with how Romero takes so much advice from his friends. If something big is happening in my life, no matter what it may be, my friends know. I feel like I need advice, because I hate making mistakes. So when I do something or say it, a good part of it it what I have talked through with my friends and thought over. Because I could be called a little bit of an over thinker. It doesn't matter what the decision is, if I have to make one, it will be talked over with one of my friends. It has got to the point where my friends just know when I am talking to them, they will probably be giving their opinion at some point, which is kind of the position Romero is with Benevolio.
Well I am sure that it is not a crazy secret that I am absolutely loving Romero & Juliet. I love everything about it. Literally. When I read at home, I find that I understand the material most when I read out loud. It helps me understand the conversations better and helps me have a little fun with my reading. But I definitely enjoy reading it in class on top of it. If I don't understand quite everything, I know that in class, everything will be cleared up. It is also easier to laugh with class then at home, alone, in my room. I think the goal is being met completely, because it helps me understand the reading even just a little more when there is my group to talk about it with, and different people reading different characters.

Thoughts on Reading

Well personally, I didn't like the book at all, until the last stage. I found myself trying to push through the first chapters because I simply couldn't relate to Pip. I thought that the whole book had a dark vibe that I didn't indentify with or enjoy much at all. I didn't really enjoy Dickens as an author which obvoiusly made the reading harder to get through, and I most likely would not read another one of his books in the future unless it was in a class. I actually figured out most of the mysteries on my own, but some did take help from Spark Notes or fellow class readers.
I did read the entire book, it took alot of effort, but I am proud to say I read the whole thing. My reading habits where constantly changing because I couldn't find one that worked just right for me, to be compeletely honest. At first, I tried to take my book with me to work out, which lastest about a week until I gave up. Reading on the treadmill it parctically impossible and I learned that when you bring a book into the gym, people like to ask questions...lots of them. My second try was reading while helping out at dinner, which lastest even shorter than the first. I quickly learned that when you decide to not check the almonds toasting in the pan until the whole chapter is done, you get burnt almonds and chapters you have to reread. Still not giving up on the novel, I decided to wake up an extra hour early before school to read thinking that if it worked for my teacher, it has to work for me. Apparently reading and early morning aren't a match made in heaven...I ended up falling alseep on my book after the first page and being so very late to my beloved English class. Not so smooth I might say. But there is a happy ending to this reading assignment, because after 3 fails at finding my habit, I learned that reading before going to bed was what worked for me. It was quiet, didn't invlove burning anything, and wasn't during the morning. So, for the last stage and a half I read under the glow of my Princess night light, with just my book and I.

Photo Post

(You said I could do late because my blog wasn't working.)

I choose a picture of the beast from Beauty and the Beast because both characters go through a huge transformation while trying to hold on to the old version of themselves. Once Pip gets the money from his benefactor, he moves to London to become a gentleman and make something of his life. The Beast didn't have the same type of story, he actually had the exact opposite. He was turned from a charming Prince into a ugly beast. Even though the overall stories are different, the motives and insecurities are the same. They both change in a huge way but want to act the same way. Pip at least has some guide lies to his change, like his benefactor saying he has to continue to go by the name Pip. While the Beast just gets changed, with the only rule being that he needs to find someone to love him before the rose completely disappears. The stories may vary but the underlining fact is that even through Pip and the Beast they both try to keep true to themselves while advancing themselves in life.

Making Connections

Cinderella. The Disney movie that gives every little girl dreams of finding her perfect Prince and having a fairy godmother who will be there whenever you need a magical ball gown. I secretly say that I was one of those little girls, and part of me still is that little girl. Because no matter how much you mature and grow, part of you always holds on to the hope that you will live happily ever after in a castle far, far away. And even though Pip doesn't have the dream of walking down the grand castle stairs with two pure glass slippers, he has the dream of being a gentleman. And he might not desire for his Prince Charming, but he desires Estella.
The obvious theme that both of these stories share is the want for something better. Cinderella and Pip both where born into poor and less that great situations, which gives them a drive to be better. But the characters couldn't do it alone, and Cinderella had her fairy godmother to help her achieve better while Pip had Mr.Jagger's. I know what you are thinking, Mr.Jagger's defiantly doesn't have a wonderful wand and a catchy pumpkin song, but he does help Pip become a gentleman. And that is Pip's intended dream. These two timeless stories may seem to be very different with far from similar audiences, but they do share some of the same themes with similar characters which causes a connection.
"A dream is a wish your heart makes when you're fast asleep. In dreams you will lose your heartaches...No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true." -Cinderella

The Second Stage

At the start of the second stage Pip goes to London to become a gentleman. It seems that when Pip goes to London, he is in a way, leaving his past behind him. But nothing can ever be that simple. And when Joe comes to see Hamlet, there is some defiant tension between them. But Pip now does not have to lift a finger to earn his money because of his secret benefactor. So Pip is now getting used to his rich lifestyle in which he hires a servant to do nothing along with lending money to anyone who needs it.
During the second stage Pip and Estella go to a restaurant. Even though Pip is now becoming a gentleman and proving to himself and everyone that he is something, he still can't have Estella. Estella almost represents the one thing that will always be out of his reach. And since Pip is human, he has the characteristic of wanting what he can't have.

Life is like a chain

I think Pip is talking about life. Well, that seems to be an obvious answer but I don't have any other way to put it. "The thorns and flowers that bound us.." I think of those as the major events that have happened in our life to make us who we are today. The thorns being the bad events, that make us different, like mine is my great grandfather's funeral. A thorn that bounds me is watching him being lowered into the ground and knowing that he would never see me marry the man of my dreams or watch me graduate from college. And that effects me my wanting to do everything I do in spite of him, and even know he can't be there with me, knowing he is watching me. A flower would be a great moment that effects you in a positive way, and I have many of those and I would hope that everyone would. My flower is holding my nephew for the first time when he was two days old. I can't describe the feeling perfectly because it is beyond words. I just knew that I loved this eight pounds in my arms more than anything. My flowers and thorns have all changed my life for better or worse, but that is a part of life. And I think that Pip's have done the same for him. And I believe that realizes that our memories make ourselves better is part of maturity, and Pip is maturing. He is growing, and throughout the last couple of chapters we are seeing him grow up and act more like an adult than he has ever before.

Questions about a Passage

Well to be totally honest, when I first started reading this book I didn't really understand it, let alone enjoy it. But after rereading some of the chapters and going over them on Spark Notes I am understanding it more and more. But the one thing that I am still not quite getting is the fact that Mrs.Joe is so mean to her little brother. If I was in her place, I would want to be a thousand times nicer to him because he has no one else but me. I don't know if the author is just trying to be dramatic, or if there is some secret motive around her being this evil. I feel for Pip because of the situation he is in, and how uncaring his guardian is. I guess that the times are different and Pip and Mrs.Joe's relationship is weird, but if both my parents died, my siblings would welcome me with open arms and would never treat me the way Pip is being treated. Thanks for your help, and I am ready to fully understand what the author is meaning by this.

Dishonesty is Gossip.

When I think of dishonestly, the thing that first pops into my head is gossip. You know gossip, like the latest, greatest news that everyone in the entire school will know about by lunch time. Gossip is the story that happened one way and is told differently each time it comes out of the next person's glossy lips. Gossip is the relationship that just started, or the fight that happened at the party, or the 5 year friendship that just got blown up by one hot, single guy. In the world we live in, gossip is pleasure, which isn't too far from the story line of The Importance Of Being Ernest. Wilde shows the dishonestly of all society's in this novel through his very dishonest characters. The main character I think of lying the most is Algernon. He makes up a completely different person so he can go out and live this single life and party. But Jack is in the same boat, because he has his fake brother named Earnest who he uses to do the same exact thing. That in my eyes is true gossip, because they both have the same huge secrets that every normal person would love to know. And that secret gets them in quite a situation later in the novel.
Gossip is being creative. Gossip is changing whatever you are telling to make it crazier. Gossip is like the children game telephone. Gossip is feeling the power of knowing the secret. Earnest is telling the truth. Earnest is being serious. Earnest is important. Wilde uses his satirical writing to add humor to the play. He writes with his past experiences and makes fun of the things he wants too. The satire that I noticed the most was the satire of marriage. Through his characters, Wilde is trying to tell the world how bad marriage really is. And out of the three couples in love, you see his irony and humor in the novel.

New Years Resolution!

Well for 2011, my main goal in to get better in my faith and get closer to God. I have recently started attending a new High School Youth Group and I absolutely love it. And I have been inspired to be more active in my church and starting read my bible more often and be the best Christian I can be. One way I have made myself closer to my resolution is I have joined the Worship Band at my Youth Group. That means that once or twice a month, I sing in the band during the service. I have found being a part of the band has helped me strengthen my relationship with God and meet new people who attend the church. I also just signed up for a Mission Trip to Jamaica, which I am so excited about. I leave for Jamaica on June 25, right when school gets out which I am counting down the days to. Going on the Mission trip will help me even more on my resolution because on the trip, I will be helping people who need the Lord's words and just need our help building houses and schools. I feel humbled to be able to go, and I now that the trip will help me emotionally, because I will see the faces that I pray for every night.

Animal Farm Evaluation!

Leah (Comic Strip): I thought the type of comic was very interesting, and I give her props for the idea and the layout. But I didn't think all the literary elements where are there. I can see the theme, but I don't think the project showed foreshadowing and all the themes, just mostly the one theme of corruption of power.

Kayla (Animal Pyramid): I really enjoyed this project for many reasons! I thought the idea first off, was really good and different. I also love how the project shows what classes the animals where at the beginning off the book, and how the classes change by the end. The project shows irony great, and the theme of power and the pyramid symbolized the farms invisible power struggles.

Sarah (Movie): I thought the movie was really fun to watch, but it wasn't everything I had hoped for. The scenes where repeated many times throughout the trailer and short movie, which made the movie seem longer than it really was. I thought the movie showed the theme very good, and the irony of the farm that was written in the book. But I feel the movie could have had more time put in, to make it better.

Britney (picture): I enjoyed the picture and I thought that is showed off her talents as an artist. And I could easily tell the symbolism that she was trying to show in drawing this picture. But maybe some more time could be put in to make the picture a little bit clearer, but other than that, really good!

Donna (video): I thought Donna's video was really cute, and I thought it had the right idea. But I think some more time could have gone into the video, like singing the "Beasts of England" song themselves, and not having a YouTube video singing it. But that said, I thought the video gave a lot of information and showed the audience what they where trying to say.

Reagan (poem): I loved Reagan's poem so much, I thought the idea was amazing and the poem showed all the literary elements. You can also just tell that she took tons of time making the poem the best that it could be, and in my eyes, I believe it is really good.

Melanie (power point): I liked the idea of a power point, and I thought all the information was in the power point to show the irony in the novel. But the only thing bad about the project, was it was kinda hard to read off the power point because she filmed the power point off a computer screen.

Olivia (poem): I thought the poem was good, and used diction that showed the more serious side of the novel. The one thing I would have liked to see more of was not just one haiku, maybe a couple that showed more of the novel and not just the serious side.

Sean (comic): I really like the comic and I thought you could see that he enjoyed the story and he took time to make the comic. I also thought that it had the perfect mix of pictures and text to get all the literary techniques across.

Alena (movie): Well I thought the video was very well planed out and I liked that they used stuffed animals and real people in the movie. I also loved the choice of music and all the words that popped up in between scenes.


Now after looking at and watching all the projects, I still feel really confident in my project. I put so much time and effort into my song, I feel that I could not have made it any better. I also think that my project showed all the literary elements that where shown in the book. And I explained them in my song and in the two paragraphs I wrote with my song.