Last Post

Wow. I just read over every blog post I wrote. It's eye opening really, I've never actually taken the time to read them before. There are some I am proud of and others I look at and think "I can't believe I wrote that!". I can't say that I've evolved much as a writer. Reading over these several posts I've noticed grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and unbelievably stupid sentences, but little improvement. Then again I'm probably the worst person to judge my own writing. Its kind of like an adult asking a child to explain to them how they think they've matured from age eight to age ten. Sure, the child can tell you've they've grown taller and have grown out of all their old clothes, but I doubt they will talk about how they have matured emotionally or how their behavior is changed, even though the improvement is obvious to the adult. Like the child, it's difficult for me to determine how I've grown this year, especially as a writer.

But as I dug deep into the dark cave that is my blog, I did notice how my tone began to change over time. In the beginning, my writing sounded more reserved. I wrote long paragraphs and I answered the questions asked to the best of my ability, but my writing didn't sound like me. It was dry like toast. It was shy. In my very first blog post where I describe my "Boo Radley" I'm disappointed when I read it because I don't hear myself. I hear someone who was trying her best to impress her teacher. But the more I read the more I noticed aspects of my personality leaking in to my writing. I began to stop trying to impress people with high diction. I swore. Not only that but I also became more frank and sarcastic. I wasn't afraid to give my honest opinion. If I didn't like a book, I'd come right out and say it. This is very obvious in the blog I posted on April 2nd. We were supposed to write about our opinions on Great Expectations. I'm a little shocked at how much I revealed my disdain for the book. At one point I wrote, "... how do you expect me to care about, and much less like, a character who abandons all the people who care about him to pursue a frivolous superficial life and a cruel bitch." I'm a little shocked at myself actually. I swore more in that paragraph than in any other blog post I wrote. And in all honesty, I remember it felt very liberating to write that blog post.

I'm not really sure why my writing became like this. Did I just become more bitter as the school year progressed? Or was I already bitter and this was how I was able to express that deeply buried side of myself? Was I sick of writing blog posts and trying to make them as daring and opinionated as possible to keep myself interested? Was I mad at Mrs. Gilman? At someone else? Or am I just overreacting right now? Maybe this turn in my writing isn't a very big deal. It's probably not. I think what I should be determining right now is if this is a positive or negative change in my writing. On one hand it's a good thing. It shows that my ability to express myself has improved and that I'm less afraid of what other people think about my opinions. On the other hand writing this way, though effective, is not very tasteful and may offend some people. Should I be worried about this?

You know what? No. To hell with offending people. I should be glad that I'm more confident with my writing style. I should be glad that I've changed. As Gore Vidal (yes I know who Gore Vidal is) once said, "Style is about knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."

I find it ironic that in my first post I express my desire to be more confident sharing my thoughts with others and now during my last post I'm celebrating that accomplishment. This makes me realize that this English class has given me something very precious. Though sometimes the workload of this class got me down and there were assignments that I wasn't excited about or even bitterly disliked, I now know that it's been worth it for what it's given me. I can only hope that I can apply this new found confidence to my final and come the discussion fully prepared and unafraid to kick ass.

Thank you Mrs. Gilman. This class has been very helpful to me and above all ...entertaining.

My Favorite Assignment

The most enjoyable assignment, by far, was the rewrite a scene assignment. This may be surprising, I am admittedly really uncomfortable talking in front of people, but this assignment was different. I loved it. I was paired with the other two quietest students in the class, (Ms. Smith is diabolical). I wanted a small role, but unfortunately, because I volunteered to do a small role, it meant I had to play all the small roles. I was kind of nervous at first, but I practiced my lines which helped me to relax and have more fun on stage.
To help the audience distinguish which character I was playing I wore name tags. Our performance went smoothly until I got the name tags mixed up. It was embarrassing but I was glad I made the class laugh. This actually helped my self confidence and I delivered the rest of my lines rather well... I think. I think in the future I'll be much more confident in front of people, and that's why I like this assignment so much.

Poetry

I was first exposed to poetry when my Dad bought a huge book of children's poems at a garage sale. I, for the life of me, cannot remember the name of the book nor can I find it, but when I was a little kid my dad would read me a poem from it every night before bed and when I finally learned how to read, I read it religiously. The book became so worn that the cover almost fell off. I also took pleasure in drawing my own personal illustrations next to the poems I liked in red ink. It was about this time that I decided to put away my plastic toy medical kit and dreams of becoming a Doctor and trade them for my dream of becoming a poet.
In third grade my teacher, Mrs. Barber, would let us come up to the front of the class everyday and recite poems we had written or memorized. I can remember the first poem I ever recited in front of the class

A robin read breast in a cage,
puts all heaven in a rage.
A dove wounded in the wing,
doth make the cherubs cease to sing.
And he who shall hurt the little wren,
shall never be beloved by men.

After a while I decided to stop memorizing poetry and start writing my own. The problem was I had no idea how to write it. So Mrs. Barber taught me how to write haikus, simple poems consisting of three lines, the first line with five syllables, the second line with seven syllables and the third line with five syllables. I fondly remember taking no greater pleasure than in writing haikus for hours in my blue spiral notebook. Today, the notebook is under my bed and I occasionally like to look back at my old poems and remember my dreams of becoming a poet.

I guess you could say I cheated and wrote about two experiences, one with my old book of poems and the other in my third grade writing class. But the truth is without that book of poems I would never have had any interest in poems, or perhaps even writing in general. Both experiences allowed me to enjoy and appreciate poetry today. I look back on them fondly and recognize that they not only introduced me to the world of poetry, but to the world of reading and writing as well.

Conflict in Romeo and Juliet

The most obvious conflict in Romeo and Juliet is the Montagues vs. the Capulets. It is made very clear that they are feuding families at the beggining of the book. Capulet men are walking through the streets of Verona, sharing with eachother how much they hate the Montagues. They soon come across Montague men and one Capulet man insults them biting his thumb. This sparks and large fight in the streets, including Benvolio, Tybalt, and several villagers. This conflict is important because it develops the theme of forbidden love. Romeo, a Montague, cannot be with Juliet because she is a Capulet.
I suppose the modern equivilent of the Montague vs. Capulet conflict would be gangs. My father works in a school district where gang violence is a problem and he has to work with kids who are involved in gangs. These kids are often in gangs because they have a family member involved in the gang. I don't know much about gangs but I do know they act like families or packs and violence is common between rival gangs, much like the conflict between the Montagues and the Capulets.

Romeo and Juliet in Modern Culture

This blog assignment reminded me of a book I once read called Romiette and Julio. It is basically a modernized version of Romeo and Juliet. They are almost completely alike, even the characters names mirror eachother, but the main difference between these two stories is that the reason why the families of two lovers are fighting is different. In the original, it is not made clear why the two families hate eachother (or maybe it will later. I don't know). But in Romiette and Julio, the families hate eachother because Romiette is African American and Julio is Hispanic, thus introducing a theme of race into the classic tail of Romeo and Juliet. Also, Romiette and Julio is not a tragedy. The main characters do not die in the end. It disappointed me that the author chose to go with the happy ending for a love story that we always see in todays culture. I definately prefer the original. It's just written better. But it's very easy to see how much Romeo and Juliet inspired Romiette and Julio. The author applied elements from Romeo and Juliet to her story but she also changed a lot of things and tried to get her own message across, which I can respect.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Romiette-and-Julio/Sharon-M-Draper/e/9780689842092/
Sorry, my computer still isn't letting me post images. Here is a link to the cover of Romiette and Julio.

Romeo and Juliet: Connecting With Characters

So far I am really enjoying Romeo and Juliet. I think for me, as a teenager, it is very easy to identify and connect with both Romeo and Juliet. To begin with there's Romeo, your stereotypical teenager. He claims to have "fallen in love" with Rosaline at the beginning of the story, (this infatuation, by the way, seems to be largely based on appearance) and then becomes depressed when faced with rejection. Teenagers, thanks to our stupid hormones, usually must deal with unrequited "love" at one time or another. We understand how difficult "love" is for Romeo and some of us can sympathize with him about experiencing the pain of rejection for the first time. Then there's Juliet. She, like many teenage girls, has "mommy issues". Juliet's mother, Lady Capulet, pressures her to get married as quickly as possible and have children. She wants her to marry Paris, whom Juliet does not love, but this seems to not matter to Lady Capulet. Juliet is stuck dealing with what most teenagers experience, especially today. Pressure from their parents. Not only this, but Juliet also seems to be dealing with something that girls at this age usually must go through. The strange idea that having a boyfriend, husband, whatever increases your worth and is what you must strive to have. I know I should be more forgiving because this was true for women during this time period, but I see this even today with girls at Olympia high school, and it bothers me. And so despite not being a huge Juliet fan ( I think she is a far too passive character) I do sympathize with her.

I enjoy reading this book at home. If there's something I don't understand I can usually check the word definitions given to us in the book or check Sparknotes to see what's going on. But I actually prefer reading it in class. I find stopping to analyze what the characters are saying with my classmates and the teacher really helps me understand the material. It's also a lot of fun listening to people read the book aloud. I definately think reading it in class is more effective.

It's Over!

Okay, not that you'd know by the title, but for my last blog post (hopefully) about Great Expectations I am supposed to be writing about theme. That's kind of hard to write about because the book had so many messages it was trying to get across to the reader. I think the main theme though was that the only way to be happy is to keep the people who love you close to you and not to choose to surround yourself with people based on their wealth and social class. Kind of simple. And there are other more complicated themes in the book, but this is the one that stood out for me the most. In the beginning Pip is not thrilled with his meager life but he is content because he has Joe, his only friend who loves him very much. Pip loses his happiness when he meets Miss Havisham and moves to London. Pip only regains his happiness when he meets Magwitch, his "convict" and benefactor. Pip's friendship with Magwitch is the first one Pip has made not based on wealth or class since moving to London. Pip ultimately learns his lesson in the end and returns to the true friends he abandoned. The end. People are supposed to learn from Pips mistakes that money cannot lead to happiness, only caring friends.

My Opinion of Great Expectations

Wow. Long book. I have read Charles Dickens in the past and I have to say, I do genuinely enjoy his writing style. I love how detailed his figurative language is. He describes so vividly the sights and the smells and the colors that you almost feel as if you are a part of the story. My favorite example of his use of figurative language is from his story A Christmas Carol, one of Dickens' most beloved and well known stories, and rightfully so. His writing is absolutely captivating. When he describes the feast lying before the ghost of Christmas present my mouth begins to water. When he describes the market on Christmas eve I can feel the bite of snow and smell pine and cinnamon wafting in the air. I liked A Christmas Carol better than Great Expectations, even though his writing style is virtually the same in both books. I think this is simply because A Christmas Carol is so much shorter than Great Expectations. Dickens' writing style is just better for short stories than five hundred page books. His vivid wording, while beautiful, can become tedious to read and can even begin to distract from the plot, which is what made reading Great Expectations so difficult. Not only that but his use of language, as it comes from a different era, can also be hard to understand. I became so distracted by how he wrote that I had trouble keeping track of what was going on. Another annoying thing Charles Dickens did was introduce seemingly insignificant characters in the beginning and then two hundred pages later, he expected you to remember who they were and what role they were playing in the story. Altogether, Dickens' writing style almost made me lose all incentive to finish the book. But not only was I pulling my hair out over how the book was written, I was also increasingly hating the main character as the story progressed. He was at first lovingly innocent. It was almost impossible for the reader not to feel sorry for Pip. I myself almost had the urge to wrap Pip in a blanket, give him a cup of tea and tell him everything would be okay. But right away, all of Pip's likability disappears when he receives his expectations and becomes a superior egotist who turns his back on the only people who were ever kind to him. When he spends his time in London feeling miserable and guilty, I don't feel sorry for him. I feel his pain is rightly deserved. And maybe what I hate most of all about Pip is his utter stupidity and ineptitude with women. He is rude to Biddy, an intelligent independent girl, perhaps one of the only females whose ever been kind to him, and only decides to marry her when he feels he has no other choice. And yet throughout the entire book he actively pursues Estella, a cruel bitch who has made it explicitly clear to Pip several times that she is trying to break his heart. I can't help but think that Pip is a complete idiot. As a modern day female, I was so frustrated I wanted to shake Pip and yell at him for being so impossibly stupid. Even when Pip "redeems" himself at the end of the story and learns his lesson, I can't forgive him. The moral of the story is very simple. The only way to be happy is to keep the people who are kind to you close to you. Well, no duh. I have no sympathy for a character who didn't know this in the first place and had to go through an exhausting amount of trials and mistakes to learn it. And that is my main problem with this book. It is almost impossible to enjoy a book when the main character is so unlikeable. True, this is a matter of personal preference, and maybe I am being a little hard on Pip. But come on, how do you expect me to care about, and much less like, a character who abandons all of the people who love him to pursue a frivolous superficial life and a cruel bitch.

So to recap. I like Dickens' writing style, but I don't believe it is suited for this long of a story. The book was a tedious and exhausting read and I despised the main character.

But other than that, great book.

I read this book at night before I went to bed. If there was something I didn't understand, I would look it up on Sparknotes the next day. I hated annotating, but hey I shouldn't complain. I'll probably be doing it for my entire school career and may as well get used to it right? I thought the class discussions were very helpful for understanding the book.

Guilt in Great Expectations

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.psychologytoday.com/files/u45/guilt.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/200804/10-sentences-about-guilt-chronic-procrastination&usg=__sCt5swFCTuBNNl5EHSETmWTYOO8=&h=427&w=590&sz=43&hl=en&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=oNfJhUEe5GDNLM:&tbnh=119&tbnw=193&ei=VsuOTcv3EsaV0QGDko2hCw&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dguilt%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rls%3Dcom.microsoft:en-us%26rlz%3D1I7RNUR_en%26biw%3D1217%26bih%3D439%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=250&oei=VsuOTcv3EsaV0QGDko2hCw&page=1&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=81&ty=70

(sorry, I couldn't get the picture to load so I posted the link)

In both the first and second stage of Great Expectations there is a major theme of guilt. In the first stage, Pip, because he is a young child, feels guilty for aiding a criminal and for wishing for a richer lifestyle than the one he is currently living in. In the second stage, once Pip has received everything he's ever wanted and learns that he's gained it with the help of a criminal, Pip once again feels guilty, though this time it's for leaving the life he once had.
This picture portrays a feeling of guilt, which I thought summed up the theme of the book.

Themes and Motifs in Great Expectations

There are many themes and motifs in Great Expectations. An example of a motif in the novel is convicts. Convicts have appeared scattered throughout the book since the very beginning of the story. They may relate somehow to the novels theme of crime and punishment. In chapter 27, Pip encounters two convicts riding in the coach with him. They make him feel guilt, another theme in the story, for another encounter Pip had with convicts earlier in the story.
At the beginning, Pip meets a convict and helps free him. Throughout most of his life in the first stage, Pip feels terrible guilt for helping free him. Pip doesn't feel any guilt for most of the second stage until he encounters the two convicts in the coach. This brings back both the motif of convicts and the theme of guilt back into the story and back to the reader's attention.

Chapter 9

Pip is referring to how one day can change your life forever. His day with Mrs. Havisham and Estella has made him realize that the life of a blacksmith is not as revered as he thought it was, and he now no longer respects Joe as much as he once did and he feels dissatisfied with his social class. In chapter 14 Pip says, "It is a most miserable thing to be ashamed of home." Pip has never been particularly happy with his home life, due to his sister's abuse, but the prospect of Joe teaching him to become a blacksmith has always made him happy. Now that Pip has learned that being a blacksmith is not the most respected profession, he no longer feels happy about becoming one. His depressing narration in chapter 14 is very different from his more childlike approach to life and hopeful outlook Pip had before chapter 9.
When I was very little I thought very highly of my grandfather. He didn't visit very often, still doesn't, but one year he promised to come and visit on my birthday. I was very excited, but on my birthday he never came. On that day I learned two things. One, my grandfather was not the perfect human being I thought he was. He lied to me and never apologized. Two, you can't always trust people to do the right thing, even those who are close to you.

Great Expectations Question

"When my ablutions were completed,I was put into clean linen of the stiffest character, like a young penitent into sackcloth, and was trussed up in my tightest and fearfullest suit."ch.7 p.51

I am unsure of what some of these words mean. What is an ablution and how was Pip "abluting"? What is a young penitent and how does Pip act like one?

Essay Thingy

One example of a character who lives to pursue pleasure is Cecily Cardew. Although she is not as extreme as some of the other characters and may even come across at first as innocent and naive, her selfish actions are later revealed. The first thing you discover about Cecily's selfish nature is that she constantly avoids studying. She avoids it because she dislikes it, and as a result, she is a very ignorant person. But despite this she faces no consequences for her lack of intelligence. Mrs. Prism rarely tries to reinforce her education and nobody judges her based on her stupidity. Another way Cecily pursues pleasure is by fretting over her garden. Cecily is very attentive to how things look so she spends the time she should be studying watering her garden and making it beautiful. She does this to escape the boredom of her everyday life, and nobody tries to stop her, except for maybe Mrs. Prism who doesn't try very hard. On top of this Algernon even compares her beauty to that of her flowers, thus enforcing her behaviour. The final and most extravagant way Cecily pursues pleasure is through writing. When Algernon discovers that Cecily created a fantasy engagement between the two of them Cecily says "... I was forced to write your letters for you, three times a week and sometimes oftener." Cecily had created a fantasy in her mind about being engaged to Algernon which she brought to life by writing about it in her diary and writing letters to herself. She does this to pretend she has the dramatic romantic life she's always wanted but doesn't have. Her actions come across as desperate and somewhat creepy but despite this, Algernon does not find her any less desirable and the two end up actually getting married. Cecily is ultimately a good example of a character who lives for pleasure. Though some may argue that she is like any other teenage girl, selfish and air headed and wishing for what she doesn't have, but unlike other girls who only wish, Cecily actively pursues her desires without any regard for what other people think of her actions. And even when Cecily does behave like a greedy brat, she still often gets what she wants.


I'm sorry sorry sorry this was posted so late! My computer at my mom's isn't working so I had to wait until saturday evening to do it at my dad's. I'm sorry!

1. It was hard coming up with examples for Cecily because there really is only one obvious way she pursues pleasure. If you have any other ideas please tell me. I didn't change much from my first draft except that I took out the first two concrete details because they were no longer required for the assignment. (Thank GOD, they sucked.)

2. Just give me any comments you may have. Are there any other examples of how she pursues pleasure? Should I change the CD? Did I overuse some words?

Dishonesty in The Importance of Being Earnest

Dishonesty is a major theme in The Importance of Being Earnest. Epigrams occur quite often in the dialogue where the character will contradict him or herself in a humorous way. Oscar Wilde paints the picture of the upper class being spoiled and snobbish, often lying to get there way no matter who they may hurt or what problems may ensue. The title of the play itself is a contradiction. Earnest means to be truthful, serious, and polite, which none of the characters in this story are. The characters lie about their identities and pretend that they have friends or relatives to visit so they can escape from their everyday lives.

Oscar Wilde, to me, seems to be saying that lying and being dishonest is okay. Even after almost all of the characters are revealed to be liars, none of them face any consequences for their actions and they all live happily ever after. He might be saying that dishonesty can never be eradicated from our lives so we should instead live with it and even use it to our personal advantage.

10 Evaluations

1. Enola
Video
It was mostly just a listing of character's while the song Beasts of England played. I didn't understand how this conveyed examples of literary elements.

2. Aaron
Picture
I thought it was a very creative idea for a project. He had a unique way of conveying literary elements. Was a good representation of the cycle the characters go through.

3. Galen
Comic
Fun to look at. Successfully demonstrated understanding of literary elements.

4. Daryl
Picture
Demonstrated his memory and understanding of discussion topics. Showed his understanding of the connection of the story to the Russian Revolution.

5. Olivia
Picture
Very cute and funny. Conveys understanding of literary elements (though it may be a bit of a stretch.)

6. Emma
Collage
Nice symbolism. Conveys understanding of literary elements.

7. Matt
Picture
Fun to look at but I... didn't... get it. I don't think it showed understanding of any literary elements.

8. Joel
Picture
Demonstrated irony effectively, but not much else.

9. Catherine
Picture
Named characters and demonstrated her understanding of their social standing, but I'm not sure it met requirements for literary elements.

10. Porter
Comic
Very funny. Demonstrated his understanding of irony.

Well what can I say? I don't really think I'm fit to judge my classmate's projects in the first place. I think the majority of them did very good jobs. I probably should have payed closer attention to the project requirements. I do think that I used a creative project idea that few people chose.

New Year's Resolution

Normally I never make new year's resolutions. My dad says that people shouldn't use a holiday as an excuse to change themselves. People can change whenever they want. But,for the sake of this post, I will pinpoint one of my many flaws and go over how I can make myself better.
I guess my worst flaw is how I procrastinate. It's human nature to procrastinate, we all do it, but I seem to have a big problem with it. Whenever I get a project, I usually do it at the last minute. I do this because whenever I get a project I become very anxious. I get worried that I'll make mistakes, turn in poor work and end up getting a bad grade. So what I do is instead of tackling the project early and doing it calmly and carefully, I avoid it because I'm afraid of failure.
I've known this about myself for a long time and believe me I've tried fixing it, but its been very difficult. So maybe I need a battle plan. I could start making to-do lists so I don't have to worry about forgetting things I'm supposed to do. When I get a project, I could try cutting up the work into smaller pieces so the task doesn't seem so intimidating. These strategies should prove to be very helpful.
By not procrastinating not only will my work be better, but I'll also fell less stressed about school. The idea of impending projects won't keep me up at night anymore because I will have them taken care of. I think just the reward of better grades and less stress will keep me sticking to this resolution.

Animal Farm Creative Project

Animal Farm Poem

Beasts of England from far and near,
listen if you'd please
We would like to say
that on this day
Farmer Jones has run off in fear
After a gunning
we sent his men running
they can no longer do us harm
And so we must cheer
so loud and clear
Hurrah for Animal Farm!

Animal Farm, where pastures are green
and where no danger shall dwell
Where our motto is right, uptight, and tright
"All animals are equal"

Comrades we shall lead you,
but please have a heart
We must eat your apples and your milk
to keep us strong and smart

All the rumors that've spread
That Snowball's not dead
Are complete and utter lies.
He is a flicker of dust
A metal to rust
A tyrant with no alibis.
But now a hero is in our midst
We must hail his name as one
A pig with power
To light our dark hour
All hail Napoleon!

Animal Farm, where the pastures are cut by the admirably obedient,
Where the leader is good, who saves our food,
Napoleon was heaven-sent!

You will begin work on the windmill at a quarter to eight,
No breaks, how do you think we will last if we do not work these hours straight?
Your tired hooves are no matter to our Big Brother, Napoleon,
You will work, and work, and Work, and WORK, until construction is done!

So build the windmill on our Animal Farm that will provide electricity,
The things you've heard of Snowball are false, our leader thought the windmill up, see?!

Our leader is sad to announce that there are traitors amongst our kin,
So let the dogs out, his secret police, to punish them for their sin!
This is what happens when you disobey what our loving leader has said,
We rip your throats, and steal your oats,
Stay in line or we'll have your head!

On Animal Farm where we labor for free, and work all through the night!
Take the good horse Boxer for example:
"Napoleon is always right!"

It's sad to hear that strong Boxer has died while the windmill was being made,
But mourn not, for there is work to be done,
While we engage in trade!
One dead horse for "precious supplies", get to work, you have a year.
While your hooves are prying, your old ones dying,
We pigs pour a cup of beer!

Animal Farm, where the pigs and dogs exert complete control,
And those who say WE disobey are WRONG, you ought to know!

Ladies and gentlemen, the civilized, may I have your attention please?
Napoleon is proud to say that our subordinates are on their knees.
They work, they sow, they obey, and they can never do us harm,
So good farmers of England, let's have a drink, courtesy of Manor Farm!

Animal Farm, it was formerly called, now ceases to exist.
We drink and smoke and engage in trade,
How can good humans resist!?