The End

When Mrs. Gilman first told us about blogs all I could think of was just more homework for the weekend. I thought blogs would just be more busy work, I am glad to say I was wrong. Once I finally got into writing blogs, I finally considered how I could benefit from them as writer. Knowing my peers may be reading my writing helped me strive to make my writing not only better quality, but relatable to the people who would be reading it. I do believe I have improved as a writer over the course of the year; my unique style hasn’t changed but has become stronger.

 I believe the importance of blogs is elaborate and express our understanding on what we are doing in class.  We merely do the work to get it done. With blogs, we were able to enhance our knowledge of we had been learning in class.

Thought we may not realize it at the time, all the seemly endless hard work we put into our everyday activities will reward us in one way or another. Alfred A. Montapert once said, “Do not confuse motion and progress. A rocking horse keeps moving but does not make any progress.” To me this quote relates to all the work that I have put into my hopes of being successful in school and throughout life. I think what Montapert was trying to get across was don’t just do the work to be doing it, but work hard and learn from it. As tedious as blogs may be, they have helped me learn and develop as a writer and a student.

Memorable Assignment

Lights. Camera. Action! I have always loved the process of creating movies; writing the script, loading on costumes, camera angles, special effects, dramatic music, and long hours of hard work to get it perfect. So when I had the chance to express my knowledge and understanding of a book in any art form, what better way than to portray it through a movie. Along with my friends, we were able to act, film, and edit a movie Mrs. Gilman described as "Amazing", "hilarious", and "hard to top." 

It all began with the book, Pride and Prejudice. None of us had really enjoyed the book but that wasn't going to stop us from creating a movie that everyone else could find pleasure in. After writing a script which compressed the 400 seemly-endless pages into a 4 minute movie, we were off to the dress up box. However, we still needed to meet up with one of our "cast" members who happened to be sick that day. Once the four hours of filming were done, we were ready to edit. Unfortunately, there was no way to get the movie from the camera onto the computer. While trying to import the movie, we some how managed to record over the whole video. We had about 30 seconds of footage left. I remember turing to my group member and saying we lost everything. The Sunday evening was coming to an end and we had no time to re-film for the project was due the next day. Thankfully, after talking to our teacher, we were given one more day to re-create our movie.

I do believe everything happens for a reason, because our second video was far better than anything we had done the previous day. I honestly think we couldn't have done it any better and I think that was present in our movie. I will never forget the endless hard work we put into that movie and how thankful we were to have a teacher that understood all the frustration we felt that day. It was all worth it in the end.

Poetry

When I was little, right before bed, my dad would pull out Go Dogs Go by Dr, Seuss. The edges were frayed, the corners bent on each page, and pages were slowly falling out. He would read me that book every night. I would listen with innocent ears to the silly rhymes while gazing amongst the color-filled pictures spread across the pages. My dad would create different voices for each dog making the story come to life.

 Throughout the book we would take turn reading lines (me usually saying the girl dogs lines), and as we reached our favorite part we no longer had to look down at the page for we had it memorize. I would   ask my dad (citing the book) "Do you like my hat?" in response he would "No, I do not like your hat," and we would both close with a goodbye. Those few lines have been said all throughout my life, though they have little meaning; great memories stand behind them. Occasionally my dad will say those lines with the same voice he used when I was little. 

I have never enjoyed writing poetry, for I am just not very good at it. However, I can most appreciate poetry within a song. The music behind the words help set the tone towards the writers feelings. I hope a can develop a new appreciation towards poetry and become a stronger poet myself.

Conflict

In Romeo and Juliet Juliet is known to be the obedient daughter of the Capulets, but when she finds herself falling for the her family's enemy, Romeo, she tangles herself into unpleasant situations. From a girl being so dependent on her parents, Juliet is now forced to make her own decisions. Juliet's disobedience and poor choices lead her to the death of Romeo and herself. Through this, the reader is able to convey the message that young love can lead to poor decisions if not given time to grown; Romeo and Juliet push the boundaries of love and cause their every so powerful love to be a dangerous game.

Even though as young teens, we don't know the feeling of being "star cross lovers" with someone, but we do find ourselves in situations in which we make poor decisions in order to seek pleasure or happiness. Just like Juliet, we fall into the trap of how modern eyes see it, peer pressure. Juliet was willing to do anything for Romeo, and the everyday teenager will do anything for what we think is a "good" reputation. Though this message may not have crossed Shakespeare's' mind while creating it, but the timeless tale's message is forever changing as time goes on.

Romeo and Juliet: Its Everywhere!

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare immerses the reader into a sappy story full of passion, true love, and destiny. Many stories, song, and movies can compare to this widely known play; a movie that mirrors the story of Romeo and Juliet, is the ever so predicable tale of the Illusionist. The movie is solely based off of how a young boy falls in love with a girl highly above his social standards, along with his art of magic. Because of their social standing their love is torn apart causing them to loose touch of each other. He became a magician and traveled the world in hopes to be reunited with his long lost love, only to find that she had remarried. As the story goes on, her tragic death causes him to expose his powers leaving him nothing but a depressed man emptied of love; a man a lot like Romeo. We hear of many stories based off of Romeo and Juliet at all ages, it is a timeless tale of love and destiny that can never be forgotten.

Connecting with Romeo and Juliet

Despite its fancy pedigree, Romeo and Juliet was a play I never found interest in. The romanticized characters and the dramatic plot was nothing of my taste. As we began to read the play, I found it to be a much more likable story. Shakespeare added an unexpected humor that can never be dated. Through Shakespeare's unique and clever writing style, I discovered a new appreciation for the play. Shakespeare intertwined characters full of love, humor, and madness. A character that attracted my attention the most was the Nurse. She adds vulgar humor that surprises the reader while incorporating a new tone to the play. Though I cannot relate much to the Nurse,  I can see her sharing the same attitude as a person would today; making her stand out from the others.

Our reading in class has helped me develop a much better understanding for the play. Reading aloud in class brings out so much more to the play, then just lines on a page. Hearing the lines spoken and being apart of the play, makes the story much more enjoyable. What we've been doing in class has given me a better take on the play and a new perspective to the forever known play of Romeo and Juliet.

Wrapping Up Great Expectations

Throughout the novel, Pip battles with the effect of things going from bad to worse. From Great Expectations the reader conveys the message of total corruption through fortune; but what seems to be overlooked by the reader is that situations can always get worse. Through Pip's predicament, the reader is exposed to a young boy born into a plain life, but wanting something more. Later in the novel Dickens proves that a true "gentlemen's" lifestyle is never as glamorous as it may seem; thus having Pip realize that his once seeming bad life style has grown worse as he interweaves the struggles through fortune and love. As the story loops back back to where Pip began, the reader takes in the message of enjoying what you have, and being grateful for what you are given.

Thoughts on Reading

I had been dreading the day we would begin to read Great Expectations; but with low hopes I was surprised to find myself a bit intrigued by the fascinating characters. Consisting of sentences that could cover a whole; it was not a writing style I was used to. Though Dickens' style of writing was different, and sometimes hard to convey, I loved the way he was able to scatter hints throughout the entire novel leaving the reader puzzled yet wanting to read more. I fell in love with the playful Joe from the beginning, and I as I began to like Joe's character more I drew distant from Pip's changing self. However, the one character that kept me reading this book was Miss Havisham. Her crazy attitude and dark rotting house added a lot more excitement throughout the novel. I wouldn't have been able to fulling understand the book without the help of Sparknotes. I used it every time before reading to try and understand what I was about to read. I found it to be very helpful.

Reading Great Expectations was not my first priority; I would often save it for my time laying in bed. I annotated as I was reading and would find quotes that could come an handy later. I did rely off a Sparknotes for a couple chapters in which I lacked at reading. I regret not reading them. For the chapters I thought weren't important, became a much larger concept as everything began to relate back. I realized then that Sparknotes is helpful for understanding what you read, not what you didn't read. Even though I may have not read the whole entire book "on my own," I did manage to complete the assignments all on time. When Sparknotes couldn't fully help me, I would turn to my friends who understood what was going on; and together we were able to fill in the blanks. Reading Great Expectations helped me advance as a reader, but I still lack a few qualities in becoming a great and understanding reader.

Photo Post

This picture represents Pip  becoming an easy victim of society and wanting to be seen as something greater. Relating back to the novel, the car can be seen as the vulnerable Pip looking into the face of something much more than how he sees himself. With that being said, the picture overall relates to the theme of Pip becoming a gentleman.

Connections

In Great Expectations, Charles Dickens conveys the message of living a simple life to the reader. He shows through the passionate character, Pip that life can be seen more beautifully through a simple life. Once come power, fortune, and class, it is never easy to put it away. Dickens portrays through Pip that though he plans on becoming a gentlemen, life is better lived sweet and simple.

Pip starts off seen as an innocent and young boy doing what he is told. He knows who he wants to be like, and that is his brother-in-law, Joe. But when Pip gets a taste of much more after meeting the beautiful Estella, he looks much further than Joe. Pip's dream is now to become a gentleman.

Little Miss Sunshine nearly mirrors Great Expectations with its similar characters and matching plot. It begins with a young girl, named Olive Hoover, full of hope and innocence; just as Pip is seen. Olive is looked upon by her dad as someone that needs to be something in life; however coming from the small town they live in, that dream is far ahead of her. Olive's grandpa, Edwin Hoover, her relates to Joe in Great Expectations because he thinks no less of Olive and her dreams of becoming a beauty queen. After receiving an exciting phone call about a pageant, Olive's journey begins.

Just like Pip, Olive cares about how people see her, and though her family knows Olive does not look nor act like the other girls, they do not stop her in becoming a beauty queen. With all the obstacles that get in their way of reaching the pageant, the Hoover family sways between falling apart and coming back together day by day on their journey. In the end, once they realize the need to support Olive, the family unites to turn away the ridicule from the crowd, and finally willing come together.

Both Olive and Pip both strive to be the ideal person, but in doing so they both come to better know themselves and better understand who they are as a person. I predict that Pip will realize, just as Olive did, that he is seen as a better person in his own thick black boots (and red cowgirl boots in Olive's case.)

Second Stage

Pip's character begins to change for he is in hope of pursuing his role of becoming a gentlemen. Along with a changing attitude, Pip's expectations are greater, for he is sent to London. With high hopes, Pip is disappointed; for he says, "While I was scared by the immensity of London, I think I might have had some faint doubts whether it was not rather ugly, crooked, narrow, and dirty. His goal of becoming a gentlemen seems much further away now that he is in London. Dickens uses words like crooked, ugly, and narrow to show that the upper class is not as charismatic as it may seem.

Pip is no longer seen as the once innocent and naive young boy. Though Pip has seem to have lost his innocents in the second stage, Pip allows his determination in for being upper class to cause him to become just as naive as child. Pip's lost character would have been awed by the crooked and narrow streets of London; yet he sees it as nothing but a disappointment. Dickens spreads the motif of "becoming a gentleman" all throughout the book; showing to the reader that it can cause much harm then good on the ones that truly care about you. 

Pip's Quote

Pip's attitude has changed for being an apprentice to Joe; he now realizes that he can take bigger steps than Joe and he no longer desires to be a blacksmith. Pip begins to build his chain that will help him discover his true character. His new character is revealed when he says, "I am afraid I was ashamed of the dear fellow-I know I was ashamed of him...." Pip no longer looks to Joe as a remodel, but rather sees him as a motivation to go further in life. 

The most defining moment was when I realized that I could be seen as an independent person. I not longer defined myself by how I was seen by others, but how I how I was able to see myself. The links began to fit together once I was able to set and stick to my goals; not letting anyone or anything get in the way. Just as Pip doesn't let the negative thoughts of others influence his pursuing of goals; I have and will do the same. My chain wont break.

Confusion and Frustration.

In Chapter 4, the dinner scene seems to lose me in its path as the characters rapidly change topics. The endless conversations simply just don't make sense to me; but I found that Pip seems to always return to speaking of the gravy. But does it mean anything important?

"'True, sir. Many a moral for the young,' returned Mr. Wopsle; and I knew he was going to lug me in, before he said it; 'might be deducted from the text.' ('You listen to this,' said my sister to me, in a severe parenthesis)
Joe gave me some more gravy."

What was the main idea from this dialog clogging chapter? Are they speaking metaphorically? I'm just confused.

The Importance of Being Earnest

The Importance of Being Earnest sets out to address dishonesty while poking fun at the higher social classes during the Victorian age. When Lady Bracknell states, "It is a terrible thing for a man to find out suddenly that all his life he had been speaking nothing but the truth."The irony found in this is that we are told to speak the truth for most of our lives, but then it could be seen as a terrible thing. Dishonesty was largely involved with marriage; "A man who marries without knowing Bunbury has a very tedious time of it." This statement is saying that a man who marries and has not partied as well as lie and cheat, will not have a happy successful marriage. The word earnest plays a huge role throughout the book. In the beginning you are introduced to Jack's "brother" Ernest; but just as things began to fall out of place towards the end, Jack then realizes his name has been Ernest from the beginning. The irony in all of this was that something that was once a lie had held the truth all along. This relates back to the title of the play because it truly shows the "importance" of being Ernest/ Earnest. Being in the upper class largely related to pursuing pleasure, for instance once Bunbury dies Algernon no longer has the amount of freedom as he did with having Bunbury. This just comes to show that in order to find pleasure you must start with a few lies.

Through escalating lies and far too many fibs, the characters all show a side of dishonesty. Jack and Algernon create an alter ego in which they can go and party under one identity while keeping their clean image under the other. The rest of the characters seem to find a way to constantly manipulate and twist words in order to keep their image. The message in which Oscar Wilde is trying to convey is how a simple lie can arise to completely new problem.

New Year's Resolution

For the New Year I plan to be active and get a workout everyday. Since I am currently playing tennis only twice a week; my goal is to work out the other days of the week to improve my strength and endurance. Thankfully, I am not going into this alone. One of my close friends has also planned to do the same. Having a friend with me will help me a lot on improving; not only will she motivate me, but she will bring out my competitive side forcing me to work harder.

Working out everyday will improve my lifestyle by keeping my body healthy and strong. It will also keep me away from the computer and the distractions of technology. I also hope that changing my schedule of working out, I will also be able to change some of my eating habits and not each as much junk food regularly. I hope with the help of my friend, I can keep to this challenge during the new year.

Animal Farm Project Evaluation

Amaya and Kyra made a movie. The movie was defiantly creative with the use of the cut out animals. While it was humorous, they did manage to make the movie very clean cut and easy to follow. They clearly showed how the animals had to adjust to the new commandments of the farm by having a different scene depict every commandment. As the movie continued, they were able to foreshadow the manipulation of power with the pigs and how it began to affect the animals.

Jake made picture the demonstrated the struggles of the Animal Farm with a picture of a collapsed windmill . He showed the irony that was within in the book with portraying a picture of a innocent and sweet looking pig towards the bottom, and compared it to the cartoon pig placed at the top page with clothes and money. The overall picture showed the struggle and manipulation the farm when through.

Adrienne created a movie where the music and captions really captured the theme of the book. The music at first was always a rebellious rock music showing the animals taking control of the farm; then the movie would go on and they would show how the commandments were manipulated and the music would fade to a depressing tone. The movie was very well made, but I think they could've fit more important facts of the book into the movie with a adjusted version of the Beast of England song.

Galen's comic strip was one of my favorite projects for Animal Farm. The pictures and captions of the strip very well portrayed the theme of the book. He was able to put most of the main ideas into one; either explaining it through the captions or the pictures. The last picture with a half pig half man face was what really caught my eye; it was a great way to depict the ending of the book through just a simple picture.

Joel's picture was very humorous and creative in the way of making it into a math equation. He showed the struggle of the farm by showing that man was greater then pig, and then by the second picture he proved how the pigs became equal to man.

Oliva's picture was very simple but had some depth to it, if you really thought about it. She showed a farmer and pig standing equally tall next to each other while drinking beer. You could easily understand the manipulation of power that the pigs committed, though it lacked the struggles the animals of Animal Farm went through.

Emma's picture had a very different layout from the others, making it harder to understand. I could tell there was a lot of meaning behind the picture, but in the fact that it was so unique made it hard for me to find that meaning. I did really like how she made the word truth look smeared and ruined.

For Aaron's picture, it was easy to understand the meaning the picture though it lacked truth. The picture showed that it was a continuing cyle, which in the book is not true. He did have a very clever idea though and defiantly transferred the message from the book into his picture. Overall, it was very well done.

Hannah and Nicoles trailer was very well made, but I wouldn't have been able to understand it if I hadn't have read the book. I liked it a lot, I just wished to see more of the theme and meaning weaved into it.

Maddie's picture a lot different from the others because she incorporated the other animals from the book into it, rather than just the pigs. I like how she showed the feelings of the animals throughout the book and in the end only the pigs where equal (to only each other and man!).

After looking at most of my classmates project, I am still very proud of ours! Our goal was not only capture the meaning behind the book but to make if unique from other projects, and I believe we pulled that off. We put all our effort into editing and filming the movie and the overall product clearly showed it. I think it can defiantly measure up.

Animal Farm Project

For our artistic response to animal farm, we made a trailer and mini movie. The video shows foreshadowing and themes through the background music. One song is about power and control, which foreshadows corruption. Irony is present when Napolean accepts an invitation to drink with the farmer breaking not just one, but two of his own laws. We also added in the windmill as a symbol of success in a unique way. We hope this video enhances your perception and knowledge of Animal Farm and that you enjoy the movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt-ZM9Rkm78