Coming Of Age Perks of Being a Wallflower (Last blogpost ever love life! )

Overall I really liked the book. It felt like a really teenagers diary. I could completely and utterly relate to a lot of it. I think it's the perfect book to read when your coming of age because it explains so many things and you really feel like your not alone.

I also think that Charlie is such a well developed character. He's relatable he gets angry, he's confused and he grows and changes through out the book. And I think the author did a really good job of making him seem like a real teenage boy. He goes through things with girls and his family and trying things with his friends, I think all teenagers have a hard time with these things and figuring out what they wanna be.

I think for Charlie having a good group of friends (like i said in my last blogpost) is the most important thing. And for Charlie it helped. He found these people he could related to and fun with. I think they really helped him explore everything he was feeling and they had conversations about it and it wasn't an unspoken thing any of it. Thats the kind of friends I want in high school. I don't want to become someone I'm not and I think who your friends with can change you into someone you don't want to be. But if your with the right people high school can be an amazing. You learn so much and find out a lot about yourself.

For Charlie I think that his freshman year was an incredible roller coaster of finding himself. He had his first girl friend and once he realized she wasn't right for him he knew he had to end it. He met Sam And Patrick who were really his best friends and did very nice things for him. Any questions he had they answered and i think it helped that they were older.

IUN the end this book has really taught me that this coming of age time in our lives is made for us to explore and understand new things. We can make some pretty bad decisions and discoveries but also incredible ones. We are meant to mess up and learn from are mistakes. Everything that were feeling and going through in the end is all pretty much the same as every other teenager in the world.

Coming of Age Novel: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I think this book was a perfect choice for this unit. He was instantly relatable in every way. After his friend died he didn't really have anyone to turn too. Also, he seemed to notice the people who in high school had known hint he year before and talked to him and now, don't at all. That's something very common that happens, even in middle school I think. He  talked about this one girl that he used to be sort of friends with, she was really smart a kinda of pretty but when she got to high school her body matured and now she acts completely stupid around other boys and doesn't say hi to Charlie (my main character) anymore. I think that's one really stupid things girls sometimes due in high school. Dumbing yourself down isn't cute.

There is a scene where he is telling his friends Patrick and Sam about how at a party of his brother's these kids came into his room and were making out. Apparently they were in "love" he then described the things the boy was forcing the girl to do to him. After they were all quiet and Charlie said, "He raped her didn't he?" Patrick then nodded yes. This was one of the first times he went from innocence to knowledge. he understood what had happened that night and it was sick. He saw the boy and felt a sudden hate for him but him and the same girl were still together. They were still "in love". I think that for Charlie realizing that this happened even in his school really matured him. I think he knew these things happened but now he was very aware and disgusted by them. 

I also think for Charlie it's good that he has his really close friends Patrick and Sam who are older than him. I feel like when you're maturing and going through all this new stuff you need a really good team of friends that you like and trust and if you do it can be an amazing experience. I think for the most part everything Charlie has learned from them has really been a great help. I think if you don't have a good group of friends when you're coming of age it all seems very scary and you feel all alone. 

Break Blogpost #2

    1. The student should not have plagiarized in the first place. They should have cited and quoted the plagiarized material and elaborated on it. They also could have put it their own words or summarized it.

   2."There is a peaceful essence flowing from the structures. Perhaps the cool dark colors and the fiery windows spark memories of our own warm childhood years filled with imagination of what exists in the night and dark starry skies. The center point of the town is the tall steeple of the church, reigning largely over the smaller buildings. This steeple casts down a sense of stability onto the town, and also creates a sense of size and seclusion.To the left of the painting there is a massive dark structure that develops an even greater sense of size and isolation." (vangoughgallery.com) I found this and thought it was the perfect way of describing the painting. 

     That would have been a better way to incorporate it into the response. 

3.   #1: Cite your source. 

      #2: Put it into your own words. 

      #3: Summarize. 

Break Blogpost #1

     I really loved Alli's post on Much Ado About Nothing. I really liked how serious, sophisticated and mature it was. It was clear and concise but very detailed and elaborate. She really seemed to know what she was talking about. It also seemed very planned and thought out. Like i said her attention to detail was amazing. She payed a lot of attention to the little things like the shadows, music and lightening.

     I also really liked Gabby's post on Glass. It was incredibly organized and planned out. Every paragraph had a topic that she stayed with and supported. Also, each paragraph led into the next idea and it kept evolving into new ideas.  Her intro and conclusion were also very good.

    I could work on both these things. I need to be short and to the point instead of rambling on and on about things and getting off topic. I also need to plan out my responses before writing them I usually just write them as I go and sometimes they are confusing. Also I need to have more focused and structured responses. I think all of these could happen if I planned out my responses more.

Review: Much Ado About Nothing

We went to see Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare about a week ago and I loved it. Not only because I just find Shakespeare so interesting, and that is comedies are great, but because the whole experience was just wonderful!

I really liked how intimate the theater was. It was a pretty small theater and I loved how the actors were so close to you. I sat in the front row in the center so I was very close. The way the actors would come in from all different entrances and doors in the theater was really cool. I felt like i really had to pay attention to every different part of the theater at all times. It was very exciting. They would also come about 2 inches away from me and not seemed fazed at all. It was crazy!

I also liked how they set it in the 20's. I felt like for this play especially it worked quite nicely. Seeing as the 20's were full of mischievous and daring people like flappers and such it made a lot of sense with the plot. Also there were speakeasies too so the sneaking around that goes on through out the play worked well with that too. I found it funny it was set in the 20's because we had just been learning about them so it was very easy to link things back to the time.

The actors were exceptional as well, not to mention very hilarious at points. But I especially liked Benedick, I thought he did a very nice job of portraying his character. Also the woman who played Beatrice was very exciting and rude. Which made total sense for her character. I also really liked the contrast between Hero and Beatrice. Everything about them was complete opposites!

My Favorite Character in Romeo and Juliet

One of my favorite characters on Romeo in Juliet is Mercutio. I wouldn't say he's my favorite, it's more that i am so incredibly intrigued and interested in him. In the book he's described as a dreamer and in real life, I'm always interested in people like him, "Dreamers" if you will. I feel the way they speak and express their ideas. For example, in Romeo and Juliet even though it is all very poetic, there is something so moving and exciting about Mercutio's lines. When he is talking about Queen Mab, it almost feels like a song.

He reminds me of one of my very close family friends. He can go on and on about a subject for hours and always have something new to say about it once he's exhausted one idea and it never seems to get boring. I feel like if you don't follow his thoughts one by one, and really pay close attention it so easy to get lost and miss so much of what he says.

The other thing I love about people like this is just watching them talk. The way their eyes go crazy when something i exciting or they are mad. Then how still and calm they can be when talking about something of great importance to them. And when they are thinking so hard about how to express what they are trying to say and you can feel the thoughts rushing through their minds picking out words that fit so perfectly. To me it is completely fascinating and i often picture Mercutio much like this.

Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 1

Dear Friend,

I have just recently started to read Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. I really like it so far. The language is so beautiful, even if he is saying something completely vulgar. When I was reading Romeo's monologues about Rosaline I could not help but be moved. The text is so witty and flowy it makes me feel as if I'm standing there talking to Romeo and feeling his pain. He is by far my favorite character so far.

So far one thing I've noticed that you really have to do to to understand it, you have to read carefully and thoroughly through each line and really use the definitions on the side of the page. They help a lot with understanding the main points of whats going on and convert it into modern day language. It makes it pretty easy to read at least for me.

I can't wait until I meet Juliet. I've seen the movie a ton of times and I either fall in love with some characters again or hate them even more than i did. Like Tybalt for example, every time he seems to get worse and worse. Everythign about this play is exciting. There is romance, betrayal, hatred, and so many other things that make it wonderful I can't wait to read more of it!

Sonnet (Untitled)

One of the most beloved in her life ever

You left an empty feeling in her heart

You had something they never could sever

You melted away and now you’re apart

She watched you go through all the tough harsh pain

But she couldn’t do a thing to help you

She thinks about it again and again

She’s awfully scared and knows not what to do

The little girl you taught so many things

She’s lost and only memories can help

Ever since those last lonely nights of spring

With all her desperate cries, screams, and yelps

And maybe soon she will finally dream

Then forget her troubles and childhood screams

2 Poems (3rd in post before)

What is Poetry?
Poetry is the wildest of storms
twisting words and letters

It is fire
lashing and whipping thoughts

It is the cool waters
calming your senses

And it is the wind
whisking you away
to other worlds
of unknown things

What happens to a dream deferred? 
Does it melt away like ice and snow

Or fall like a feather to the ground?

Does it sit like a watched pot and never boil?

Or does it stand proudly
at the end of a long tunnel

Maybe it piles up
because there is no space

And soon enough,
it will just be

Replaced.

New York Office by Edward Hopper

Edward Hopper was born in 1882 in Nyack New York.  He unlike most artists of his time, was a realist. People were starting to do abstract paintings but it never seemed to interest him. He studied art in New York City and his teacher Robert Henri taught him to like around there lives and to capture and see what life really was. (pg.12-13) Hopper loved this idea, something other artists didn’t want to do. Even when he went to Paris and saw some of the most amazing modern art he wasn’t very impressed with any of it. So he kept painting everyday things. (Edward Hopper by Mike Venezia)

Even though the painting above is simply of a girl at an office window I feel it is quite mysterious. The shadows and lightening of the piece give it that mystery. There are so many things for you to wonder about her. Is she happy standing there working? What could be going through her head? Is she stuck waiting for something interesting to happen feeling lost and alone.You won't ever know that's the thing, you are left to believe what ever you want but not knowing adds to the sense of mystery.

I think the coloring of the painting really helps set the mood too. The dark grays and black with very dim lighting, the use of blues and grays for the shadows is very depressing and bland yet so beautiful. I feel that if the office were bright and colorful you would not get the sense on loneliness and longing for something new, at least I wouldn’t. Even the windows of the other building are darkened and black instead of light. One thing I also noticed is how she is kind of the only light thing in the picture. I think she acts as the beacon of hope the shining light for everyone else, even though she doesn’t seem very content.

NEW YORK OFFICE

The shadows holding her in

Hiding behind her done hair

And icey blue dress

She is soft

She is caring

She is lost and alone

Waiting to be whisked away

To be torn out and found

Long gone from the dreary

Boring people

Longing for excitement

But until it comes she is stuck.

Drowning.

It's Kind of a Funny Story: Reflecting

     I am currently sitting in my bed starring at this page not knowing what to write about my book. I'm feeling overwhelmed and I would much rather forget about this and current events, get a zero, and go to sleep. To be honest I almost did. While reading It's Kind of a Funny Story -even though it is about a boy who does give up- I realized he is exactly the opposite of what I want to happen to me. Craig falls off the edge, he comes to a point in life where he thinks he can no longer manage it. Now, I've had days where I've been so stressed and told myself that I can't handle getting the work done. I'm too tired and too stressed to deal with it. But after reading this book I realized i shouldn't do that.
     I think if you tell yourself you can get your work done and finish everything no matter what you think you can. You have to push through and deal with it. It's all a learning experience. I probably have done the same thing for weeks, waiting till the very last minute to get everything done. And just like every other thursday here I am and 11:30 writing a reading response and knowing I'll be up late finishing the rest of my homework telling myself I shouldn't have put it off till now. Everyone I know has these things they wish they could change in their life. Whether it's the person they've become, bad habits they have about school like me or life in general. Yet everyone seems to not be able to break them. They are our safety points as much as they seem to be the opposite. They are the things we feel comfortable doing, going back to them day after day, week after week, year after year.
     I know people say to learn from your mistakes and most of the time i do try to. But there are some things in life you can't let go of. They may be bad but everyone has one thing that's bad for them that they always keep with them. I guess the difference between me and Craig is that he didn't try to bray these habits or change any of them. He let them sit there and build up before they got to overwhelming. You have to handle things as they come and have some sort if guide to how you want it to go, otherwise you will become completely lost.

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

     Reading this book has really made me realize how awful depression really is. I think overall the author really does a good job making everything seem realistic too. But everything that is going through Craig's mind all the time seems like something terrible i would never want to experience. It cycles through everything he thinks in his life he thinks is wrong like his grades, and the stress, and how he doesn't have a girlfriend, and no likes him, and he's pathetic. It's just sad. I know everyone has their ups and downs, but to feel like that every day would really suck. 

     The only thing i don't get about Craig is that he doesn't really try to fix these things. He just simply states he cannot do them. That they will never happen. I don't think this is the right outlook on life for him. I know when I'm not feeling my greatest and things seem plain awful i always try to find the best in something and it helps. I don't think everything is possible obviously it's not but you don't always have to be so down about everything. 

It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

In my book I can really relate to Craig in some ways because i feel as if we both don't really know exactly what we want in our lives at the moment. 

    I know sometimes I feel very lost and confused about what and who I want to be or do with my friends, who I really am and it can make your brain a huge jumble of thoughts. I know I'm only 13 but i still can't help thinking about this kind of stuff. I feel like right now is when your actions really start to form you as a person. What high school you go to affects what college you go and what college you go to effects what you do in life. Which seems so far away but it can still be some what of a worry. 

     I know that Craig was very set at first. He knew where he was going to go to high school and focused on making sure he went there. But once he got there he started to question all the same things I've been questioning. Who he really was, what he wanted to be, if he could handle all the work and stress and the kind of person he wanted to become when he grew up. It is really starting to freak him out. 

     I think it's good for me to be reading this when I am because i was starting to really freak out. Seeing what is happening to Craig I realized I didn't have to be so stressed about everything. As long as I stay focused on everything that matters right now,  all the rest should play out just fine. I think if Craig just realized he needed to take one thing at a time instead of trying to do everything at once he might calm down a bit and be able to handle it all.