Reflecting...

Either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing. ( Benjamin Franklin)

"I learned that you should feel when writing...like child stringing beads in kindergarten, - happy, absorbed and quietly putting one bead on after another." (Brenda Ueland) This describes blogs very well because when you are blogging you are constantly adding to your long string of other ideas. Sometimes you don't enjoy writing and you do a horrible job because your not "absorbed" into the writing. Reading my past blog posts, I realized that I could really tell when I had fun writing my thoughts down when it was about certain topics I liked. Those were the better blogs. Most of the posts that weren't very good I knew was because I wasn't into the writing, whether it be because I just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible or that I didn't like the topic. That's why I love this quote. It just sums up my blog and probably others' so well.

First of all, it was really fun looking back at my recent blogs. This is what I found.

Sometimes I enjoyed posting, sometimes I didn't. It mostly just felt like something to do, and I have stayed up many a night to finish it. However, looking back at my postings, I found that I have, in fact, become a better writer partly from blogging. Not only that, but I enjoy being myself and sharing my thoughts with others, and it was fun discovering other peoples' opinions and analyzing them, wholeheartedly agreeing at times and completely disagreeing at other times. I'll often get ideas from reading other people's blogs. I'll somtimes think, that's a really interesting idea! Now what can I do to build off of it?

My favorite post was probably the one where I had to write about something from my weekend using formal or informal diction. It was fun being myself and getting creative. As Ernest Hemingway once said, "In order to write about life, first you must live it! I also enjoyed topics about The Importance of Being Ernest. I enjoyed that book and I think it helps a lot to like a piece of work when you have to write about it. Otherwise, its not very enjoyable. But on the flip side, forcing myself to write about something I originally didn't like actually made me learn more and like the piece of work a little bit better. Expressing my feelings and opinions definitely has made me a better writer in some ways. It sometimes helped me to understand more and dig in deeper into books. I find that as I'm writing I realize things I normally don't think wouldn't think of because my work is in right front of me in writing, and not just part of a mass of ideas floating around in my head. The environment in which you are can really affect your moods, especially in writing. Right now I'm sitting outside and its awesome! I can't believe I wasted so much time sitting at the table, thinking of stuff to write and not outside in the nice weather! What I also can't believe is how I expected myself to write a good poem sitting at a desk in front of the computer. Oops. I got a little distracted there. Sorry.

"To be a well-flavored man is the gift of fortune, but to write or read comes by nature." (William Shakespeare)

fun assignment...

I really enjoyed writing a paragraph for The Importance of Being Ernest. I really enjoyed working with Kahli and Amaya. We each chose one of the three topics from our rubric to write about. My topic was Cecily Cardew and her diary. Writing my part of the essay late one night, (as usual) when I was writing the essay, I thought of some great ideas and actually enjoyed writing. I realized how deep the character Cecily Cardew really was.

I actually didn't think my paragraph was very good until I read it to the class and people said they thought it was interesting. I'm not trying to brag, but I was so surprised! I don't remember what grade my group and I got, but I guess we did pretty good.

before and after

In elementary school I was always indifferent about poetry. Unlike most people, I never really had a bunch of memorable experiences with poetry worth remembering. Whenever my teacher made us write poems at school it wasn't torture, but as soon as I got it over with I quit thinking about it.

Then, in fourth grade my class went to the library and since I guess we were studying poetry at the time there were tons of books on the tables. Every single one of them contained poems of all kinds. Funny ones, serious ones, long ones and short ones. We all chose to tables to sit at, and after a few minutes of looking at the books everyone took turns reading to the class a poem they liked. I remember discovering a funny poem from the perspective of a kid who was sick. All the words made the reader sound like they had bad congestion. Of course, I tried to read this to the class but read with so little expression that the librarian stopped me and read it herself.

Back then, poetry had just been one of those things you don't love but don't hate (but now I enjoy it more, mainly after Poetry Out Loud). Back then poetry was just another subject. Now however, when I hear the word "poetry", it sparks a warm feeling of excitement. Since I've taken honors English I've been appreciating it a lot more. I really enjoy annotating poems and literary works. What used to be a same old, same old subject is now fun and interesting.

Love or Family?

In the play Romeo and Juliet Juliet has a conflict within herself. After finding out that Romeo has killed Tybalt she can't figure out whether or not to feel happy that Romeo is still alive, since if he wasn't would have. But at the same time she knows that Tybalt is family and Romeo is an enemy to the family. She asks herself, "Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband? Ah, poor my lord, what tongue shall smooth thy name when I, thy three-hours wife, hath mangled it? But wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin? That villain cousin would have killed my husband." (3.2.106-111) This conflict is intra personal. When love is blind it can cause violence. Blind love that doesn't think ahead, is impulsive, and is selfish, has negative consequences.
Many people fall in love with people their families and/or friends don't approve of. And how do they cope with this? Most of them elope, which just gets them into bigger trouble. When people deal with forbidden love they only think about themselves and forget everything else. Their love is now their top priority.

Romeo and Juliet was here

I think the movie Titanic is an example of media similar to the story of Romeo and Juliet. Both stories are about forbidden love and have a sad ending. Juliet has to marry Paris, someone she doesn't care about, as is Rose with Cal. Rose and Juliet are both well behaved and controlled by their mothers. However on the inside they don't want to be that way. Juliet first told Romeo that she doesn't like how their relationship is moving so fast, but then quickly changes her mind afterwards. Rose looked well behaved on the outside but on the inside was bored of her life and even attempted suicide. And of course, the couples in both stories experience love at first sight. The first time they see each other they love each other because they think that the other person is so attractive.

Connections between me and my book

I don't think I can relate much to anyone in the book Romeo and Juliet, but I think I am a little bit like Benvolio, who likes to give advice to friends and tries to make them feel better. Benvolio would do anything to help Romeo with his problems, Even taking him to a party where only Capulets are allowed, ignoring the feud between the families. After reading scene 4 (I hope that counts as part of the first few scenes) I realized that Romeo's intrusion to the party might have escalated the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues.
The language of Shakespeare is actually easy to understand with the help of the footnotes, which are definitely a HUGE help. However, there are lots of jokes and allusions I don't really understand. This is where the reading in class helps. I guess since I'm kind of getting used to Shakespeare's language when I'm reading on my own its easier now. I'm so glad we aren't assigned huge portions of the book to read at home every night like when we were reading Great Expectations. (or maybe it was because that book wasn't very exciting) The first scene took my forever to get through because I had to constantly refer to the footnotes. I still don't think that reading in class helps that much though.

wrapping up GE :D

I think that Charles Dickens really wanted his readers to remember that when you go after something you don't really need you won't become happy or content. Pip went to London with lots of money thinking that would make him happy. You think it will make you feel better about yourself but it only keeps you from realizing what real happiness is. Nowadays this message is still very true. For example, when you get something that everybody else has, what's considered cool, you might be happy for a moment. But after a little while you start to realize that it isn't as great as you thought it was. A great example that supports this message is the silly band. Silly bandz were a huge fad with elementary schoolers for an extremely short period of time. People liked to trade them and cover their wrists, fingers, and necks with them. Then the fad of these interestingly shaped rubber bands started fading away. I can imagine the regret people who spent huge amounts of money on the fad felt then. When you do or take something just to fit into other people's standards you'll never be content. But when you stay content with your circumstances and where you are that's what can make you happier.