1. Intitial impression: I don't really like this book so far, although i find the plot and character of Chris of be interesting, i don't like the writing style. It is too impersonal and documentary-like to engage me so far.
2. I would describe Chris as resistant. The whole book is a consequence of him resisting society and the normality. He resists, obviously, by running off to live in the wilderness.
3.Themes: I definitly think that social conformity is a huge theme in this book. As i mentioned before, Chris defies his parents and their desire for him to conform and adherr to an socially "acceptable" way of life. He shows great independence in his ability to break free of society, because most people feel that society presents them with a comforting sense of routine and security. In my opinion, it is amazing that Chris is able to break all physical and emotional ties that he has to society.
4. Text-to-test: This book sort of reminds me of "Catcher in the Rye" because, similar to how Chris attempts to escape the limitations of society, Holden runs away from school in hopes of escaping the conformity(and adult world) that it represents.
5.Test-to-life: I had a similar experience to Chris's wilderness travels. When i was 11 my family went camping with my cousins, and one day my cousin Danny and i decided to go exploring. We climbed of the hiking paths and explored the forest, but it wasn't long before we got lost. Eventually we were lucky enough to stumble upon a farmiliar hiking trail and we followed that home.This reminds me of when chris is taken off his original path by the flash floods, and he ends up in a place he doesn't recognize.
6.Text-to-world comparison: "Into the Wild" can be compared to the real world because i believe that everyone has a small part of them that secretly wishes they could do what Chris does. Everyone wonders what it would be like to leave everything behind and go start annew. I imagine that if a person was actually able to feed themselves and provide for their basic needs, then the feeling of being cut off from society, and limitations, and rules would be quite liberating.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Review
Ninteen minutes by Jody Picoult
This book follows the lifes of people involved in a school shooting, giving the reader an inside look at thoughts and modivation of the shooter and the main victums. This book is wonderfully crafted, as it portrays the intricacies of human emotions and how everyones emotions impact the lives of others. I think that the idea to write about a school shooting is rather unoriginal- but the way that she explores the murderer's intentions and physology is extremely unique. This book is both a fun read and a book with deeper meaning. A major theme of this book is the impact of actions, it deals a lot with how people are connected and the idea that if one person is struggling, then the community as a whole struggles."Maybe that's because it's all a chain, and a long time ago someone did the first bad thing, and that led someone else to do another bad thing, and so on" (43)Nineteen Minutes also explores relationships, as one of the main character's identity is focused around her boyfriend and her conflicting desires to be with him and to be herself. The two main characters are Josie and Peter, people that are highly involved and impacted by the school shootings. Josie works, throughout the novel, to find her identity and come to terms with her old friendship with Peter. Peter is the murderer who struggles against constant teasing and an inability to conform to society. The author's style is very personal and she easily developes emotional links between each character and the reader. She writes from multiple perspectives to shows multiple accounts of the same tragedy, and she uses vivid imagers to engage the reader.Nineteen Minutes can be found in any Barnes and Noble near you!
Twilight By Stephenie Meyer
Twilight is a romance story featuring an ordinary teenage girl who upon moving to Forks, falls in love with the captivating Edward Cullen. However, she soon finds that Edward holds a terifying and exciting secret that could endanger both of their lives. "Say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things-- from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day..."This story is brilliantly crafted and Stephenie Meyer does a wonderful job making fantasy relate to the everyday people. The story is inspiring, because it is a classic tale of love conquering all, mixed with thrilling action and heated romance. A major theme of this book is immortality, Edward struggles to find purpose in his day-to-day life because he knows that he will never has normal relationships with those around him. Also, this book being a romance obviously deals with relationships and ir explores the way people rely on each other to provide purpose it the others life. The main character Edward Cullen is a vampire who is deeply scarred by the isolation and frivilousness of life as a vampire. Bella Swan is a ordinary girl who is extremely trusting and willing to accept Edward despite his abnormality. Although the actually writing in Twilight is not exceptional it is lighthearted and intimate in portraying Bella's deepest thoughts. Twilight can be purchased at any Barnes and Noble near you!
This book follows the lifes of people involved in a school shooting, giving the reader an inside look at thoughts and modivation of the shooter and the main victums. This book is wonderfully crafted, as it portrays the intricacies of human emotions and how everyones emotions impact the lives of others. I think that the idea to write about a school shooting is rather unoriginal- but the way that she explores the murderer's intentions and physology is extremely unique. This book is both a fun read and a book with deeper meaning. A major theme of this book is the impact of actions, it deals a lot with how people are connected and the idea that if one person is struggling, then the community as a whole struggles."Maybe that's because it's all a chain, and a long time ago someone did the first bad thing, and that led someone else to do another bad thing, and so on" (43)Nineteen Minutes also explores relationships, as one of the main character's identity is focused around her boyfriend and her conflicting desires to be with him and to be herself. The two main characters are Josie and Peter, people that are highly involved and impacted by the school shootings. Josie works, throughout the novel, to find her identity and come to terms with her old friendship with Peter. Peter is the murderer who struggles against constant teasing and an inability to conform to society. The author's style is very personal and she easily developes emotional links between each character and the reader. She writes from multiple perspectives to shows multiple accounts of the same tragedy, and she uses vivid imagers to engage the reader.Nineteen Minutes can be found in any Barnes and Noble near you!
Twilight By Stephenie Meyer
Twilight is a romance story featuring an ordinary teenage girl who upon moving to Forks, falls in love with the captivating Edward Cullen. However, she soon finds that Edward holds a terifying and exciting secret that could endanger both of their lives. "Say that person also did a wide range of bizarre things-- from saving your life under impossible circumstances one day..."This story is brilliantly crafted and Stephenie Meyer does a wonderful job making fantasy relate to the everyday people. The story is inspiring, because it is a classic tale of love conquering all, mixed with thrilling action and heated romance. A major theme of this book is immortality, Edward struggles to find purpose in his day-to-day life because he knows that he will never has normal relationships with those around him. Also, this book being a romance obviously deals with relationships and ir explores the way people rely on each other to provide purpose it the others life. The main character Edward Cullen is a vampire who is deeply scarred by the isolation and frivilousness of life as a vampire. Bella Swan is a ordinary girl who is extremely trusting and willing to accept Edward despite his abnormality. Although the actually writing in Twilight is not exceptional it is lighthearted and intimate in portraying Bella's deepest thoughts. Twilight can be purchased at any Barnes and Noble near you!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
The sit down/ the future
If I could sit down and talk to Obama about anything I would have him clarify his economic plan. Also I want to know more about how he plans to redistribute the wealth. I would probably tell him that although i disagree with his stance on most issues, i think that he is the rightful winner of the presidency because he campaigned so much more skillfully than McCain. And i think that McCain has desicion making issues.
In a few years i am hoping to be a writer of some sort. But i am open to options, i don't want to be a person who just writes crap and novels with no significance. I would have to be writing something of literary merit (though i am not really that skilled). Otherwise i wouldn't mind being a political campaign strategist or a famous opera singer, or a military general that leads its troops to victory and then conquers the world! so yeah Im a dreamer.
In a few years i am hoping to be a writer of some sort. But i am open to options, i don't want to be a person who just writes crap and novels with no significance. I would have to be writing something of literary merit (though i am not really that skilled). Otherwise i wouldn't mind being a political campaign strategist or a famous opera singer, or a military general that leads its troops to victory and then conquers the world! so yeah Im a dreamer.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
School days blues
Lately, i have really been hating spanish class. I absolutly despise participation points! ok so who can actually get all 20 points for every mid-quarter and quarter! i currently have seven and end of the quarter is tomorrow. screw my grade. also i never can get participation points because the teacher never calls on me. So this weekend i have so much to do! i have a huge government project that i need to start. The problem is that i have absolutely no moditation. School has fallen into the background off my life and it really doesn't seem that important right now. I guess i just understand that school isn't everything in life. We are reading The Metamorphasis in AP world lit and i really found it quite funny actually. The whole book is about a guy that turns into a bug! how rididculous is that! anyway its quite amusing in a weird/annoying sort of way!
Adios!
Adios!
Monday, October 13, 2008
fun poem
I am quite sick of school today
i think i might just run away.
to live as a pirate,on the open sea
doing whatever the hell i please.
and then ill marry johnny Depp
and never will i have to fret
I am quite sick of school today
i think i might just join the fray
of people neglecting all their chores
never venturing indoors
they all stay outside and play
hide and seek with responsibility.
I am quite bored of school today
i think i might just grab a ray
of golden sunlight from above
or ride the back of a white dove
high above the chimney tops
that was just for fun and i know it was pretty bad, but whatever!
i think i might just run away.
to live as a pirate,on the open sea
doing whatever the hell i please.
and then ill marry johnny Depp
and never will i have to fret
I am quite sick of school today
i think i might just join the fray
of people neglecting all their chores
never venturing indoors
they all stay outside and play
hide and seek with responsibility.
I am quite bored of school today
i think i might just grab a ray
of golden sunlight from above
or ride the back of a white dove
high above the chimney tops
that was just for fun and i know it was pretty bad, but whatever!
playing with poetry
The Drummer
A steady beat
holds every sound together.
The sturdy foundation is
Gravity of the song
Pulls emotions, sounds into place
Without the drum
nothing is as
Rich and Full
Sometimes, it isn’t steady
Reflecting my heart
Changes with my whims and identities
Some days it plays
the beat of a wild
rock song
Some days it plays
the beat of a gentle
soft song
Everyday it plays
The beat of my life
with you
A steady beat
holds every sound together.
The sturdy foundation is
Gravity of the song
Pulls emotions, sounds into place
Without the drum
nothing is as
Rich and Full
Sometimes, it isn’t steady
Reflecting my heart
Changes with my whims and identities
Some days it plays
the beat of a wild
rock song
Some days it plays
the beat of a gentle
soft song
Everyday it plays
The beat of my life
with you
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Random
so i only have five minutes to write this because i am writing it at home right before i need to leave for wednesday night church! So i recently decided that i have a strong love/hate relationship with sports. some days i really feel into it, and then the next day i feel like crap. And meets completely suck, at least the racing part. the last meet was at Gall Woods which is basically a display farm, anyway my friend jill and i found the turkey area and decided to talk to the turkeys. So while we made odd turkey noises (they don't say gobble gobble by the way)one of the turkeys took an interest in us! We quickly named him (Roule) and continued to have a chat with him, which was pretty amusing because whenever we would make turkey noises he would pop his head up, look around as if to see where the noise was coming from, and then respond.
Love is like a...
A White Rose
The red rose whispers of passion,
and the white rose breathes of love
O, the red rose is a falcon,
and the white rose is a dove.
But i send you a cream white rosebud.
With a flush on its petal tips;
for the love that is purest and sweetest
has a kiss of desire on the lips.
by John Boyle O'Reilly
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-white-rose/
I think this poem is simply about the different types of love and how they can be expressed differently. He uses the metaphor of roses to show that although each rose is different and has its own thing to offer (it represents different things), they are all essentially apart of love.
my metaphor:
love is gravity because it stabelizes you. It is a source of safety because everyone wants to be safe on the ground, also it causes everyone to fall similarily to how love makes people fall over themselves and make mistakes. Gravity is love because it holds our world together and without gravity everything seems to float out of place.
The red rose whispers of passion,
and the white rose breathes of love
O, the red rose is a falcon,
and the white rose is a dove.
But i send you a cream white rosebud.
With a flush on its petal tips;
for the love that is purest and sweetest
has a kiss of desire on the lips.
by John Boyle O'Reilly
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-white-rose/
I think this poem is simply about the different types of love and how they can be expressed differently. He uses the metaphor of roses to show that although each rose is different and has its own thing to offer (it represents different things), they are all essentially apart of love.
my metaphor:
love is gravity because it stabelizes you. It is a source of safety because everyone wants to be safe on the ground, also it causes everyone to fall similarily to how love makes people fall over themselves and make mistakes. Gravity is love because it holds our world together and without gravity everything seems to float out of place.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Poetry
A Red Red Rose - a poem by Robert Burns
O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.
http://www.poetry-online.org/burns_a_red_red_rose.htm
Alright, so i mainly like this poem because concert choir sang it last year and it was absolutly gorgous sounding.But i also like it because its really romantic and i am kind of a sap. Also i like that it sounds like its from some 18th centery love story (not sure if thats the right time period).
The title fits this piece of work because the "red Rose"is a metaphor for his love and his lover, which is what the poem is about. The author uses similies and metaphors with comparing his love to a red rose, and he uses imagery when he paints a picture of the sea and melting rocks to emphasize the strenght of his love. Repitition is used a lot to highlight important parts(important to the author) and to give the poem a fluid flow. These devices make the poem more interesting and describe exactly the extent of what the author is feeling.
The tone of this poem is promising and romantic, he created this tone by the midevil love story language, and by the diction he uses.
O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry:
Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.
And fare thee weel, my only Luve,
And fare thee weel awhile!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' it ware ten thousand mile.
http://www.poetry-online.org/burns_a_red_red_rose.htm
Alright, so i mainly like this poem because concert choir sang it last year and it was absolutly gorgous sounding.But i also like it because its really romantic and i am kind of a sap. Also i like that it sounds like its from some 18th centery love story (not sure if thats the right time period).
The title fits this piece of work because the "red Rose"is a metaphor for his love and his lover, which is what the poem is about. The author uses similies and metaphors with comparing his love to a red rose, and he uses imagery when he paints a picture of the sea and melting rocks to emphasize the strenght of his love. Repitition is used a lot to highlight important parts(important to the author) and to give the poem a fluid flow. These devices make the poem more interesting and describe exactly the extent of what the author is feeling.
The tone of this poem is promising and romantic, he created this tone by the midevil love story language, and by the diction he uses.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Titles
Alright, so i realize that i said my potential titles in the last post but i was a little confused... so here they are again
1. The Truth Hurts
2. Painful Revelations
3. Catching myself
1. The Truth Hurts
2. Painful Revelations
3. Catching myself
Titles and Accents
I was thinking of titling my story: The Truth Hurts. Other options could be, Painful Revelations, or Catching Myself.
Accents have got to be the most attractive things ever. even if someone is five feet tall, kind of ugly and unnecissarily rude chances are i would still find them extremely attrative. here is the order of attractiveness 1. British 2. irish 3. Australian, so basically if you fall under these categories you have the priviledge of being on the top of my list.
I think voices in general have to be some sort of turn on. now generally i like low, bass voices but a really good tenor voice (like Micheal Bubble) can be extremely sexy.
Ok, enough on that incredibly akward subject. Don't really know why i decided to write about that, but alas i did. Today i have a cross country meet at Highlands, the only problem is that it rained today and Highlands is primarily a hilly, dirt course. Mud! This thought both worries and excites me, because i have never really fallen in the mud before. Sure i have steped in it and gotten it on my cloths occasionally, but as far as getting shit faced in mud and submerging my entire body in mud, well that has yet to happen. So, if i pack it during my race today i will at least benefit from the experience, and hopefully i can pull down some of the competition.
Accents have got to be the most attractive things ever. even if someone is five feet tall, kind of ugly and unnecissarily rude chances are i would still find them extremely attrative. here is the order of attractiveness 1. British 2. irish 3. Australian, so basically if you fall under these categories you have the priviledge of being on the top of my list.
I think voices in general have to be some sort of turn on. now generally i like low, bass voices but a really good tenor voice (like Micheal Bubble) can be extremely sexy.
Ok, enough on that incredibly akward subject. Don't really know why i decided to write about that, but alas i did. Today i have a cross country meet at Highlands, the only problem is that it rained today and Highlands is primarily a hilly, dirt course. Mud! This thought both worries and excites me, because i have never really fallen in the mud before. Sure i have steped in it and gotten it on my cloths occasionally, but as far as getting shit faced in mud and submerging my entire body in mud, well that has yet to happen. So, if i pack it during my race today i will at least benefit from the experience, and hopefully i can pull down some of the competition.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Today i am going to talk about choir. Although choir may seem like a pretty chill-ax class to be in, you would be surprised by the amount of bitchiness that occurs in the soprano section.
Every girl is secretly competing to get their voices heard, and to one-up the person sitting next to them. Simply singing is never enough, you must also tune yourself into the voices of everyone around you, if not ,how could you ever pass proper judgement on them? while simultaniously convincing yourself that their voices fall inferior to your own. don't get me wrong i have many friends that occupy the soprano section, its just that i am sick of all the pent-up jealousy and anger. Its like a tornado waiting to happen. I keep expecting that one day we will all just lunge (and attempt to claw each others hair out) at each other in a perfect imitaion of lindsey lohan in Mean Girls (the animal scenes). But despite all this frustration, i like to think that i rise above the pettyness. After all i am obviously the best.
Every girl is secretly competing to get their voices heard, and to one-up the person sitting next to them. Simply singing is never enough, you must also tune yourself into the voices of everyone around you, if not ,how could you ever pass proper judgement on them? while simultaniously convincing yourself that their voices fall inferior to your own. don't get me wrong i have many friends that occupy the soprano section, its just that i am sick of all the pent-up jealousy and anger. Its like a tornado waiting to happen. I keep expecting that one day we will all just lunge (and attempt to claw each others hair out) at each other in a perfect imitaion of lindsey lohan in Mean Girls (the animal scenes). But despite all this frustration, i like to think that i rise above the pettyness. After all i am obviously the best.
Personal Narrative
My Coach was relatively new to the team, and this, along with his goods looks and odd favoritism towards me, had always planted in me a strange desire to please him. This need to impress only made me more anxious as i started at him from across the bench.
"hi, Hannah"
"hello"
"So, do you have any goals for me?"
Um no
"I was hoping to maybe improve in the 200 free"
He wrinkled his eybrows together in frustration. He never bothered to hide his emotions.
"do you even know your times?" he snapped
I stayed silents, his question had obviously been rhetorical, and i was quickly hardening myself to his obvious frustration. Why does he always act this way towards me?
"You could be so much better than you let yourself be..." He began jabbing his hand in the air for emphasize
"You never die when you swim, you finish the race, and you still have energy!"
Ok so i know it doesn't make sense cause its only part of the story but my question is, do i do a good job of building the character of my coach?
"hi, Hannah"
"hello"
"So, do you have any goals for me?"
Um no
"I was hoping to maybe improve in the 200 free"
He wrinkled his eybrows together in frustration. He never bothered to hide his emotions.
"do you even know your times?" he snapped
I stayed silents, his question had obviously been rhetorical, and i was quickly hardening myself to his obvious frustration. Why does he always act this way towards me?
"You could be so much better than you let yourself be..." He began jabbing his hand in the air for emphasize
"You never die when you swim, you finish the race, and you still have energy!"
Ok so i know it doesn't make sense cause its only part of the story but my question is, do i do a good job of building the character of my coach?
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Discover
Things I could blog about for long periods of time... i suppose that could be a large number of things. Star Wars, Harry Potter, crosscountry,swimming, baseball, politics, memories, family traditions, friendships. So my title is,obviously, "hannah's house." And beside the fact that it is a cheesy alliteration that happened to come to mind while constructing this site(and i simply wasn't feeling creative enough to rack my mind for a better title), it is also modeled after the show "Rev. Run's House." I can't exactly explain why i choose this, cause i've only seen the show 1 or 2 times and it was good but i don't "love" the show by any means.
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