The Perks of Being a Wallflower 2 (Last Post)

"'But you  weren't, Charlie. At those times you weren't being a friend at all. Because you weren't being honest with him.'" (201) In this part of the book, Sam shows Charlie that you need to put part of yourself into any relationship because to withdraw your personality from the world will never result in a true friendship. You always need to be true to yourself, even if it means coming out of your shell to share yourself with others. 

Throughout the book, Charlie goes with the flow. He never protests change- even if it feels wrong to him. He's never interested in having any aspirations. I would describe him as "here and now". I find it interesting that he only expresses himself through his letters. He is introduces to the Rocky Horror Show, 

But Charlie didn't have many ideas, or specific ways or principles. I have no idea whether or not if hat's the type of attitude that is best, but I know that dreams, and accomplishing them is satisfying, and some people need a goal to work towards. In the end, it's knowing what you want to do- and how you want to do it. Expression is how we portray ourselves, but how to do it is something important when coming of age. 

It's always important to feel comfortable- around friends, around family. To not be a 'yes man' and to stand up for what you believe in, even if someone differs in opinion. Charlie feels inclined to agree with everything a friend says in order for them to think well of him; "'…It's sweet and everything but it's like you're not even there sometimes. '" (201) Sam is telling Charlie that he needs to have his own personality to communicate- because people need companionship, and not just someone who doesn't care about themselves enough to be there for someone- as an other human being. Often, you have to be prepares to lead instead of follow. 

I think that Charlie's side plot with Bill was interesting because it showed how Charlie could express himself, but only when he felt comfortable enough to do it. Not being true to yourself is always common, mainly in small ways that build up. Telling a white lie to agree with a friend, or even something more drastic, like altering your dream or aspiration to, say, go to the same school with a friend. But in the end, your life doesn't just revolve around your social life. There is an entire world that you can create by yourself, filled with goals and dreams. Life is more than just other people- it's about you, too.  

 

The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Coming of Age Post

Everyone makes the journey from childhood to adulthood, but the voyage is almost never smooth. In the midst of everything, it's easy to be influences by others, in either negative of positive ways. But these people always have expectations that affect us. These people always have actions that affect us. And these people always have opinions that affect us.

Charlie is exposed to liquor, cigarettes, drugs, almost causally throughout the story. In the beginning of high school, Charlie hangs out with seniors. Charlie never seems scared of trying drugs or alcohol, "The party was in the basement of this house. The room was quite smokey, and the kids were much older. There were two girls showing each other their tattoos and belly button rings. Seniors, I think" (34). I feel like that represents a characteristic of Charlie- that he goes with the flow. In his letters, Charlie addresses shadier parts of teenage culture with a calm mien.

Charlie is easily influenced throughout the story. Charlie does not refuse drugs and alcohol because he is afraid, but because he simply considers it unpleasant. "…especially after I said no to having a beer. I once had a beer with my brother when I was twelve, and just didn't like it. it's really that simple for me." (34) But then, Charlie will take advantage of the resources. I do not believe he is one to refrain when it comes to what all of his friends are doing. After he met Sam and Patrick, he changed, "'Charlie, smoking. I can't believe it.'" (119) His sister was surprised as Charlie's behavior shifted.

Peer pressure is an interesting concept. Many kids are influenced by their friends to take part in illicit acts. In The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Charlie is never pressured, but changed. He is opened up to new experiences, in a sense. I wonder if this is the way most things fall pat.

3 Posts in One- Spring Break!

Reflection on Reading Responses: 
Jamila 
The Catcher in the Rye 


I found Jamila's response interesting for many reasons. First of all, I liked the book, The Catcher in the Rye   a lot when I read it. I found the plot interesting, with a subtle but entrancing character and character change.


The reason I liked Jamila's post was her focus. Jamila focused on one of the most interesting parts of the book. Not only is Mr. Antolini the only teacher that Holden looks up to, but Mr. Antolini changes the mindset that Holden carrys around throughout the book. I thought that Jamila's focus around Mr. Antolini's impact on both Holden and the plot of the book was artistically supported. As the classic by J.D. Salinger draws to a close, Jamila's thesis sheds an interesting light on Holden's and Mr. Antolini's relationship.


Joyce 
The Hunger Games 


I liked Joyce's post on The Hunger Games, because it analyzed and highlighted a complete realm of the book. Personally, I do not like love triangles. But I have noticed a theme of them in our society. The Twilight Saga, was a popular book about a love triangle. Since then, I have noticed many "team's" and more recently, team Gale and team Peeta.


I had never really looked carefully at the love triangle in The Hunger Games until reading Joyce's post, and I love how the plot of the Hunger Games is intertwined with the dramatic love triangle. Joyce's post notes, "He has risked his life for Katniss many times and has always stood by even if he wash't physically or mentally prepared for the challenge."I had never thought about Peeta that way before.  


Some ways that I would like to improve my blog posts is I would like to do some compare/ contrast essays like Joyce did. I would like to make a structured and long conclusion like Jamila. 




Reflection on Plagiarism


In the paragraph, the student could have put quotations around the passage and citied the source instead of implying that the text was his/her own. 


Something the student could have written instead could be: 
As one looks at Van Gogh's piece, "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." (A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings, http://www.vangoghgallery.com/painting/starryindex.html) 


3 ways to avoid plagiarism are to use a quote, a paraphrase, or a summary. 


Non-fiction Article Response 
National Geographic, March 2012 
Rhino Wars by Peter Gwin 


Rhino horns are believed to have medicinal purposes in many Asian cultures, and promise an overwhelming revenue on the black market. Many people buy rhino horns to heal life threatening conditions, despite the the horrifying toll on the species. The theory should be tested for modern medicine. 


There are many conflicting statements consulting the rhino horn, "Although a number of Vietnamese doctors I spoke with said rhino horn was not an effective cure for anything, let alone cancer, several other respected physicians claimed rhino horn could be part of an effective cancer treatment." No tests concerning the efficiency of rhino horns have been conducted yet.  


Many people, when confronted with a life or death situation are more likely to buy rhino horns off the black market. One of the people interviewed in the article, when asked whether or not she would try rhino horn in response to possible cancer found during a mammogram, replied, "'…when you think you might die, it can't hurt to try it.'" People are willing to try almost anything when a loved one's life or their own life is threatened. The psychology of cultural and ancient medicine is almost as powerful as a real cure. One oncologist states, "'Belief in a treatment, especially one that is wildly expensive and hard to get, can have a powerful effect on how a patient feels.'" The human mindset can lead to demand for rhino horns. 


Rhinos are endangered animals, and the medicinal need for horns is without scientific explanation. The Wild Javan Rhinoceros was declared extinct in 2010. 30 Javan's exist in captivity in Indonesia today. When poachers come across a rhino, they put a bullet  through the animal's brian, and then use a penknife to harvest the two horns on the snout. The majestic rhino is now a disfigured carcass, cast away for the scavengers of the savannah. The rhino's numbers are dwindling. Rhino horns can fetch up to $133 a gram, "…which at top end is double the price of gold and can exceed the price of cocaine." Rhino horns are incredibly rare, and the promise of the nearly blind rhino's horns being wroth tens of thousands of dollars is driving rhino's to extinction. 


A compromise could be reached if tests were conducted. If it is proven that the rhinoceros horn is indeed a life saving antidote, then rhinoceros farming could take place. Rhino horns grow back and by taking a controlled amount of the horn, the rhino can still reproduce and the species could be saved from extinction. If it is proven that the rhino horn actually has no real medicinal purpose then the demand for the horn's will go down. Many animals are endangered today, and for many it is because of poachers. Rhinoceros are not the only animal that suffers from poaching and ruthless trade.     

Reflection to Much Ado About Nothing

Dear May Dup,

I recently saw Much Ado About Nothing, and I really enjoyed it.

The acting was good- I noticed that both Claudius and Beatrice were great- they acted even when they weren't talking and I could really see them as their characters. The set was also nice. It was subtle but intriguing and the way the actors interacted with their surroundings was joyful and fun.

I especially liked the plot, and I was surprised at how easy it was for me to follow it during the performance. Maybe it was the pre-preformance workshop, maybe the acting was much better than I expected, but many details about the play fell into place, and I didn't develop many major questions. I loved seeing a comedy- because the only other Shakespeare plays I was familiar with were tragedies such as Macbeth, and Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet and I haven't really known many comedies since just this year as we preform A Midsummers Night Dream in drama and now Much Ado About Nothing.

I'll be sure to see more of Shakespeare's comedies in the future,  but until then,

Sadie  

75% done with Insomnia by Stephen King

In many Stephen King books, I noticed a recurring theme of fear, but in Insomnia, King has enunciated the theme throughout the book. In horror novels, this aspect is not uncommon, but it is interesting what is frighteningly grotesque. What is the definition of the abnormally terrifying?

There have been many times in the book when disgusting bugs have dwelled.The image of outstanding horror is carefully outlined in the writing, and the theme of black, oily, cockroach-like bugs is an obvious theme. In times in dreams, [viewer discretion advised] "Carolyn! he screamed. He put his hands out to her, then pulled them back, terrified of the black bugs, which were still spewing out of her head... One of Carolyn's eyes popped out and lay in the sand like blueberry jelly. Bugs vomited from the now empty socket." (241) and when the main characters are 'up' (above the normal world in a place of immortality), "Giant bugs that looked like prehistoric trilobites were squirming in and out of the evergreens in droves, crawling over each other, bumping heads, sometimes rearing up and pawing at each other…a rainbow of guts spewed out of it, and a waxy-white substance that looked like stale mashed potatoes. Ralph had an idea the white stuff had been eggs." (598) the grotesque details do not belong to our world but something just under the surface, and these bugs seem to be a recurring part of these details.

An other example of horror in Insomnia is the way King describes Atropos, the 'villain' who is responsible for random death in the story. In this way, King looks at the psychopathic ways of a serial killer- disgustingly ominous and painfully harmful. The ways of Atropos are expressed, "I don't know about the other two, but doc #3 (Atropos) is one crazy medic-- and he takes souvenirs. Takes them the way some of the crazies in Vietnam took ears" (374) Stephen King uses comparison and allusion to outline horror, and uses tools like insanity and disgust to outline pure fear.


It's interesting to me how fear works- what its created from. Stephen King uses fear with a skill- almost as though it's a science. This is the same thing other creators used, such as Alfred Hitchcock and his famous suspense.       

Letter about Shakespeare Act 1 Scene 1

Dear May Dup,

I just read Act 1 Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, and it was great. The text was foreign but interesting, and I can't wait to finnish the play. As discussed in an earlier post, the writing of Shakespeare is beautiful in many ways, but by reading the past few pages of Romeo and Juliet I have been enlightened to the other wonders of his work.

An interesting thing that Shakespeare does is use puns in his language. An example of a pun is: "There was a man who forgot how to throw a boomerang. Don't' worry, it came back to him. " The use of puns is an interesting detail, easily missed if you are unfamiliar with the text. Romeo and Juliet observe innocent misunderstandings,

"Sampson: Gregory, on my word we shall not carry coals.

  Gregory: No, for then we shall be colliers."(Page 9, Line 1-2)

Sampson uses the phrase: 'carry coals' to describe being humiliated, but Gregory perceives it as describing a way of work.

Another interesting thing Shakespeare does is tweak language so that connections must be made in order to understand it. An example of this is, "Benvolio: Madam, an hour before the worshiped sun peered forth the golden window of the east, a troubled mind [drove] me to walk abroad, where underneath the grove of a sycamore that western rooteth from this city side, so early walking did I see your son. Towards him I made but he was 'ware of me and stole into the covert of the wood…" I notice that in order to comprehend this passage, I knew that the sun rises in the east, so Benvolio said it was an hour before dawn, and I knew that a sycamore was a tree. I was pleased that I was able to apply my own knowledge to my reading. 

I’m sure that I will find many more details to love and appreciate about Shakespeare on this exotic journey. I would recommend you read Shakespeare, but you should read with others so you catch things you would have missed. Until then I will be gracious for the paraphrasing on the left side of the page. 

Bye for now, 

Sadie  

Writing about Poetry: Anne Sexton

The Starry Night, a poem by Anne Sexton has an intricate meaning based off of the painting by Vincent Van Gogh. Her poem identifies with Van Gogh's message. 

Anne Sexton amplifies Van Gogh's work with beautiful, flowing words and vivid imagery. She uses unique verbs and adjectives to portray a surreal feeling, much like the one Van Gogh portrays in his work. Sexton's writing absorbs the images of the painting, "It moves. They are all alive.\ Even the moon bulges in it's orange irons\ to push children, like a god, from it's eye." (7-9) I notice how Sexton uses alliteration, personification, and simile constantly throughout her piece- and in that way, she achieves an image of the poem- a message that is resistant to a final understanding. 

Sexton uses repetition in the poem. She ends two of the three stanzas with: "Oh starry starry night! This is how\ I want to die." (5-6, 11-12) I feel that she relates to Van Gogh, or at least to how she perceives him. Both Sexton and Van Gogh show a similar thought- while morbid, that death is upon them, and that to embrace the heavens is to embrace reality, religion, and serenity. 

Anne Sexton conceals a beauty within her words that enhance the message of Vincent Van Gogh's Starry Night. I love how a surreal aspect of her poem is completely relatable. I wonder if Anne Sexton's work usually carries this emotion.