Environmental Disruption--Oil Drilling and Fracking

Hydraulic fracture-drilling (fracking) is a process that is executed for the sake of natural gases that can be used for energy. It creates jobs and opportunities for small towns. The thing is, in order to access these gasses, a high quantity of methane and other toxic chemicals are released into the ground. These chemicals can contaminate the well water that feeds directly into peoples homes. Many people have gotten sick, but have no evidence that it was fracking that contaminated their water, or got them sick

I am against fracking, for more reasons than one. I am a sole believer that the country should be completely powered by clean energy. (windmills on Cape Cod, water turbines in Oregon/Washington, solar panels in Arizona)  Anything that pollutes should not be indulged in, because while the power we gain is convenient, we need to concentrate on getting the environment back on track. Fracking pollutes- so why bother? Our world should be our priority, we only have one of those.

Oil Drilling- is something that can endanger animals of all kinds. In the Gulf Coast Oil Spill, hundreds of animals were killed by the gallons of oil released into the ocean. Oil is a fossil fuel- which is made up of animals thousands of years old. We only have so much of it, and if we don't change our ways, we'll run out, probably before we're ready. (the question is- will it be too late by then?) Oil is used to power cars, a major polluting source. It is also used to make plastic, a material that takes hundreds of years to decompose when it's thrown out. 

I am against Oil drilling, because a mistake could be so destructive to our environment. Even if our willing is flawless, the oil goes to more polluting ways- it's destructive either way. I don't like things that could hurt any other organism, because I believe that all things have the right to live- no matter the form. The Gulf Coast Oil Spill lead to hundred of deaths of sea birds, sea mammals, and fish. By endangering an animals life we are selfish and corrupt.

Social Writing 3/3 poem: 2 voice poem, Alcoholism

I HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY ALCOHOL 

My dad is an alcoholic

I've tried beer at a party

I KNOW I'LL NEVER

I would never drink

I'd never do shrooms, but maybe weed and alcohol 

I WISH 

My mother didn't have to cope with my dad

My mom wouldn't be so touchy when it comes to my friends

I HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY 

I have to make sure my father never abuses my younger sisters

I have to do the dishes, even when I have a lot of homework

I THINK ABOUT MY LIFE 

I want to go through college and become a cop

I think I want to go to college because I like to party

The poem is about alcoholism, and how someone's life can changed because of someone else. I feel that this is injustice because someone's life should not be altered by someone else's selfishness. 

I wanted the two voices to be different in more ways than one- by not only making the mundane voice have normal chores, but also be annoyed that s/he had to do dishes even with a lot of homework. I also tried to make the mundane voice be realistic, and casual, but I don't think anyone would ever admit they wanted to go to college just to party. I thought about the genders of my voices, but it was hard to envision. 

I think alcohol is a serious issue: underage kids often abuse alcohol and it can lead to serious injury or death. Drunk driving can lead to serious accidents, and on top of it all, it's a fluid that can make us sleepy, lead to birth defects, and irrational. It seems like a bad thing to engage in, though most people do. I'm not saying I won't drink-- but drinking sure is a silly thing to do. 

Social Writing 2/3 Poem

The grass I see isn't much
It could have been cool to the touch
so moist, so green, so lush
But we get some elastic
for grass can't grow
if it's plastic.

It's for the flowers I long
they come, portray their sweet song
but they are called wrong
and silly content
for flowers can't grow
on cement.

It's the trash that's making me gag
dirty cups, dirty spoons, dirty bags
through wrappers and napkins I wade
to get to a spot that has little known shade
so I wonder if,
they know what they've made:

A rat's nest of litter and stain.


The poem is about the astro turf outside the school that I have a lot of misgivings about.
I cannot force myself to write a poem. Usually, in a state near consciousness (dozing from or to sleep) I will think about my problems and think of solutions. In my case, I still hadn't gotten any homework done and was thinking about topics for my ELA assignments. I was mainly worried about my social issues piece: some work I didn't want to leave to the last minute but had no clue how to do. So the first two stanzas were drifting around me and I was thinking about the rhymes I would use. I was making mental notes on what issues about the astro turf I should use for my third stanza (I had a lot of ideas). I decided then I should get to a computer and start blogging, because mental notes don't stick around.
When I write poems, I write them because they can portray a certain vibe. I find that I can only do it if I respond throughout the poem to a certain rhythm. I have written many poems, only achieving this goal of mine once or twice. I never name my poems, because I don't think it's possible to classify a feeling with other words. So this poem will stay strong and defiant. That is the vibe I get from writing it even though it might not be the vibe you get from reading it.

Shakespear: Writing style of Hamlet

I was reading Hamlet, (as part of a drama assignment) and the writing style surprised me. Shakespear's writing sounds beautiful, but the words are hard to understand. It's not just the old english, but mainly the description is baffling. Said aloud, it is much more easily understood,but reading in your head is confusing, and it can seem like each character says something longer and more complex than the last one.

The thing I did like about Hamlet, was the description. The picture you are left with is lasting and expressive. I loved the metaphors and similes, and everything was intricately written, with a lot of care and it was very illustrative. One image that I remember is:

 "A mote is to trouble the minds eye. In the most high and palmy state of Rome, a little ere the mighty Julius fell the graves stood tenantless and the sheeted dead did squeak and gibber in the Roman streets, and stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, disasters in the sun and the moist star, upon whose influence Neptune's empire stands, was sick almost to doomsday with eclipse. And even the like precurse of feared events, as harbingers preceding still the fates and prologue to the omen coming on have Heaven and Earth together demonstrated unto our climates and countrymen."

In other words:
A little bit of dust can bother you. In Rome, right before Julius Ceaser's empire fell, the dead came back to life and comets fell and the sun and moon looked scary and there were eclipses, which was like this whole big omen that said the end of the world was coming, and a ghost said it would happen, so this ghost might have an important message for us.

The difference between the two paragraphs is drastic, but the two paragraphs mean the same thing. I like Shakespeare because event though the second paragraph is easier to understand, the first paragraph leaves a  lasting impression and keeps a reader remembering the message of the book.

The thing I don't like about Shakespear is that his characters don't portray as many human qualities. Of course, Shakespear didn't write books, he wrote plays, and factoring unique traits for the character isn't as important. But in comparison to Stephen King, William Shakespear's characters are bland and repetitive. You end up trying so hard to understand what the characters are talking about, that your focus on the story fades. The focus of the story isn't so focused on the characters are it is focused in the writing. It's interesting  how a writing style is adopted in that matter.

Social Issues 1/3 Imagine, By John Lennon

Imagine there's no Heaven 
It's easy if you try 
No hell below us 
Above us only sky 
Imagine all the people 
Living for today 

Imagine there's no countries 
It isn't hard to do 
Nothing to kill or die for 
And no religion too 
Imagine all the people 
Living life in peace 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will be as one 

Imagine no possessions 
I wonder if you can 
No need for greed or hunger 
A brotherhood of man 
Imagine all the people 
Sharing all the world 

You may say that I'm a dreamer 
But I'm not the only one 
I hope someday you'll join us 
And the world will live as one 




The thing I like most about the song is the overlying message: that there is an alternative to this world we live in. It is a hopeful song. If we were to join together and agree upon peace, the world would be a much better place- so what's stopping us? Why do we hesitate to mend our dysfunctional ways? I think that we should respond to this song, because what it says is true. The human race has an unforgettable past of jealousy, greed, vanity, violence, and abuse. Our ways are obviously not correct if we are the one species that will kill each other for emotional reasons over money or status. We are the only race that breathes in smoke intentionally, we are the only race that exposes ourselves to harm just so we can escape the life we have created for ourselves. We are the only race that creates judgements, and decided to hurt each other because of the way the victim looks. 
So why do we do this? Why do we pollute? And judge? And corrupt? And abuse? Why are we selfish? Why can't we embrace that we need to respond to one of the many wake-up calls we've received?  I think it's clear we can't answer these questions. So why don't we respond, right now? The thing is, it will take everyone to respond to this cause, and a lot of people don't want to embrace the truth. They make up stories, and lies. And our world- the only one we have- is falling apart because of us. Maybe the alternative John Lennon talks about is something we ought to look into. 

Misery, Stephen King

Misery, Part 1: Metephors

The metaphors in Misery hold a very definitive place in the book. The book is about an author, Paul Sheldon's survival when he is taken captive by an insane women, Annie Wilks. Throughout the book, Paul makes a series of connections which I annotated in red. The first metaphor of the book is on page 3, in which Revere Beach is described, a piling that the tide would mask and unmask throughout the day. Paul later creates a metaphor responding to the memory. On page 8, "The pills were the tide; Annie Wilks was the lunar presence which pulled them into his mouth like a jetsam on a wave. she brought him two every six hours," I noticed also that the pilings were a negative aspect to his metaphor. Seeing the pilings meant that the tide was out, and that the Novril had worn off and his legs were hurting. He also used the Africa metaphor, in which he feels like a caged animal so far away from salvation. He was Annie's 'pet writer'.

Stephen King added these metaphors as part of Paul's character. Paul is a writer, thus he thinks like a writer and it's part of his character to make connections, analyze, symbolize. The metaphors will be introduced by a moment and then will be shown over and over. Slowly the metaphor becomes rounder, more truthful, and clearer.

Paul thinks of Annie as a goddess, not as a positive trait, but as an all-powerful, immortal, strong force that is against Paul's most definitive want: to be free of his captivity. In the climax of the book (spoiler alert) Paul is paranoid, "You are in error, Paul. You can't kill the goddess. The goddess is immortal. Now I must rinse." (see Misery: Part 4: Crazy)  He slowly becomes paranoid, and his metaphors become reality.

Misery, Part 2: Writing Style

Stephen King's writing style is very interesting. His characters are 3-D because of the details he includes. The metaphors and backgrounds are very human and his characters are all very different.  On page 153-154 Paul is having a writing moments. He has discovered the turning point of the book he is writing and in the notes Paul writes down, his voice is very clear, in the way most of our voice is clear when we think out loud. An example from the notes Paul writes down, "...they WERE related. Misery's an orph. And guess what? The Evelyn-Hyde babe was MISERY'S SISTER! Or maybe half sister. That would probably work better..." The thought process he went through was very defined and you could easily see his voice.

Stephen King does not use description at all times, which is good, because description can be over used, and there is a clear borderline between descriptive and boring, a borderline that is easily crossed. It's unfortunate when description looses it's beauty, and it takes a talented author to know not only enough about our society in order to create a character out of our lives, but a good author must also know enough about our society that they know about suspense as well as the patience a reader has for a part of a book. For instance, when I read Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer, the second portion of the book in which Bella is a vampire and she goes out into the forest for the first time. Meyer spends a generous portion of the next two pages describing every single thing that Bella perceives with her new and improved vampire senses, which quickly becomes old and consuming.

 Stephen King also uses an intriguing paragraph structure in the end of the book, towards the climax. (viewer discretion advised)

see page 234

I want to note that while gruesome,  the paragraph has a very certain vibe around it because it is all one sentence. It portrays the idea that it all happened quickly.

Miserey, Part 3: Annotation

On page 65, Paul changes, a checkpoint is crossed. Paul begins to play a mind game with Annie, he begins to manipulate her. He confused her, and took advantage of her mental disability. I found that annotation was important at that point, because his tactic was becoming intricate.

Tactic:

His tactic, which he often referred to as Scheherazade was manipulative, but his only fault was that he manipulated Annie as a sane person, and not as a crazy person, which he did and succeeded with at the climax of the book. But on page 65, and again on page 67, he belittles Annie so that she feels confused and stupid. He described her face, which he described (see part 1 for other metaphors, recurring thoughts, and similes) as much as any other metaphor, as 'opaque' and 'childish'. But his tactics go far, he tricks Annie into a lot of things, especially things that end up (spoiler alert) aiding his escape in the end.   

Miserey, Part 4: Crazy

The book especially deals with Annie's deformed mental state, as well as Paul's mental state after his months in the captivity of a crazy women. Her Paranoia, and her homicidal tendencies. (spoiler alert) By the end of the book, when the officers find Paul, he is in a state near death, and he was very paranoid. Even after he is home, he is suffering from insomnia. On page 235, "Annie is good let us thank her for our food including that we don't have to eat girls just want to have fun but something wicked this way comes please don't make me eat my thumb Annie the mom Annie the goddess when Annie's around you had better stay honest she knows when you've been sleeping she knows when you're awake she knows when you've been good or bad so be good for goodness sake you better not cry you better not pout but most of all you better not scream don't scream don't scream don't scream don't" By the end of the book Paul is not insane, but he is scared and rattled, the way anyone would be if they went through what he did. On page 144, " You forgot didn't you? you forgot, just the way you keep forgetting to change February on that damned calender. Forgetting to make the quarterly property-tax payment is a hell of a lot more serious than forgetting to change the calender page, and your upset because this is the first time you've forgotten anything that big. Fact is, you're getting worse, Annie, aren't you? A little worse every day. Psychotics can cope in the world - after a fashion- and sometimes, as I think you well know, they get away with nasty shit. But there's a borderline between the lands of manageable and unmanageable psychosis. You're getting closer to that line every day...and part of you knows it." Annie is insane, and dangerously so. She is paranoid, and that paranoia leads her to (spoiler alert) cut off Paul's leg. "He knew that even a raving paranoid like Annie would reject what was so obvious..." Paul was also paranoid by the end of the book, but rightfully so. " There was an overstuffed sofa, and Annie was behind it. There was the kitchen door, and Annie was behind that. The floor boards creaked behind him...of course! Annie was behind him!" The crazy of Annie had begun to take over Paul. He jumped at every shadow, every sound. He was scared, because he was so close to his freedom.

Best Blog I've Seen.........As I See It

The best blogpost I've seen was Caroline's. Her blog post had an extreemly focussed theme, and each paragraph was intentionally construted. I really liked the meaning that was sorted out in the post, it really made me think about the book Caroline worte about. Her post was focused and stuck to a point that was well executed through her writing. I love the way her post turned out and I will try to learn from Caroline's
technique.

1/2 through The Catcher in the Rye

            Holden is made into a very realistic character throughout the book. The author, J. D. Salinger has created Holden into a very realistic character, which has strong views on things, and most definitive of all, has a very interesting mood. The moods are always described vividly. At every point, Holden is very illustrative about his mood. Holden has a particular mindset, and it is easily disrupted. He feels depressed, or the same feeling I feel at a moment like that, but describe it as sticky, or ‘cold sun’ a cliché moment in which you see yourself, or an other person in Holden’s case as something different than human. As an object that is so pitiful and so typical that a shiver runs down your spine or a lump forms in your throat.

             Holden’s world is easily disturbed. On page 75, Holden thinks to himself, “…about getting up early to see the first show at Radio City Music Hall depressed me. If somebody, some girl in an awful-looking hat, for instance, comes all the way to New York - from Seattle, Washington, for Gods sake – and ends up getting up early in the morning to see the goddam first show at Radio City Music Hall, it makes me so depressed I can’t stand it.”  Holden is ‘depressed’ by any pitiful sight, and any socially grotesque thought. It made me think about humanity and society, and how this feeling is cultivated in the first place. On page 96, “…me feel sort of sad when I hung it up. I thought of her going into the store and buying it, and nobody in the store knowing she was a prostitute.”  Holden feels awkward and saddened by this sense of distinct corruption.    

            I have gained understanding about the feeling that I have come into contact with time and time again, but have yet been able to explain. It is pity, and while I do not know completely how to describe the vibe of it, I have gained some important aspects and vocabulary in my brain.

Note: I wrote this essay specifically on a feeling that is familiar to me, therefore I could be subconsciously adding in references or details that sound like nonsense. In this case, please point this out to me via comment.

The Call of the Wild By Jack London

ANALYISIS:

A recurring theme I noticed in the book was fire. “…Buck lay at the Judge’s feet in front of the fireplace and watched the fire.” Watching the fire was something Buck did throughout the book, and was something closely related to The Call of the Wild. Buck would look into the fire and see images that portrayed the essence of days when dogs and wolves prowled the forests in packs, free of captivity. The next time fire is introduced in the book on page 139-140, Buck is remembering his journey that he had completed so far. Buck then saw visions of a primitive man and a primitive wolf that was referred to as a beast.  In a way, it seems that Buck was able to see his future     *spoiler alert*    as a wild dog.  I think that slowly, as bucks journey starts to draw to a close, he feels The Call of the Wild more deeply than ever. It’s interesting how the last chapter is a sort of epilogue, and Buck is remembered as a legend among the Indian tribe that, while killed his beloved John Thorton, cut him from his ties to captivity and humanity, thus releasing his to his call of the wild.

REVIEW:

I really liked the call of the wild, and even though the writing was below my level, (it was a specially adapted version that I read, I don’t know if that makes any difference,) I really liked the plot, and the ending especially. It was not what I was expecting, and I really like the way the author built a theme slowly, so by the end, everything makes sense.