The Conclusion.

Honors english has been quite the year. I feel like I've grown as a writer through the course of these 180 school days, especially with the help of this blog. I remember the first blog we were assigned at the beginning of the school year; at first, I had absolutely no clue what to write. Then after a couple of blogs, I was starting to get the hang of it.

The blogs we wrote such as "Reading", "Best Friend" and "Earliest Memory" were extremely fun to write because they allowed me to talk about past experiences and who I am as a person. The blogs that I wrote always had some of my personality in it. Another blog we wrote was "Great Expectations: Photo Post". Great Expectations wasn't exactly my most favorite book to read, but I had fun writing this blog because I had the chance to relate a theme from Great Expectations and a picture that has nothing to do with the book. I felt like I did an excellent job on that blog.

My writing style changed a bit during the middle of the school year. I didn't add as much of my personality in my writing as I did in the beginning of the school year, mostly because the blogs became more difficult and you had to reach to a deeper level. As I look back on those blogs, I've come to realize that they're boring and dull. I should've put more of my opinions into those blogs, instead of just relying on the information in the books we read, such as Animal Farm, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Importance of Being Earnest.

Blogging has showed me so much about who I am as a writer. John Lennon once said, "My role in society, or any artist’s or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all." He's explaining that expressing yourself isn't about telling others what emotions to feel. Expressing yourself by writing is evoking your thoughts and opinions to others on paper or even by typing on a blog. Writing is an expression of who we are. It's that simple.

Challenges and Conquests

I do feel like I'm an accomplished essayist. This year, I've learned so much about reading a book then finding a more in depth meaning of it. Literary analysis is for readers to read with an actual purpose, to understand the events, the characters, and the plot much better. Some challenges could be relating symbolism, themes, and motifs back to the novel. I feel the rewards of literary analysis is that it enables us to fully grasp the real understanding of novels.

I'm truly proud of my Romeo and Juliet essay. But just like all writers, there are areas of improvement. I have trouble writing good transition sentences; sentences that relate back to my thesis and talk about the body paragraph. Also, at times I feel like I could do more work on my thesis. To me, it seems like a good thesis, but I'm afraid it lacks originality.

Summer Rading

Over the summer, I'm planning to read many books, but two books definitely caught my eye. The first book I'm wanting to read is Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson. After hearing his speech, his book sounds really interesting. I want to read about his experiences in Afghanistan and Pakistan, as well as other countries. The next book I'm going to read is The Pact by Jodi Picoult. I've read most of Jodi Picoult's books; she's one of my favorite authors. She's such a great writer. This is one of the books that I haven't read yet. It'll probably be, without a doubt, another good book.

Theme and Motif: Fate

Since my birthday's April 1st, I'm an Aries. Aries are adventurous, energetic, quick-witted, opinionated individuals. Aries are very active and jump into something quickly if it interests them. But if the activity boring and dull, they'll procrastinate, get distracted, and/or lie about it. Most of these traits relate to me. I feel like I can work at a better and faster pace when I'm working alone. If I want something that interests me, I go get it. Also, if I get assigned a task, like cleaning my room or doing homework, I often want to put it off for a while or I easily get distracted, like by my phone. If I put off my homework, I usually procrastinate. Sometimes when I want to get out of things, I lie about it, but it typically doesn't work. I'm a terrible liar. I choose not to lie about very many things because other people will instantly know the truth behind my exceptionally bad lie.

Fate is a key theme throughout Romeo and Juliet. I think there's a reason for everything in this play, and every little event that happens leads to another, causing a chain reaction. When Romeo and Juliet married, it was fate for the two of them to be together, because they're truly in love with each other. Also, the fact that Romeo was just banished from Verona, not sentenced to death, is fate. Romeo not being killed will lead to another event, good or bad.

Culture Shock!

I decided to write about the lyrics to a song called "Hey Juliet" by LMNT. The chorus of the song is:
(Hey Juliet)
I think you're fine
You really blow my mind
Maybe someday, you and me can run away
I just want you to know
I wanna be your Romeo
Hey Juliet

Modern day bands like LMNT refer back to Romeo and Juliet when they write songs that have to do with love. To most people, Romeo and Juliet are the perfect examples of true lovers. In this song, they're using the iconic name Juliet, and talking about a guy who wants to be her 'Romeo', automatically thinking of the play. Overall, this song is talking about two people wanting to run away and fall in love, just like the play.

Skits.

The first skit I'd like to see acted out is when Pip goes to the churchyard and meets Magwitch for the first time. I'd like to see this scene because it's very important towards the whole book, since Magwitch is Pip's benefactor.The second skit is when Pip makes his first visit to the Satis House and meets Estella and Miss Havisham for the very first time. This scene is very memorable and is one of the turning points in Pip's life. It'd be entertaining to see someone act out Miss Havisham and Pip's reactions towards her. Last but not least, I'd like to see the scene where Biddy is fed up with Pip making excuses, and she stands up to him. This is a good scene to be acted out because this is where Biddy's character really develops and shows the reader that she's becoming more outspoken.

Another Question!

When Pip goes to visit Miss Havisham and Estella for the very last time, he tells Estella that he loves her. But Estella's only response was that she was going to marry Drummle. She had no real reaction to Pip displaying his true feelings for her. Although, Miss Havisham felt somewhat bad for Pip. What I don't understand is why does Miss Havisham all of a sudden feel bad for Pip? She's the one who raised Estella to break a boys heart, and that's exactly what Estella did... so Miss Havisham should not feel bad for Pip, but yet she does.

I have a question.

When Mr. Jaggers is talking about Orlick to Pip, he says, "he is not the right sort of man, Pip because the man who fills the post of trust is never the right sort of man." (245) What I'm wondering is, what does Mr Jaggers mean by "the man who fills the post of trust"? I'm thinking that it's some sort of metaphor. Overall, I just don't understand what Jaggers was trying to tell Pip.

Great Expectations: Photo Post

This photo symbolizes when Pip leaves his home and heads to London and thinks, "We changed, and yet again, and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And now the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me." (160) The butterfly represents Pip's old life; his family, Biddy, his future career as a blacksmith, everything. He's letting go of his old life and leaving it behind. The chains tied around the two hands signify the fact that Pip can't turn back now. He has to leave everything and everyone behind in his old life, start fresh, and become the gentleman he's always wanted to be.

Great Expectations: The First Stage

When Pip is talking about "the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns and flowers, that would never have bound you" (70), he's referring to a specific day in his life that had changed who he was, as a person. This memorable day in Pip's life was when he first went to Miss Havisham's. Pip never really went out of the house until the life-changing experience when he met Miss Havisham and Estella, people of the upper class; people that Pip were never around before. This day was Pip's "chain" that bound him because it was that day that he realized he wanted to become something more than a blacksmith; he wanted to become a gentleman.

I would have to say that the day that bound my life was when I was at the age of 9. It was Christmas, to be exact. I opened my last present and it was an art kit. I remember my face lit up and my smile was as wide as it could get. The kit had just about everything in it; colored pencils, markers, oil pastels, paints, paper, and of course, the number two pencil. Whenever I was unoccupied with anything, I drew or painted. It made me feel good whenever I finished a drawing/painting, mostly because my parents always stuck some of my masterpieces on the refrigerator. To this very day, I still keep painting and drawing. It's something that's a tremendous part of my life. Opening that one present on Christmas was the chain that's bounding my life and makes me the person I am today.

*Group Essay: Madison, Kayla and I

Hey Madison and Kayla. Let me remind you that I'm writing my paragraph about social class in The Importance of Being Earnest, and how social class affects the lives of different people living in the Victorian Era. My first point of my paragraph is going to talk about how Lady Bracknell is astonished when she finds out that Ernest (Jack) was born in a handbag, even though he was part of the upper class; he wasn't exactly "born" into high society. Next, I'll be writing about how Lady Bracknell asks Jack if he smokes, and she says that "A man should always have an occupation of some kind." (24). Basically, Oscar Wilde is making fun of the fact that Jack nor Algernon have occupations, and that leisure acitivites, social gatherings, and the pursuit of pleasure are the only occupations that men of the upper class have. Last but not least, I'll write about how Algernon and Jack don't appreciate money. An example of that is when Lane hands Algernon the bills, and he simply tears them up. This obviously means that Algernon doesn't care, and he takes his inheritance for granted.

*The Importance of Being Earnest/Victorian Research

The research we did on the Victorian Era really has expanded my understanding of the play in many ways. The research helps me know what life was like in back then, and how people lived their everyday lives. There wasn't a wide variety of social classes; only three: the upper class/royalty, the middle class, and the working class. Whatever social class you were born into, you usually kept your whole life. Social class was immensely essential. Typically, marriage depended on what social class you were in. In addition, the role of married women greatly contrasts from that of today.

When Lady Bracknell was "interviewing" Jack about his family and background, she was very surprised to hear that Jack was born inside a handbag in a station. Lady Bracknell then got uneasy about Jack and Gwendolen's marriage. Even though he had lots of money, she thought that since he was born inside a handbag, he wasn't truly "upper class". As well as social class, the role of women is significant to the play. The writing in the play is making the role of women seem like they have no right to state their own opinions, or have a say in whom they marry.