Thursday, March 26, 2009

Bless Our House

Growing up, my own mother; you wouldnt believe this: refused to let me have any animals in my house. I tried keeping a pet cricket once, and she found it and made me step on it in front of her until she heard it squish. Well, anyways, one summer, my parents decided to remodel our house.I was so young and my parents worried about the sawdust bothering me, we moved into a temporary house. At this house, there was a stray dog that lived in the bush in the backyard. Due to my mothers hatred of animals, i thought most dogs were bad news. I didn't like the dog when I first found it, but after it walked up to me and licked my face, I knew that I had found my new best friend for the rest of my life. I later found out that I was allergic to dogs. But the point being that I had found a friend in a dog that I never would've guessed I'd have found.

Monday, March 2, 2009

"O"

When I first read Othello, I never thought it could ever be related to our day and age. The movie "O" takes place in the 21st century and the themes of love, jealousy, and revenge still remains intact but the settings have been changed. The characters names are almost the same and their personalities are identical. Before the movie introduced the characters, I could easily point out who was who. I thought it was really interesting that instead of fighting a war, they were college students fighting for the basketball championship. This film helped me realize that Shakesphere's writing can easily be related to our times today.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Othello


He said, she said, they said I heard. In the play Othello, Othello is being told many lies by Iago. These horrible lies transform Othello's actions into total madness. In the play,Iago convinces Othello that his wife Desdemona cheated on him with.. which caused Othello to becomes crazy with jealousy and murder his faithful wife.
-Hearing a rumor is one thing, but hearing it from a trusted friend is another. If a close friend of mine told me something and was positive it was true, I would definitely consider what they had to say. In the play, Othello trusted Iago. Iago seemed like an honest man because he had never been caught in a lie, or even disrespected... so it was completely considerable for Othello to listen to what he had to say, and even, believe him. Since Iago painted this image in Othello's mind.. Othello could see it, therefore it was true to him.
-Othello also thought it was true because of the handkerchief. He had given Desdemona his handkerchief because it was very important to him. The sneaky Iago takes the handkerchief and leaves it in Cassio's room for Othello to suspect Desdemona had left it there.
-Also, Iago (being the good friend he is) said he would talk to Cassio about his relationship with Desdemona while Othello was outside of the room listening. Iago knew Cassio was with another woman and could get Othello to believe that he was talking about his wife. This was another step for Othello to believe that this rumor is true.
If Desdemona were to cheat on her husband- she would be most likely to lie and deny the situation.. so how else would Othello discover the truth? He had evidence... so all he needed was to hear it, and witness small proof.
Result- How would you feel if you were 99% sure you were right... but were wrong. Total guilt. If everything your loved one said was true and you refused to believe a word they said.. she was right all along and you were wrong... Life Ending Pain.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Girl Interrupted

When we were young, we dreamed of becoming things that weren't necessarily "long lasting fulfilling jobs" and usually changed our minds a million times. Maybe dreaming of becoming a superstar, hula dancer, professional juggler and work for the circus. As for me personally, I wanted to be a "pizza girl" and toss dough in the air and make pizzas all day long... but there comes a time when you realize that these dreams are unrealistic. Eventually these childish fantasy's disappear. You begin to think about a job that could help you maintain a steady income... like a doctor, teacher, or a lawyer. In the film Girl Interrupted, Angelina Jolie's character Lisa says she someday plans to become a professional Cinderella at Walt Disney...
In Lisa's fantasy world, anyone can be anyone, and anything could happen. Lisa roams around in her own little world by manipulating people, spying on their lives, and getting a background check on everybody. She feels as if she is in charge and everything is to happen her way. In Lisa's world, she imitates someone she is not.. she plays a role. In order for her to find her true self and stop pretending to be someone she's not, is the only way for Lisa to find her freedom...

Thursday, February 5, 2009

Yellow Wallpaper

While reading the "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, I had heard before about depression during and after pregnancy and found the issue very interesting. The narrator in the story is described having some sort of "nervous" disorder and is kept locked in a room to have time to rest and think. In her times, the symptom Postpartum Depression was undiscovered and researched at the time, so this disease could be viewed upon as a crrazzy person.
Postpartum depression isn't a character flaw or a weakness. The birth of a baby can trigger a jumble of powerful emotions, from excitement and joy to fear and anxiety... and especially depression. After having a baby, a mom's hormones are all mixed up and can cause the mother to feel very unusual. These baby blues a mother experiences can be helped with treatment, TLC, and can be accomplished overtime. The actress and former Calvin Klein model Brook Shields expressed her views on how she experiences these issues and explained her situation by saying, "I really didn't want to live anymore," she admits frankly. She says that, during this time, simply seeing a window was enough to prompt her to think, "'I just want to leap out of my life, but then the rational side of me [would say], 'You're only on the fourth floor. You'll get broken to bits and then you will be even worse.'"
This famous actress had a successful career, happy family... and brand new beautiful child in her life. This shows that this issue can be possible with anyone. She admits that she was perfectly fine before but once she had her baby she had been hit with a mixture of jumbled emotions. "Without therapy, I wouldn't have understood as much, and I think that without medicine, I would not have been clear enough," Shields says.
The narrator in the "Yellow Wallpaper" was never given therapy but placed into room that was almost like a prison. This unhealthy treatment could greatly affect the issues she had and even make them worse. Locked in a room and depressed.. can make you even more insane.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

A Room of One's Own

According to Virginia Woolf's Novel, "A Room of One's Own," she explains how woman are portrayed in the times of 1928. She explains that in order for someone to write, they need to have a room of their own, and to have a room of your own.... you need money. It can be more difficult for those who strive to write without the important necessities then the ones who are born with and blessed with everything they already need. At this time, the voting rights for woman were recent and was the time of the stock market crash which lead to the Great Depression. So especially at this time, money was a necessity. Unlike the 21st century, it was indescribably impossible to conquer your dreams without the benefit of money.
In the story, Virginia Woolf introduces character Professor von X. She describes his physical characteristics without truthfully knowing what he looks like. She describes the way he looks based on his writing style. Professor von X's writing seems like he is very angry so she describes him as a heavy built man with a very red face. She also gave suggestions on why this man could be so angry. "Could it be his wife, I asked, looking at my picture. Was she in love with a cavalry officer? Was the cavalry officer slim and elegant and dressed in astrachan?" (31). This is one man giving his opinion on women. This one man could have been negatively affected in some way by a women, putting all women into one category... evil. This man could possibly be expressing all of his hatred toward his wife and not taking into perspective that not all women are the same...

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Writing Metaphor


Hula Hooping, My Penmanship.

Seeking the perfect hula hoop is the first step. The right color, texture, and size all play a huge role in defying your hooping skills. You lower the hula hoop about ankle level and leap into the circle with both feet. The hula hoop is then brought above your waist and you hold it with both hands so it's resting right above your back. This is where the magic begins. You swing the hula hoop to the left and move your hips to the left to join the hula hoop in a rotating formation. Leaving your feet shoulder width apart, you circle your pelvis Elvis style. Before you know it, your moving in perfect harmony mindlessly.

When I first begin writing, I create an outline to get an overview of my future paper. Then I just sort of leap into it. Once I start writing, the words begin to flow. I can start to write faster, or gradually slow down. But I usually maintain a sense of rhythm and the flowing continues. The great thing about writing like a hula hoop, is if I mess up it's easy to pick the hoop back up and start over.