Coming of Age Response #2 (Finished!)

      Coming of Age experiences are expressed through many stories.  Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen is just one of them.  The main character, Ruby went through many different conflicts during her coming of age.  Through this character, I realized that family is a very big and important aspect during this time. Family can influence your coming of age in positive or negative ways, as it did for Ruby. Not only did family affect Ruby's coming of age, but it also affected Lori Natelli's coming of age as I learned through her interview.

      Ruby's coming of age experience was not too good.  This was mainly because of her family. Her mom left her without any notice when she was only 17.  She lived by herself for a few months, but soon everything started to fall apart. Someone discovered that she had no guardian at home with her and then she had to go and live with her sister and brother-in-law that she hadn't seen for years. Ruby did not like it at all.  She was still growing up and it affected her and her way of life.  She thought that it affected her negatively and not think about the good things about it. She had to go to a new school and live in a new house and she had to be with people, new people.  She also couldn't be as independent as she was, she liked being independent.  To her, this affected her coming of age experience negatively because she tried to run away and had to be with people that she didn't really want to be with.  She was no longer the leader of her own life, her sister was. That same sister that had a not so good relationship with Ruby. You can say that this affected her negatively because she had to move on, but in the same respect you are able to say that this affected her positively because she had to move on and start over.  She had some people who cared for her, she had money, shelter, and she started to meet new people and become a new, more open and grateful person.  As you can see, having a family and not having family affected Ruby's coming of age and changed her and gave her experiences to learn from.

      Just like Ruby's life was affected by family so was my interviewee's life, Lori Natelli.  Her coming of age was affected positively and negatively, and affected who is she today, which is what coming of age does.  Throughout the time when my mom was growing up, her mom was a single parent. Her family just consisted of her, her mom, and her brother. This family of hers affected her life because she had to "lose a bit of time" on growing up.  She had to be mature pretty early and take on a lot of responsibility to help her mom and keep the family in place. This is similar to Ruby because Ruby matured very early because when she did live with her mom, her mom was immature and didn't do much for Ruby. They both also had to do things they didn't want to do, Ruby changing her life and moving in with people she didn't want to move in with, and my mom having t help her brother a lot and work at a very young age.  But with both of these girls, their coming of age experiences helped them to become strong, mature and responsible young women. 

      Family is just one of the things that affect coming of age.  But it can change who you are, what you can and can't do and who you're going to be. But by having a more difficult or experienced coming of age, it can make you a better person in the long run. In Lock and Key, the fact that the only family that Ruby had left her, she had to change her lifestyle.  And due to the fact that Lori Natelli had a smaller family that expected, she had to take up a lot of responsibility and change. Coming of age experiences can either make or break you, but I've learned that many things can influence it and have a lasting effect. 

Coming of Age Novel: Halfway

      Internal conflicts can affect a person as much as an external conflict, maybe more, even.  In Lock and Key, by Sarah Dessen, Ruby is facing internal and external conflicts.  They are both affecting her.  Her external conflict is that her mom left her an dinternal conflict is the feeling of being lost and lonely and having no one there for her. 

      Ruby was living alone with her mom for a nice amount of years after er older sister moved away to college and basically never spoke to them again.  He rmother was self absorbed and distant and didn't care much for her daughter, but Ruby was fine with it and was to blind to see that the way that she wa slicing was not right.  We are introduced to the book where Ruby says she was living alone for four months after her mom left her.  She was living in a filthy place with no money and barely any power or water in the house.  This affected her because she basically has to start her life over, which she does not want to do.  She has to move in with the sister that left her at a younger age and live in a new home and go to a new school. 

      External conflicts?  They hurt.  But you know what can hurt even more?  Internal conflicts.  The internal conflict that Ruby is dealing wiht is relationships.  She's lonely.  She's alone in a new school but her mom is gone.  She doesn't have her there anymore.  Her sister is there but not really present.  She's not someone that Ruby can talk to.   The only person that is actually making an effort is her brother in law, but she doesn't know him like that.  Ruby is lost in a world of used to be's and what's going to be.  Ruby can let herself out to anyone.  It's like she's drowning but no one is there to save her.  This affects her deeply because it makes her want to run away, like she tried to do already from Jamie and Cora's house on the first night.  But where to?  She has nowhere.

      Have you ever had the feeling of wanting to run away and run away from your problems and your world?  But then wonder who would come after you?  That's how I feel describes Ruby and her internal and external conflicts.  He rmom ran away and she has to change her lifestyle and she's lonely and really has no one who's genuinely there for her.  Everyone has those moments when they feel like this.  But in the end, for us, everyhting will be okay.  But will eveyrything be okay for Ruby?  As I continue to read, I will watch out for how Ruby solves her problem and changes herself to adjust, 

Test Prep: Break HW #3

      Titanic.  The first thing you think of? Not the event but the incredible movie.  As you know, the movie just came out in 3D after 18 years after it came out.  In the "Titanic 3D" Review article, Josh Travers explains that Titanic 3D was a brillant movie and is no even better in 3D.  John Travers addresses many things about the movie itself and the acting and directing and I stringly agree with all of it.
     
      I agree with Josh Gravers where he explains, "Winslet won a deserved Oscar nomination; DiCaprio did not. Now more than ever, the snub seems wrong-headed."  Kate Winslet played rose and Leonardo DiCaprio played Jack.  Leonardo DiCaorio did not recieve an Oscar Nomination even though he wad the main character of the movie and the "spirit" of the movie that shone through.  he was young, vibrant and entertaining and was a big part of the movie, as Josh mentioned.  I agree with him, in which they weren't fair to give him a nomination. 

      In addition, I agree with Josh Travers when he states, "From the moment the largest floating object ever built hits that iceberg, we are confronted with images that still leave jaws dropping in wonder that, yes, movies can do this."  I agree that movies cna do this.  Movies can make you feel something and experience something new.  James Cameron, the director, built a replica of the ship and that is why you can feel these things.  They were so real and it was as if oyu were there.  You can also feel this and a feeling of being startled because of the harsh images, especially in 3D.  So I agree with his statement that images in movies can make you feel somehting strong.

      This article/ review let me think differently and deeply about different about different components of a movie, specifically, "Titanic."  I agreed with different statements that Josh Gravers wrote baout pertaining to this movie.  This movie pusged acting and art and beauty to the limit and off of the edge and I agree with everything good that can possibly be said about this movie because as Josh Gravers described, this movie gets to you. 

Test Prep: Break HW #2

      Plagiarism.  We all know what it is.  We've all seen it and we all have probably done it once before.  It may have been accidental or intentional.  But it is wrong.  And it should not be done.  In Ms. Galang's blog reponse, what the student did wrong was that he copied word for word text from a source but did not put it in quotes nor add the source, he acted like he wrote it when he didn't.  To include the source correctly, he could have put it in quote and wrote the source in parenthesis or at the bottom; he could have introduced the source first or he could have simply paraphrased it.  

      The student could have included the text information like this: Some features of this painting are exaggerated.  But this happens to be a relateable scene.  Many poeple feel comfortable and at with this scene also.  In  "A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings," the author (unknown), explains " 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.To the left of the painting there is a massive dark structure that develops an even greater sense of size and isolation."   Then at the end, he could have included the website.  This would have been easy and the person would have gotten full credit.  

      Some people think that plagiarism is unavoidable.  But you CAN avoice plagiarism.  One way to avoid plagiarizing is simply putting quotes around the copied information and put the source in parenthesis.  The second way is to paraphrase.  But not just simply paraphrase because you pay put the same exact words or simlar words.  So, you can read the source once and then close the book or minimize the web page and summarize the information you just read the best you can from what you remember.  You will not remember it word for word so its easy.  The last way you can avoid plagiarism is by not being lazy and just thinking to yourself, what if someone did that to you?  And don't you want to deserve the grade you get for your work, not someone else's?  Your conscience should soon kick in.  Please don't plagiarize because soon it will become a habit and it will hurt yourself in the end.     

Test Prep: Break HW #1

      As I was skimming through the list of very detailed blogs, two of them caught of my eye.  The first one was Isablel Arriaga's.  It was about Romeo and Juliet and she was questioning if they really love eachother.  That was quite a shock to me so I kept reading.  At first I didn't believe it but she provided me with several bits of text evidence.  Some were directly from the book and some were paraphrased.  For example, she uses details from act 1 and act 2 in the first paragraph where Romeo is talking all about Juliet's beauty.  She incorporated the lines from the text corrrectly and included a lot of it.  The second things that I liked was her deep thoughts.  She included deep thoughts that she elaborated on, based on her quotations.  I like how she connected her thoughts to the real world to explain what she meant.  She also ended with a question to leave the reader thinking.  This was a very powerful and well thought out response.

      The second blog that I thought was very well written was Michelle Wong's.  Her response was a poem and description on her book, Luna.  I have never read the book before so it was new to me.  One of the first things that I noticed and liked was something in her poem: the figurative and descriptive language.  I felt connected to Liam and started to understand and feel the way he did based on her descriptions.  She compared being trapped to other things to, using metaphors and similies.  In addition, I noticed and liked something about the format.  She put important words in bold.  This made me think that in the book, these words came up a lot and were important to the character so it made me think and reread the sentence.  Overall, this response was very well crafted.

      I enjoyed reading both of these responses becuase they were both interesting and well thought out.  These blogs made me think about my own blogs.  What can I do to improve mine?  Well, the first thing that I want to do is include more text evidence.  I feel that I always paraphrase the text instead of including direct quotations.  I should start including direct quotes because it is helpful yet also good practice on how to include quotes correctly.  The second thing that I want to do which I noticed in both responses is be more personal.  Instead of being so general, connect it to life and maybe to me so then I can elaborate more and have more meaning and description to my writing.  These wonderful responses written by Michelle and Isable were very good to read and they helped me realize things about my blogs. 

Review on "Much Ado About Nothing"

      Last Monday, my class and I went to see the play "Much Ado About Nothing."  I have never seen the play or leanred about it before this, so it was interetsing to see something new.  There were many elements that made up this play and made it good.  There was the acting and the plot and characters and then the more "behind the scenes" stuff like the set design/ lighting, costumes and music. 

      There were many different big characters who all had different personalities.  But they were all involved with eachother and were all connected.  Not having to do with the actual play but just in genereal, I noticed that the characters were different races because it was supposed to be placed in 1920, not in the 1500s.  The plot was interesting and twisted with secret lovers and people tricking one another and falling in love.  There were many things going on.  Each character had their own story but the characters were joined together, forming the plot.  The actual actors played their characters very well.  They were very professional and exaggerated actors.  They had power and energy.  They always stood in character and even when they weren't the center of attention but were on stage, they were still acting.  Th actors were also very emotional and very into what they were doing.

      The other stuff that didn't have to do with the actual plot but what tied the whole play together and made it "for real" were the set design/ lighting, music and costumes.  For the set desgin and lighting, I noticed that they had a moon in the backgrounbd to show time of day, they always had it dark or lighter to show time of day.  I always liked how they played around with the shadows and silhouettes, it sort of set the mood and made your eyes even be interested.  I noticed that for the set design/ props they had an alcohol cabinet and tables and when they would change or fix the props, the transitions would be fast.  To set the time period and make everything come alive, they had music.  It was jazzy and complimeted the scenes.  There were also instruments and the music showed the mood.  The characters were aware of the music and interacted with it like at the ball when they were dancing.  Now, my favorite part to talk about: costumes!  I noticed that the clothing was modern and the clothing would fit the character snd their role.  I noticed that there were a lot of dresses and masks and Hero's wedding dress was really pretty and went well with her character's personality.

      All in all, I pretty much enjoyed this play and all the details and little things that tied it together.  I loved the energy, acting, costuming and watching eveything connect and come alive.  From seeing this play (which was a great experience), it helped me to visualize better and imagine and understand things about Shakespeare in a new eye.  I would reccommend this play. 

The Lovely Bones

Her Lovely Bones 
With one member gone, the family is not whole.
You can grasp to one another,
or run away into a world all by yourself.

But when you step outside an dlook up to the light,
there's a connection that will never be broken. 

A life that ended, too early to be right,
in suffereing she died and put up a fight.
To a man that still remains unknown,
it's scary to know he's still out there, alone.

A hand that you will never get to hold,
of Susie Salmon,
A life led wrong that will never be experienced.

Her bones kept in a box, locked away,
the only evidence left are
Her Lovely Bones. 



      One member gone, the family should grow closer together.  But are they?  The Lovely Bones is a book (that was turned into a movie) by Alice Sebold.  Susie Salmon, 14, was raped and then killed and the murderer remains unknown.  But I have been noticing different things about relationship between the family members.  Some are growing closer together, and others just farther apart.  I wrote about the relationshp between the families, the connection that some members still have with Susie, Susie's murder and the guy who did it and her Lovely Bones.  I felt these were all important topics that so far describe the book in parts.  And when I put all of them together, it flowed and gave you flash backs of events.

      The relationships that I was referring to that were growing closer together was Lindsay and her father's.  They have been helping eachother out, without even speaking.  The ones that were distancing are the mother's from the rest of the family.  She always seems way out there, and even cheated on her husband with Len Fenerman, the head police chief.  Susie's dad still has a connection to Susie, he feels her presence and talks to her.  He tells her that he is going to find the man who killed her.  The man who did it, is still out there, not found yet.  Susie suffered and tried to fight him off but its didn't work.  Susie's bone are locked away and in abox, with the rest of her parts that her murderer kept.  Susie will never be able to expereience life and family and just the joy of living.  You know why?  Because Susie was killed and she's gone, for good.

Romeo and Juliet #2- My Favorite Character

            Romeo and Juliet has so far been a “journey” to read.  So many things have already gone on and I am starting to develop feelings and emotions toward characters and events that go on.  My of the characters are different with very bold personalities.  Some characters I like and some I don’t like so much, or what they stand for.  So far, I have got to say that Juliet is my favorite character.  I feel admiration toward her and a connection between us because she doesn’t let other people influence her and because she is daring. 

            Juliet doesn’t let anyone influence her, the things that she does or the decisions that she makes.  She is single minded and only focuses on what she thinks and doesn’t listen to all of the other people trying to convince her of things.  For example, the Capulets want Juliet to marry Paris just because he is rich.  They think that he would be right for her.  Lady Capulet tried to convince Juliet that she should marry him by telling her that she got married and had children at a really young age, even younger than Juliet.  This happens on page 27, line 12.  But, Juliet has a strong head on her shoulders and does not want to get married so soon.  So on page 39 line 71, she says “It is an honor that I dream not of.”  She stood strong on this and wouldn’t budge when her mother, Nurse and father tried to convince her.  This shows that she is persistent but even better she has a mind of her own.

            Besides being wise and not a follower, Juliet is also very brave and daring.  Her braveness draws you to her and you want to have that sure confidence and dare to do what you want.  Juliet doesn’t care that something bad would happen; she still does it and takes a chance.  For instance, Juliet met Romeo and it was love at first sight.  She didn’t know that he was a Montague but when she found out, she didn’t care.  She still loves him and is risking bother her life and his so that they can be together.  Juliet is risking her life as a Capulet and her spot in her family to be with Juliet.  She doesn’t care about who he is and what family feuds went on in the past.  All she cares about is now, and loving Romeo.  “Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet,” line 39, 2.2.  She would change her name and no longer be a Capulet.  She dares to dream and takes chances.  She is a risk taker.  She makes everyone want to jump… with her.

            My favorite character is probably Juliet Capulet.  She has that charisma and she inspires me to be my own person and be a leader and to take chances no matter what the risk.  From now on, I want to listen to my heart and listen to me and not be influenced by everyone else and what they might think.  I also want to take chances for things I feel strongly about, maybe even love.  I want to be like Juliet. 

             

Romeo and Juliet Friend Letter (1.1)

Dear Friend,

            I am currently reading the legendary Romeo and Juliet by the famous Shakespeare.  I know you have definitely heard of it.  But, it is different from what you would expect.  You would think that it’s just some old book with fancy words that you don’t understand but it isn’t.  It does have olden words but it is interesting with a twisted plot, and I just started!  I already noticed many things about the characters, plot and writing technique.  My mind is already bubbling with thoughts and feelings about the book.   

            Even though I have only read the first scene, I already observed many things about it. I notice that besides Shakespeare using language from his time period, he also used big vocabulary.  He used words such as tyrant and more.  This made me question, what is a tyrant?  I also noticed that Shakespeare doesn’t come right out and say things.  You have to some what read in between the lines and infer about what they are saying.  This then connects back to the use of big words and older words.  It makes it a little harder to read and understand.  But with the key that they have on the left every other page really helps.  It gives you a good definition of some of the words they believe you are stuck on and usually they are right.  The formal language that is used is used within the dialogue, the characters talk very formally to each other.  Lastly, Shakespeare makes the important characters talk a lot at once.  At certain points they have one character saying a whole paragraph.  For now, this is what I observed.

            I already have a list of thoughts and feelings about this one scene that I jotted down while reading in my notebook.  I feel that because of this one family’s fighting, everyone is involved and they really have no choice but to be involved.  If they were to act normal with the “enemy” then their life would be on the line.  Even the servants have to be involved; the servants who really have no life have to look forward to fighting.  Speaking of fighting, I already think that there is going to be a lot of fighting in this book because of all of the anger these people have.  They already broke out into fighting a couple of times.  There is one person besides the prince that I feel gets treated royally is Romeo.  Not just because he is the main character but he is special and I want to know why.  Hopefully, later on in this book I will find out why.  In addition, I think that Romeo and his cousin Benvolio have a special bond.  I think they share a brotherly love, even though they are only cousins.  I feel that they are always going to be together because they trust each other.  I can’t wait to see this bond and many other things in this book grow.

            To sum everything up, so far I like this book and I would recommend it to you already.  There are many words you may not understand but you will understand the story line.  My experience has already been an interesting one and I have been enjoying reading a book I always wanted to read and being the characters (in class).  I am excited to continue.  If you listen to me and decide to read this book, my advice to you is to break up every sentence you may not quite get and take notes on what you’re reading for an advanced book like this.  Also, if you read it you should definitely use the key on every left page for help.  I will update you on my findings.  Happy reading!

                                                                                                Love,

                                                                       

                                                                                                Alli

"If I Should Have a Daughter" Poem Response

      "If I Should Have a Daughter,” is an inspiring and connectable poem by Sarah Kay.  It is a poem that makes you think and learn something by connecting and by using real things in life.  Sarah Kay uses
figurative language and intriguing words to get her readers to understand.  Within her poem there are similes and metaphors with a hint of rhyme.  It doesn’t follow any rules and she made it what she wanted to by letting her voice shine through.  She compares situations to real life and the different things that go on.  An example of where she mixes real life situations with similes and metaphors would be
where she says:
     
      There is hurt, here, that cannot be fixed by band-aids or poetry, so
      the first time she realizes that Wonder-woman isn’t coming, I’ll make
      sure she knows she doesn’t have to wear the cape all by herself.
      Because no matter how wide you stretch your fingers, your hands will
      always be too small to catch all the pain you want to heal. Believe
      me, I’ve tried.

She talks about little kid things such as wonder woman and wearing a cape.  She also ties all of the lines together, connecting different ideas and making them one.  And in that last line, she uses her own life experiences using her voice.  This poem has a strong theme that connects to me and can connect to anyone willing to look for it.
      
      There are many different themes that you can connect to in this poem because poems have no limitations and you can make it what you want, depending on who you are.  The theme that I noticed was to never stop
dreaming and continue to look at the world through open eyes and that life is made for living and learning.  This theme was hidden beneath her analogy of if she were to have a daughter.  The whole poem is
about teaching her daughter about life and its experiences.  The last part of this poem is what made me think of this the most:
     
      “Baby,” I’ll tell her “remember your mama is a worrier but your papa
      is a warrior and you are the girl with small hands and big eyes who
      never stops asking for more.”
     
      Remember that good things come in threes and so do bad things and
      always apologize when you’ve done something wrong but don’t you ever
      apologize for the way your eyes refuse to stop shining.
     
      Your voice is small but don’t ever stop singing and when they finally
      hand you heartbreak, slip hatred and war under your doorstep and hand
      you hand-outs on street corners of cynicism and defeat, you tell them
      that they really ought to meet your mother.

When it says that her daughter would be the girl with small hands but big eyes it made me think that she would be looking at the world with open eyes always going big and asking for more than what she has.  It
also says to apologize for doing something wrong but never to apologize for looking out onto the world curiously and making mistakes because you live to learn.  She said that her voice may be small but she can still make a difference and dream.  The last line that Sarah Kay put in about herself (the mother) was about how nothing can take her down because she lived and learned and now she’s stronger and she
passed that down to her daughter.
      
      This poem connects to me and basically to anyone who lets it.  I am nowhere thinking about if I were to have a daughter but rather the theme behind it, analyzed in the paragraph above.  Me?  I’m the type
of person that thinks big and dreams a lot.  Sometimes people say that I live in another world just because I go the distance and dream for whatever I want, no matter how unlikely it is that it will happen. This is what Sarah Kay is trying to say throughout the poem to her daughter if she was going to have one.  I look at the world with open eyes and I try to achieve any goal that I have no matter what problems get in my way and Sarah Kay wanted to prepare her daughter for all the bad but also good things that in life.  But the second part of this lesson is living and learning, which sometimes doesn’t work too well with me.  I make mistakes in life just like anyone else but sometimes I take them too seriously and make a big deal out of it but Sarah Kay
wants you to learn from your mistakes and keep going because that is what life is all about.  Making mistakes but then getting back up and learning from them because that is what living is all about.
      
      The very first time I was introduced to “If I Should Have a Daughter,” it was by Sarah Kay sayinit in a video.  When I heard it, I instantly knew that this was the poem for me because it didn’t follow any rules and it told a story of its own, letting the theme and connections just flow through.  When Sarah Kay read it, she inspired me.  She owned the poem and had such charisma that I wanted to listen to it a few times over.  It was compelling to me how one poem can impact me so much.  When I then read it and analyzed it, I learned
that it was more about teaching her daughter but it was also about teaching you.

** The lines used are directly from poem but the line numbers differed in different variations of the poem so I didn’t write the line numbers next to the cited lines.

Final Sonnet

The Story of Me and You

I remember when me and you first met,

You said eternally I would be yours. 

And lightning struck and it still happened yet,

Deep in the blackness, stuck behind closed doors.

I had to pull the force and walk away,

Push myself far from who I thought was you.

I grew past your side where I used to stay. 

Let go of my memories, lost those too. 

Today, I have found a new “only one,”

Someone whom I can put all my trust in.

And when I glance at Grey Moon and Gold Sun,

It’s you that I see, my boo, my lost sin.

You played with my heart and tore up my soul,

But it’s you I love, the spot in the hole. 

All Poems Written So Far

1.     Artwork poem: on previous blog post with response

2.   What is _________?

What is Poetry?

Poetry is the story

Your soul is writing

About you.

Poetry is the heart

That has a mind

Of its own.

Poetry is the limitless

Possibilities of

Open doors.

Poetry is a swirl

Of blended colors

That string together

Your emotions.

Poetry is not an

“IS”

But is a

“COULD BE.”

What is living?

What is Living?

Living is breathing in

All life’s opportunities,

And getting a sense of

Who you are.

Living is jumping

Even though you know you

You may fall

On rocky shores.

Living is not wasting time

But doing everything,

Making every second

Count.

Living is making magic moments

And memories to share

And hold on to forever.

Living is being now,

Not yesterday,

Not tomorrow,

But today.

Living is being you

And enjoying it,

And making it worth it.

3.   What happens to__________?

What happens to the dead?

What happens to the dead?

                Do they shut the lights,

                And stay in the dark

                Forever?

                Do they light back up,

                And appear by

                Your bedside?

                Or do they flutter by

                As an angel and

                Sit on your shoulder?

                Do they fade into the sun?

                And see the world?

                Or are they just gone?

               

               

               

"The Creation of Adam" By: Michelangelo Buonarroti

     

       





    Michelangelo Buonarroti was an intriguing and very talented artist of the late 1400s and early 1500s.  He  created many great works of art, many that are still recognized today.  He lived a difficult life but still came out strong with many works of art, some that came from his life problems.  One of his greatest and most known works of arts is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  There are many panels, all with a different religious scene going on.  This is one of many paintings that show his creations and fine skill.

            Born and died “creating works of great beauty,” Michelangelo Buonarroti was born near Florence in 1475, specifically in Caprese, a small town in the hills of Tuscany.  He died in 1564, in Rome, known as one of the best artists of all time.  His family went through hard times.  His mom died when he was only six years old.  He started school at ten years old and three years later he decided he wanted to become an artist.  After his father heard about this, he beat him.  But after some thinking, Michelangelo was allowed to work as apprentice for Dominic Ghirlandaio, who was a big painter in Florence.  He learned many things form working for Domenic.  In 1489, he was invited to learn about classical sculpting in the Medici Palace.  He was taught by Bertoldo de Giovanni who used to be a student of Donatello, another great and well known artist.  Michelangelo was so talented that he was able to be educated with the head of the Medici family’s son.  But in 1496, he was forced to search for work in Rome after problems that were occurring in Florence.  In 1516, after many works of art were created, he went to work for the Medici family.  He never married anyone but worked throughout his life mainly as an architect, but at the same time creating many great paintings and sculptures.  Some of his best sculptures are as followed: The Battle of the Centaurs, The Madonna of the Stairs, Bracchus, Statue of Sorrow, St. Matthew, Taddei Tondo, the famous Sistine Chapel ceiling and many more.

            The Sistine Chapel ceiling is a very elaborate work of art, painted by Michelangelo in 1508 and he finished in 1512.  Pope Julius II requested that Michelangelo paint the chapel ceiling. Julius was determined that Rome should be rebuilt to emphasize its previous power and he really wanted to get the job done.  Michelangelo started to develop a belief in Spiritualism, after he was catholic for which The point of Spiritualism is that the path to God can be found not exclusively through the Church, but through direct communication with God.  It is said he developed this belief by being in the Church so much.     It is also said that parts of the body such as the brain influenced his work.  In one of the panels there is a picture and one of the men’s faces are lifted and underneath it looks like a brain with the stem.  I chose to focus on the “Creation of Adam” because I felt there was more of a meaning than what was shown and I felt that
when you looked at it, there was a force of power.  In this panel, there is an image of the human brain shown behind God, this was put there because of Michelangelo’s interest in drawing the brain.  Michelangelo had a meaning behind painting this panel that shined through his sonnets that he wrote.  He understood that his skill was in his brain and not actually in his hands. He believed that the "divine part" we "receive" from God is the "intellect".  So, this painting didn’t really mean religious things to him but it meant the
true meaning of art.

            The Creation of Adam panel shows Adam and God reaching toward one another, arms outstretched, fingers almost touching. I imagined the spark of life jumping from God to Adam when he was created coming from between their fingertips. Adam is portrayed as real and alive, with his eyes wide open, and he is also completely formed.  It looks to me as though Adam is to "receiving" something from God.  It is shown through their hands.  I think that their hands play a big role in this painting because there is an electrifying force that draws your eyes straight to the hands.  They are almost touching but they are not fully there yet.  This painting reminded me of how Michelangelo lost his mother when he was young.  His mom was gone and he was reaching for her but she wasn’t really there.  It is in one respect his mother leaving but a new life of Adam being created with Eve under God’s arm ready to “fly away” also.  This painting has many layers of meaning and whatever you see when you get that first spark by looking at this
painting is your interpretation of this.  It was never meant for one interpretation, it was meant for many, because God didn’t have one way in which things had to be.

            The “Creation of Adam,” part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling painting created by Michelangelo Buonarroti is truly amazing and shows not just a great artist but a very developed person mentally.  When some people see this painting, the just see Adam and God but if you look past that and take control of your thoughts then you will find a deeper meaning, all relating back to power, life, and reaching but never being able to touch.  I am proud to call Michelangelo one of my idols not just because of his highly advanced works of art but also for working so hard and never giving up when he went through tough times, which he went through a lot.


Creating Life
An outstretched finger, reaching for the light,
God as his savior giving light to life,
With a single breath,
And an electrifying force,
And goodbye to his creator,
And Buonarroti’s goodbye to his mother.

With a wish and a prayer, and a burning desire,
Eve will appear under the arms of our father.
Seeking life and hope with his body bare,
Adam is created with a pull that they share.
His mom is gone, the mother of Buonarroti,
Into the heavens of God, never to return
To make him happy.

A life never forgotten and another one made,
Into the world above, in which the clouds create.
The Creation of Adam, born and alive,
Where life was first created,
With God’s first cry.


Resources:
Jen Green, Michelangelo.  Pages 5-7, 22, 29.

http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htm

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2010/05/27/michelangelos-secret-message-in-the-sistine-chapel-a-juxtaposition-of-god-and-the-human-brain/

http://www.wellcorps.com/Explaining-The-Hidden-Meaning-Of-Michelangelos-Creation-of-Adam.html

    

"The Creation of Adam" By: Michelangelo Buonarroti

Michelangelo Buonarroti was an intriguing and very talented artist of the late 1400s and early 1500s.  He created many great works of art, many that are still recognized today.  He lived a difficult life but still came out strong with many works of art, some that came from his life problems.  One of his greatest and most known works of arts is the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.  There are many panels, all with a different religious scene going on.  This is one of many paintings that show his creations and fine skill.Born and died “creating works of great beauty,” Michelangelo Buonarroti was born near Florence in 1475, specifically in Caprese, a small town in the hills of Tuscany.  He died in 1564, in Rome, known as one of the best artists of all time.  His family went through hard times.  His mom died when he was only six years old.  He started school at ten years old and three years later he decided he wanted to become an artist.  After his father heard about this, he beat him.  But after some thinking, Michelangelo was allowed to work as apprentice for Dominic Ghirlandaio, who was a big painter in Florence.  He learned many things form working for Domenic.  In 1489, he was invited to learn about classical sculpting in the Medici Palace.  He was taught by Bertoldo de Giovanni who used to be a student of Donatello, another great and well known artist.  Michelangelo was so talented that he was able to be educated with the head of the Medici family’s son.  But in 1496, he was forced to search for work in Rome after problems that were occurring in Florence.  In 1516, after many works of art were created, he went to work for the Medici family.  He never married anyone but worked throughout his life mainly as an architect, but at the same time creating many great paintings and sculptures.  Some of his best sculptures are as followed: The Battle of the Centaurs, The Madonna of the Stairs, Bracchus, Statue of Sorrow, St. Matthew, Taddei Tondo, the famous Sistine Chapel ceiling and many more.  The Sistine Chapel ceiling is a very elaborate work of art, painted by Michelangelo in 1508 and he finished in 1512.  Pope Julius II requested that Michelangelo paint the chapel ceiling. Julius was determined that Rome should be rebuilt to emphasize its previous power and he really wanted to get the job done.  Michelangelo started to develop a belief in Spiritualism, after he was catholic for which The point of Spiritualism is that the path to God can be found not exclusively through the Church, but through direct communication with God.  It is said he developed this belief by being in the Church so much.     It is also said that parts of the body such as the brain influenced his work.  In one of the panels there is a picture and one of the men’s faces are lifted and underneath it looks like a brain with the stem.  I chose to focus on the “Creation of Adam” because I felt there was more of a meaning than what was shown and I felt that when you looked at it, there was a force of power.  In this panel, there is an image of the human brain shown behind God, this was put there because of Michelangelo’s interest in drawing the brain.  Michelangelo had a meaning behind painting this panel that shined through his sonnets that he wrote.  He understood that his skill was in his brain and not actually in his hands. He believed that the "divine part" we "receive" from God is the "intellect".  So, this painting didn’t really mean religious things to him but it meant the true meaning of art.  The Creation of Adam panel shows Adam and God reaching toward one another, arms outstretched, fingers almost touching. I imagined the spark of life jumping from God to Adam when he was created coming from between their fingertips. Adam is portrayed as real and alive, with his eyes wide open, and he is also completely formed.  It looks to me as though Adam is to "receiving" something from God.  It is shown through their hands.  I think that their hands play a big role in this painting because there is an electrifying force that draws your eyes straight to the hands.  They are almost touching but they are not fully there yet.  This painting reminded me of how Michelangelo lost his mother when he was young.  His mom was gone and he was reaching for her but she wasn’t really there.  It is in one respect his mother leaving but a new life of Adam being created with Eve under God’s arm ready to “fly away” also.  This painting has many layers of meaning and whatever you see when you get that first spark by looking at this painting is your interpretation of this.  It was never meant for one interpretation, it was meant for many, because God didn’t have one way in which things had to be.  The “Creation of Adam,” part of the Sistine Chapel ceiling painting created by Michelangelo Buonarroti is truly amazing and shows not just a great artist but a very developed person mentally.  When some people see this painting, the just see Adam and God but if you look past that and take control of your thoughts then you will find a deeper meaning, all relating back to power, life, and reaching but never being able to touch.  I am proud to call Michelangelo one of my idols not just because of his highly advanced works of art but also for working so hard and never giving up when he went through tough times, which he went through a lot.        Creating LifeAn outstretched finger, reaching for the light,God as his savior giving light to life,With a single breath,And an electrifying force,And goodbye to his creator,And Buonarroti’s goodbye to his mother.With a wish and a prayer, and a burning desire,Eve will appear under the arms of our father.Seeking life and hope with his body bare,Adam is created with a pull that they share.His mom is gone, the mother of Buonarroti,Into the heavens of God, never to returnTo make him happy.A life never forgotten and another one made,Into the world above, in which the clouds create.The Creation of Adam, born and alive,Where life was first created,With God’s first cry.Resources:Jen Green, Michelangelo.  Pages 5-7, 22, 29.http://arthistory.about.com/od/famous_paintings/a/sischap_ceiling.htmhttp://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2010/05/27/michelangelos-secret-message-in-the-sistine-chapel-a-juxtaposition-of-god-and-the-human-brain/http://www.wellcorps.com/Explaining-The-Hidden-Meaning-Of-Michelangelos-Creation-of-Adam.html

"Life A'int Fair"

            Many people would agree that life isn’t fair.  Why would you want life to be fair?  Why wouldn’t you?  The second question is what I would have said a few days ago, until I read this part of the book.  If you think about it, like I did, then you would understand where I am coming from.  If life was fair, everything would come so easily and there wouldn’t be any fun.  I want to try to make you feel this way and I felt that the best way I could do that would be through a poem, about how you shouldn’t want life to be fair. 

Fairness

If life treated you fairly,

where would all of the fun go?

Life would be sucked dry

of interest.

If life was nice to you,

where would all the emotions be?

Anxious, Surprise, Anger, Sadness

and even happiness would all be gone.

If life liked you,

where would living life go?

Nowhere, it would be dead and gone,

sucked away into a hole of pointlessness.

If life was easy,

Where would all the adventures be?

Everything would be at your feet and

you would never experience the journey.

If life treated you fairly,

when would you wish on a star?

Never.

You should be thankful for the life you have,

because too easy will eventually become too hard,

and float away

into nothingness.

            Now that the poem is over, you might ask, what spurred my ideas?  On a page in The Morganville Vampires by Rachel Caine, and Claire keeps complaining about how difficult her life is.  Even though she got beat up, the hard times will eventually bring her to good times and I think those good times would involve Claire becoming friends with her new roommates.  Clair was talking too her roommate, Shane about how she got beat up and he said to her, “LIFE A’INT FAIR,” and he was right, sometimes it isn’t.  But that is life and that is what life is all about.  If everything came easy to you there’d be no fun or memories. 

            I hope I was able to convince you.  All of the stanzas come down to meaning the same thing: life would be boring and no fun if it wasn’t hard.  That wasn’t the lesson though, that was me telling you something you are going to realize one day.  The lesson of this poem is stated in the last stanza: be thankful for the life that you have because without it, you would never experience anything.  Let life be unfair, slap it in the face and keep going through the tough times because fun times come from the hard ones. 

You Can Run but You Can't Hide

               Have you ever run away from a problem?  Have you ever run and hide from what was coming for you?  Have you ever ignored something bothering you or tried to get away from someone who wasn’t treating you right?  Then yes, you have run away from a problem before.  And where has it got you?  Nowhere.  Running away from your problems will do you no good except build tension and stress.  Also, no matter how far you run, it’ll eventually catch up to you.  Problems are problems and they are going to stay problems if you hide from them.  You can run but you can’t hide. 

                Claire is running away from her problems.  In Morganville Vampires, by Rachel Caine, Claire has “gone missing” because she ran away from her college because girls there were bullying her.  They pushed her down a flight of stairs and they said they weren’t even done with her.  So, Claire ran away because fear got the better end of her.  That is scary and you can empathize with her as to why she ran away but no matter how much she wanted to, she still shouldn’t have done it.  She should have done something, but not that.  This is how Claire wound up in Morganville.  For now she thinks she’s safe, but I’m still at the beginning of the book so I don’t know if she is.

I interviewed an anonymous person about running away from their problems:

-Have you ever ignored a problem that you were having from someone?

                Yes, I was having a problem with many people before and ignored it. 

-Besides ignoring it, did you do anything else?

                I would try not to talk to the person and try to even hide from them when I saw them coming and go the other way.

-How did that work for you?

                We aren’t friends anymore…

-Have you ever tried to run away from a problem or put off a problem that wasn’t caused by a person?

                Yes, sometimes I just have too many things to do and too much on my plate with school, homework and extracurricular activities that I have no time to myself and things get really hard but I had no choice but to just not do it or get really mad or try to prevent from doing these things.  A couple of times I even faked being sick.

-Do you realize that by doing what you did that you were running away from your problems?  If so, do you think that’s good?

                I guess I was sorta running away from my problems but I don’t think it’s good because it is just a huge weight on your shoulders and anyway it really doesn’t turn out good in the end. 

-Have you ever run away or felt like it?

                I have never run away before but sometimes all my problems with people or school etc make me want to. 

                As you can see, people always feel like running away from their problems because they feel that by doing something about it, they’ll make it worse, but actually it’s the opposite.  Claire ran away and didn’t do anything because she was scared of making things worse.  But just like my interviewee, Claire must feel a huge weight on her shoulders and that things aren’t going to be finished or get better.  Just like in real life, I don’t think things are going to turn out well for Claire because the mean girls got the satisfaction of seeing her run away and just because you didn’t do anything, they are going to want more of Claire. 

                You should never make problems in life or people make you run away and be scared of things.  You have to stand up to your problems with power and tackle it head on and that is when it will go away.  You can tell someone to help you; you can talk to that person or simply not let it affect you.  Don’t completely ignore it, but just don’t let it affect you.  Handle it calmly and you will find a way around it.  Don’t let your problems deprive you of your strength and courage.  Use that strength and courage to stand up to your problems and not run away from them.  Remember, you can run but you can’t hide. 

Change and Happiness

      I have read The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks one time before and I have seen the movie but it still moves me every time.  This time though, I read it with a different eye and I noticed more this time change, in Ronnie from the beginning of the book to the end and it was mainly because of her boyfriend Will who she met while she was with her dad for the summer which at first she hated but by the end she realized it wasn’t that bad.  I found a poem on change that I thought would represent this book very well.  I did not write this, I found it on a website (link at bottom) and I broke it up into parts and will write about each part. 

Life is Changing and Through It all I Have Learned

1.   I've learned that no matter what happens,
or how bad it seems today, life does go on,
and it will be better tomorrow.

I've learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel. 

I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person
 by the way he or she handles these three things:a rainy day, lost luggage,
and tangled Christmas tree lights.
2. I've learned that regardless of the differences
you have with the people in your life,
you'll miss them when they're gone.

I've learned that making a "living" 
is not the same thing as making a "life."

I've learned that life sometimes
gives you a second chance.

I've learned that you shouldn't go through life
with a catcher's mitt on both hands. 
You need to be able to throw something back.

I've learned that if you pursue happiness,
it will elude you.
3. But if you focus on your family, your friends, the needs of others, your work and doing the very best you can,
happiness will find you.

I've learned that whenever I decide something
with an open heart,
  I usually make the right decision.

I've learned that even when I have pains,
I don't have to be one.
4. I've learned that every day you should
reach out and touch someone.
People love that human touch --holding hands, a warm hug,  or just a friendly pat on the back.

I've learned that you should
pass this on to someone you care about.
Sometimes they just need a little something
to make them smile.

I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.

1.       This first section reminds me of Ronnie because she kept complaining about going to her Dad’s because basically she doesn’t like him and does not want to waste her summer at her dad’s.  But like it says, no matter how bad it was one day, it did get better for Ronnie because then she met Will.  Ronnie treated her dad bad and he tried to forget it and just soak in the moment when she was being nice to him because he really had no choice because he knew he was going to die.  But he still will have a sore spot because it most definitely hurt him a lot that his own daughter and only daughter did not like him.  The next part of the poem talks about things that you can tell about someone when they do one of those things.  These are just examples from their experience though but it this book you can learn about someone when they do certain things and for both Ronnie and her dad, it was playing the piano and they were both able to learn who they both were through that.

2.       When Ronnie’s dad died, it hurt really bad.  Even though most of the differences were behind them, she still felt bad that she treated him that way.  Even if they were still fighting, judging how Ronnie really was on the inside, she still would have felt terrible but I’m glad she was able to spend some real time with her dad before he died.  When is says making a living is different than a life in the poem, it means that just doing whatever and being there in life but not doing anything fun or interesting is different that saying you’re actually living life because that is not what living means.  Ronnie changed and when she was with Will she would take more chances and do things.  Also, life did give her a second chance because even when she treated her dad really bad, he still forgave her.  Ronnie was sort of selfish at first and full of hate and always took things and never gave anything in return which relates to the catcher’s mitt metaphor in the poem.  Ronnie pursued happiness and everything in her life suddenly became better, including her.

3.       Ronnie started to care about other people and helping them (her family, Blaze, Will) and she became a happier person and things were good to her (well for a little while).  When Ronnie let Will in and her dad with an open heart, she learned things, had fun and experienced things that she never experienced before.  Because she did this, she didn’t have to be alone anymore.  When she felt pain, she didn’t have to be one and alone because people were there for her because she was there for them at the end. 

4.       The last section was about other people.  It is trying to send out a message to the audience, just like the book was.  It is saying to care about the people around you and give them a little sign of love because they won’t be there forever and when they’re gone it’ll hurt like hell  but at least you’d know that you made every single moment with them worth it.  In the last moths with her father, Ronnie did this because she changed and she was happy. Also, caring for others means helping them and giving them a smile because that one smile can make a world’s difference and it’ll just let them know you’re there and that everything is going to be okay.  Ronnie did this in the last few days she had with her dad but don’t wait start now.  Ronnie is still far from perfect though, she will still continue to learn and to change and to learn to be happy.

I felt that this poem connected perfectly with the book because it pulled out all of the deep things about it and interpreted everything the book wanted to say and I wanted to say.  It showed change, learning and happiness which I was able to connect with Ronnie. 

http://www.lovethissite.com/changing/