Speak

In my opinion the line "Ah-ah-ah  he says . "you just chose your destiny and you cannot change that" really speaks into the idea of coming of age. Though this puts a different idea towards coming of age than the rest of the book ( a slow guided learning process rather than falling into more responsibility than you can handle)
  In Melanie's life she has many insecurities and very few people who help her cope with it. These developed right after the summer of 8th grade. she shut herself off from all of her friends and  they felt like they were no longer friends and moved on. when she realized the consequences of her actions it was too late and it was a long, lonely first bus ride to high school. things only went downhill from there, all her friends were not only resentful of her they were obviously ignoring her.. This slowly traumatized her until she began drifting farther and farther from reality. They one time she dropped her inhibitions she was hurt in a way many people cannot recover from, she was raped.
 This was the event that Jarred her ruined life into recovery. shed did not understand what happened and wanted to forget about it and hide it from every one. Who would she tell, her parents expected her to be a weird loner and treated her a such. She never said any thing, who would listen? She did not have any friends, who would care? Her mind was scared and she turned into a frightened animal when Andy Evans came by either fled or yielded to his will and his power grew until grew he  so swollen he lost his grip.  It took a day for her to realize that  he hurt her and it was not her fault.
 She was a pawn in a game where the rules were learned as it goes .
 Part two of my blog
 Wiser than before  knowing that her lifestyle was killing her she started to make a change. That change was a friend named Ivy from art class. Many people who go through something as  serious as what she did and who were in the condition she was in delve further into their pre dug graves.  she broke out of her casket and began talking and standing up for herself. This is a huge step it was noticeable for all those around her but especially those who truly  listened ( Mr freeman who listens through her art, and Ivy) and participated and took chances and finally said no to Andy Evans when he attacked again.
     From facts and statistics in the book many people who are raped never have the power to say no again and especially not their rapist. she showed strength that was admirable that was equivalent to nothing Ive seen before.

Repossessed by A. M. Jenkins

       In the book repossessed, a demon named Kiriel pondering his reason for having to be the therapist for those who have wronged the world with their presence takes a well deserved but forbidden vacation. when he leaves hell for a change of scenery he takes over the body of a boy who was seconds away from an encounter with death. he goes to earth for a vacation but ends up learning a lesson. Stealing a body is easy, but stealing a life is hard. As he progresses his trip becomes less about him and more about improving the lives of people before the cant fix it. He wants to leave his little engraving on the tree of life, something to show that his presence meant something rather than toiling away mindlessly at the beat of someone else's drum.
         When he was selecting a body he tried to pick a person whos life did not need a lot of matinence. What he did not understand was that every life, no matter how obscene needs matinece, that only the person who has been living it can do. When he finally became a solid being rather than a omnicent force that could be anywhere, and every where  at once he plan already had a flaw he did not know how to be shaun (the owner of the body he stole). His manurisims were different his pattern of speech was different. Not enough to be noticed but enough for it to be uncomfortable. The only earthly being to know of his switch was Shawn's cat peanut.  That flaw was not a problem until just about the time god noticed. First is was a I.M. that sent a chill down the demons new spine, then a face to face meeting with a demon with a warning.  Knowing he had been caught all his plans had to be set into motion faster than he anticipated. He had to carve his little k into the world with new resolve.
          Kiriel may have been a demon but in some ways he was more human than anyone he ever ha to oversee in the thousands of years he worked in hell. He did not understand emotions but appreciated them like shawn never did.  Every part of the human experience that are considered basic functions amazed and confused kiriel, a being that watched the world develop from the beginning, every creature with a sentient thought. In my opinion this portrays how young children see the world. a new experience something to gain, a never ending  lesson that progressively gets better.
          The way kiriel left the world represents the way we all eventually have to let go. Just like he accepted it, and after he finished what he felt like was neccesary for his entire trip to be worth it  once you've done all you can do, all thats left is to rest on the wings of fate.

Romeo And Juliet Response

When we  started this unit i did not expect to drawn  in with modern  scenery modern clothes and situations that happen every day. I expected to see a whole bunch of mid evil streets with plague riddled homeless people wandering the streets, where laws would have people killed and or abused. The words may not have matched their actions too well but the actors but the actors compensated  for it the conviction in their voices.
  when i saw the trailer i got interested  because it seamed like a action-type movie that could be very engaging. Gun fights helicopter chases hostages held at gunpoint this was the real world as it is to day not as it was hundreds of years ago. While at some points the language could not convey the message of or complex scenes the scenery had all the words matched out.When they traveled and spoke the scenery matched the mood in soft caring moments natural light filtered in and the cameras  zoomed in on the characters. In fight scenes the scenery turned rough and jagged just as the emotion  that are free flowing especially when Tybalt killed Meccucio. The setting was so real and vibrant that one the makeup specialist was kidnapped by gangsters and and had to be ransomed back.
 I think that Lurhman made it a more modernized version because the original was un-relatable and since Shakespeare is used as a sonnet study for schools full of teenagers that want action and  realistic things that they would know about. his choice of cast  was very well done. Leonardo Decaprio and Clair Danes  Made  the last scene a thing that provoked many emotions  of anger and sadness. The fact that she could not react quick enough to prevent Leonardo from drinking the poison brought anger but the fact that she regreted  no being able to stop him enough to kill herself.
     The bond the formed lasted the rest of their short lives kept the different poles of their family magnets grinding together until one had to break. only the loss of what their families treasured most could  defog their minds of the meaningless hatred.

Hope by Ashley Helmers- Starry night By Vincent Van Gogh

Ashley's post was just about as thought provoking as the picture it was about. She used compelling words to convey her interpretation of  "Starry Night". She bring New light to a old and famous piece of art. When  I origionally saw  starry night i thought o f a peaceful evening under the  stars but ever since reading this poem i have seen hope. Times were difficult in the years of Van Gough yet more simple than the every day  lives we lead  with out the  medical science we  take for granter today and people dieing in the streets hope may have been the only thing they had.
This  was a very thought provoking poem and i recommend this to any who wants to get a new look on  hope  should read it here (http://peaceloveandpages.blogspot.com/2011/01/picture-poetry-response-starry-night-by.html

Untitled By Charlie Slavin

 Charlie has a interesting perspective on the book that makes me want to read his post and after that go to Barnes& Nobels and buy that book to read. He takes completely fictional character and  and brings the problems of the books world into correlation with real problems such as racism, and slavery.
       The book issues seem to plague the entire orc cast of the book Because if they fight to the death the influx of orcs would have to be constant so villages are most likely to be raided normally. I can tell if this practice has been going on for a while i am sure orcs had enough common sense to move but this might only increase the suffering and stress they go through in the raids,  their captors having to drag then a longer distance becoming more and more surly as the journey continues.  The fact the the main character escaped means that  it will be plotting revenge because any creature that has ever endured the abuse the character has would seek retribution.
          I see how this translates back into slavery, and racism. Racism the creatures capturing the orcs have a  certain hatred or feeling of supremacy towards them and feel the need to pit them against each other almost like in the hunger games where people are gathered against their will by a huge impossible to fight force and are force to fight each other to the death. I see slavery in the way the are captured, tortured until they fight o the death, and generally mistreated.    

True Mexican By Alex Isakova

            Overall this was a very thought provoking post that mad me think farther into the topic of people being split between two sides of themselves. I found this very intriguing  because there are many poets and artists that have this same sort of inner struggle that the artist of this picture seem to be experiencing. Not necessarilary      
            In the poem she interprets what the artist meant to show through the picture. She say that the artist feels torn between two lives, and heritages that they live because they are Mexican-American. The picture further re enforces that idea with  a group of objects from both cultures mostly sitting on an table who's colors are red white and blue like the American flag. Something else that sticks out is that most of the items are from the American culture like the photo of George Washington wrapped in again red,white, and blue beads.
        I think that the artist is trying to say that America and Mexico May be two big parts of their life but since it seems that they currently live in America and that is why they reserve a larger love for America . Possibly America is favored because they had an important reason the came to America or even that they have never gotten the chance to plant root into their Mexican side and only knows about their American side
        I think that the Alex feels that the artist was or is detached from a part of themselves but have a small piece that lives on no matter how much the other side tries to smother it and and take over. The lion is generally  not part of Mexican culture which might say that  they are not that in touch but the lion is known throughout Spanish culture as a symbol of being regal and have power. also the picture shows balance with      the back being a rural old time-ish Mexican home a the front being the picture of an over Americanized front ( being fake).

        http://blogginglife97.blogspot.com/2011/01/true-mexican.html

The thinker

The thinker left pondering
Why was he created
left in a eternal pose of confusion and befuddlement
is there a question only he an answer
If so the should call him, the answer rather than the thinker
or was he made to make us think
about him or  go crazy trying
molded in iron
he can not give an explanation to why he sits this way
when he is seen the role reverses
making the veiwer the thinker instead
if only this iron man
was made with an iron thought bubble
a bubble that floats like a rock

For when he takes his prey he plays with it to give it a chance.
For one mouse in seven escapes by his dallying. 
For when his day's work is done his business more properly begins. 
For he keeps the Lord's watch in the night against the adversary. 
For he counteracts the powers of darkness by his electrical skin and glaring eyes. 
For he counteracts the Devil, who is death, by brisking about the life. 
For in his morning orisons he loves the sun and the sun loves him. 
For he is of the tribe of Tiger.

       Before finished reading the poem i thought that the author was describing the behavior of his house cat. I generally think of tigers as a ferocious and beautiful thing that can only be observed. the author spoke with a familiarity of a pet  I found it interesting that  the made a reference to the tiger battling the devil.  Though it was described with simple words  i felt it had a deeper meaning because in some ancient civilizations cats were revered for such belifs    and actions.

       When i think abut it the tiger could also represents judgment because it gives the mice a chance and sometimes the get free but most get caught. It almost like in court when the judge decides whether or not you go to jail  or whether or not you have to pay a fine. Coming back to the cats being revered idea the tiger greets the sun fights back the evil presence we all know is there and does this a systematically all the time. I may be over thinking but i feel that there is some thing more to this poem than first meets the eye...

       Remebering growing up with family( not my immediate because i don't particularly like them) that had a lot of cats this behavior sounds very familiar to what i have seen. wheter this relates to the morals of justice or to a strange reverance to cats or just a poem expressing fondness towards a single cat it is thought provoking a interesting.

Are We Truly What We Eat (Chew On This)

              Does the menu define the person? Despite rather "unappetizing" words Chew on this has a point because all the are doing is giving you the facts. How it is interpreted is not their prerogative, but getting you to understand what you are buying and how it has changed along with our society. Not to give any thing away but as shocking as it might be we changed the beautiful majestic red jungle fowl into a morbidly obese animal that is more likely to die within its first 6 weeks of life who may never see the light of day.
               I have read this book a few times and before when I was younger and I was more apprehensive the than I am now towards it. It explains in explicit words what no company wants to be published en Mass about their products or their suppliers. But the responsibility ultimately falls upon the companies. For example a worker in a lard company fell into a vat and was turned into lard and the lard was still sold. Young workers are over worked and immigrant workers are work slaves where workers unions are weak. and a farm animal can no longer roam it is doomed to a cramped cage where it will be fattened to popping and brutally killed ways that are dangerous for the workers too.
    Knowing all this my self ant the millions of other people who read this book, might remember  the message but it will lose potency with every trip to the grocery store, the restaurant chain that we frequent, and any where else food is not grown on the premises, because a leopard can't change it's spots and no one is perfect.