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.

What do you do with power when you get it? Daniel X 2 Druids and demons.

          More in touch with his extra-terrestial  roots, Daniel begins to start understanding how his powers occur and that he is not alone to the extent of a whole planet of others like him. He becomes better at tapping into his memories and abilities  because he can form a carbon copy of his father to train him in the ways on their people. Now he is closing in on the top 3 three aliens, he is not the same person he was when his parents were killed all those years ago and as a child. he is now a battle tested warrior who expects everything and nothing and has no reservations on killing evil aliens. He learns real or not his friends are all he has and they mean more than a win.
           In my life experience  when your at your highest point  and your not careful all you can go, is down and that spiral is not a smooth one, almost like falling out of a tree. Millions of handholds but none for you. When finally stop falling and dust your self off and begin the slow accent back to the top is not pleasant . Scraped knees, torn cloths muffled hair. When you get back you come out a different person unrecognizable to anyone who knew you and a clean slate is formed. A new more humble you emerges thankful for anything left. From eagle to pigeon, wolf to chiuauah, man to mouse.
 So a word to the wise... Be careful

(A Counter to my previous post) Do you ever feel Unstoppable

                 In Daniel X 1 they explain the complicated history of the most powerful child on earth. At the age of two, Daniels parents were brutally slaughtered before his eyes. He only managed to survive by using his power. He can control and bend reality, and shape shift. He transformed into a parasite and stealthily got away from his burning home. From there on he vowed to realize his true powers and heritage and to eliminate every alien on earth one by one until he finds number one, the Prae.
                 Every day that I wake up I plan in advance. In some ways i bend my own destiny and reality. ever since sixth grade I made my own vow to not just let life happen but to curve it in my direction. Many bad things occurred in my first year at ms 51 and i never want that to happen again. In my new opinion bad things only happen if you let them so my foresight comes in handy. Even recently  I had  the idea to have my pocket flash light on me when a writing assignment was given a badly lit room. Or when I was returning home from the deli  across the street from my house my neighbor brought out her two huge rottweilers and they were eying me down. I thought to buy a beef jerky in the  deli even though I did not particularly want on e but when I passed the I threw it down a booked it back to my house. As I learned it is good to be over prepared rather than under prepared.

Do you ever Feel powerless? By Andwele Pizarro

       In the Black Dragon  Codex, A black hatch-ling  named Septimis found the object that would grow his horde to a size that would gain him the approval of his mother . As the prize was a bout to be his it was stolen by a real human. Enraged by the dishonor and the time it took to plan to this very moment he burst out of his human disguise and ruined the auction house. When he returned to his mother she was locked in intense battle and in the end she lost and was captured and to evade capture Septimis was turned into a human. Now motherless and no longer having the power to fight back.
         As a normal American child it is normal for me to feel powerless sometimes. Compared to how it was maybe, 40 or so years ago I might as well be the president. where children supposed to be seen and not heard. Talk only when spoken to by an  adult. Where  certain pieces of furniture were only for adults to sit on  and all of the kids visiting or who lived there had to cram onto a single uncomfortable chair, and where even you could not whistle inside the house and girls could not wear pants. And every adult was either a sir or ma'am regardless or relation to you.  Comparing my liberties and restrictions to those just a generation before me I feel ridiculous for whining about not getting this and  that when the previous generation could barely move!  When i start complaining about not getting something my way next time i will think about what people went through on a short time ago.

Happy Face, Do we all wear one?

In the book happy face  a happy face is a shield and a hiding place. The main character, Happy Face is using his smile as a shield before he became Happy face his life was very traumatic and he decided to shed his shell and grow a smile. When the pressure began to pile on , The iconic Happy face shield began to crack revealing  The characters old self.  When he began accepting it  and stopped trying to mend the mask then he truly healed.

At some point in everybody's life  they have experienced something they would rather not say and tried to turn their backs on that experience and deal with it in their own ways.; Many people try to ditch the self that had problems and  become a different person. I my case my views changed. In fourth grade my best friend began being teased for acting "different" and having abnormal mannerisms if you catch my drift. But i stayed a  friend  to him and throughout his gauntlet to only end up fighting one on one and never speaking again. From then on my shell was snapped open and my mask was born. The masks duty was to protect and repel people that back stab when the are within range.  Like all other things the mask has worn away leaving bits and shreds here and there having finished its task.

Then again what i am really asking is...

 Do you have a mask, A Happy Face?
If you do, what unleashed it?
Do you regret having it?
Does it help you cope?
Does it affect those close to you?
 When you feel ready to cloister up Think about these questions, and then decide if its a good decision.

The Red Pyramid By Rick Riordan ( could spoil book if thought about too much!!!)

           The book discusses the long story  of Carter and Sadie Kane, how they were separated at a very young age due to the mysterious actions of their parents. When their parents left that night their mother died and unleashed a trapped Egyptian god, Bast the god of Felines, who swore loyalty to Sadie Kane to keep her self from further exile and took on the form of a house cat named muffin. When their father finally reunited the two siblings he tried to unleash another Egyptian god and it backfired. He summoned the Egyptian god of chaos, Set, who the imprisoned and banished him. Leaving the siblings to find him and defeat his captor.

            I can relate because growing up I had two cousins very close in age to me, Adam and Bryan. We were the Three Musketeers as many of our aunts fondly called us because we were inseparable. The blue ice pop tongues  the football, baseball, swimming. At some point they all moved away to different parts of the country , one to Colorado, one the capitol, Washington D.C., and our conversations became few and years  apart. Not just because of the distance because of our new and changing interest. Bryan became and avid hockey player while me and Adam pursued music. We have been trying to gather up for years never deciding on a place. Almost as if we were all imprisoned  and could not escape but like moths to flame we keep trying. 

          Carter and Sadie  Also pursue their father not caring about the dangers that may befall them because even though neither has a very close relationship with their father the world rests on his freedom.  Through the journey the realize their powers and their relationships to the Egyptian gods and their heritage of Pharaohs and other hosts of gods throughout time. They get to a point where they connect in way they could not before because they only saw each other a limited amount of times a year. They become an effective team as warriors and brother and sister.

Demonatta by Darren shan

Like I stated in my previous post The Demonatta series prefers to switch from character to character fromm book to book, always leaving a "bridge" behind that catches the interest of the reader such a excerpt from the next book.In Demonatta eight showed a transition/acception in the characters personality and outer appearance through his actions a dialouge. Grubbs Was originally squeamish when it came to killing, but after his "change" his thoughts became a bit gruesome actually, enjoying the feel of a kill, immersing himself in the instincts of his new form.

Demonatta 9 how ever began where two stories diverged in Demonatta 8. It began with Kernel realizing his "change" made him different also. he was able to see new lights ,or portals, that affected his decisions . When disobeying their silent wishes they caused him to seize up and suffer knowing knowledge that may affect the entire world and all those close to you and not being able to share it.this book show the journey that kernel undergoes to realize his destiny. As he progresses he realizes the important choice he has to make stay and live or leave and die.

The Lost Hero By Rick Riordan (Spoiler alert do Not Read)

       This book takes a different perspective to it predecessor the Percy Jackson series, mainly deriving the gods names and appearances from the roman culture. It take a look at some of the less mentioned gods like Hera, and Aphrodite and other powerful figures I cannot mention without giving up too many secrets. The new main Characters entered the story as ordinary kids in a supped up juvie called The "Wilderness Camp" to rot out their punishments their  parents preset and to "grow as a person" and give up their ways ( did i mention they were all thieves or vandals). Secretly camp Half Blood is recruiting new demigods  and their counselor is a hot headed Saytar ( a half man half goat that seeks out and protects the gods children) with a Napoleon complex that attacks before he has a plan.
      The new characters Jason the roman son of Jupiter , Leo the hyper-active flamethrower son of Hephaestus, and Piper the effervescent, persuasive daughter Aphrodite all take different internal journeys that manky people can relate to. Losing a loved one,or the feeling of abandonment, or losing a important part of your life and possibly not wanting it back.Through out my life i have seen the elders of my family fall one by one and it was emotionally detrimental but i found consolation in the good memories of them, the warm reception at visits,the jokes the laughs, and the meals we all cooked together.
       As with all demi-gods their godly parents leave them with their mortal parents but watch over them as they grow. When the eldest members of my family passed i felt abandoned, and at such a young age i was left with nothing but a sad face and weeping eyes.At this point in my life 13 yrs old I learned to cope with such tragedies with less chance of freaking out  into a downward spiral. The main character Jason is suffering from painful amnesia that results in many awkward and dangerous situations as bits and peices slowly come back to him.. Certain passing's are very painful and I bury them into an amnesic state to dull the sadness but evry noe and the some thing comes up and causes me to remember which is not all that bad but makes me long for those memories to once again become reality.

The Demonata Wolf Island By Darren Shan( spoiler alert)

   This book is a very subtle yet bold showing of how interesting a partial horror/fantasy book can be. The the macabre humor extenuates the idea of how the character changes through out the book. Following the loss of innocence arch-type mostly, From a sort of innocent character to a completely physically different character but not a totally evil character.
   I feel that   like in many of Darren Shan's other books a character starts out normal and as the story progresses they become their real selves or what the need or want to be in Wolf island for example. Grubbs was half human and part demon/werewolf and   at the end became a blend of all three and seemed to be very pleased with that . I cirque du freak The main character was an average kid then was turned in to a vampire, which he began to accept and like  an even embrace.
   Every character also has a purpose in  Darren Shan's books whether it is to die early a give the character drive or to torture them. Juni Took over Bill-e's body and tormented Grubbs and other sub characters with the vague resemblance to a lost one ( Wolf Island) .  Steve reappeared as an enemy after the unfortunate turning of Darren to torture him and kill him. Some characters also  become the main character when the book goes through a different characters perspective.Like at the end  a book they give you an adage of the next book usually going to the next part of the story until the stories meet, for example Wolf island went from Grubbs to Bernaberus.

    Darren Shan's macabre touch to writing has intrigued  me since 6th grade and still does.