The Importance of Being Earnest/Victorian Research

The Victorian Era research we did before the book, seemed at first, completely useless and irrelevant to English. However, as we began to read the book and analyze the play's social institutions, it really helped me to have some background information on the Victorian Era. Especially on the subject of marriage, I know I probably would have been lost with all the puns or satire if I hadn't caught up with the Victorian Era facts. Such as on pg. 17 when Lady Bracknell gossips about a widow, "I hadn't been there since her poor husband's death. She looks quite twenty years younger." It clicked in my mind that Wilde was using black humor on marriage for a women, because the looking 'twenty years younger' when your husband dies, obviously means your happy not to be married to him anymore. This shows that marriage was unpleasant, and rarely ever out of love in the Victorian Era, which I already knew from the research I did.

While researching education in the Victorian Era, I found that children's education wasn't even a priority because the Industrial Revolution caused a need for child labor. Therefore, not many people were educated. I saw a reference to this in the book when Lady Bracknell says on pg. 24, "The whole theory of modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever." Without the research, I would probably pass this off as being a bad pun, but because I have researched it, I know that it was satire on education, showing the severity of how little education there was in the Victorian Era.

New Year's Resolution

Read Read Read. My parents have been instilling that in me since I was a little kid. I don't even mind it anymore, in fact I love reading. It's weird sometimes that I might turn down a chance to hang out with friends to stay home and read. But it's my own hobby and I revel in it. With that, I see 2010 as an opportunity to improve my reading. To be practical, I will set a goal of 4 books per month, as minimum. But to beat 2009's record of 58 books total, I will have to step it up, and read however much I can, whenever I can.

Writing my resolution down, will help me to actually try hard, because it's tangible and I would also have an audience (sort of). I'm motivated by the fact that if I succeed I will be really satisfied with myself, however, I also have back-up encouragement which my parents are providing and that is a reward of monetary value. So yes, I really do want to succeed in my resolution. Bring it on 2010! I can take whatever you throw at me.

Animal Farm : Revision of the Past

Just Kidding

Battle of Cowshed
Many had fought,
but most brave of all – Snowball
to save animals, he got shot.

Later, when he was gone
some still remembered his feat
but, Oh, just kidding!
He was actually a cheat.

Snowball and Napoleon argued.
And when Snowball planned
for a great, big windmill
Napoleon passionately contended.

No, just kidding.
Squealer explained
that it was in fact Napoleons plans.
And it seemed so valid..

"No animal shall drink alcohol"
It was to be the process,
Just kidding, it was truly
"No animal shall drink alcohol to excess."

Such as these were modified
but t’was all justified
Except for one, drilled deep in their minds
from a land distant time.

"Four legs good, two legs bad"
Even the sheep knew, that’s what was sad.
Already, it is altered
"Four legs good, two legs better"

Life in equality, no humans, no tyranny
was really, all too imaginary
for when time came for understanding
they found that the pigs were just kidding.

Poetry Out Loud Performances

Shawntay A. Henry recites Frederick Douglass By: Robert E. Hayden with a powerful voice that causes my brain to slow, and catch every word she says. Her physical presence alone was sure to define confidence; the thoughtful glance she had, the confident stance she took, and the key movements she expressed deliberately were as if she were the one who wrote the poem. However, it was her voice and articulation that helped me understand the meaning of the poem. The strength behind the words she delivered was not at all hindering, nor overwhelming. It held the passion of a story teller telling her own story, and the authority of high rank.

Listening to her recitation helped me interpret the poem. Basically, what Hayden was trying to capture with his poem was that the hard work put into acheiving freedom mustn't be forgotten. Frederick Douglass was a slave, beaten for his hope in a freedom that we've taken for granted, and he must not be forgotton. The beauty and grace of freedom must not be forgotton. For the dream of a man in history is now alive in our hands, and we must keep appreciating it, or it is worthless.

Mockingbird Motif

To tell the truth, I've had the impression that a motif was just a made-up word designed to fool honors freshman. In my summer assignment, I ended up guessing on the answer, deciding that to find a motif, I must find a foreign word. "To Kill a Mockingbird" enlightened me with a better understanding of what a motif is; it is definitely not a foreign word, but a recurring symbol. From what I've read, it seems to me that a motif is also a concept that is centered around - an idea that runs the plot, and motivates the themes.

Obviously the motif of this book is shown as the mockingbird - a melodic creature who brings nothing but goodwill, one whose pure innocence is overlooked. It is referred to often in the novel, and serves a connection to the many themes; it ties them all together to create a well-knit plot and moral. The themes: Prejudice(race, class, and gender), Justice vs. Injustice, and Standing in Another's Shoes all focalize the main point which is "to kill a mockingbird". Tom Robinson was quite a literal example of a mockingbird. He was the picture of innocence; respectful, gracious, and eager to help. He was also framed to be the rapist of Mayella Ewell. No matter how obvious he was innocent, the townsfolk would not let a black man's word go above a white man's (pardon- woman's*). The jury was vicious, and held fast to the clutches of prejudice. Letting their tainted minds overrule the truth, they found him guilty of a crime he did not commit. This is Injustice defeating Justice; it is "killing a mockingbird".

Life Lesson

"No matter how unimportant you think you are, you are an influence to SOMEONE."
-PJ Moon. Only 23yr's old, and he's said the one thing that caused me to rethink my whole way of living. He was a youth leader, who meant to change our attitude towards responsibility - and it worked. Pj Moon told me that there ARE people paying attention to me. But who am I influencing that it matters? I wondered. "Your little cousins, students of lower grades, your friends, or perhaps even your brother notice changes about your attitude, your responses, and your thoughts." Pj said, "If you start cussing, soon they will see you as an excuse to start cussing themselves. If you start living right, they will see you as someone to look up to, and will try to live right as well. No matter how unimportant you think you are, you are an influence to SOMEONE."

Though his words made me a bit self-conscious of everything I do, it's helped me to do everything right. When tempted to watch an R-rated movie with friends, my conscious seems to start up like a record player, replaying Pj's words with an annoying vengeance, and lays out two options, 1) watch the movie that's filled with violence/sex/and or profanity, or 2) say no. Though it's hard to watch my friends laugh at my silliness when I choose option 2 ("it's just a movie, Anna" they say), for up until now, I've held my dignity and followed what was right. And I now realize that my diligence is starting to pay off, as my friends look at me, and ask me seriously, which PG13 movie we should watch.

I just had to choose what was right for myself, and peers around me would change their lifestyles for themselves. Seemingly, Pj knew what he was talking about.

My Best Friend

Of my closest two friends, Carey is my second choice. Haha! Just kidding - you and Amanda are both equally loved.

Carey has been with me through thick and thin since the beginning of middle school, and I love her to death. Though her personality is overall quiet and seemingly timid, she always confides in her best friends. As far as I can see, she rarely makes a mistake, and her ideas are very intellectual and insightful. Sometimes I envy her in how much she sees out of the world whereas I can't get past the outer appearance. However, the way she views herself falls slightly under positive. I remind her over and over how much she's worth - ALOT. Carey is slightly short in height compared to peers, but it never impaired her abilities and won't ever. In fact, she is absorbed in the sport of baton twirling, and is especially talented in it.

She keeps a positive attitude in everything she does, and her smile is infectious. She would be considered a humanitarian, but her kindness doesn't blind her from right and wrong; if I were to vandalize Mrs. Gilman's whiteboard and she knew I did it, she would know to do the right thing and report me, even though we are bestfriends. Carey might seem like an introvert, but she is my painfully well hidden extrovert :) Sides of her, nobody else has seen, are expressed regularly to me, such as the way she freaks out when a hot guy passes by (she's probably going to get angry that I mentioned this), or that she complains excessively about how 'Mormon' her mom is. She is comfortably annoying around her friends, and we are comfortably annoying to her. Balance developes our friendship, and I know that she feels the same way.