Wednesday, December 19, 2007
DONE!!
I'm officially, at this very moment of 4:11 PM on Wednesday, December 19, 2007, done with Lit 10! HOORAY!!!
Independent Reading - Week Fourteen Through Eighteen
I basically read 1984 for the rest of the semester, and some from two books, "Wings" and "Writing Down the Bones." Other than that, none! I SEVERELY enjoyed 1984. What an awesome, awesome book.
Novel Project - Super Final Essay!
! Spoiler Warning: This entry may contain spoilers that would really ruin the story. So read the story first, or suffer the consequences of spoiler-ness. !
If Orwell strongly believed in what he was writing, then would he also believe that, like Winston, he was writing to a future that wouldn’t even know of him? Yet the book became so popular that years after his death he is still known for his work. So therefore, he succeeded. He wrote for the future, and got the minds of others to see the government’s wrongdoings and to rebel! He succeeded where Winston had failed. In writing 1984, he wrote that Winston had been found out and forced to love BB. But Orwell, unlike Winston, succeeded in publishing his books and writings.
Although Orwell wrote in 1984 that “you cannot write for the future,” this turned false in his case whether he believed this phrase or not. He wrote for the future, and the future took it in. Even now, many years after his death, his book is still widely popular. What kind of impact has it had on the world? People have studied his work, picking through every detail and writing critical essays on it, trying to figure out just what Orwell was trying to say. It was very obvious: down with totalitarianism. Just what kind of world Orwell imagined to be decent and good remains a mystery. He did not believe in a utopia, yet he did not believe in a dystopia. Did he believe there was some kind of middle ground? Or maybe he would’ve rather just left the world alone and stayed in the freedom of the ‘proles’ of his time, free in thought and in body.
As more and more people read Orwell’s writing, especially younger people with minds that can still be molded, I believe more and more people are becoming influenced by his beliefs. Our government today can be whatever it wants to be, and can show us as much of itself as it desires, but what’s really happening inside is something the people of the middle and lower classes can never know for sure. In order for Winston to be more aware of the government’s abilities to alter the past and mold the future, he had to be a part of it, which he was. Working in the Ministry of Truth, he witnessed countless acts of deceit every day. He worked to change physical evidence of the past in order to justify Big Brother’s supposed truth.
People everywhere are becoming influenced by 1984 and Orwell’s other books. How could they not? Would it not interest someone who has no knowledge of the government’s ideals and actions to read about a world in which the government rules its people’s actions and thoughts? In the end, all that BB wanted was power. Power to control, power to do anything. And as many of us know, someone holding a great power can be easily tempted into misusing that power. BB abused the power, and easily at that. It is not unexpected for people to read this book and become influenced by it. This could lead to change: but will it be a good change?
If more and more people became influenced by 1984, there could be major changes: rebellions, revolting, protesting; while these things are important, they can also be deadly. Like the proles, it might be easy to combine every individual’s voice to become a roar louder than the government, but at the same time, “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” (1984.) If there were a group that stepped forward to attack the government, would they succeed? If they did, what would happen?
This book has the potential to change the world. How? As Martin Luther King Jr. influenced many with his speech, Orwell has influenced many with his books. Essays, poems, music, anything could be made from Orwell’s inspiring book. One way that Orwell’s words could gain more power is through music. As I was listening to a song by a favorite band of mine, I realized that the words could easily have been influenced by 1984. This, I knew, could influence dozens more people. Orwell’s books and essays are like the seeds of trees planted, and when they spout and grow, the branches they reach out with are like the different forms of inspired works. As long as this tree continues to grow and become stronger, it could become larger than the tree of the government.
It’s not unusual that Orwell has been described as insane. Many think he is, but many also think he was incredibly ingenious. I happen to think he was one of the most amazingly clever and intelligent people, one of few who can see through the government’s disguises and into the horrifying truth within. He was fearless; he put himself in a place where he could be ridiculed and put down, or worse. He continued, relentlessly, making more and more proof that justified his views of the government, producing this proof without holding back. I have been deeply affected by this story; my views of the government have changed and I now look toward political parties with a certain suspiciousness. I don’t know if anything will ever change within the government, but if it does, I feel I will be completely prepared for what could happen.
If Orwell strongly believed in what he was writing, then would he also believe that, like Winston, he was writing to a future that wouldn’t even know of him? Yet the book became so popular that years after his death he is still known for his work. So therefore, he succeeded. He wrote for the future, and got the minds of others to see the government’s wrongdoings and to rebel! He succeeded where Winston had failed. In writing 1984, he wrote that Winston had been found out and forced to love BB. But Orwell, unlike Winston, succeeded in publishing his books and writings.
Although Orwell wrote in 1984 that “you cannot write for the future,” this turned false in his case whether he believed this phrase or not. He wrote for the future, and the future took it in. Even now, many years after his death, his book is still widely popular. What kind of impact has it had on the world? People have studied his work, picking through every detail and writing critical essays on it, trying to figure out just what Orwell was trying to say. It was very obvious: down with totalitarianism. Just what kind of world Orwell imagined to be decent and good remains a mystery. He did not believe in a utopia, yet he did not believe in a dystopia. Did he believe there was some kind of middle ground? Or maybe he would’ve rather just left the world alone and stayed in the freedom of the ‘proles’ of his time, free in thought and in body.
As more and more people read Orwell’s writing, especially younger people with minds that can still be molded, I believe more and more people are becoming influenced by his beliefs. Our government today can be whatever it wants to be, and can show us as much of itself as it desires, but what’s really happening inside is something the people of the middle and lower classes can never know for sure. In order for Winston to be more aware of the government’s abilities to alter the past and mold the future, he had to be a part of it, which he was. Working in the Ministry of Truth, he witnessed countless acts of deceit every day. He worked to change physical evidence of the past in order to justify Big Brother’s supposed truth.
People everywhere are becoming influenced by 1984 and Orwell’s other books. How could they not? Would it not interest someone who has no knowledge of the government’s ideals and actions to read about a world in which the government rules its people’s actions and thoughts? In the end, all that BB wanted was power. Power to control, power to do anything. And as many of us know, someone holding a great power can be easily tempted into misusing that power. BB abused the power, and easily at that. It is not unexpected for people to read this book and become influenced by it. This could lead to change: but will it be a good change?
If more and more people became influenced by 1984, there could be major changes: rebellions, revolting, protesting; while these things are important, they can also be deadly. Like the proles, it might be easy to combine every individual’s voice to become a roar louder than the government, but at the same time, “Until they become conscious they will never rebel, and until after they have rebelled they cannot become conscious.” (1984.) If there were a group that stepped forward to attack the government, would they succeed? If they did, what would happen?
This book has the potential to change the world. How? As Martin Luther King Jr. influenced many with his speech, Orwell has influenced many with his books. Essays, poems, music, anything could be made from Orwell’s inspiring book. One way that Orwell’s words could gain more power is through music. As I was listening to a song by a favorite band of mine, I realized that the words could easily have been influenced by 1984. This, I knew, could influence dozens more people. Orwell’s books and essays are like the seeds of trees planted, and when they spout and grow, the branches they reach out with are like the different forms of inspired works. As long as this tree continues to grow and become stronger, it could become larger than the tree of the government.
It’s not unusual that Orwell has been described as insane. Many think he is, but many also think he was incredibly ingenious. I happen to think he was one of the most amazingly clever and intelligent people, one of few who can see through the government’s disguises and into the horrifying truth within. He was fearless; he put himself in a place where he could be ridiculed and put down, or worse. He continued, relentlessly, making more and more proof that justified his views of the government, producing this proof without holding back. I have been deeply affected by this story; my views of the government have changed and I now look toward political parties with a certain suspiciousness. I don’t know if anything will ever change within the government, but if it does, I feel I will be completely prepared for what could happen.
Novel Project - Biography of George Orwell
! Spoiler Warning: There is a chance this entry may contain some spoilers for 1984, but seeing as to how I'm too lazy to read over the whole thing and decide officially, you might just want to not read this until you've read 1984. But it's up to you. !
It seems to me that Orwell is very much so against authority. In school or in a war, Orwell is reported to hate any kind of authority around him, so much that he writes essays and a few books about his experiences. An example would be when he attended a school called St. Cyprian’s, where he had many bad experiences that he wrote about in his book Such, Such Were the Joys. Later in life, Orwell fought for the Republicans in a group called POUM (Workers’ Party Marxist Unification). He wrote a book based off of his experiences there called Homage to Catalonia. In it, he talked about how he approved of Spain’s loose class structure. Later in Orwell’s life, he became poor and homeless, wandering the streets of Paris and London and encountering others who he took a liking to because of their lack of routine and their uniqueness. He must have enjoyed his time with them, seeing as to how he despises authority. At one point during his homeless experience, he attempted and succeeded in getting arrested for being drunk, so that he could see what it was like in prison. Although a bit crazed, Orwell was clever in gaining knowledge to write about his hate of authority.
The connection between Orwell and his character Winston is really incredible. If you take Winston’s character and traits and compare them with Orwell’s, there is little difference. In 1984, Winston is against totalitarianism, as is Orwell. When Winston talks of the bad things that the government in his world is doing, they are all things that Orwell truly believes. At one point in Orwell’s life, he was involved with the BBC, and reports that the ‘truth’ he was broadcasting there was altered from its original form. In 1984, Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, altering facts to coincide with BB’s ‘truth.’
In 1984, Winston, on many occasions, talks of the proles with a sense of admiration about him. One particular prole that he seemed attached to was the big lady with the ‘brick red forearms.’ He would stand by the window in his hideout, listening to her sing in a very bad voice, but loving the way she sang nonetheless. When Orwell talks about how he was poor and lived among the homeless like himself, he notes that they are eccentric but free people.
The layout and plot of 1984 is a collection of Orwell’s most critical life experiences and beliefs. The government he has created in 1984 is a representation of all the terrible and powerful leaders he has seen in his lifetime. Like a scientist, Winston’s theory that totalitarianism will one day rule over everyone is not accepted by everyone. Some people think he is completely insane, and some think that he is absolutely right. Either way, he has written these amazing books and will continue to disgust and inspire people for a long time. Orwell has planted a deep seed that will continue to grow so long as even one person agrees with him. Eventually, more seeds planted by people inspired by Orwell’s work will grow, and Orwell will be at the center of it all, the ‘father’ of anti-totalitarianism.
It seems to me that Orwell is very much so against authority. In school or in a war, Orwell is reported to hate any kind of authority around him, so much that he writes essays and a few books about his experiences. An example would be when he attended a school called St. Cyprian’s, where he had many bad experiences that he wrote about in his book Such, Such Were the Joys. Later in life, Orwell fought for the Republicans in a group called POUM (Workers’ Party Marxist Unification). He wrote a book based off of his experiences there called Homage to Catalonia. In it, he talked about how he approved of Spain’s loose class structure. Later in Orwell’s life, he became poor and homeless, wandering the streets of Paris and London and encountering others who he took a liking to because of their lack of routine and their uniqueness. He must have enjoyed his time with them, seeing as to how he despises authority. At one point during his homeless experience, he attempted and succeeded in getting arrested for being drunk, so that he could see what it was like in prison. Although a bit crazed, Orwell was clever in gaining knowledge to write about his hate of authority.
The connection between Orwell and his character Winston is really incredible. If you take Winston’s character and traits and compare them with Orwell’s, there is little difference. In 1984, Winston is against totalitarianism, as is Orwell. When Winston talks of the bad things that the government in his world is doing, they are all things that Orwell truly believes. At one point in Orwell’s life, he was involved with the BBC, and reports that the ‘truth’ he was broadcasting there was altered from its original form. In 1984, Winston works in the Ministry of Truth, altering facts to coincide with BB’s ‘truth.’
In 1984, Winston, on many occasions, talks of the proles with a sense of admiration about him. One particular prole that he seemed attached to was the big lady with the ‘brick red forearms.’ He would stand by the window in his hideout, listening to her sing in a very bad voice, but loving the way she sang nonetheless. When Orwell talks about how he was poor and lived among the homeless like himself, he notes that they are eccentric but free people.
The layout and plot of 1984 is a collection of Orwell’s most critical life experiences and beliefs. The government he has created in 1984 is a representation of all the terrible and powerful leaders he has seen in his lifetime. Like a scientist, Winston’s theory that totalitarianism will one day rule over everyone is not accepted by everyone. Some people think he is completely insane, and some think that he is absolutely right. Either way, he has written these amazing books and will continue to disgust and inspire people for a long time. Orwell has planted a deep seed that will continue to grow so long as even one person agrees with him. Eventually, more seeds planted by people inspired by Orwell’s work will grow, and Orwell will be at the center of it all, the ‘father’ of anti-totalitarianism.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Novel Project - Third Entry for "1984"
! Spoiler Warning: This entry contains spoilers that could potentially ruin the story "1984" for anyone who has not read it. I suggest you read the story before you read this. !
o---Disappointed Satisfaction---o
During Winston’s torture, I kept thinking: come on, rebel, rebel! I knew he would! But he never did. He gave in, and gave up, easily at that. I was really upset yet pleased that Winston gave in and in the end succumbed to the Party’s power. As the reader, of course I want Winston to rebel and change the world, ending the Party’s reign, but as a criticizer of stories I was satisfied that Orwell didn’t end the story with a cliché. Sure, it would have been great if Winston had won and destroyed the party and gone off to live happily ever after with Julia, but it would have been terribly cheesy. The fact that he didn’t, and the fact that the Party won all the same, made the story’s ending more enjoyable for my criticizing mind, but a bit sad for my general viewing mind. It’s just a natural instinct for readers to want the hero in a book to always win.
o---O'Brien = Ingsoc = O'Brien---o
When Winston was being tortured by O’Brien, I began to get the distinct feeling that O’Brien was Big Brother. In the world of the Party, Big Brother’s stern, silent expression is always the same, and probably will be forever. However, I have the feeling that they change leaders when the oldest dies or is killed off for thoughtcrime or some other wrongdoing. Perhaps the original Big Brother, the founder of Ingsoc was the man on the poster, and as time went on, new and newer leaders were chosen to take his place. If that were the case, O’Brien could definitely qualify as the new leader. He doesn’t just repeat and understand the principles of Ingsoc, he is the principles of Ingsoc, so much so that he can manipulate anyone’s minds with the powers of crimestop, doublethink, and blackwhite. Whenever a rebellious thought passed through Winston’s mind, even one that was tiny and fleeting, O’Brien knew exactly what he was thinking and how to reverse it. O’Brien deceived him and helped him, killed him and saved his life. Just as doublethink works, O’Brien blessed Winston and doomed him at the same time. To explain this theory: he saved Winston the grief and stress of being a rebel of the Party, yet doomed him because Winston will be shot, eventually. He deceived him and helped him by being his friend and his enemy at the same time.
o---Winston's Changes---o
The way I picture Winston: When he was being tortured, he described himself in the mirror and I pictured a frail, sticklike body, like an anorexic person. I saw his skin gray as smoke, and his face sunken in with dark, depressed eyes. After he began to recover I pictured him coming slightly back to normal but not looking quite right, like trying to put a puzzle back together after a few crucial pieces had been lost. And when he finally evened out and got out of the Ministry of Love, I pictured him looking like one of the round, beete-like men he had often described throughout the book. These changes were very drastic in my mind, but in reality I’m sure he would’ve looked somewhat the same through it all. Inside himself, however, his drastic changes really made a huge impact. Mentally, he had become someone else. Outside that, he was still Winston, but inside he was just another man among many who believed in Ingsoc and loved Big Brother.
o---The Party is Indestructible---o
In the end, everyone betrayed Winston and he basically betrayed himself. The story, when you look at it in a nutshell, is very mind-bending and intricate. The Party, if it were real, really could be indestructible. With the way Orwell describes it, the Party can never be defeated. In Ingsoc, no traitor goes unnoticed. It has become so strong and clever that it can detect any kind of betrayal to the system. Winston may have thought he was safe for a small time, but he was doomed from the start. Ingsoc is so powerful that even if it itself were to rebel against its own principles, the principles, which have the capability to run forwards and backwards, would stop it and restore order. It’s almost as if doublethink and blackwhite are invisible entities keeping Ingsoc going. Now the question remains in my mind: how often is our own government using these principles against us? What are our wars doing for us? Making peace, or destroying it? Will the world end up being something like Oceania one day?
o---Disappointed Satisfaction---o
During Winston’s torture, I kept thinking: come on, rebel, rebel! I knew he would! But he never did. He gave in, and gave up, easily at that. I was really upset yet pleased that Winston gave in and in the end succumbed to the Party’s power. As the reader, of course I want Winston to rebel and change the world, ending the Party’s reign, but as a criticizer of stories I was satisfied that Orwell didn’t end the story with a cliché. Sure, it would have been great if Winston had won and destroyed the party and gone off to live happily ever after with Julia, but it would have been terribly cheesy. The fact that he didn’t, and the fact that the Party won all the same, made the story’s ending more enjoyable for my criticizing mind, but a bit sad for my general viewing mind. It’s just a natural instinct for readers to want the hero in a book to always win.
o---O'Brien = Ingsoc = O'Brien---o
When Winston was being tortured by O’Brien, I began to get the distinct feeling that O’Brien was Big Brother. In the world of the Party, Big Brother’s stern, silent expression is always the same, and probably will be forever. However, I have the feeling that they change leaders when the oldest dies or is killed off for thoughtcrime or some other wrongdoing. Perhaps the original Big Brother, the founder of Ingsoc was the man on the poster, and as time went on, new and newer leaders were chosen to take his place. If that were the case, O’Brien could definitely qualify as the new leader. He doesn’t just repeat and understand the principles of Ingsoc, he is the principles of Ingsoc, so much so that he can manipulate anyone’s minds with the powers of crimestop, doublethink, and blackwhite. Whenever a rebellious thought passed through Winston’s mind, even one that was tiny and fleeting, O’Brien knew exactly what he was thinking and how to reverse it. O’Brien deceived him and helped him, killed him and saved his life. Just as doublethink works, O’Brien blessed Winston and doomed him at the same time. To explain this theory: he saved Winston the grief and stress of being a rebel of the Party, yet doomed him because Winston will be shot, eventually. He deceived him and helped him by being his friend and his enemy at the same time.
o---Winston's Changes---o
The way I picture Winston: When he was being tortured, he described himself in the mirror and I pictured a frail, sticklike body, like an anorexic person. I saw his skin gray as smoke, and his face sunken in with dark, depressed eyes. After he began to recover I pictured him coming slightly back to normal but not looking quite right, like trying to put a puzzle back together after a few crucial pieces had been lost. And when he finally evened out and got out of the Ministry of Love, I pictured him looking like one of the round, beete-like men he had often described throughout the book. These changes were very drastic in my mind, but in reality I’m sure he would’ve looked somewhat the same through it all. Inside himself, however, his drastic changes really made a huge impact. Mentally, he had become someone else. Outside that, he was still Winston, but inside he was just another man among many who believed in Ingsoc and loved Big Brother.
o---The Party is Indestructible---o
In the end, everyone betrayed Winston and he basically betrayed himself. The story, when you look at it in a nutshell, is very mind-bending and intricate. The Party, if it were real, really could be indestructible. With the way Orwell describes it, the Party can never be defeated. In Ingsoc, no traitor goes unnoticed. It has become so strong and clever that it can detect any kind of betrayal to the system. Winston may have thought he was safe for a small time, but he was doomed from the start. Ingsoc is so powerful that even if it itself were to rebel against its own principles, the principles, which have the capability to run forwards and backwards, would stop it and restore order. It’s almost as if doublethink and blackwhite are invisible entities keeping Ingsoc going. Now the question remains in my mind: how often is our own government using these principles against us? What are our wars doing for us? Making peace, or destroying it? Will the world end up being something like Oceania one day?
Monday, December 10, 2007
Novel Project - Second Entry for "1984"
! Spoiler Warning: This entry contains some spoilers that might make you mad if you haven't yet read 1984. Don't read if you don't want the story spoiled. !
o---Winston and Julia---o
Well, my suspicions of Winston and ‘the dark haired girl’ are true after all, but not quite so much in the case that I was imagining. Julia, who reveals her name later on, and Winston end up being lovers. I was afraid that that would make the story turn cliché and romantic, but it did not. Adding in love to a story, many authors seem to focus on nothing but the love and it becomes dreadfully boring, but Orwell still keeps the story the same, just with an added flare of love and lust. It is important, however, for the story, and for Winston, to have Julia involved. She keeps Winston much more sane, and much more willing to oblige to the rules and practices of the Party so that he seems less suspicious. Julia is very clever and dexterous, but at the same time she is very naïve when it comes to the deeper things hidden in the Party, such as the destruction of the past. Winston, however, is obsessed with the past, trying to find out what exactly it was like. So all in all, I am only a little bit disappointed that he and Julia ended up in love, but I’m very pleased with the way that Orwell kept it so far from cheesy or cliché.
o---Sugar Pills---o
During the section of the book where Winston is reading the book (Goldstein’s book for The Brotherhood) I lost a lot of interest, especially when Goldstein is talking about the geography of the world. However, I understood the main ideas behind it all. There are three superstates, they are at ‘war’ for the land that rests between them, but the only reason they have a ‘war’ is to keep everyone on different levels of society. It really is an intense and confusing scheme, and a very clever one at that. It reminds me very much of sugar pills: the clever doctors know that the power of the brain is amazing, and so they give an ailed person pills they claim to be actual medicine, and the person gets better, off of sugar pills. It seems to me that the Party is feeding its people sugar pills. As for why Big Brother wants to erase the past and keep its people angry and hateful, it remains a secret I do not yet know. Winston stopped reading the book and set it aside, and if he ever gets to read the rest remains a question only Orwell can decide.
o---Newspeak---o
I’ve learned a few more Newspeak words that I would like to share. One of them is blackwhite. It is a very interesting word. Basically, it means to believe whatever the Party throws at you, even if the things may contradict. Such as: If the party tells you to believe that black is white, you must oblige, but not only must you oblige, you must be ready to accept that if they tell you that white is black, you must agree all the same. Another word is an old one I had been trying to understand: doublethink. To be frank, doublethink means “the power of holding two contradictory belief in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.” The reason it requires doublethink to understand doublethink is because if you believe it, you also must disbelieve it, and so on forever. It’s a crazy spiral that I find very clever and ingenious on Orwell’s part.
A former friend has turned out to be a member of the Thought Police, turning in Winston and Julia, so I am very excited (and nervous) to read the last section of 1984.
o---Winston and Julia---o
Well, my suspicions of Winston and ‘the dark haired girl’ are true after all, but not quite so much in the case that I was imagining. Julia, who reveals her name later on, and Winston end up being lovers. I was afraid that that would make the story turn cliché and romantic, but it did not. Adding in love to a story, many authors seem to focus on nothing but the love and it becomes dreadfully boring, but Orwell still keeps the story the same, just with an added flare of love and lust. It is important, however, for the story, and for Winston, to have Julia involved. She keeps Winston much more sane, and much more willing to oblige to the rules and practices of the Party so that he seems less suspicious. Julia is very clever and dexterous, but at the same time she is very naïve when it comes to the deeper things hidden in the Party, such as the destruction of the past. Winston, however, is obsessed with the past, trying to find out what exactly it was like. So all in all, I am only a little bit disappointed that he and Julia ended up in love, but I’m very pleased with the way that Orwell kept it so far from cheesy or cliché.
o---Sugar Pills---o
During the section of the book where Winston is reading the book (Goldstein’s book for The Brotherhood) I lost a lot of interest, especially when Goldstein is talking about the geography of the world. However, I understood the main ideas behind it all. There are three superstates, they are at ‘war’ for the land that rests between them, but the only reason they have a ‘war’ is to keep everyone on different levels of society. It really is an intense and confusing scheme, and a very clever one at that. It reminds me very much of sugar pills: the clever doctors know that the power of the brain is amazing, and so they give an ailed person pills they claim to be actual medicine, and the person gets better, off of sugar pills. It seems to me that the Party is feeding its people sugar pills. As for why Big Brother wants to erase the past and keep its people angry and hateful, it remains a secret I do not yet know. Winston stopped reading the book and set it aside, and if he ever gets to read the rest remains a question only Orwell can decide.
o---Newspeak---o
I’ve learned a few more Newspeak words that I would like to share. One of them is blackwhite. It is a very interesting word. Basically, it means to believe whatever the Party throws at you, even if the things may contradict. Such as: If the party tells you to believe that black is white, you must oblige, but not only must you oblige, you must be ready to accept that if they tell you that white is black, you must agree all the same. Another word is an old one I had been trying to understand: doublethink. To be frank, doublethink means “the power of holding two contradictory belief in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.” The reason it requires doublethink to understand doublethink is because if you believe it, you also must disbelieve it, and so on forever. It’s a crazy spiral that I find very clever and ingenious on Orwell’s part.
A former friend has turned out to be a member of the Thought Police, turning in Winston and Julia, so I am very excited (and nervous) to read the last section of 1984.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Independent Reading - Week Twelve and Thirteen
I'm sort of writing this in a hurry, so it may not be very long.
For week twelve I wasn't here, and I didn't read anything while I was out, and for week thirteen I read more from my novel project book, 1984. It is SO good so far. I'm very impressed by the story and the way it's written. I'm excited to finish it, but also a little scared of what might happen.
For week twelve I wasn't here, and I didn't read anything while I was out, and for week thirteen I read more from my novel project book, 1984. It is SO good so far. I'm very impressed by the story and the way it's written. I'm excited to finish it, but also a little scared of what might happen.
Writing Four - Persuasive Writing - Video Games
Persuasive Writing
Old and New Video Games
By: Deylah McCarty
Since I was a kid, I’ve played video games that are challenging. I really enjoy the harder games because they provide more opportunities to think rather than sitting there and pressing buttons. Games that were made in my childhood were usually challenging and tricky. As I grew older, however, the games did not grow harder. Instead, they grew much easier, which was very disappointing for me.
The newer games that were coming out were getting easier and easier. It was taking me a very short time to beat them, while the older ones had taken me years to finish. In older games, you have one mission at a time; very simple. In the newer games, you always have two or more things to do at once and it became extremely frustrating. An example of this would be: Brave Fencer Musashi versus Kingdom Hearts 2. In Musashi, you have one mission at a time, and you can take as long as you want to finish it. In Kingdom Hearts 2, you have numerous things to do at once and often can get overloaded with missions. In KH2 there are different worlds you can visit, and often it gets frustrating trying to figure out which one to go to first. This also applies to the graphics in the game.
The graphics in newer games are often very confusing. A great example of this is in Kingdom Hearts 2. During battles, you often can barely see what’s happening because of all the fancy attacks that everyone can do. The monster(s), you, and your two allies attacking at once adds up to one giant mass of exploding color and confusion. The only reason I can manage to understand what’s happening is because of my video game experience, but if I were playing it for the first time I would be highly frustrated. In older games, their archaic graphics may be annoying, but to make up for it the gaming quality and plot is very good. In newer games, they flaunt their graphics so much that the storyline is cliché and the gameplay is boring. Because of this, the thinking level required for older games is much higher than that of newer games.
After playing so many new games, I began noticing I was predicting practically everything that was going to happen and how I was going to win. It was disappointing that the plots were all structured the same way and there were rarely any surprises. A good representation of this would be The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. In this game, the graphics are beautiful, but the plot is very predictable and the game was only a little challenging for me. A predictable plot in a video game usually goes something like this: there’s an evil person you have to beat, and in order to get to them you must go through many useless perils to different areas until finally you find them in their evil lair and defeat them. This very unoriginal plot is fairly common and can get very irritating after a while.
In older games, the menu systems used in the game were usually complex, such as in RPG games where you can use magic and items. In Final Fantasy 8, you can use something called ‘junctioning,’ which enables you to junction magic, items, or even guardian creatures to a character to enhance their strength and abilities. There are countless variations to what you can do to one character. In another game, Final Fantasy 10, the menu system is very simple and not confusing in the least. Menu systems are getting progressively easier, until the point where all you have to do is equip a character with a single item to enhance them.
In the gaming world, there is always going to be a period where new games fade into the distance and get replaced with better games. It is inevitable. Because of this, there is always going to be games that are good, and games that are bad, games that are easy, and games that are hard. It is up to you to decide now: which kind would you rather choose?
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Novel Project - First Journal Entry for "1984"
! Mild Spoiler Warning ! This entry may contain some slight spoilers... but nothing too bad. :)
1987 is a very interesting book so far. Nearly every book I read I can predict, but this one is extremely unpredictable for me. I am growing really addicted to it, which is good since I haven’t really been addicted to a book in a long time. I find the character Winston very interesting. He’s seemingly the only one against Big Brother, and he seems to be going a little crazy because of that. Well, I would too if I were him. I think this book is especially appealing to me because I really enjoy books with a slight sense of fear lingering in every page.
When I first began to read it, I knew it was going to be a good book. I was also pretty confused at first because the storyline was confusing and hard to grasp. I love stories that involve a dystopia. As I read 1984 I’m really reminded of the book The Giver and the movie "V for Vendetta," probably because they include dystopias in them as well. Another sort of example is the movie "War of the Worlds," only that doesn’t quite involve a dystopia but more of a ‘human extermination’ kind of theme. Book and movies like those really spark my interest. I’m not exactly sure why, but it must have something to do with the fact that I’m not in a dystopia or a world being attacked by aliens. I suppose if I was, I’d like to read stories about individuals who are free and out of harm’s way.
"Writing for the future," Winston wrote in his diary. What he means is that even though he is forbidden to write in a diary, he is, and it is for the future. Winston states, "How could you make appeal to the future when not a trace of you, not even an anonymous word scribbled on a piece of paper, could physically survive?" He later states that he is writing to O’Brien. I think that whether or not he’s writing to anyone or not doesn’t quite matter at the moment. Writing seems to be something that keeps him reasonably sane, the only way for him to vent.
In the world of Big Brother, you are allowed to think on your own, you are allowed to do what you want, but at the same time you are restricted from everything. One wrong little move or even the slightest suspicious action could get you killed. Even if you have done nothing, you could be killed, it seems.
In the world of Winston, there is a constant uncomfortable nervousness, a fear that the world around him is blasphemy. He seeks for an impossible answer of truth to what his world could have once been. Was it better before, as he suspected, or was it worse, as Big Brother so often stated?
Questions, questions: Why is Big Brother turning everyone into mindless slaves under his control? Does he want an equal world? Why and how did Big Brother get everyone to follow his leadership? There must be more rebels than just Winston. Perhaps there are more rebels, and they are doing just what Winston is, waiting and watching. Also, how did Big Brother regulate such a brilliant plan as to even get rid of the rebels? How did all great leaders succeed in gaining so many followers? I’ve noticed, however, that all great or terrible leaders of this world have eventually fallen. Doesn’t that mean that eventually Big Brother will fall too? Hitler, all the Presidents of the U.S., even leaders in households eventually fall. The natural order of things, whether that means the leader was killed, impeached, or dead from old age or sickness, always prevails. Always.
On another note… Winston is disturbed, but very clever. He must be the hero of this story because he is, as far as we know, the only one against Big Brother. As for O’Brien, we can only rely on Winston’s suspicious of him as a rebel of Big Brother, but who knows for certain. Also, the black haired girl seems to be an important role in the story, providing a lot of confusion and anger for Winston. I suspect that she is actually on Winston’s side. She seems to be stalking him when he goes off on his own, but perhaps she is actually drawn to him or is trying to tell him something. I know that when I feel drawn to someone I tend to follow them or ‘gravitate’ to them. This is why I have my suspicious about her. At the same time I’m afraid they (Winston and the dark haired girl) will end up being friends or maybe more, because of a cliché I have seen many times in stories. (Boy sees girl, boy likes girl, boy pretends to hate girl, girl likes boy, girl pretends to hate boy too, and then they fall in love and live happily ever after.) So with that being said, I hope they don’t end up that way. However, I have a feeling George Orwell will put everything in place as he often so ingeniously does.
This is the last paragraph, I swear! Finally, I would like to talk about Newspeak. To be simple, I think it is incredibly ingenious. Taking the English language and squishing it together. Why didn’t I think of that? Rather than create some weird, alien language, Mr. Orwell simply uses the English language as the basis of his new language. But back to the point: Newspeak is just so clever to me. There are a few words I found particularly interesting: For starters, unperson. I thought this was a very eerie word to describe those who were ‘vaporized.’ Also, double-think. I still have yet to completely understand this concept, but as far as I know, it requires double-think to understand double-think… I think. The last word I can think of off the top of my head is thoughtcrime, a word which describes simply thinking about committing a crime, being suspected of it, and getting taken away, or even killed.
On a final note, I am really looking forward to how this book is going to turn out.
1987 is a very interesting book so far. Nearly every book I read I can predict, but this one is extremely unpredictable for me. I am growing really addicted to it, which is good since I haven’t really been addicted to a book in a long time. I find the character Winston very interesting. He’s seemingly the only one against Big Brother, and he seems to be going a little crazy because of that. Well, I would too if I were him. I think this book is especially appealing to me because I really enjoy books with a slight sense of fear lingering in every page.
When I first began to read it, I knew it was going to be a good book. I was also pretty confused at first because the storyline was confusing and hard to grasp. I love stories that involve a dystopia. As I read 1984 I’m really reminded of the book The Giver and the movie "V for Vendetta," probably because they include dystopias in them as well. Another sort of example is the movie "War of the Worlds," only that doesn’t quite involve a dystopia but more of a ‘human extermination’ kind of theme. Book and movies like those really spark my interest. I’m not exactly sure why, but it must have something to do with the fact that I’m not in a dystopia or a world being attacked by aliens. I suppose if I was, I’d like to read stories about individuals who are free and out of harm’s way.
"Writing for the future," Winston wrote in his diary. What he means is that even though he is forbidden to write in a diary, he is, and it is for the future. Winston states, "How could you make appeal to the future when not a trace of you, not even an anonymous word scribbled on a piece of paper, could physically survive?" He later states that he is writing to O’Brien. I think that whether or not he’s writing to anyone or not doesn’t quite matter at the moment. Writing seems to be something that keeps him reasonably sane, the only way for him to vent.
In the world of Big Brother, you are allowed to think on your own, you are allowed to do what you want, but at the same time you are restricted from everything. One wrong little move or even the slightest suspicious action could get you killed. Even if you have done nothing, you could be killed, it seems.
In the world of Winston, there is a constant uncomfortable nervousness, a fear that the world around him is blasphemy. He seeks for an impossible answer of truth to what his world could have once been. Was it better before, as he suspected, or was it worse, as Big Brother so often stated?
Questions, questions: Why is Big Brother turning everyone into mindless slaves under his control? Does he want an equal world? Why and how did Big Brother get everyone to follow his leadership? There must be more rebels than just Winston. Perhaps there are more rebels, and they are doing just what Winston is, waiting and watching. Also, how did Big Brother regulate such a brilliant plan as to even get rid of the rebels? How did all great leaders succeed in gaining so many followers? I’ve noticed, however, that all great or terrible leaders of this world have eventually fallen. Doesn’t that mean that eventually Big Brother will fall too? Hitler, all the Presidents of the U.S., even leaders in households eventually fall. The natural order of things, whether that means the leader was killed, impeached, or dead from old age or sickness, always prevails. Always.
On another note… Winston is disturbed, but very clever. He must be the hero of this story because he is, as far as we know, the only one against Big Brother. As for O’Brien, we can only rely on Winston’s suspicious of him as a rebel of Big Brother, but who knows for certain. Also, the black haired girl seems to be an important role in the story, providing a lot of confusion and anger for Winston. I suspect that she is actually on Winston’s side. She seems to be stalking him when he goes off on his own, but perhaps she is actually drawn to him or is trying to tell him something. I know that when I feel drawn to someone I tend to follow them or ‘gravitate’ to them. This is why I have my suspicious about her. At the same time I’m afraid they (Winston and the dark haired girl) will end up being friends or maybe more, because of a cliché I have seen many times in stories. (Boy sees girl, boy likes girl, boy pretends to hate girl, girl likes boy, girl pretends to hate boy too, and then they fall in love and live happily ever after.) So with that being said, I hope they don’t end up that way. However, I have a feeling George Orwell will put everything in place as he often so ingeniously does.
This is the last paragraph, I swear! Finally, I would like to talk about Newspeak. To be simple, I think it is incredibly ingenious. Taking the English language and squishing it together. Why didn’t I think of that? Rather than create some weird, alien language, Mr. Orwell simply uses the English language as the basis of his new language. But back to the point: Newspeak is just so clever to me. There are a few words I found particularly interesting: For starters, unperson. I thought this was a very eerie word to describe those who were ‘vaporized.’ Also, double-think. I still have yet to completely understand this concept, but as far as I know, it requires double-think to understand double-think… I think. The last word I can think of off the top of my head is thoughtcrime, a word which describes simply thinking about committing a crime, being suspected of it, and getting taken away, or even killed.
On a final note, I am really looking forward to how this book is going to turn out.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Independent Reading - Week Ten
Week ten is already here! I read more out of a book called Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, which I really enjoy. It's basically what I call a 'Muse Book' that explains many different views on writing and a lot of different approaches to 'unleash your inner writer.' I also read more from the book I'm doing my novel project on: 1984 by George Orwell. It is a fabulous read and I have so far been thoroughly enjoying it.
Independent Reading - Week Nine
Well, for week nine I read an old Goosebumps book from my childhood, The Abominable Snowman. It was good but it was one of R.L. Steins 'weird' scary books, where (near the ending) it just started getting really weird. Like the snowballs from Antarctica that turned out to be magical? That was just crazy. Yet I refuse to stop reading Goosebumps because they're the first books I was obsessed with. Also, they are where my writing love began. When I started writing my style was very similar to R.L. Stine's, so therefore I really respect him and his often 'silly' books. (Although they used to scare the crap out of me when I was young.)
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Short Story Three - "The Lottery"
Short Story 3: "The Lottery"
By: Deylah McCarty
o----Short Summary----o
! (A warning to anyone who hasn’t read this story: I do give away spoilers to it. If you’re interested, read the book and then come back and read this. :D)
When I first heard of "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson, I skeptically pictured a boring story about people winning money. However, I had heard it was good and was interested to see for myself. In the back of my head, I thought it might be different than I expected, and as it turns out, that little voice in the back of my head was right.
"The Lottery" had a very eerie, mysterious feeling to it. In the beginning, I enjoyed the way she described the townspeople and the town itself. I found that Jackson used a very delicate form of writing, a great way to stray around the actuality of things. It gave me at first a feel of calmness and order, and then it switched at the very end to hostility. I enjoyed the feeling of preciseness that the town presented.
Then, as I began to read further, I realized that something was amiss. If I were about to participate in the lottery, I would be nervous and excited. These people seemed nervous, but I began to realize they didn’t seem very exciting. When I finally found out what was happening, at the very end, I was shocked, but there had been so much building up to the ending that I wasn’t too surprised. I really like stories that have a surprise ending, especially when I can’t predict what’s happening before it already happens. This story really gave me all I would want out of a story: great writing style, a sense of despair or doom, and an ending that I couldn’t predict.
Two more things I particularly liked about the story were when the innocent children are happily building a pile of stones, and when they describe Mr. Summers drawing the black spot on the slip of paper. The children may have had no clue as to what was going on, but I liked that as another example of irony in the story. Mr. Summers appears to be a very serious but laid back man, and when Jackson describes him casually drawing a spot for some doomed person to draw, I think it makes him seem a bit creepy.
Also, I really like the title of this story. When you think of the word ‘lottery’, of course you think of chance, luck, and/or money. With this story, though, putting it literally would probably result in calling it something like ‘A Chance to Die’ or ‘Sacrifice.’ In that case, I especially like the title because it adds to the effect of the situational irony that the lottery is not as nice as it may sound, nor as harmless.
o----What was the subject of the story?----o
Villagers in a town get together at a set time each year to perform a frightening, almost sacrificial ritual called "The Lottery."
o----What was the theme?----o
Sometimes other cultures have strange or "wrong" ceremonies that other cultures think is absolutely unacceptable.
o----What do you think about what the author was trying to reveal about the subject?----o
Well, the author was trying to reveal the brutality of the ritual. If I were in that village, I would think that stoning someone to death is very wrong and inhuman. (So did Mrs. Hutchinson.) I don’t believe in killing fellow human beings, but I can see that other cultures have different ideas about that. I also found that it was very unnerving for all the people participating in The Lottery. At any given second, by complete randomness, they could be chosen to die, and in a very unpleasant way.
o----Do you agree with the author?----o
No, because I don’t believe humans should do that sort of thing to each other, especially that slow and painful of a death. However, it is human nature to be interested in stories such as these, so I agree with why she wrote it (assuming that it’s because that sort of story is more interesting than most).
o----How does the author's words support the theme they are trying to convey? In other words, how can you tell what the author thought about the subject?----o
In this story, it is obvious to me that a few of the people in the village do not agree with The Lottery, especially the younger generations. At one point, Mr. Adams says, "They do say that over in the north village they’re talking of giving up the lottery." In which case, Old Man Warner replies with, "Pack of crazy fools. Listening to the young folks, nothing’s good enough for them." You can clearly see here that the lottery is slowly being given up, even within the village that still performs it. The lottery is sort of its own evolution, like a gene that is slowly being whittled away until new genes come to replace it.
‘"Don’t be nervous, Jack," someone said [to the tall son of Mr. Watson].’
‘The lottery was conducted—as were the square dances, the teenage club, the Halloween program—by Mr. Summers, who had the time and energy to devote to civic activities.’
In these two quotes, you can see how delicately the matter is thought of, how normal and casual it seems to most of the villagers. They may think this is just something that’s a way of life, but as the village gets older, and as the next generations come up, the ritual may just be lost. Comparing it again to evolution, new ‘genes’ might come in that will be dominant to the lottery ‘gene’ and do away with it for a long time. For example, maybe someone from a different village, a village who does not practice the lottery, could come in and change everyone’s mind about having the lottery.
o----How can you tell what the author was hoping you would think when you finished the story?----o
I would imagine the author would want you to be very surprised or even disturbed at the ending, when you find out what the lottery is really about. For me, I began to suspect something was wrong near the middle of the story, and then when I reached the ending I wasn’t too surprised that the lottery wasn’t about winning money, but I was surprised about what it turned out to be. Near the ending you start to get very curious about what’s going to happen to the person in the Hutchinson family that chooses the ‘bad’ slip of paper. I also think anyone reading the story might be surprised to find out that it was Mrs. Hutchinson who received the ‘bad’ slip, the slip with the black spot on it. The ending is abrupt, even creepy, but leaves you wondering about nothing more.
o----Think of your favorite movie. Explain the subject and theme.----o
My favorite movie (well, it’s a TV show) would have to be Heroes.
The subject of Heroes is basically this: A group of people with super powers is trying to stop the evil man with similar super powers.
The theme of Heroes: Genetic mutations can be a good thing or a bad thing.
The other main theme: You cannot change your destiny.
The subject of Heroes is basically this: A group of people with super powers is trying to stop the evil man with similar super powers.
The theme of Heroes: Genetic mutations can be a good thing or a bad thing.
The other main theme: You cannot change your destiny.
o----How does the person who created this movie deliver the theme?----o
Well, first he shows you the people who are the result of good mutations: the main characters who all have different powers. Then he shows you the result of people with bad mutations, such as the villain and two little girls who have a disease along with their mutation.
o----Describe the themes that let you know how the author feels about the subject and convinces viewers to feel the same.----o
For the first theme:
In the show, all but one of the main characters is a result of a good mutation, though in their lives it can result to be bad. For example, a character named Claire has the ability to heal from any kind of flesh wound. This is very good because she cannot get sick or killed easily, but it makes her life at home very hard because she has to keep it a secret.
Another example is a man named Peter, who is always dreaming about flying. He finally tells his brother Nathan that he can fly, but Nathan tells him he’s crazy. Through the beginning of the show there is a lot of conflict between the two, because of Peter’s dreams, which turn out to be true after all.
Most everyone in the show has trouble arise from their amazing abilities. It goes to show that genetic mutations are good and bad.
For the second theme:
In the show, there is a character named Hiro who can bend time. He travels around, getting used to his power, and ending up in places he did not want to be. Because of this, time and space gets mixed up and he creates problems that he has to fix. Eventually, after failing twice to save a woman, he realizes that not even with his power can you change the future. His future self later tells him, "You cannot change destiny."
Monday, October 8, 2007
Independent Reading - Week Eight
Okay, so I'm finally going to give up on Ron for getting Harry Potter to me. This week I didn't have much time to read because I've been working on the writing three assignment, but I did manage to get some in. I read about 10 more pages from the Marilyn Manson book, finally getting to a part where it doesn't quite bore me as much. I also read about 80 pages of The Wide Window, by Lemony Snicket. I'm trying to stop reading the Unfortunate Events books, though, because like I mentioned before, I have already read them and as I read them I begin to remember what happened. So, I'm going to borrow the Harry Potter books from my friend and start on them. :D
Writing Three - My Journey For Success
My Journey for Success
By: Deylah McCarty
By: Deylah McCarty
When I was younger, I never believed school was ever going to be easy. I was almost convinced that I would fail in every academic subject. I thought I was completely doomed. My school trouble started when I moved to Georgia. The schools I attended were: Ila Elementary, a very poorly run school and Hilsman Middle School, which wasn’t much better than Ila. I had many bad experiences in each of those schools. I distinctly remember being scared that I’d never succeed. The thought of college seemed impossible. Even the thought of graduating high school seemed unlikely.
I also remember I was always making bad grades. I used to hurry past the honor roll poster, knowing my name was never on it. I was often jealous of my friends too because they were always in the high level classes. I was very smart, but I thought of myself as a failure.
By the time I reached high school, I figured it was going to be just like middle school. Needless to say, high school wasn’t too bad, but it wasn’t great. I was still failing most of my classes, barely making it through. I had little motivation and even less confidence in myself. When I reached the second semester of 9th grade, I dropped out. I had had enough. It had taken me years to realize that I could not take it anymore.
During the year I was out of school and trying to be homeschooled, I met a lady named April who was my mentor for a few months. She looked through Clarke County schools and finally found one she thought could suit me. It was called Classic City High School, a Performance Learning Center created by Communities in Schools. At first I was very skeptical. I thought, how could this school be any different from the ones I’ve been to? Nevertheless, I told my mom (and myself) that I would go and try it out. As things turned out, I loved it. It’s the best school I have ever been to. I knew that I was going to succeed. I could graduate just like I’d always dreamed.
At my other schools, I would finish school for the day and then go home and do homework until it was time for bed. It was as if school was never actually ending. I eventually became so tired of homework that I would completely avoid it. Not only that, but we only had two days for the weekend. I thought I would go crazy with so much school, so many classes, and so little time for myself.
The teachers in my old schools were all tired and stressed with so many students to deal with, that they had no time to attend to each student’s individual needs. Although I understand their unhappy situation, I was tired of having so many uncaring, angry teachers. I also had a few experiences with two principals that left me very upset. They had shown me such lack of interest and care that I felt like I didn’t even matter in their school.
One thing I noticed right away about being at Classic City High PLC was that my stress level was dropping intensely. I didn’t feel pressured in class anymore, and my teachers weren’t stressed like my old ones had been. I no longer had so much to worry about. Now I only have three classes, no homework, and Fridays off! My teachers and principal care about me, and I feel like I really belong at Classic City High PLC. For the year I have been here, my life has changed drastically. Life at home is also much better because I don’t come home in tears everyday, completely stressed out. I am happy, highly motivated, and now making all A’s!
Communities in Schools often states: "Communities with CIS programs have seen an increase in high school graduation rates, a decrease in violence and disruptions, and an increase in attendance and academic achievement." I have seen this to be absolutely true in Classic City High School. I am so thankful that CIS made schools like Classic City High School PLC possible. Without schools such as this one, I didn’t think there was a chance I’d succeed. It is absolutely wonderful that CIS has seen to the needs of students like me and made a new option available for them. Every day that I walk into Classic City High School PLC I thank CIS because now I can walk in feeling good and successful!
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Something Random
I noticed something odd about the way I write (well, not that odd, just neat): If I type in a fancy font, I tend to write in a very formal style, and if I type in a plain font, I write casually. I wonder if it's just me?
Also I noticed that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to writing. I'm constantly editing my words.
Also I noticed that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to writing. I'm constantly editing my words.
Independent Reading - Week Seven
For week seven I started reading a new book (because Ron still has not given me the Harry Potter book...) called The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson. As I had expected, it is a very strange and slightly disturbing book, at least in the beginning. I'm thinking I will read the rest of it on leisure time, though, because I'm near the beginning still and it has started to disinterest me. I'd really like to read more Harry Potter, so I'm going to keep bugging Ron for that book until he gives it to me. Either that or I could borrow it from a friend...
Monday, September 24, 2007
Short Story Two - Story and Article
Short Story #2 by: Deylah McCarty
~-Summary-~
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby is a very humorous, touching, and grounding story. His poetic words really showed me how amazing it is to be able to perform simple tasks such as waking up in the morning, walking, or just giving someone a kind smile. For Mr. Bauby, all of this was taken away in a flash. After his stroke, his only form of communication was blinking his left eye, the way that he wrote this book.
Jean-Dominique Bauby was one of the major editors for the French fashion magazine "Elle." He describes little of his ‘previous’ life, but makes himself appear to be a simple man, a normal person who follows a busy schedule like everyone else around him. However, this all changed without warning when he had a stroke on the way to get his son Théophile. In just moments he was paralyzed completely and soon fell into a coma that lasted for weeks.
You feel a deep sympathy for Mr. Bauby when he describes life as a quadriplegic, unable to do anything but blink his left eye and shake his head in the slightest. He talks mostly about his family’s feelings, his heartbroken girlfriend and his optimistic children. Bauby knows that this has affected his family, but he can see that they remain hopeful. On a lighter note, Bauby talks about visiting places in his mind, traveling and acting in movies, making the most of the limitless time he has.
This story has really taught me to appreciate everything around me. As many have said, life can be taken away in an instant. Mr. Bauby’s sad, inspiring tale has uplifted me in many ways, teaching me to fully enjoy every day, every feeling, and every freeing moment.
~-Why Did Mr. Bauby Write His Tale?-~
I don’t think Bauby wanted anyone to feel sorry for him. He wanted everyone to know that he was still alive in his body, trapped in what he described as a ‘bell’ keeping him constricted. Rather than stay lost in sorrow and memory, Bauby makes the most of things by imagining he is traveling, visiting loved ones or countries he has never been to. He tells of how you can really be inventive even in the most horrible moments. I believe he wrote his tale to show what the world is like through the eyes of someone considered ‘less fortunate.’ Through Bauby’s struggle to cope with this new life, he writes everything he thinks, from eating an imaginary meal to how he perceives the hospital staff. At some point in the book he writes that he wants to keep in contact with the general public, as they began to believe he is a vegetable, to show them that he is still intelligent, still stable inside.
It is human nature to want to peer into the lives of people much different than ourselves and to understand something completely different. Bauby does this, and he answers all and any questions anyone could have about him. He speaks of his physical pain, his mental pain, his thoughts, feelings and dreams.
Shortly after his book was published, Mr. Bauby passed on, but he said all he needed to say. He refused to be silent even when his vocal cords were useless, and even now his words still speak clearly around the world.
It is human nature to want to peer into the lives of people much different than ourselves and to understand something completely different. Bauby does this, and he answers all and any questions anyone could have about him. He speaks of his physical pain, his mental pain, his thoughts, feelings and dreams.
Shortly after his book was published, Mr. Bauby passed on, but he said all he needed to say. He refused to be silent even when his vocal cords were useless, and even now his words still speak clearly around the world.
~-Questions-~
1) Why do you think it is important to read about moments in other people's lives?
With stories like Bauby’s, I believe it is important to read them because it really teaches you how much we can take simple gifts for granted. Especially with Bauby’s, you can see that everything you are able to do is such a blessing.
2) Why are these kinds of stories so popular?
They are most likely popular because they are a real artifact from something that has happened to someone, and so when we read them we put ourselves in that person’s place and become attached to that character, growing and experiencing with the character.
3) Are there instances in your life that would be helpful to other people to read about?
Yes, such as my autobiography. I also think anyone could write about an event that changed their life and have it help other people.
Writing Two - Descriptive Writing - "The Organ"
Writing #2 – Descriptive Writing
"The Organ"
By: Deylah McCarty
Waiting for me in the old garage room, my organ sits, an old, patient friend. Bathed in dust, and subdued in shadow, my organ does not mind. It waits calmly for my return each day, for me to touch its cold keys, so cracked and rough. In the organ room, it is a different world. The farthest wall is wide, filled entirely with the looming organ, standing tall like a sentry. The air is warm and moist, and dust floats past my vision when I open the door, blowing a gentle gust across the floor. There is no light in the organ room; only a clouded, cracked window that allows a sliver of sunlight to pour onto the floor. I take my time to walk across the creaky floor, sneaking as if I may wake the organ from a deep slumber. I sit down quietly, and prepare to play. My fingers move gracefully, playing out a silent tune as I hum and imagine the deep, windy sound of air traveling through the organ’s pipes. I move to my organ’s side, looking up through the dusty air to the stained brass pipes, reaching up, cold and lonely; the tallest brushes the ceiling. I touch the cold metal, tarnished and old, and smile at my warped reflection in the brass mirrors. "The Organ"
By: Deylah McCarty
Many days I have spent, sitting with my organ, playing silent compositions as I inhaled the musty old air. I can hear the organ play in my mind, a sweet, grand sound. Without my imagination, all I would hear is the old piano chair groaning against my weight, complaining, and the squeaky old floorboards, unaccustomed to my presence. I try to visit my old organ every day, but I begin to realize that I am avoiding doing so. Slowly I stop going into my organ’s old chamber, for fear that I will seep into a depression at seeing it so blank and unused. I can no longer bear the moldy scent, the silence, the dark dankness, nor the loneliness that lurks in my organ’s room.
Months pass. I no longer can hear the organ play in my mind. Instead, I play my electric piano, a tune that I don’t have to imagine. The chair I sit in is perfectly quiet, and the floor makes no complaint of my footsteps. I soon begin to stop thinking about my organ. It becomes a piece of old junk that clutters my mind as much as the room it inhabits. The organ haunts me, crying out in a silent plea for me to please visit it, don’t ignore it, to stay with it. I begin to grow anxious for a solution, until one becomes very clear to me: I have to get rid of the organ.
The solution! A young instrument collector came and looked at my organ, poking here and tapping there as I watched with the eyes of a protective mother. He tapped his clean-shaven
chin, slowly filling the room with the deep, acrid scent of his expensive cologne, which was most definitely not worth the price. He pondered, mumbling to his clipboard, and finally came to a joyous conclusion: "This organ of yours is very old, but can be repaired. My company will buy it from you for $100,000."Grand magnificence awaits on the spacious stage, flourishing in its newfound beauty and appeal. I feel a buzz of excitement sparkle through me, ecstatic about this now beautiful organ of mine. No longer does it make me feel dark and saddened, and no longer is it a burden on my shoulders. Care-given and fixed to new, I barely recognize the magnificent object against the stage wall, towering above all other instruments. The brass pipes rise high, polished, gleaming bright in the stage lights. Nothing compares to its grand elegance, but I can still remember sitting with my organ in its big, moldy room, dreaming of its sound, inhaling its musty scent. I still smell it as I watch my organ on the stage, and it still makes my nose twitch.
The organ is played and I clap, even cry. My old, weak organ is reborn! So many times I had sat with my organ, playing those silent melodies, but now my wonderful, rough-keyed organ is played, and the sound, oh the sound! Such a magnificent, melodic tune, so sweet and pure to the ears. My organ pierces the silence like a golden-armored warrior. The pipes tremble, breaching the silence they had held so long. My imagined melody is made real! I smile in pure joy at my organ. My beautiful, dustless organ.
Independent Reading - Week Six
For week six I tried to read more Harry Potter, but someone else is reading it right now, so I'll have to wait. In the meantime I found a new book I really like called "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Dominique Bauby. It's very good, and I should be finished with it soon. (I especially like this book because the man wrote it by using an alphabet code and only blinking his left eye [he had had a stroke and was almost fully paralyzed].)
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Independent Reading - Week Five
For week five I read Harry Potter, and I haven't written how many pages on my reading log yet, but I'll do that once I see the book and figure it out. :) As for that book, I am enjoying it very much so far. I'll probably read the entire series, maybe even finsish by the end of second semester! (Ha ha, maybe...)
Independent Reading - Week Four
For week four I started to read "A Wind in the Door" by Madeleine L'Engle, but I kind of slacked off and didn't really read much because it wasn't as good as the original book ("A Wrinkle in Time") and so I didn't really read the rest of it... I switched instead to Harry Potter again, but I didn't read that until week 5.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Independent Reading - Week Three
For week three, I began to read The Wide Window (the third book in the Unfortunate series) and I like it so far, but as I read I am remembering how it went (becauase I read it a few years ago) so I think I'll start reading a new book I found called A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.
Independent Reading - Week Two
For week two I also read The Reptile Room, and finished it up. As I said before, I think these books are really funny and entertaining, but I'd like to read more serious books rather than continue with the Unfortunate Events series.
Independent Reading - Week One
For week one I read A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Reptile Room by Lemony Snicket. I like this book (and these series) because it contains a lot of humor that's in my taste. I also find it interesting because it has a lot of words in it that I don't know.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Short Story #1
The Enormous Radio by: Deylah McCarty
If you could secretly intrude upon the private lives of others, would you abuse that power? In John Cheever’s The Enormous Radio, this is exactly what happens in the Westcott household. The Westcotts are a rich family living in an apartment in Sutton Place, which is a very fancy and elegant part of New York. They are reasonably smart, but as with some rich people, a bit naïve to common things. One such thing: the radio.
The Westcotts own a reasonably small, simple radio, one with a few problems, which were presumably solved by Mr. Westcott striking the thing with his hand. One day, however, the radio stops working and not even the brute force of Mr. Westcott’s hand could save the poor machine. So, Mr. Westcott promises his wife that he will buy her a new one. Though, this new radio doesn’t end up being quite what the family would have expected.
When the new radio arrived, Mrs. Westcott is not impressed. The thing is ugly, and gigantic, with so many confusing dials and knobs. She tries numerous times, along with her husband, to get the thing to work, but it just keeps picking up electronic sounds from around the apartment building, from vacuum cleaners to electric shavers. Mr. Westcott brings in a man to fix it, and then the radio seems to be all right. Until Mrs. Westcott turns it on one day during dinner, and in between a lovely piano piece, they hear a man interrupt the music, yelling for someone to stop playing. After a moment, the music keeps on, and Mrs. Westcott was very surprised, but Mr. Westcott claims it was simply a play. The next time this happens, Mrs. Westcott recognizes the voices on the radio as people living in the apartment. With horror and fascination, she realizes that the radio is picking up on everyone’s private life. Mr. Westcott is at first in denial about this, but with proof he realizes it is true.
Mrs. Westcott spends nearly every spare moment at the radio, listening in on people’s lives. She cannot seem to stop listening, and the more the people grew angry and fought with one another, them more she was intent on listening. Soon enough, she tells her husband all the stories she has heard, filling him in on people’s lives and nearly sobbing that everyone on the radio is angry and complaining about money. Mr. Westcott grows upset, telling her he bought the expensive radio to please her, and that now she is only upset. Mrs. Westcott begins to panic and tells him to stop, telling him they are turning into the people on the radio.
When I first heard about The Enormous Radio, it was on a television show, a name I cannot recall, and I found it rather interesting. On the TV version, everything plays out very close to how the book depicts it, only I prefer the TV version’s ending rather than the book’s. In the TV version, it ends with Mrs. Westcott begging her husband to stop yelling, telling him, "They’ll hear us!" They show a small radio, the camera zooms out, and you can see the little radio sitting in someone else’s living room, broadcasting load and clear the sound of Mr. Westcott yelling at his wife.
I found this story very interesting, and very bizarre, like a Twilight Zone sort of story. I like everything about it, including the way it was written, and the way it was shown on TV. The only thing I wish were different is the fact that I did not see part of the beginning from the TV version of the story. As for any side thoughts, I don’t think I want a radio anymore.
The Characters:
Mrs. Westcott: I found Mrs. Westcott to be my favorite character. She is sensible, though a little nosy for listening in on people’s private lives, and naïve to the outside world. I think she really had a big character change.
In the beginning, she was simple, without worry, and seemed almost the rude, snippy type. Then she changes, once she listens into the lives of others, and begins to be kind, looking at the nicer people in the world and appreciating them over her greedy, mean friends.
How Mrs. Westcott was before her change: (From Mr. Westcott to Mrs. Westcott) "What’s turned you overnight into a covenant girl? You stole your mother’s jewelry before they probated her will. You never gave your sister a cent of that money that was intended for her—not ever when she needed it. You made Grace Howland’s life miserable, and where was all you piety and your virtue when you went to that abortionist?…"
How she was after her change: "A Salvation Army band was on the corner playing ‘Jesus is Sweeter.’ Irene drew on her husband’s arm and held him there for a minute, to hear the music. ‘They’re really such nice people, aren’t they?’ she said. ‘They have such nice faces. Actually, they’re so much nicer than a lot of the people we know.’ She took a bill from her purse and walked over and dropped it into the tambourine. There was in her face, when she returned to her husband, a look of radiant melancholy that he was not familiar with."
Mr. Westcott: A simple, serious man with a good bit of knowledge and much common sense and practicality. He has little to no character change, and seems to be slightly cold and skeptical throughout the story.
"’Oh, I’m sick!’ he shouted. ‘I’m sick to death of your apprehensiveness. The radio can’t hear us. Nobody can hear us. And what if they can hear us? Who cares?’" "From the radio in the living room, Jim heards screams, obscenities, and thuds. ‘You know you don’t have to listen to this sort of thing,’ he said. He strode into the living room and turned the switch. ‘It’s indecent,’ he said. ‘It’s like looking in windows. You know you don’t have to listen to this sort of thing. You can turn it off.’"
The author provides plenty of evidence to show the reader how the characters are supposed to be, so much in fact that I had no trouble deciding what they were like.
Definitions:
1. Simile – A figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, than, as, or resembles.
1) "…and now it seemed to her that the new radio stood among her intimate possessions like an aggressive intruder."
2. Metaphor – A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison.
3. Personification – A figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.
1) "…and now it seemed to her that the new radio stood among her intimate possessions like an aggressive intruder."
4. Allusion – a reference to someone or something that is known from history, literature, religion, politics, sports, science, or some other branch of culture.
1) "From the loudspeaker came a recording of the ‘Missouri Waltz.’ (A popular tune of 1916 by J. R. Shannon and Frederick Knight Logan.)
5. Hyperbole – A figure of speech that uses an incredible exaggeration, or overstatement, for effect.
6. Irony – In general, a discrepancy between appearances and reality.
1) In the Enormous Radio, it was irony when the reader knew that Mrs. Westcott could hear into the lives of others, while those others had no idea.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
My Auto-Biography (Final Draft)
My Auto-Biography by: Deylah McCarty
Ah, the teenage years. It's true what they say, that those years are the most important of your life, but that doesn't mean it's always going to be a fun ride. Many times we don't even realize how much impact the choices we make during our younger years have on our entire life, and then by the time we do, it can be much harder to right what was wronged. For some of us we cannot even see what we’ve been doing to ourselves until we are much older, and much less able to fix what we see that’s not right in ourselves, nor as fast. Finding inner peace and happiness can be one of the toughest things along the road of life.
For me, middle school was one of the toughest experiences I ever went through. Although I tried to be quiet and blend in with the backdrop, I was considered weird and an easy target to succumb to being picked on. For someone like me, blending in and being hidden is nearly impossible whether I want to hide or not, most likely because of my very blue eyes and sometimes weird choice of clothing. Unfortunately, I was ridiculed often and annoyed even more so, which really made me question myself. When I think about it now, people might have acted the way they did around me to get my attention because they liked my weird personality. On the down side, I was very sensitive, easily flustered, and the drama of middle school was way beyond my control. Being as mature as I was then, the kids around me were idiotic in my eyes, always making stupid choices and acting completely ridiculous, but being only 13, I couldn’t have really been expected to do much about it.
One thing I hated the most about middle school, and about myself, was that I used to be extremely shy, meaning I was frequently embarrassed, which led to my cheeks turning very pink, and inevitably ended with people bothering me about it. It was horribly upsetting, and I had the mindset that it was never going to end. After all, how could I make my cheeks stop filling with blood? Or how could I possibly keep people off my back? I had fallen in to what I like to call ‘a rut.’ Rather than calling it depression, I would say that I’ve fallen into a rut and couldn’t get out because I just kept digging deeper rather than try to climb out. It is much easier to dig deeper and hide ourselves rather than use all of our strength to climb out. I was stuck in a pretty deep rut, and I had dug myself one hell of a hole.
Getting out of this rut was the next hardest thing in my entire life. When I explain how I did it here, there is no way to help you understand exactly how it was for me, but in a nutshell: hard work, self-encouragement, self-love, my mother’s support, and a therapist were what got me through. I went through years of struggle and determination, with blood, sweat, and tears, only for me there no blood was involved. I fought myself in a fierce battle, trying to invoke my deepest, most painful memories and stretch them out, examining every tiny bit of them until I understood everything. After a long road of fighting, I slowly came to peace with my inner fires and I changed, which changed the way I looked at the world around me. Therefore, I became my dream-self. The self that could walk into school without a second thought of my presence, the self that could say and do what I pleased without a care in the world.
Happy, outgoing, enormously confident, positive, hard-working, and popular—this is what I am now, and it’s a hard and well worth it job to manage. Keeping your head clear and your goals set is like keeping your room clean. Slack off, and it can get to how it used to be: littered, unorganized, stuffy, uncomfortable, and even embarrassing. Piles of clothing like giant, mental road blocks. Old, smelly food that constantly reminds you that you’re slacking. However, keep yourself on your toes, while picking up after yourself, and you can easily maintain a clean, nice room. As for bad days, you know they’re always going to be there, days where you just can’t keep your room tidy, but those kinds of days can be triumphed too. So just do the best you can, like I did, and try to keep your ‘room’ clean.
Ah, the teenage years. It's true what they say, that those years are the most important of your life, but that doesn't mean it's always going to be a fun ride. Many times we don't even realize how much impact the choices we make during our younger years have on our entire life, and then by the time we do, it can be much harder to right what was wronged. For some of us we cannot even see what we’ve been doing to ourselves until we are much older, and much less able to fix what we see that’s not right in ourselves, nor as fast. Finding inner peace and happiness can be one of the toughest things along the road of life.
For me, middle school was one of the toughest experiences I ever went through. Although I tried to be quiet and blend in with the backdrop, I was considered weird and an easy target to succumb to being picked on. For someone like me, blending in and being hidden is nearly impossible whether I want to hide or not, most likely because of my very blue eyes and sometimes weird choice of clothing. Unfortunately, I was ridiculed often and annoyed even more so, which really made me question myself. When I think about it now, people might have acted the way they did around me to get my attention because they liked my weird personality. On the down side, I was very sensitive, easily flustered, and the drama of middle school was way beyond my control. Being as mature as I was then, the kids around me were idiotic in my eyes, always making stupid choices and acting completely ridiculous, but being only 13, I couldn’t have really been expected to do much about it.
One thing I hated the most about middle school, and about myself, was that I used to be extremely shy, meaning I was frequently embarrassed, which led to my cheeks turning very pink, and inevitably ended with people bothering me about it. It was horribly upsetting, and I had the mindset that it was never going to end. After all, how could I make my cheeks stop filling with blood? Or how could I possibly keep people off my back? I had fallen in to what I like to call ‘a rut.’ Rather than calling it depression, I would say that I’ve fallen into a rut and couldn’t get out because I just kept digging deeper rather than try to climb out. It is much easier to dig deeper and hide ourselves rather than use all of our strength to climb out. I was stuck in a pretty deep rut, and I had dug myself one hell of a hole.
Getting out of this rut was the next hardest thing in my entire life. When I explain how I did it here, there is no way to help you understand exactly how it was for me, but in a nutshell: hard work, self-encouragement, self-love, my mother’s support, and a therapist were what got me through. I went through years of struggle and determination, with blood, sweat, and tears, only for me there no blood was involved. I fought myself in a fierce battle, trying to invoke my deepest, most painful memories and stretch them out, examining every tiny bit of them until I understood everything. After a long road of fighting, I slowly came to peace with my inner fires and I changed, which changed the way I looked at the world around me. Therefore, I became my dream-self. The self that could walk into school without a second thought of my presence, the self that could say and do what I pleased without a care in the world.
Happy, outgoing, enormously confident, positive, hard-working, and popular—this is what I am now, and it’s a hard and well worth it job to manage. Keeping your head clear and your goals set is like keeping your room clean. Slack off, and it can get to how it used to be: littered, unorganized, stuffy, uncomfortable, and even embarrassing. Piles of clothing like giant, mental road blocks. Old, smelly food that constantly reminds you that you’re slacking. However, keep yourself on your toes, while picking up after yourself, and you can easily maintain a clean, nice room. As for bad days, you know they’re always going to be there, days where you just can’t keep your room tidy, but those kinds of days can be triumphed too. So just do the best you can, like I did, and try to keep your ‘room’ clean.
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