:)

The Real Deal

My short story is turning out to be not so short. I feel like I am writing a full length novel! It's difficult sometimes to keep at it; I definitely need to work on condensing parts of it. Wondering what it is exactly I'm writing about? The story was originally something I intended to submit to IMAGES, but didn't have the time to finish. Now is the perfect opportunity. There are two main characters who I have yet to name-- I dislike putting a label on their identity. Unlike naming a child at birth, these characters' personalities and traits are already formed and developed, so I feel their names must fit them perfectly. Moving on, the story is based around the life of a teenage girl from the early twenty-first century living in Canada. One night, she is robbed and left for dead. Her body is used in scientific experimentation with the concept of absolute zero, and by some miracle, her body and soul are completely conserved for over one hundred years. My story begins when she is taken out of her comma like state and awakens...

What Happens?

In preparing for writing my short story, I perused other free writes on my computer which I began in my spare time. Creative writing is my favorite part about english class, and so though this assignment can be tiring, it is also fun and rewarding. Anyway, I found this on my lap top a few days ago. I believe I wrote it after finishing the Blue is for Nightmares series by Laurie Faria Stolarz and was itching to write an intriguing, romantic mystery novel of my own. I did not get very far however-- in fact I barely it past the first paragraph! But this introduction really caught my attention when I reread it, and I wish I had kept writing because I found myself dying to know what happened next! Here it is, feel free to comment and tell me what you think: "I feel like I’m going to be sick. My head is spinning, my thoughts tumbling around my brain, making my head throb with pain. I try to relax my mind by massage my temples, but my head still feels like it weighs a million pounds. I slowly stand up, lifting myself from the sticky girl’s bathroom floor, my wobbly knees shaking from fear. I unlock the stall I’ve been hiding in and stare at myself in the mirror that stands on the counter directly in front of me. I look horrible, even for 3:00 in the morning. My thick black hair is in clumps, making it look like I’ve matted it with hairspray. My eyes have dark circles around them because of not washing my mascara off before going to bed. And one of my earrings is missing. I’m scared to go outside, and walk a quarter of a mile by myself in the dark back to my cabin, but I know I can’t stay here the rest of the night, my little campers are waiting for their counselor to come back and protect them from the big bad wolves that live in the Virginia woods. But, how can I protect them, make them feel safe, when I have my own wolves to be afraid of?" (Unknown, Kerwin). It would be cool if anyone had ideas of their own as to who this character is and what she is afraid of. Use your bright minds and creativity people!

The Lif of Pi: Memorable and Important Quotes

1) “I notice something else: his cupboards are jam-packed. Behind every door, on every shelf, stand mountains of neatly stacked cans and packages. A reserve of food to last the siege of Leningrad” (Martel 25). Early in the novel, there are chapters narrated by a reporter who interviews Pi later in life, after having survived his terrible ordeal on the Pacific. Visiting Pi’s home, the narrator notices Pi’s abundance of organized food. This, I believe, foreshadows how Pi will run out of staples during his voyage and hence teaches him to always be prepared. Looking back at this quote after finishing the novel, it can be inferred that Pi’s life, as expected, was changed permanently afterwards, effecting his actions and habits. Could it be that Pi now has a fear of disaster and therefore is always on alert, always ready for tragedy to strike?

2) “He turned to Babu and nodded. Babu left. Mahisha’s eye followed him and did not move from the door he disappeared through. He returned a few seconds later carrying a goat with its legs tied. Mother gripped me from behind. Mahisha’s snarls turned into a growl deep in the throat” (Martel 34). Before leaving for Canada, Pi’s father owned a zoo in Pondicherry, India. Pi lived here with his family, growing up among the various exotic animals. However, his father feared for the safety of his children around the wild animals and decides upon the importance of educating them in this aspect. One day, he brings them around to see what these animals will do if they sense danger, and as an example, throws a live goat into the cage of a hungry tiger. The result is obvious and gruesome. This sight chills Pi to the bones, but is effective—Pi learns to stay his distance from the cages. I think this lesson helped Pi with his situation on the lifeboat: staying as far away from Richard Parker (the Bengal tiger) as possible and training him slowly as it proved absolutely necessary.

3) “A germ of religious exaltation, no bigger than a mustard seed, was sown in me and left to germinate. It has never stopped growing since that day” (Martel, 47). There are many chapters in this book where Pi explains the importance of religion in his life; his view on religions of the world and how they affect his personal life. It is thus learned that Pi is a very religious boy who simply wants to find God and have a relationship with him. Pi learns more about himself and meets new people by practicing three religions: Hinduism, Muslim, and Christianity. Alas, he majors in this subject at college later in life.

4) “There are many examples of animals coming to surprising living arrangements. All are instances of that animal equivalent of anthropomorphism: zoomorphism, where an animal takes a human being or another animal, to be one of its kind” (Martel 84). This quote also foreshadows the plot which is yet to come—aka, Pi stuck in the lifeboat with Richard Parker. Not only did I find this an interesting quote, but important as well since Pi and Richard Parker certainly come to live together in an interesting circumstance. There were different points during their Pacific journey which showed how they adapted to one another, and it seems that Pi learned many survival skills from Richard Parker.

5) “I tried to hold him back. Alas, it was too late. Before I could say the word alone, I was alone again. I heard the merest clicking of claws against the bottom of the boat. No more than the sound of a pair of spectacles falling to the floor, and the next moment my dear brother shrieked in my face like I’ve never heard a man shriek before. He let go of me” (Martel 255). At this point in the story, Pi has become blind. The reason is not specifically stated but is most like caused by his poor living conditions in the life boat. During this period, he comes across another lifeboat with yet another man in it who too claims to be blind. The stranger pretends to be Pi’s friend, but then attempts to kill him. Therefore, Richard Parker kills the stranger, saving Pi’s life. Pi later refers to this event as something he will never forget, but what is the likelihood that in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he stumbled upon another man in his exact same situation? (See quote below.)

6) “Then we fought and I killed him. He had no expression on his face, neither of despair nor anger, neither of fear nor pain. He gave up. He let himself be killed, though it was still a struggle. He knew he had gone too far, even by his bestial standards. He had gone too far and now he didn’t want to go on living any more. But he never said ‘I’m sorry.’ Why do we cling to our evil ways?” (Martel 310). After Pi lands on the shores of Mexico and begins his recovery process in a hospital in Tomatlán, two Japanese representatives from the Ministry of Transport go visit him to investigate the reason for the Tsimtsum (the boat Pi traveled on from India) ship’s sinking. Pi recounts them the whole story which we as the reader have just finished, but the men decide they do not believe Pi could have survived on a boat with so many wild animals. Thus, Pi tells them a tale where he replaces the animals with other survivors from the boat, one being his own mother. It was horrific enough to think of what the animals did to each other, but to think people could have done those same things (kill each other brutally, etc.)? The idea is simply disgusting. In this quote, Pi describes the story from the “people” perspective, where he really killed the stranger, not Richard Parker. Now the question is: which story is true?

7) “At night, by some chemical process unknown to me but obviously inhibited by sunlight, the predatory algae turned highly acidic and the ponds became vats of acid that digested the fish. This was why Richard Parker returned to the boat every night. This was why the meerkats slept in the trees. This was why I had never seen anything but algae on the island” (Martel 282). An important and interesting part of this novel comes during the middle of Pi’s journey when he discovers a mysterious island in the Pacific. Here he regains his strength—walking around the island and eating the great abundance of algae the island seems to be made up of. Pi tells us that during the day, Richard Parker roams the island on his own—he disappears from Pi’s view. However he comes back at the end of the day to sleep on the boat with Pi. Again the question surfaces of whether or not this should be taken figuratively or literally. Figuratively, it could be interpreted that when Pi enters this new found haven, he does not need his disguise of Richard Parker, except when he returns to the vulnerability of the boat at night, or when Richard Parker shows up to slaughter meerkats for food. Regardless, Pi finds that the algae turns very acidic at night, and feels forced to leave the island and once again search for land with Richard Parker.

8) “Then Richard Parker, companion of my torment, awful, fierce thing that kept me alive, moved forward and disappeared forever from my life” (Martel 285). When Pi reaches land, he describes Richard Parker departing into the forest off the beach and never returning again. But was the tiger, Richard Parker, really Pi? Did Pi only refer to himself as such a beast and to his previous boat mates as animals because it was easier to comprehend and survive that way? Nonetheless, Richard Parker was only something that stayed with Pi during his frightful trip through the Pacific, and without him—weather he was an inner force inside Pi or an actual companion—Pi would most likely have died like the rest of the passengers on the Tsimtsum.

Trudging Along

Much to my annoyance, The Life of Pi is coming along rather slowly. There are about two weeks left until the end of third quarter and I am not even a third of the way through the novel. Don't get me wrong, I like this book, but it does not grip my attention the way my typical romantic mystery books do. And yet, this is why I chose this book-- because I thought it would be different. Well, as of page seventy-eight, the main character Pi has become a practicioner of three religions: muslim, hinduism, and christianity. His parents have a hard time understanding this, as do his local priest, imam, and pandit. Yet when confronted about this, Pi wisely answers " 'Bapu Gandhi said, 'All religions are true.' I just want to love God,' " While the priest, imam, and pandit had been bickering about whose religion was better, Pi's comment ceased their arguments and even made them seem a bit foolish. I admire Pi's maturity at such a young age (about the age I am now) and wonder if more of this book will focus around religion.

Stop Watching, Start Reading

Are authors celebrities? I guess it depends on the popularity of the books they have written-- like J.K. Rowling for instance. Instead of actors and reality TV stars, who build their status through the small and big screens, authors must work hard to write something unique which others will notice and appreciate. Thankfully however, authors are not usually obnoxious extroverts seeking the limelight-- we have enough of those already. But some authors must be prepared for fame, since many times after their books are published they do not know how well it will sell. Yet, if it flies off the shelves, there will be millions of eager fans waiting to meet them for autographs and book discussions. Stephenie Meyer for example, is one of my favorite authors and had no idea her novels would become as famous as they did. Now it seems she is always touring not only the country, but the world! And in only a few short months, she is coming to Minneapolis! The chance to meet the women from whose mind sprang the seductive vampire Edward Cullen and shy, lovable Bella Swan, would be absolutely amazing! Looking around at the many books in my room however, I realize just how many authors I have already met and how lucky I have been to do so. In elementary school, authors would constantly come to speak to us, and at the time, I remained only the slightest bit interested. But I'm not sure if Kate DiCamillo would visit a school full of pesky kids again after her book Because of Winn-Dixie was made into a blockbuster hit starring Annasophia Robb. When I met her though, she seemed to enjoy children, so I'm sure she is still making tours to various schools. Some more authors I met throughout my time in elementary school were Megan McDonald for Judy Moody, Mary Casanova for Cecile, Gates of Gold, and William Durbin for The Broken Blade. I also recall hearing Katherine Patterson speak to my peers and I about her book Bridge to Terabithea. I recall the story she recounted to us about where she got the idea for her book. I cannot remember the details, but it was something along the lines of her son's good friend being electrocuted while swimming in a lightening storm. This sounds tragic to say the least, but if you are familiar with the story, it too is tragic at times. What I'm really trying to say is, authors are some of the best celebrities around!

March Madness

March is turning into quite the busy month, so its nice to sit, slow down, and get lost in a good book. This week we've begun All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. This author has a very distinct style of his own. He uses clear, detailed, and descriptive word choice to create vivid imagery for the reader. His run on sentences and disregarded use of dialogue quotations make a relaxed tone which seems imperfect, just like the main characters in the book who come with their own set of problems: John Grady, Lacey Rawlins, and Jimmy Blevins. They are all young teenage boys, run away from home, and riding their horses down Mexico like the last cowboys in the wild west. They do not begin their journey together however, Jimmy Blevins meets up with them along the way and Grady soon comes to care for him, though his partner Rawlins could care less for the kid. The event when Grady chooses not to leave Blevins behind, despite the risk he will burden upon them by traveling together (he is being looked for), constitutes a turning point in the story.

O Spring Break, Where art tho?

We recently finished watching the movie, O Brother, Where Art Tho? in L.A. class. Like many heroic stories, it was based of The Odyssey, yet it followed Odysseus's journey more closely than other novels-- replacing the sirens with seductive women, the lotus eaters with faithful religious folk, the cyclops with a one eyed con man, and more. I enjoyed George Clooney's preformance, as well as the other supporting actors. So, overall I felt it was a good film, except some parts I disagreed with. For example, Penny (acting like Odysseus' wife Penelope) did not wait and weep for her husband. Instead, she looked for another man to marry. However, the great and catchy music made up for some of these cinematic defects.

"Spring Break", coming soon to a school near you!

As we begin the month of March, the only thing I look forward to is the end of this month. However, I must first survive the next few weeks in school, and thus have continued to read my new outside reading book, The Life of Pi. This book seems like an easy read compared to The Odyssey and All the Pretty Horses. The current setting, India, is foreign to me, as it is a place I have never visited nor know much about. As for the story's plot, it is almost nonexistant; thus far Pi has only kept our attention with amusing stories from his childhood or influential teachers he has met. One of these teachers is Mr. Kumar, who shows Pi different view points on religion-- for he is atheist while Pi is quite the opposite with strong religious beliefs. In the next couple weeks, I look forward to reading more about Pi's past, but also his futur.

Thesis....

This Friday I have a final essay due on The Odyssey by Homer. I choose to write about whether or not Odysseus, the protagonist, is a hero. I began by wanting to prove that he was not, in fact a hero, but when I laid out the evidence, I disproved myself, which was rather interesting to say the least. Now I have prepared a thesis that shares my exact thoughts about Odysseus: that he is a hero, but with flaws. Please comment to tell me what you think! (I've become rather worried that my thesis statements have no structure after hearing so much about Mrs. Froelich's "three part thesis" requirements....) Here it is:

Though Odysseus may often be compared to the Gods themselves, he still has many flaws; however his acts of bravery and courage overcome these imperfections, demonstrating that he is a true hero.

Beginning The Life of Pi

I have decided upon The Life of Pi for my outside reading book this quarter and am currently three chapters into it. Already, it has grabed hold of my interest-- this book is definitel different from my previous two english novels. Though these chapters are short, and consequently I have not learned very much about the protagonist. The main character's name is Pi Patel, he was named after a glorious swimming pool located in Paris, La Piscine Molitor. He has a brother, Ravi, a mother and father, as well as an uncle figure who he calls Mamaji. Mamaji used to be a competitive swimmer and when Pi turns seven, he teaches him to swim. Right now in the story, I believe Pi is living in Canada and moved there from India. But that is all. Some of the phrases I read almost seem random in this book, but later I believe they will come to make sense. With that, there was a cool quote that caught my attention while reading: "The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity-- it's envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with it, a jealous, possessive love that grabs at what it can. But life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a thing or two of no importance, and gloom is but the passing shadow of a cloud" (6. Martel). I think this is a fascinating way to regard life and death; comparing Death to an obsessive lover who can never obtain Life, and Life as one who will never return the mutual feelings of Death. Death, however, will never cease his endless tries and will obtain some victims, but Life will live and go on.

Outside Reading Three

I'm undecided about what book to read for my outside reading project this quarter. It's a tie between three different books: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith, and The Life of Pi by Yann Martel. Rebel Angels is an exciting novel, the sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty, which I read earlier this year. I am already half way through it however and am wondering if I would not finish it too quickly. On the other hand, The Life of Pi has recieved rave reviews, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is a classic. Since we are required to read a work that is different from our previous two selections, I'm leaning toward The Life of Pi because it is a new kind of story, written in an interesting style. Regardless of my choice, I will finish Rebel Angels and then I hope to read the newly released, last installment of the series, (which my friend is reading at the moment), The Far Sweet Thing.

I'm Baaaack

It's been about a month now from the time I last blogged, and since then, my class has begun to read the epic tale of The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles. The only other knowledge I have of this tale is from sixth grade, when we listened to a version of it on tape. I remember liking that very much, and now I also enjoy reading this more difficult text. Currently, I am on chapter fourteen, when the hero and protagonist, Odysseus, has finally made the return to his home in Ithica, which he has been trying to do for many years. I find it interesting to read about all the struggles and hardships Odysseus went through, hated by some Gods and cursed with misfortune. The fact that Odysseus endured all that the Gods forced upon him and more (such as horrible storms and deathly, luring creatures), even when his shipmates did not, shows what a remarkable man he is. Though the Greek Gods are described as great among mortals, I infer from the text that their one main difference from man is their immortality. I feel Odysseus would blend in among them, for he is described like a God in the text. During his long, seemingly endless journey, while stranded upon the island of Calypso, the nymph offered him the rank of a God, but he could not take it. While there is an allure to being immortal and powerful, being mortal is a gift in itself-- and perhaps this is how Odysseus feels. Today is class, we were asked which character we most felt like at the moment and why. I chose Telemachus, Odysseus's son, because I feel undecided at the moment. There are things I really want to do, but don't exactly have to courage to leave my comfort zone to do so. Similarly, in the beginning of the book, Telemachus struggles in deciding what to do about his torn family. What to believe about his father and how to deal the suitors invading his home for Peneloppe (his mother and Odysseus's wife). Luckily, Athena soon comes to Telemachus's aid, setting him in the right direction where he goes on to act very much like his father. I too, hope that I will soon have the courage and strength like Odysseus to do what I want!

*Note From The Author*

Looking back at my last few blogs, I saw they were beginning to diverge in their overall relation to my enriched language arts experience... so for this new quarter in school, I am challenging myself not to sidetrack so much and instead be more direct and to the point.

Film Review

The film, Much Ado about Nothing, directed by Kenneth Branagh and based off the classic Shakespearean novel, was released in the year 1993 and given a mix of reviews. Hal Hinson, from the Washington Post, described the movie as “insubstantial and uninspired”, yet “easy on the eyes”. I wholeheartedly agree with Hinson’s remarks about the film. I thought the setting was gorgeous, the jokes funny, and the celebrities enjoyable. However, after viewing the film, I felt just as Hinson—uninspired. I was unmoved by the actors’ performances. For example, when Hero cried in agony over being falsely accused of unfaithfulness on her wedding day, her facial features appeared almost comical. Moreover, the bright, joyful sun shinning down upon the scene did little to aid the grave mood. Overall, this film gave little justice to Shakespeare’s great work.

Aurevoir les Vacances d'Hiver

If you haven't noticed, my posts are becoming shorter. Despite my previous mention for want of shorter posts, I miss the old length mine used to carry. It made them seem.... more important and worthwhile I guess. Well, I guess not too much can be expected since over the course of winter break, I have been having difficulty finding things to blog about. As you can tell by the date above, I am cutting it close- tonight I cherish the few hours of break I have left. Over break I didn't actually do much reading. I finished Speak, as I blogged about earlier, and also the Royal Diary book, Princess of Versailles. The latter was not very good, but it did help me a bit in my understanding about the French Revolution and the Austria's role in it. My outside reading project is going so-so. I've started it, but barely. Thus far I have a rough outline. I'm very glad it is not due until Friday, for I must as they say "get back in the swing of things". Sure, I had plenty of time to work on it over break, but I've had better things to do. Such as playing Trauma Center: New Blood on my new Wii, or watching the movie Aquamarine countless times, and then forcing my friends to watch it with me. I got the movie over break as a gift from my best friend, and as have not stopped thinking about it since. For some reason this movie has stuck to my heart. It is light, romantic, and funny. But I think the real reason is that the two best friends' relationship in the film is similar to the one I share with mine, and that is something speacial that I will never get sick of watching.

so close, and yet so far

I would like to start this post by complementing a friend of mine on her blog. We will call her Mirman. Unfortunatly I am not highly skilled in the use of technical devices, and can't figure out how to create links to my friends' blogs from mine. Anyway, last night, while I lay in bed staring at my ceiling and contemplating the meaning of life (as I so often do), I figured that everything we do comes back to love. It is why we live, survive, everything we do comes out of love. Wheather it is a hard decision to make, or something else, all we really want is to be loved. If I could chose, the world would only contain love, and no hate. But when difficulties arise in our lives, it is sometimes hard to find love, even though it's what we want the most. This is when hate (sadly) develops. Why is love such a big deal though? It's the closest thing we have to magic. When I read a post from Mirman's blog about Life and Death, it made me think about how close to us they really are. Death could occur chaque jour, in countless ways. But we stay alive searching for something. We know it is too early to die when we haven't found love, and know there is much more of it to discover and share.

Go for It

I've always wanted to act. Really, its true. I've wanted to have to courage to jump on stage in front of a big crowd and give a flawless performance like it was nothing. It's been a long time that I have been musing over this. It's just that theatre seems very intimidating, but I realize that if I want to do something, I should go for it. I don't want to regret not trying an activity I might love. So, I'm signing up for classes at the Guthrie, a great theatre company where the little brother of my good friend preforms. I'm starting small, one class session at a time, but I hope I'm good at it, and if not, that I can improve and hone my skills so that maybe one day, I will be able to take center stage! It's a miracle that regardless, I will continue to play tennis. Who says I can't become a thespian and still participate in athletics?