My Submitted Poem on Teenink

http://teenink.com/poetry/haiku/article/462644/London/

Uncle Tom's Cabin Week 2

  As I've begun to read deeper in my book and have gotten farther along, I've realized how sucked into it I have actually been. While reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, it feels like I'm actually there, in that time period. I know it's a bit crazy but, it's true. I completely forget what's happening in my life and solely focus on what's happening in my book. It's amazing, really, how you can get so caught up in a book that you forget the rest of the world. I guess that what makes a great book, though. The further I get into my book, the more I long to be living in the past. So many amazing things and amazing people inhabited the past that I wish to be part of it. I guess I was just born too late.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Week 1

While learning about the scenarios leading up to the Civil War in my Social Studies class, Uncle Tom's Cabin was a heavily discussed topic. Because it caused so much conflict before the Civil War, it is thought of as a contributing factor to starting the war, although I presonally believe that the war would've happened anyway, whether Uncle Tom's Cabin was published or not. I absolutely love history and that is the main reason I chose this book. My teacher talked about it a bit in class and it made me want to read it and see why there was so much conflict on it. At first glance, it seems like a boring read, I have to admit. But the further I've gotten into the book, the more I've started to like it. It shows the relationships between the slave and their owners, the relationships between the slaves and other slaves, and even the relationships between the slave owners and slave traders.
            It is about Tom, a hard-working, trutworthy slave, who is surprisingly sold with another trustworthy slave's son, Harry. Harry's mother, Eliza, takes Harry in the middle of the night and runs away, overhearing the conversation of Harry being sold between her master and the trader. She told Tom, and he decided to stay and accepted the fact that if he wasn't sold, his master would have to sell all the other slaves and his property due to financial problems. The master's wife, Mrs. Shelby, raised Eliza and I'll even go so far as to say that she loves Eliza, and when she hears the news that Eliza's son was sold, she was heart-broken. She asked her husband to not sell Harry, but he could not. Then, she found out Tom was sold whom they both trusted and she practically broke down. She begged her husband, Mr. Shelby, not to sell Harry and Tom but, Mr. Shelby had to. They trusted Tom so much that they sent him to another city to collect five hundred dollars, and of course he came back with the money without trying to escape. Mrs. Shelby was horrified because there was a huge possibility that he would get traded and sold to a cruel, harsh master. It is truly heart-breaking and you can't help but feel bad for Eliza, Harry, Tom, and even Mr. and Mrs. Shelby. So far it has also mentioned some slave owner's views on abolitionists, which was very interesting to read. As I've been reading it, I realize that people in the mid 1800's read Uncle Tom's Cabin, and I have to admit it's weird to think about. It's strange thinking about how much conflict the very same book I'm reading had caused between the Union and Confederacy, the North and the South, Patriots and Traitors. All in all I am really loving the book and I cannot wait to continue reading.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-In-The-Moon Marigolds Act I

      I guess the only way I can relate to this play is that Tillie seems to be cast aside by her mother because she likes different things. Tillie is so passionate about science and her mother does not care because she is too occupied with her own problems. I do feel bad for Tillie, especially when she was one of the top five student in the science fair and all her mother did was yell at her.
    I think that this is sort of the same with teenagers now. If you don't like the same things as everyone else and "go with the flow", you're sort of cast to the side and people try to ignore that you like different things. This is what Tillie goes through. When Tillie mentions her interest in science, you can see the disapproval of her mother but, her mother chooses to ignore it until it has to be acknowledged.

Romeo's Developement Throughout the Story

     Yes, I chose to focus on Romeo for my journal. From the first few lines I read of him speaking, I knew he was a passionate character who had strong opinions as well as emotions. He was never afraid to say what he thought and he never hid his emotions from those he was close to. I knew he was a strong character emotionally and I knew I could relate to him and follow his development throughout the story without any trouble.
      At the beginning of the story, Romeo was very immature. He was used to get what he wants, he was hot-headed, and did stupid things when angry. An example was when Tybalt killed Mercutio. Before he died, Romeo kept his cool, and tried persuade Tybalt to out of trying to fight. But when Romeo found out Mercutio was dead because of Tybalt, his anger got the best of him and he totally threw out his "Don't fight Tyblat" rule. He immediately sprang on Tybalt, causing Tybalt's death and resulting in Romeo being banished. Frankly, I'm surprised that Romeo didn't do anything to get banished before this. Perhaps he did, but because he's so well-spoken, I feel that's he's gotten some lenience that he should not have gotten.
     I think that Juliet humbled him. Before Juliet, he was just a cocky boy wanting his precious Rosaline back. He refused to forget about her. He was angry and depressed making him seem whiny and arrogant. But as soon as he laid his eyes on Juliet, I feel that he transformed into another person. Although, they had to keep their love hidden, he seemed happy. Juliet was the only person that could truly give him happiness and he would be with her, no matter what the cost.

Romeo&Juliet Act I

I'm going to be blunt. This is a hard read. It has a lot of depth to it regarding character relations. There seems to be a lot of tension between them comsidering that they started fighting right at the beginning of the story. In regards to the actual writing style, I feel that it's simple once you can fully understand it. I feel that if you didn't read some of the dialogue over again, you would be completely lost. And that's how I felt. I could keep up with some of the phrases and I could understand it pretty well and I could understand what was happening. But in some areas, I had to re-read it about three times just to vaguely understand what was being said. But because I know the whole plot of the story already and the end result, I think that it's easier for me to be able to interpret what's happening.

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail Act II

I feel that the three most important characters in this story were Henry, Bailey, and Waldo. They all have strong connections to eachother and made huge impacts in the story. I think that Gaelan Connell(From the movie, "Chocolat") would be a good choice to play Henry. I pictured Henry as a young man who still has his life ahead of him but, is burdened with his old soul and loud conscience. Gaelan Connell is also a fairly young actor who seems to have bright eyes and the looks of somone who has something to say, someone intelligent. I feel that he would be the perfect fit to play Henry. As for Waldo, I actually pictured him played by John Krasinki. Waldo seemed to have an intillectual humor about him topped with a sarcastic charm, just like John Krasinski. To me, it seems to be a prefect fit. And lastly, Bailey. I feel that Bailey should be played by Josh Duhamel. They both seem to have a rugged personal. Someone who is tough but actually is soft, sensitive, and gentle on the inside. He just wants to be somebody and not make a fool out of himself. I feel that this also would be the perfect match.

Personally, I suppose that Henry's protest was not a success to himself. He himself did not end the war or get himself out of jail solely on his words and protests. Aunt Louisa ended up bailing him out. I feel that he didn't really earn any of it himself. I think that he was mad at himself also, for not accomlishing what he accomlished. Which, I think, was to start some sort of revolution.

CITR&A Perfect Day for Bananafish Character Comparison

When comparing CITR and A Perfect Day for Bananafish, I noticed that the characters seemed to have a stronger connection in CITR. I'm thinking that it may supposed to have been this way though. In CITR, I think that Holden had a strong emotional connection towards everyone he met. The minute he started talking to them, he knew what he thought of them and how to talk to them. I think that in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" the characters really had no emotional connection what-so-ever. The one exception is the little girl and the guy that committed suicide. Other than those two, the only connection were stated. They weren't described or felt.
             If I hadn't known that J.D. Salinger was the author of both of these stories, I wouldn't have known that they were written by the same person. In CITR, everything seemed so descriptive and real, you could relate tot he emotions being discussed. But in "A Perfect Day for Bananafish", it was blunt and almost in your face. It was a bit sudden. I feel that there are more differences between these two stories than similarities. I found it difficult to think of these two stories as similar.

CITR Question and Answers 2

Q: If you were Holden, and you had just been kicked out of school, where would you go? Why?

A: This is definately a tough one. There are two choices I would choose from. One would be travelling all the way to California to visit my great aunt and uncle. They live in Sacramento, I have enever visited them, and I would love to explore the vast region of California. But I know they would understand. I could tell them what happened without being yelled at or lectured. They wouldn't press me to give them answers either. I know they would try to subtly whip me into shape without making me feel pressured. Of course, visiting California would cost tons. Depending on whether or not I had money would probably be the deciding factor. My other choice would have to be going to my aunt and uncle's house in Hamilton. My cousins are both grown and I know they would be more than happy to take me in. They'd be understanding about it and I just know that they would let me stay as long as I needed to for when I faced my parents. They would probably even give me some suggestions on what to say to them and how to present myself.

Jane's Character and Her Importance to Holden~

A: Jane is definately vital to Holden's life. Obviously he's in love with her and can't get her off his mind. I think it's sweet. She was a big part of Holden's childhood and she's still apart of Holden's life. He can't get her off his mind. Whenever he's lonely, he thinks of Jane. It seems that whenever he's in a crappy mood, he thinks of her too. I feel that he's protective of her too. When she found out that Jane was with his Stradlater, he completely freaked out. He kept saying he couldn't imagine them together.

Discuss whether or not people can ruin things for you~

A: I feel that this is untrue. I think that people don't ruin things for you, you ruin things for yourself by letting people supposedly ruin things for you, if that makes sense. People aren't always ruining things. The people in your life are suppose to be there to support you and if they don't, you have to just ignore them. Letting them ruin things for you is just ruining it for yourself.

CITR Questions and Answers

Q: What does it mean to be unique?
A: First off, I feel that being unique is not something you work at. I feel that it's part of you. It's not something that you can learn or practice, it's what you are. To me, being unique is doing and/or wearing what you want, without an influence from the rest of the world. At a first thought, when I think of being unique I think of someone flashy and confident. Someone who struts around with red hair and purple contacts. But that's not the case. Uniqueness can be shy and it can be loud. It can be sophisticated or it can be bold. I feel that uniqueness represents the individuality of that person.

Q: How do we keep individuaality in an adult world?
A: My thought is that there isn't a difference regarding individuality in an adult world or say, a teen world. In my opinion, individuality is all the same. To be an individual is being yourself. It's not getting sucked in the rut of the rest of the world. Doing what you love or wearing what you love, whether the rest of the world approves of it or not, is individuality. Take Holden from CITR, although he probably looks like a poor, homeless man while wearing that red hat, he wears it anyway. He wears it because he loves it, not caring about what others really think. I feel that that is a perfect example of individuality.

Q: How is Allie's character similar to your favorite person?
A: Well, my favorite person shall remain anonymous. In regards the the question, my favorite person represents Allie is one main way which is making the best out of everything. I feel that the book made you believe that Allie was very innovative and took the best out of everything. It stated that Allie had written poems in the inside of his baseball glove so that he wouldn't be bored in the field when someone wasn't up to bat. I think that that is an amazing idea! It shows that Allie makes the best of everything. When he's in the field, he reads poems versus standing there just waiting. My favorite person is very innovative himself. He happens to be an up and coming new artist and I must say, his songs are genius. You can relate to every one of them and lyrically are incredible. You can tell that he is following his dreams and living his life. He's not wastinG a seCond of it, just like Allie had been doing.