Con-cluzi-own

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Wow, I'm so glad we got a week to write up each one of these, I only now realize how many there are! I've learned so much in Honors English this year, all of those poetry terms, how to read Shakespearean, and learning how to find symbolism and motif. It feels weird now to think that I hadn't known these things just a year ago. My writing style has also evolved a bit over the course of the year. I still write with my personality and thoughts, but my writing is slightly different because I'm so much more knowledgeable(giving me different insight to situations and a slightly sophisticated point of views). But what does this all mean? The end of the year has approached us, and my conclusion is that I've become "smarter"? No. Because of our amazing teacher (Mrs. Gilman) I personally feel like my boundaries in writing have multiplied by some infinite number. As the year went on, even my grade improved, which is, in fact, solid data that not only my vocabulary, but my writing style improved immensely. my word choice and confidence was raised as we worked tirelessly on essay writing styles. An example of my work when writing about the poem "Lobsters", I wrote, "Quite frankly I was puzzled that the author would bring up such gruesome details in the poem. This was brought up about halfway through the discussion..."(11/19/10). Even though I wrote this myself, it's extremely boring to read. '...he brought up that which was brought up in the discussion...' blah, blah, blah, I'm so grateful that I've been given the opportunity to learn how to write 'with style'. It's so odd to see how incapable I really was when it came to journalism. A more recent example of my writing potential can be found as I look back at the Great Expectations novel. I explain, "Because of this, I was able to write more and think more about the way Charles Dickens expressed the characters and the symbolic meanings that were commonly found in it.(6/10/11)." My vocabulary is much more varied and I have an easier time expressing what I am trying to say. This is an emotional time for everyone in Mrs. Gilman's class I'm sure. All of the assignments I'm fond of, all of the tricked out Gadgets I'll miss fooling around with, and of course the lovely memories of our oddly humorous class discussions, and our trouble with screws...(ha ha). But this blog symbolizes the transfer of energy that left me every night I had to type in it. It symbolizes how far I've come academically over the course of a year. This blog holds my deepest thoughts about the English language, and of the many historical authors (including play writers and poets) that have squeezed themselves into the lives of the learning youth. Whether or not I'm excited to complete my last post, the knowledge I now possess, will stick with me because of the incredible time I had writing about such experiences, in class, and in books.  

Memorable Assignment

     I think my most memorable assignment was the The Importance of Being Earnest assignment. This is because it was my favorite book (...well, play...) to read in class.The humor in it is great and there's really a lot that you can talk about that relates to the play. It was also incredibly fun to act out in class. Though if a teacher wanted to find a good example of my work it would probably be in my Great Expectations Questions. We did these when we were not too far into the giant project, so I wasn't yet sick of the novel. Because of this, I was able to write more and think more about the way Charles Dickens expressed the characters and the symbolic meanings that were commonly found in it.
    Surprisingly, I think I might have worked harder on the Great Expectations project. I don't really know why, but I really did enjoy writing those thought provoking questions :). Still, the project took a lot more time than I wanted it to take, I began to become sick of the book and I'm sure that with this, the quality of my work was also lacking a bit. Ahah! This brings me to a conclusion! I probably didn't work as hard on The Importance of Being Earnest project because we reread every scene in class, meaning I spent just as much (if not then more) time on it as Great Expectations. This relates to my odd pattern of "slacking off when I spend more time on essays and homework assignments", meaning that a teacher would probably find my best grades in the shortest project time periods, even if some of the longer ones were fun to work with.

Poetry Background

     I have no exciting poetry background that I know of, and I'm really hoping that that won't effect my grade (at least not in a negative way -haha). No nostalgic poems or rhymes that I remember from childhood, no poetry contest that "changed my life". If anything, I'm horrible with poetry because I'm extremely horrible with memorization. But I do enjoy reading Poems just the same. I can respect a poet, and I do in fact enjoy watching people perform poems. The nice thing about poetry is that you can express a ton of meaningful things/theories within a few ''sentences'', if you will. I don't go to poetry readings (or recitings) but I'll listen to a poem if someone tells one to me.
     My favorite thing to do (dealing with poems) is analyzing and sometimes writing them. This is because of the many views you can get, even if you're the one who wrote the poem. Because everyone thinks differently, a poem is that much more capable of holding these deep suggestions. I would say more, but I can feel myself becoming rather repetitive. This positive feeling is really towards poetry itself, which is why I can't just pick out a poem and a poet's name. Though when you dig into the types of poems, I must say that I'm not a big fan of meaningless, "fun" little rhymes. "Fire and Ice" is in fact on the edge of this boundary(Sorry Mrs. Gilman!). Yes you could definitely fight me on the 'meaningless' part, but I think I have a hard time enjoying it because there isn't much that you can get out of it. It's very literal if you ask me.
     Overall, I enjoy the poems I can pick apart and I'm not so great when it comes to reciting. Still, I envy those who can do so with emotion, and I can still respect a poem when I see (or hear) one. When I hear the word "poetry" in the classroom I think of memorization, which has become a danger to my grade (so not a very happy thought). But when I hear "poetry" anywhere else, it reminds me of an unfathomable work of art.

Conflict in and between R&J

     One major conflict in Romeo and Juliet is family relations. In fact, it is because of their families that Romeo and Juliet can't be together. Expected to be as obedient and understanding as a dog, they suffer their parents' rulings. This is especially the case for Juliet. Juliet's father (Capulet) is the complete opposite of understanding. Juliet has grown up being the most respectful and obedient kid alive. In meeting Romeo she "falls in love" and because this is against her father's plans, Capulet is outraged and turns against his loving daughter. He shouts in anger, "Hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch! 3.5.166"(page 167). This row of insults is incredibly rude and hurtful; for her own father to say this to her face is just dreadful. This is a major conflict for Juliet because she is forced to pick between her family and her love. Her choice further develops the theme of everlasting love in this play. This conflict was also important for Juliet because it forced her to grow some independence and listen to her own thoughts and opinions. Realizing the unreasonable, Juliet had to 'take matters into her own hands' and listen to what she really felt was right. Romeo's main conflict was that he loved a girl based off of her beauty, and he's too full of himself to realize that what he does has an affect on the world, and particularly, Juliet's life. Even Friar Lawrence is surprised at Romeo's behavior, saying, "Thou hast amazed me. By my holy order,--I thought thy disposition better tempered.--Hast thou slain Tybalt? 3.3.124" (page 149). Romeo kills Tybalt as self satisfaction, and doesn't even think about how this completely screws with Juliet's life. I believe that Romeo's conflict is the oddest to decipher because not only does he get into physical fights with people, but he seems to have trouble with his own life, and even thinking straight.
     Even though Romeo makes himself look mentally insane, I think a lot of people in the real world struggle with society. It can be really hard to understand other people, especially when you fell like everyone is telling you to do a different thing. Juliet wants to love and marry Romeo, the Montagues want him to help quench their vengeful thirst, and the Capulets are only just learning of him, and hate him still. Though this web of social issues probably isn't what people go through today, we all find ourselves stuck in a web at some point. There doesn't seem to be many options in dealing with something like this anyways. When you're stuck with someone you disagree with, it's easy to get tired of it all. A more modern version of this could be table groups and partners for class projects in school. Not as drastic, I know, but it can be hard to compromise and get through things with other people. And through all of that, you have to also be good with handling yourself. This was tough for Romeo too, at one point he even says he wants to kill himself. Depressing, yes, but it's one of those conflicts you need to work through. Otherwise, you are going to end up with no friends or family members that want to support you. Juliet had this problem with her father (though slightly different). A lot of teenage girls especially have problems agreeing and working with their parents. Juliet feels constantly controlled by her parents, and when she tries to take a step back and look at things for herself, she finds that she doesn't agree with everything that's being laid down. Noticing this, her father makes a failed attempt to keep her close and obedient. His abusive rants just push Juliet farther and she learns to make her own decisions. I know for a fact that there are people who disagree with their parents, and that their parents want the best for their children, but Shakespeare dramatically exaggerates this to show this common teen/parent relationship. Generally people deal with this conflict by just giving each other space for a while. Sometimes parents take away privileges to show the child where certain boundaries lie. This is reflected in the passage through a more serious privilege of picking a husband. Because it isn't up to Juliet who she marries, Romeo and Juliet's love grows even sweeter, turning into a forbidden love, instead of just love at first sight.

Romeo and Juliet- Everywhere

     Two stereotypical teenagers with controlling parents, wow. That's been used in pretty much every high school based movie or television show. A lot of producers have used this conflict as a base to their productions too. Whether it be about background, religion, or even race; the stars of the show, the "perfect couple" is forcibly separated from one another and the effect is horrifying.  This, of course, is just what the producers go for. Any exciting or dramatic thing is great as long as it keeps viewers interested in what's going on. One example of this seperation might be Shades of Ray (About a guy named Ray) who's father doesn't want him to marry a white woman. I keep telling people that stories with a comparable theme to that of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet just get on my nerves. By that I mean that the stereotypical problems are so predictable that there's hardly a point in watching the show. Even so, every time some modern, romantic-comedy appears on the T.V. I am oddly interested in the outcome. I know it seems crazy, but it works. Shakespeare must have been a pretty smart guy to have a story this popular, centuries after his death.

Connecting with Romeo and Juliet

1. Personally, I'm having trouble agreeing with the characters in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo just seems so stuck up and oblivious, while Juliet doesn't even seem to care about the way her life turns out. Typical teenagers? I don't think so. The only thing that remotely relates is the parental issues. Still, Romeo doesn't really have a part in the family feuds, he's always out and about feeling sorry for himself while everyone else in his family is struggling with the Capulets. Romeo makes this stuck up decision to let his family deal with their problems while he moans about his life to his knowledgable and caring cousin (Benvolio, obviously). I suppose that Benvolio is the only person I can relate to, and even so I mean that I can understand him more than I can relate to the position he's in. Benvolio works hard to help his family and takes the time to listen to and even advise his snobby cousin (Romeo). I approve of his actions, and can tell that he actually thinks things through. If it weren't for him, I think I'd be remarkably annoyed with the first act of this play.

2. I'm getting most of the ''stuff'' when reading just at home. Though the lines can be weirdly worded at times, I'll find myself discovering double meanings and puns, making this reading all the more enjoyable. And when that fails, I can always use the definitions on the left hand side of the page (which is very helpful, I'm so glad I bought the Folger edition). Rereading the pieces in class is pretty useful. I guess the story "sticks" better if you read it twice. My favorite part of reading this play though, is the group work. Well, really the group discussions. It's really nice to here all of the unique points of views. People can see things so differently, I always enjoy discovering their understandings because most of the time I wouldn't have seen these things the way that person does (and other people do).

Wrapping Up Great Expectations

     I believe that the overall theme of the novel Great Expectations is of responsibility. This is a consistent problem for Pip, and is used throughout the entire novel. Everybody at some point in their life struggles internally, whether it be over a label or over indecision. Pip feels both and represents the many possibilities of things that can happen to an ordinary person. I seriously think that Dickens created Pip to teach readers how to respond in situations, and how to have responsibility. Even though all of the horrible things that happened to Pip probably won't happen to an ordinary person, Pip represents many predicaments and instructs how to deal with each of them. From reading this book, I got that you need to have responsibility to gain respect and that there's a boundary where you need enough pride to take this responsibility, but not so much that you seem cocky and rude. Though it's quite straight forward, this is something you need to do and are capable of doing at any time/place. There's no need to wait until someone is brutal towards you, start demonstrating your reliability by being responsible all of the time.