Low Diction

       I've been totally overloaded with homework all through this week. Uuuuuugh. And I can't believe that Halloween is on a Sunday. I'm feeling a bit down in the dumps. I've had nothing to do this week, all week, besides homework. I hope I don't die of boredom. Even the leaves look a li'l dreary. I can remember one fall where all the trees looked bright and pretty; that made me happy. But this year the leaves look weighed down by water and just dead. You could call me pessimistic, but then I'd call you a nerd, 'cuz thats a freakishly long word.
      This weekend I'm gonna do even more homework. I'll have ta write about fancy words and words with hardly any meaning. And then I'll have ta write about what other people have written. If I had my ruthers, I'd be somewhere sunny. Which is kinda funny 'cuz the whole time I'd be spendin' time on somethin' music like, which would have ta be inside. Aww well, I guess life isn't so rough when yah get ta thinkin' 'bout it. Maybe I'll have time ta play some games or hang round with my peeps. I guess I should get ta that homework then.

The Speckled Red Rock

       I have written and typed many things, from poems to short stories to the beginning of super spectacular novels. But if I were to pick and choose out of them all, my proudest piece would be The Red Speckled Rock. This short story started out as a painfully time consuming english project, yet it is finished meaning much more to me than a letter grade. Quincey Eliza Stanford is a young girl whose parents are divorced and she's stuck with her pesky mom, who hardly understands her. Quincey hates her life, she hates her name, the only two things she loves are the sea and her father. If Quincey could live on the water for the rest of her life she would. She would wake up early in the morning and row far out over the water and just watch the sun rise. Quincey's father understands this and understands her, which is why Quincey loves him. In the very beginning of the novel Quincey finds a speckled red rock that was washed onto the shore, it fits perfectly in her palm and stands out from the others, just like she does. One night Quincey's mom confronts her, telling her that they are moving to the city and that she is coming too. Quincey is horrified and decides to protest against such inhumane treatment. Quincey tricks out her old rowboat, giving it a roof with a tarp and re-attatching an old motor. Quincey rows out to the sea bringing only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for meals. The second day on her own, Quincey trips over the cooler, starting the motor which causes the whole boat to fly forward. Surprised, Quincey loses her grip on the red rock in attempt to turn off the motor. Her precious treasure flys out into the water, gone for good. That night is rough on Quincey and she finds it difficult to keep the blood circulating in her legs from sitting so long. The next morning she rows home and finds her father waiting on the dock. The whole reuinion is very emotional. Quincey's father said her mother phoned him worried, and that he would buy a house on the sea so that she could live there with him. At the very end, her father presents a rock which he had found in the water, that he thought she would love it to be in her collection. Quincey is overwelmed with joy to discover that the rock he found was indeed her speckled red rock, this symbolizes that she had been found. I enjoyed writing this not only because I was getting credit for it, but because it is a touching story, and because I enjoyed the challenge of comparing part of what Quincey loves (the rock as part of the sea) to being a part of Quincey. I believe that the story turned out well and I got 100% for my grade, which made me even prouder for completing it.

Wuthering Heights

         What do I think of Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte? The book itself isn't so bad, but the characters in it are soooooo annoying. All these messed up lovers who have serious social issues, uggh. It just sickens me! Heathcliff is horrible enough to marry Ms. Linton, whom he doesn't love, but she loves him- thinking that he's a totally different person. Mrs. Catherine Linton (who married Ms. Linton's brother which is why they have the same last name) is downright cruel. She treats others disrespectfully to humor herself, and during her childhood she would laugh if someone asked her to apologize. The characters names are even confusing and annoying! So far there are two different Catherine's (but one was married and her last name changed) two or three male names that start with "H" and Nelly as the storyteller and young friend. It's a bit difficult to keep track.
   The setting has been  very important in the novel. When Isabella Linton agrees to marry Heathcliff, they go to Wuthering Heights (which is only around three miles away from their original home). Most homes and farms are a couple of miles apart so this journey really wasn't so far. Also, because of the time frame in this novel, marriage is a very serious thing so usually if you are married, you can't get a divorce. This is why "love" is such a serious conflict in the novel, you don't exactly want to marry quick and hope the spouse will suit you eventually, you want to find someone who is right for you and won't drive you into poverty over time.
    I don't think I've ever read a romantic book before so Wuthering Heights is really different and kind-of a challenge for me. Normally I try to pick an action or mystery novel, but this time I decided to try something new. The closest book to this one is probably To Kill A Mockingbird because it has about the same laws of society. Women wear dresses, slaves or servants work in the fields while women prepare teaparties and meals. The main difference between the two would be the distance between houses (from across the street Miss Maudie's to three miles away Heathcliff and Isabella).
   I think for the project I'll either make a painting or create a movie on a scene in the book.

To Kill A Mockingbird in relatiton to my life

               To Kill A Mockingbird  is set in the early nineteen hundreds and so many things have changed since then, so I find it difficult to really compare my life to the character's lives in the novel. Some little things do really stand out to me though. For one, people mess up. Children and adults. Have you ever met a person that is always overly happy and perfect? It would be creepy... and inhuman. That's because no one is perfect and you really can't be happy if you've never been sad. I don't think it's possible to never mess up, but I do believe it is possible to make the best out of your mistakes. In To Kill A Mockingbird racism is widespread and serious. People are made fun of because of the color of their skin, and for an African American there is no such thing as a fare trial. In this case the adults were too cowardly to stand up for African Americans, therefore they were wrong. Sometimes I am wrong (but most of the time I'm totally right hahaha) but the thing is I can still learn from my mistakes. After the Tom Robinson case, people were moved, and at least a couple more people discovered the cause of their actions (in other words actually noticed the damage they provoked) and if the story was to be continued, I do believe that at a steady pace, the people of Maycomb would learn to accept all that came into their arms willingly.