Final Response

Recently I've just finished my coming of age novel, Its Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. This has to be  one of my favorite books of all time. As I was re-reading this, I noticed some things that I didn't notice before. I never interpreted some aspects of the book the way I do now. Craig Gilner's way of thinking is just one of the many things I now apprehend differently.
In many parts of the book, Craig interacts with a voice in his head. The communication between them goes like a commander/general telling the solider directions. In this case one half of Craig is this depressed solider with no will to live and the other half is this encouraging voice that urges him to live. For instance, one of the conversation they've had on pg 45 goes like this:

What were you trying to do, soldier?

I was trying to eat, sir!

And what happened?

I got caught thinking about some crap, sir!

When I first read this book, I really didn't pay close attention to these parts. But now I see how this shows Craig's state of mind during depression. He was lonely, and didn't have anyone to turn to because no one understood. 

In class we discussed quotes that portrayed the protagonists philosophy. Well, one quote I think I really felt for is on pg 161, "Life's not about feeling better; it's about getting the job done." This line really stood out to me. It was said by Craig's commander/general. This quote means that in life its not even about the problems and obstacles and those bad days...its about moving forward and keep on living. That's what getting the job done is. To live a full life is a life well lived. 

Coming of Age Novel

For my coming of age book I chose to reread "Its Kind Of A Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini. This novel, in my opinion, is on its way to becoming a classic for the future generation. Ned Vizzini's voice is so relatable  to teenagers in the present time. But this story is a little different from most coming of age novels, Craig the main character battles depression and social anxiety. He deals with a lot of pressure during his teenage years and sometimes it gets too hard to handle. I think this is very empathetic towards  kids my age, we all deal with mostly the same things. 

Craig has a simple mind and a simple goal in this complex world. Being a New Yorker he knows that in order to be successful you need to work for it. So he studied day and night to pass this big exam the gets him accepted into the "right" high school; Executive Pre-Professional. And once he graduates he can go to the "right" college, have a "right" job. But something he doesn't realize  is the tremendous pressure that comes with this high school. He falls behind on his school work and soon enough everything becomes unbearable. I think we all come to a certain point in our lives where the problems pile up and theres too much going on for us to think straight. Well, this is exactly how Craig felt.

The pressure to be successful and mature is very difficult to sustain. I know this because teachers and parents expect a lot from teenagers (responsibility, honestly, integrity). But they don't realize we're still trying to grow up, trying to figure ourselves out. Yes, we may do some stupid, idiotic things along the way but this is how we know the right path for ourselves. Craig is also on that journey to finding his purpose in life, but his struggle gets even harder because he suffers from depression, which leads him to become suicidal. Many of us, too often, feel like the pressure is too much to take. Our problems and work pile up, and soon everything is just out of control. But we, just like Craig need to realize that life happens. And it will go on with or without you. When things get out of control all we can do is try our best to maintain stability.

Spring Break Post #3 (Essay?)

http://abcnews.go.com/US/george-zimmerman-charged-murder-trayvon-martin-killing/story?id=16115469#.T4sBLFEV2jN

Justice should always be served with no discrimination and no hesitation. This applies in the on going case of Trayvon Martin, a teenager who was fatally shot by George Zimmerman. On the night of February 26, 2012, in Sanford, Fla. Martin was walking back from a convenience store holding candy and a drink in his hands, Zimmerman allegedly shoots Martin in self defense. For the rest of that month, no charges were filed. And Trayvon Martin's family and friends mourned while no justice was served.
It didn't take too long for the public to react. All throughout the month of March, there were several peaceful protests and online support. Dozens of people even wore hoodies and carried skittles and a bottle of Arizona iced tea to respect this tragic young death. Finally after millions across the nation cried for justice, the FBI decided to open its own investigation on the case. Lots of people believed Zimmerman should've been arrested a while ago, he killed an innocent teenager. But evidence was still inconclusive as to weather Zimmerman was guilty or not. And witnesses said two different stories.
The reason Zimmerman was not arrested in the beginning was because evidence was unclear. Multiple witnesses confirmed that Zimmerman was in fact attacked by Martin, so he fired his gun in self defense. Also, there was no physical evidence that Zimmerman was telling the truth either. Lots of media has brought attention the notion that Zimmerman wasn't prosecuted because he killed a black/African American boy. But now publicists are saying this case had absolutely nothing to do with racism. Nonetheless, George Zimmerman was actually arrested after 3 months that is--on April 11th, 2012, he was charged with second degree murder.
I still standby my saying that justice should be served no matter what. It didn't matter that Trayvon Martin was black and the George Zimmerman was hispanic. It didn't matter if Martin had past histories of suspensions or drug charges. The only thing that mattered was the truth. An innocent life was lost, due to a careless man with a gun. And the fact that the public supported justice through this whole case is really fascinating.

Spring Break Post #2 (Plagiarizing)

In Mrs. Galangs post about plagiarism, what the student did wrong was basically copy and paste someone elses words. He/She could've included the text as a quotation then in order to cite the source correctly. He/She also did not acknowledge that this text was written by a different author thats not themself. If the person wanted to incorporate a piece of text from this website, he/she should've written it like so;

To begin explaining this painting, its basically a mysterious nighttime scenery. "There is the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence, and a bright crescent moon," (A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings) 

There are many ways to avoid plagiarism. One way is to always cite your source, even if you just summarized what the article/text said. Also, make sure to only rely factual evidence instead of opinion (when researching), which should obviously come from you. And its okay to include other authors voices, if you put it in as a quote. 

Spring Break Post #1 (Good Blog Posts)

One blog post I enjoyed reading was Aidan’s. He wrote about the book “Unwind” by Neal Shusterman. I liked the way he explained each of the three main characters, he started out by telling their background story then saying how they all connect. He also used quotes from the text to explain his thoughts on the characters. This probably helped him understand the point of view of each character in a better sense.
Another blog post I liked was Joyce’s. She summarized one of the many themes in “The Hunger Games” by Suzzane Collins. I thought this post was really good because she compared and contrasted Gale and Peeta. She listed reasons why Katniss would choose either one, but also why she would choose them as well. And she gave clear examples to explain her thoughts.
Some things I can improve on in my blog entries, is I can include more quotations. And I can also find a way to connect with the characters or plot more. I feel that if I find a way to know the character more, their actions will make more sense to me. So it’s a good method to use if you want to fully understand your book.

Much Ado About Nothing - Review

I really enjoyed the play "Much Ado About Nothing". It was a small production but it captured all the characteristics of the original writing. I thought it was really interesting how they changed the setting from the 1500s to the 1920s. I could tell because of the costumes and music. I liked how they played back ground music and they had lots of jazz playing, and a guy with a saxophone, that was cool too. During some of their monologues they had just a single spotlight, and I thought that added a dramatic effect. There wasn't too much going on in their set design, but that was necessary because they had lots of scenes and I understand that it would be hard to keep changing and adding in new sceneries. The costumes on the women were very 1920s and more modern looking. And they men wore mostly their military uniform because they had just gotten back from the war.
I've never read or seen Much Ado About Nothing before. But I really liked the plot. It was really interesting how there was a lot backstabbing and secrecy happening. I mean I guess they got back from the war and had nothing to do and so they just messed with eachothers lives. But in the end it all worked out. Hero and Claudio were married and Beatrice and Bennedict admitted their secret love for each other. And also, am I the only one who noticed that Don Pedro liked Beatrice? But she turned him down? That was kind of bittersweet, because she still ended up with Bennedict but I guess if I were Don Pedro, I would forever be jealous. But thats just me, and well, I didn't write the play, haha. Well thats about it, that was my review/random thoughts about Much Ado About Nothing, the play.

Romeo and Juliet: Response

Reading Romeo and Juliet is somewhat of a challenge, since there are many words I can't understand/difficult old English language. But from what I understand, there is a big scandal going on. A Montague has fallen for a Capulet, which of course is a forbidden thing in Verona. Romeo and Juliet know that they cannot love, and yet they still cannot help how they feel about each other. They've kept their love a secret because if their parents found out, they would be separated, due to the fact that the Montagues and Capulets are sworn enemies. I think this type of romance has a connection to modern times. Gay/Lesbian people are not allowed to marry in many states and countries. You can say that their love is also forbidden. But love is love, and nothing else should matter. If there are two people, no matter race, gender, sex, ethnicity, or family issues, and they love each other and would do anything for each other, I don't see a reason to hold back their love.