Submission # 4: Blog Assignment

Good Claims:
Vivir, Sonar, Leer

"The radical range of color schemes, discombobulating object scale, unusual item combination, and drastic angling of geometric shapes combine to form a divine harmony in the middle of a flustering discord."

Books for Dummies (like me)

This opening scene is pivotal to the rest of the film because it already sets the stage for the theme of horrific deaths by sharks. The frantic movement of the kids and the thundering suspense of the music conveys this sense of carnage  and trepidation so that the audience might pee their pants in fright.  
Evaluative or Personal:

"When first looking at these amazing hand animals or paintings some may feel astonished or think it is unbelievable."

"As for the style of the book, I am very impressed.For an informative book, my attention is so well grasped."

Submission # 4: Homestead Hallways

Anyone who has ever stepped foot in a high school hallway during a passing period knows the rushed and congested feeling that is contained within the hallway. In just the short six minute period the normally hushed and abandoned hallways transform into a loud and crazy place holding hundreds of people at a time. The crowded hallways transforming from an almost silent library like atmosphere to an obnoxious Gaga concert like atmosphere. Walking through the whispered hallways the art mounted on the walls underscores the intricate work that the students within the school complete throughout the school year. The windows loaded with tall standing trophies illustrate to unaware visitors in the school what achievements have been completed by the array of different students within the school.

The hallways in Homestead each can be described with a different tone, the main hallways during a passing period are always jam-packed with teenagers that are creating an earsplitting sound. The commons is always an area freshmen wish to stay away from illustrating the hierarchy within the school. The commons are filled with juniors and seniors lounging on the benches or standing in tight concealed groups making it almost impossible for one to make his or her way through the commons. On the other hand, there are hallways farther back in the school that are still calm and quiet, of course there are the occasional people one might meet walking through the left behind hallways but it is a much easier route then going through the hectic hallways.

Each hallway also has a different sense to it through the décor spread over the walls or inside windows. A hallway around the choir and band rooms has sky high trophies representing all of the amazing accomplishments the student body has made. The quick turn on the stair case emphasizes a sort of sun god underscoring the diversity within the student body at Homestead.

Walking through the hall one can see a group of giggly girls or a group of guys punching each other. There's the couples whose hands cannot seem to be separated as their arms stretch clearly not ready to part as the two go their separate ways. There's that girl who has the biggest crush on one boy but he is a year ahead of her so she takes every chance to say "hey" to him. The girl eating a yogurt or the nerd running to his chemistry class even though he has five minutes until the bell rings again he does not want to be caught arriving late to class. Where ever one is in the crowded halls of Homestead he or she can see through the personalities of the student body attending school at Homestead.

Along for the Ride Part 2

This week I finished Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen, I actually had only read to around page 160 and finished it Monday night. I really liked the book because I feel like I could relate to it very easily. Auden never knew how to ride a bike before her new friend at her dads taught her the summer before she was going to college. Even though I know how to ride a bike I go to my dad’s house a lot of summers and always learn something new and meet new people that I hangout with for the summer. Auden becomes a whole different person during the summer she spends at her father’s house. The different environments and different expectations from her mother’s house to her father’s house help her complete her journey to becoming more of a normal teenager.

Auden, at her mother’s house, had been strictly focused on academics but once she arrived at her dad’s house she met a boy named Eli. Eli showed Auden the world in a whole new way that she had never seen in real life before, yes she had seen the love and party life on television but never experienced it. When Auden and Eli started meeting up every night and staying out into the early morning hours they became best friends almost. Before Auden, Eli had not been talking to anyone since his best friend Abe died in a car accident the year before. Auden and Eli were able to connect in a healthy, beneficial way even though just did the simple things like hanging out at a laundry mat each night. Through the relationship Auden and Eli had the new Auden was brought out which was emphasized throughout the entire novel.

Short List # 3

T-shirts, to an average human eye they mean so little but there is usually a story behind each sentimental, or not so sentimental, t-shirt. From a Race for the Cure t-shirt illuminating that the person wearing it may have run in a race, volunteered at a race, or has some connection with the fight against breast cancer to college t-shirts illustrating the desire one has to go to the college represented accross his or her chest or that one attends the school and is displaying his or her school spirt.

Adele is by far one of my favorite artists this year, I often find myself with "Some Like You" on repeat even though everything she belts out about in this song is completly the opposite of how I feel everyday. The music video to this is very simple and in black in white, a huge contrast from Lady Gaga. As a british singer who I first heard on Greys Anatomy she breaks out of the ordinary and demonstrates to the world who she truly is even if it is through music describing the same thing countless times.

High school hallways, we all know how crowded and congested they can be during a passing period, but what really goes on during that short six minute time frame. From the freshmen zooming through the crowd always trying to arrive to class as quickly as possible to the juniors and seniors seen lounging the the commons.

Submission # 3

Summer Camp, one of the most exciting times of the year, in fact for some people it is the most exciting time of the year. The exuberant emotions of campers and counselors are collected within oneself throughout the school year, waiting for that one day in June where everyone gets to go to camp and become a completely different person then who they are during the school year.

In the podcast "Notes on Camp" the first act is following the life of Mr. Popular, David Himmel everyone's favorite counselor at camp, illuminating the importance of summer camp to some people and part of what makes summer camp such an everlasting experience. David Himmel has gone to camp as a camper and is now a counselor at the same camp, staying at the same camp throughout one's life is something a lot of people choose to do because of the tradition held within each different summer camp. "Camp is just number one with everything I do," says David, "I would not be who I am if it wasn't for camp," illustrating the importance of summer camp to those diehard summer camp goers. Camp helps one find them self, at summer camp one can act as who he or she truly is and does not have to pretend to like the hottest band or latest television show, he or she can love NSYNC instead of Gaga and not feel ashamed of it. Everyone at camp can sing at the top of their lungs no matter how bad their singing voice is and not be judged, the people at camp aren't just friends that surround you, the people at camp are your family.

Another act of this podcast episode is about the color wars that take place at summer camp. Color Wars of this particular camp in Michigan play into the idea of tradition at summer camp. “Once you are assigned a team, the blue team, or the black or red for boys, you will stay on that team for all your years at camp,” demonstrating how important tradition is to the people of the summer camp and the bonds that are formed through the intense and fun filled days of the color wars. “It is not normal if you don’t lose your voices,” this being said by one of the recently appointed captains of color wars. Color wars may not seem like a big ordeal for people outside of camp but to most people in camp it is one of the most anticipated times of the summer. The oldest girls in the girl’s camp are eligible to be color wars captains and the array of positive and negative emotions are spread far across the board. In the early morning when all of the younger girls are woken up to go to the ceremony to find out who the captains will be for the year the older girls haven’t slept. The older girls filled with anticipation and anxiety but the girls are ready to find out if they have finally been able to become color wars captain. The ceremony seems as if it is the most serious time of the summer, there is no talking allowed. The only sounds heard on the way back to the cabins that night are of muffled crying, either of joy or sorrow.

Between the two different segments within the podcast episode there are several different tones set. In the Color Wars segment there is a great seriousness then there is in the Mr. Popular segment. The girls repeat in this section, “I will be silent,” underlining the solemn tone in an odd way; it seems so serious but in a very exciting way. In contrast with the Color Wars act of the episode the Mr. Popular act seems so much more moving from talking about how camp made David who he is and from the love that is clearly shown to him as a group of thirteen year old girls have made up a song about him revealing their true love to the so called “Davey.”

Along for the Ride

This week I asked one of my friends for a book to read. She asked me if I liked Sarah Dessen and well yeah I do. So she told me to read Along for the Ride. I don't remember the last time I've been so engaged in a book! The novel tells the story of a girl who goes to live with her dad and step mom for the summer. There is a catch to that though, her step mom just had a baby and refuses to get any help caring for the wailing infant. Auden's parents got divorced years ago after they had been fighting most nights to the point where Auden was always awake at night listening to the constant bickering of the two. As she stays with her dad for the summer she can not help but feel like she is in the same kind of environment once again. Auden's dad is not the most helpful when it comes to caring for the baby, he claims that he has work to do although he does not have actual work to do during the summer. Her dads sits in his office each day for the majority of the day working on a book that he is writing. He claims it will become a big hit and end up helping care for his wife and newborn infant. This is the same thing that happened when Auden was a child herself underlining the fact that people never change, something that Auden's mother has been trying to teach her.

I like this book a lot because it reminds me of my own life. Living with my mom during the school year and spending the summer with my dad and step mom can be fun and a drooling experience just as Auden faced.

Podcast Response: Notes on Camp

I chose Notes on Camp because I'm one of those camp people, I love everything about camp and it is a huge part of my life. In this podcast episode mostly two camps are followed, a boys and a girls camp, but they are run as one camp. In the Mr. Popular act of this podcast David Himmel, a former camper and now counselor, says, "Camp is just number one with everything I do," I think this is true for the majority of people who attend camp. This segment of the podcast gives the thoughts of camp an energetic tone and demonstrates what fun camp can be. David also says, "I would not be who I am if it wasn't for camp," illuminating the importance of camp to some people. David, not knowing who he would be if he hadn't attended camp underlines the significance of tradition of camp and the strong relationships that are built between people at camp. In the last act of the episode of Notes on Camp, Color Days, the importance of tradition is once again stressed just as it is in the Mr. Popular act of the episode, "Once you are assigned a team a blue team, black or red for boys, you will stay on that team for all your years at camp." Although this may not be true for every camp each camp has their own traditions and they are all important to each other person who attends the camp.

“It is not normal if you don’t lose your voices,” this said by one of the captains of color wars alludes to how important winning the color wars and the rivalry between the teams is captivating to all campers, young and old. Color Wars are a lot of the girls favorite part of camp and on the last night there is a relay, this linking back to tradition. Most of the older girls compete in the same event year after year, the events being fun and odd, nothing one would do just hanging out with friends at home. The events varying from eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich to showering and washing your hair, to building a fire. No one judges you at camp, you can have as much fun and be yourself which is why so many people love camp and why it is such an important part of campers lives.

The tones between the different segments in the episode are very similar; the most illuminating is the energy that each speaker brings about camp. Everything has a high energy and a fun and exciting tone to it. In the Color Wars segment there is also seriousness when the older girls are waiting to find out who will be the color war leaders for the three days. As the girls repeat, "I will be silent," the solemn tone is underlined in an odd way; it is serious but also a very exciting event.

Define Normal

I was looking for a book to read and I just could not find anything that I thought would be interesting to read. I think I'll start making a list of books that I would like to read, I always see so many that I want to read but I forget the name of the book or I just never know what book I want to start with. Anyway, I've read all of the books I have in my room so I asked my step sister if she had anything she thought I would like. She went to look in her room and came out with a pile of books. All of the books she came out with were bright and happy looking except one, "Define Normal." The book had a black cover and the summary on the back of the book was not very captivating but I had nothing better to read so I just got started.

“Define Normal” is about two teenaged girls in middle school who have completely different lives. From Antonia, a straight “A” student to Jazz a student with tattoos and piercings the two find themselves as peer counselors. Although both girls have their own problems they are different in many ways but alike in the way that both girls have some problems with their mothers. Antonia not having as great of a house as Jazz emphasizes that just because one has a good house doesn’t mean that one would be defined as “normal.”

This novel illuminates that there is no normal for everyone. Each family has a different normal, each person has a different normal and that there is no way to stop one from changing. “Define Normal” is a great book for younger girls to read when they are going through hard times and think that they are the “odd one out,” because it defines normal as there not being a normal at all.

Love Gives Me Hope

Love Gives Me Hope is a website dedicated to describing what love there is left in society today. From having a long distance relationship to a brother always looking out for his sister people tell the world what love there is left. When someone has been knocked down and need to get back up they can go to Love Gives Me Hope and realize there is still love, they are not alone and that life is not useless. One story describes a girl who was about to commit suicide and while searching online for tactics to kill herself came upon the LGMH website. She decided not to kill herself.

Everyone needs love in their life, they need the support to go on. Within the website and each short story that is posted on the website, much like a tumblr page is run, illuminates a whole different side of the world that a lot of people in the world do not get the chance to see through his or her eyes. Society today has changed drastically from a century ago but there is always love in the air, somewhere, it just is not visible to everyone in the world at the same time.

Everyone can relate with at least one of the stories on the webpage because of the wide variety of subject matter. As one submission focuses on the donation of a kidney from a what seems to be a teenage boyfriend to a teenage girlfriend and another focuses on a little boy whose parents don’t take care of him so his brother writes a note on her lunch bag everyday. Despite the difference of subject matter all of the stories demonstrate the lost love that some people feel in the world presenting a happier way of life. Looking at the site may just save someone from feeling left out of the world and leaving life forever.

Short List: 2

Superbowl Commercials: Not thinking of a specific commercial but everyone knows that all of the good commercials come on during the Superbowl. The span of the products being advertised during these commercials would give you a lot of lee-way choosing what you would like to write about. Being able to analyze something that is recent in the news and that the majority of people enjoy would creates an inviting atmosphere to readers.

lovegivesmehope.com: This site is basically a bunch of short stories all combined together on the site that people submit. It may be compared to MLIA.com but this site gives a light-hearted touch to some cute love stories that one who enjoys reading chic-lit novels may enjoy reading.

Roses are Red Poems: I've always like this type of poems. They are short, sweet, and to the point, just how I like them. The way that one can add a few words after the typical "roses are red, violets are blue," intrigues me because there are endless possibilities. With these simple poems anyone can write them allowing one to include specific memories or thoughts into their own piece of art.