Final Blog Assignment

Literature as a whole is significant because it allows you to experience different cultures and environments, that you otherwise may not be able to ever experience. I think that's why its so important to never judge a book by its cover. The words inside are what really matters, and if you judge it before reading, you may miss out on a learning experience or enjoyable experience. For example, two of my novels PERFECT CHEMISTRY and THE FREEDOM WRITERS DIARY, each show an insightful perspective from not only gang members, but poor kids, and the effects of racism, gang violence, and drugs on a community. In PERFECT CHEMISTRY, Alex Fuentes is a perfect example of a Latino in a well-known gang Latino Blood. Most people would assume that a gang member chooses his/her lifestyle because it's what he/she wants or cause it's fun to them. In reading this novel, i experienced the hardships that Alex and his family were put through and how the reason he entered the gang was to protect his family. Most people would also assume that a gang member can't be a good person AND a gang member at the same time. This novel goes to show that some gang members actually are great people who just sacrifice alot to protect their loved ones. Also, in alot of cases, a gang member cannot quit his/her gang- it becomes his/her life. If a gang member decides he/she wants to quit they have to face a test- surving being beaten to death by all of the gang members. So that being said, even though i didn't personally experience it, i did in a way experience alot of this tragedy which is real life to alot of people just by reading these novels.
An example of experimenting, i think was me going to see "A Midsummer Night's Dream", because i had never seen a play before and to be honest, didn't really have any plans on ever seeing one. But thanks to Stephanie for forcing us to experiment with new things, i developed a sense of appreciation for the art of acting and the literature behind it. They say that you need to become a better reader to become a better writer and i think by experimenting with flash fiction, drama, and poetry, i have definitely been taken out of my comfort zone and gained (or found) more creativity within me. I also learned a few interesting things about literature/poetry in general. I learned that some poems may not necessarily have one significant meaning. Some may be very powerful, some may be able to be interpreted in many different ways, and some may be just as simple as a fortune cookie poem. Also that many short stories and flash fiction have no real purpose, some are just written for fun.
I think the awesome part of the literature and poetry that we have read in class this half-semester is that so much of it can be interpreted in different ways. Someone may tie it in with personal experience because they can relate to it, while another person may view it as a metaphor or something completely different. Alot of writers will use certain words in a different context than you would be used to. This is a really poor example but still similar- you can use the word FOR as in (i bought i gift FOR you) or (in the place of because- i love you FOR i have never felt like this before) Overall, this class has expanded my knowledge of literature and actually made me quite a bit more interested in it.

Cultural Op- Shakespeare In Love

I decided to watch Shakespeare In Love mainly because i recognized a few of the actors and there's a poster of it in our Lit class room. I finally rented it yesterday and sat down to watch it with some food, not expecting much out of it. After watching the first ten to fifteen minutes i was hooked. I really liked this movie alot- like to the point where i would probably buy if i saw it reasonably priced. It's pretty much (in my words) about a writer who for awhile just feels like he is useless and can't seem to write anything new and good. He referred to this as feeling like his quill was broken. He then holds auditions for the play that he secretly hasn't written yet and discovers an actor who is actually an actress but he doesn't know this. He is immediately impressed with this "actor" and sensing that it might be a woman, he asks the "actor" to remove "his" hat. This is when she takes off running and Shakespeare takes off after her and follows her across the lake or river (Some body of water) and arrives at a house where some sort of party is going on. The lady disappears from his sight and dresses up to attend the party/dance. Shakespeare attends too, and is immediately entranced when he sees her (not knowing she's the "actor" he was chasing) and dances with her until her husband wannabe removes him, telling him off pretty much. Blah, blah, blah, she ends up showing back up to his auditions with fake mustache and beard and wins the part of Romeo (This is when Shakespeare is in the process of writing Romeo and Juliet). Eventually Shakespeare discovers who she is, blah, blah, blah, they fall in love (or lust) and the tragedy begins when she is forced to marry Lord Somethingorother. Anyways its an awesome film - romantic, funny, fun, etc. I think i liked it so much cause i could relate to parts of it. Like when he can't write and feels like his quill is broken, until Viola (his Juliet who actually plays as Romeo in his play) becomes his source of inspiration. For me i can't write without inspriration, sometimes i stare at the paper for hours trying to come up with something but when inspired it flows out like a river. I would highly recommend watching this, especially if you enjoyed A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Cultural Op- A Midsummer Night's Dream

This play definitely ranked as one of my favorite things we did in our Lit class this summer. I think the whole area was the perfect environment for the play. And the beautiful weather that day definitely added to it. This was a completely new experience for me because the only play sort of thing i've ever seen was "Cats" which is a musical that i saw performed when i was in like fourth grade. I was amazed by the actors. I thought they did an amazing job with their parts and truly made you feel as though this was their world and you were watching it on a screen. I saw bits and pieces of this before in "Dead Poets Society" (an awesome Robin Williams movie) and The Suite Life of Zack and Cody (awesome show), so some of it was familiar. I thought it was a very enjoyable and creative mix of humor and romance. At first i was wondering if they were just faking the kissing but i'm pretty sure they actually did. It's a good thing we didnt have to for real act out our plays that Stephanie assigned us :) I think there woulda been quite a few counts of public indecency. I enjoyed the play most though when it was actually dark outside because it actually gave the feel of a real theater aside from the gradually cooling temperature. If i had another opportunity to see this performed, i am sure i would probably take it.

Cultural Op- Live Novel Soundtrack (misread instructions-my bad, gonna re-do it)

I definitely don't really have the time to see a concert, nor have i ever been to a real one unfortunately; so I decided to make the mix of ten songs that are supposed to relate to your life. The first song i chose to put on the cd was "The Sadeness" by Enigma. Kind of an odd choice, yes, because its a New Age piece of music with Gregorian chant in it. However, there's just something about it that really relaxes me, and its kind of neat listening to a practically extinct language. It could be partially because i grew up listening to this when i lived in Florida. I remember my dad would always play this Enigma cd as we were all going to bed and i grew to love it. The second song i chose was "Back 2 Good" by Matchbox Twenty. Part of the reason i chose this song is because Matchbox Twenty was my favorite band back in elementary school and this was my favorite song by them. Another reason i chose it is because i really like the lyrics. I copied the lyrics from all 3 choruses in the song: "Everyone here, knows everyone here is thinking about Somebody else It's best if we all keep it under our heads" "And everyone here, hates everyone here for doing just like They do It's best if we all keep this quiet instead" "Everyone here, is wondering what it's like to be with Somebody else Everyone here's to blame, everyone here Gets caught up in the pleasure of the pain" What i got out of this song is that alot of us are so focused on finding someone that when we finally do, we are wishing it was somebody else, or realizing we had it good beforehand and now we can't "get it back to good" without pain. It's just a nice mellow and thought provoking song. The next song is "He's My Son" by Mark Schultz. Now obviously i do not have a son, nor will i for at least seven years, but i chose this song for a different reason. This is a very powerful song about a father who is praying for his son, because his son is sick and his wife is losing hope. I think that this is one of the most touching songs i have heard in my life. My favorite line is "If you can hear me, let me take his place somehow, cause he's just not anyone, he's my son". This man is willing to give his life, and is begging God to let him take his son's place. If you listen to the song all the way through it is truly moving and tear-jerking. The fourth song i chose is an instrumental called "Never An Absolution" by James Horner (off the Titanic soundtrack). I think this is an incredibly beautiful song, from the vocals of some Swedish woman (forgot the name, and its not Celine Di0n) and the flutes and instruments used throughout the song. It's one of the songs that tells a story without words. And i chose this song because Titanic happens to be one of my favorite movies of all time. The next song is "A Different Kind of Pain" by Cold. Its a very relaxing and depressing song which as far as i can tell is about a man who has made mistakes and knows he has to let his love go. Here's a bit of the lyrics. "Before I let you go, give me just one more night to show you just how I feel.I lost all my control, if it takes my whole damn life I'll make this up to you.Kind of like the waves, that roll their whole life towards somewhere crashing on the shoreThat's blown in by the wind that carries the clouds to hide my wish on a fallen starA different kind of pain, is someone there to hold you is someone there to take you away from me". I chose it because it's a beautiful song lyrically and instrumentally and i listened to it alot back in my depressed high school days. This next song is called "Over and Over" by my boys Three Days Grace. I love this song because it reminds me of a few of my stupid high school relationships. Its pretty much about an on and off relationship. The lyrics are emotionally-fury driven about a man who tries his best not to fall back into this on and off pattern but goes against his better judgement. This is my favorite part "i know what's best for me but i want you instead, i'll keep wasting all my time". Reminds me of my high school self :) My next song is called "Pieces" by the new-ish band Red. It's an extremely moving song about a man who feels like nothing until he finds faith in God. "i come to you in pieces so you can make me whole" I chose this because this is who i used to be; i used to try so hard to be/feel accepted until i realized i don't need to go with the crowd as long as i have God by my side. The next song is my favorite 3 Doors Down song "It's the Only One You've Got". I chose this because i think its important to take risks sometimes to achieve success. I would not want to live any other way. If you're too scared to try in life, you're not gonna have a very fulfilling life. The ninth song on the mix is a new song called "You" by Elliott Yamin. It's another depressing relationship song about the girl leaving him without explaining why and its pretty much him spilling his heart out wondering what went wrong and believing she is the only one for him. I chose it because on the 18 day minimester Southwest trip i met a girl who i really liked. We were very close, spent alot of time together and i was thinking you know maybe this is a girl i could be with. We experienced alot of awesome things together that most couples these days will never experience: hiking up Zion Canyon in Utah, climbing the remains of an old volcano (SP Crater), falling asleep under the stars holding hands, helping eachother study in the long van rides, writing her poems and seeing the look on her face afterwards, and taking countless pictures together. Everything seemed perfect and we still hung out a few times when we got back home and then she randomly starts distancing herself and eventually we lost touch with eachother. And then i'm sitting at home looking through all the pictures from the trip and on facebook, thinking to myself "why?" "did i say or do something?" This song just seemed to perfectly match how i felt. The final song i chose was "Better Days" by Goo Goo Dolls. This is actually a relatively happy song about starting over and giving life your best shot. And that's pretty much why i chose it. I think it illustrates the point that alot of us let our problems rule our lives and get in the way of actually living it; and how we need cast aside material things and things that should not matter as much in order to find better days.

Summary

So for this last blog thats supposed to be on an in-class reading or assigned reading, i really could not think of what to write on. So i'm just gonna write about this class. I think that overall, this has been my favorite class i've taken at ICC. I think its awesome that in our 8 or 9 weeks we have created like a little family. To be honest as happy as i am to start my real summer, i am actually sad that this class is over. At first i was very intimidated, not knowing what to expect when coming into class. Especially after hearing the first few assignments Stephanie assigned us. I actually considered dropping when i heard that we had to put on our own mini book club AND act in a play in front of the class. I have taken speech classes before and do not enjoy being the center of attention so therefore i was scared to death. However, i am glad i did not because i think even after all my complaining what Stephanie assigned us, ended up forcing me out of my comfort zone and therefore teaching me to be more creative and try new things. I thought our flash fiction unit was really random but fun. I also loved the poetry unit though i was taken by surprise when i saw the different poetry stations (fortune cookie for example). To be honest after surviving this class i would say the only bone i have to pick is the flipping down and dirty quizzes. I am a person who does the assigned readings but flips the hell out trying to guess what may or may not be on the quiz. I am a good reader but sometimes its like it goes in one eye and out the other. If this class was based purely on down and dirty quizzes i would be failing i'm sure. Especially with these Lit Salon ones. I see poem after poem after short story after essay and i have no idea what to take notes on. Other than that i liked everything. The plays were fun yet perverted/explicit but very enjoyable. I would definitely take another class with Stephanie.

Hannah Monfreakingtana

So there was yet another scandal i read about involving the disney star Miley Cyrus. She is/was dating Nick Jonas (i believe but don't quote) and was found with another guy making out on a beach. This went to the top of the E-News channel gossip/rumors. Now obviously this would be called cheating in a normal person's book , however; Miley happens to be a celebrity. As it turns out she was just filming a scene in one of her new movies. I don't know about you but i am not quite sure that would excuse it, especially if i was the unlucky boyfriend. Now seriously, i have had arguments about this with friends before and i want your honest opinions (whoever reads this). If you were dating someone and you saw them kissing/making out with another person would you be okay with that? Even if it was "JUST" filming a movie scene? I'm sorry i know its celebrity stuff but my opinion is: cheating is cheating. If you're not ready to committ yourself completely to just one person, i don't think you have any reason to be in a relationship. Relationships are built on trust and how is their any trust in that kind of a relationship? How do you know if the kisses/make out/etc. is strictly acting or not? Do you just take their word for it? And also would you be comfortable kissing a person other than the person you're with? I think even if it's acting, there is such thing as crossing the line and i believe that's a pretty big freaking line. My thought is does Miley have a conscience? And if so its obviously not a guilty conscience. Thoughts? Opinons? Beliefs? Please share :)

The Freedom Writers Diary

For those of you who have not seen the movie, i would very strongly recommend seeing it. It is a fantastic film based on a true story of how a young caucasian female teacher made a great impact on a class of african americans, latinos, cambodians, asians, etc; most of whom were involved in gangs, didn't know how to read, hadn't heard of the holocaust, and/or had no intention of ever graduating high school. I chose the actual diary as my second novel and realized i never posted a blog about it. It is a very heart-breaking and touching book and film about how naaive alot of Americans are about their nation. For instance, only after seeing the movie The Solist (Jamie Foxx), i learned that there were not only thousands but millions of homeless people living just in California. (I believe that was just in the San Francisco area but don't quote me) Likewise, until seeing this film i was not aware of how horrible many areas of our country are over-ridden with violence, hatred, and racism. Take Long Beach, California for example (which is where this story takes place) At Wilson High School, there were several different minorities thrown in with a what used to be majority caucasian school. Each minority acted as a unit, hated every other one, and would die for their own just to kill another one. Using the books Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo, Erin Gruwell (the teacher) relates the students to eachother, while educating them and bringing them together. Gruwell hands out journals for every student to fill out every day and in the end compiles them into The Freedom Writers Diary. "We decided that we were going to tell all the other teenagers that they were not alone."- Freedom Writer