Perks of Being a Wallflower #1

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky is a great young adult novel. The storyline and the characters kept me interested throughout the book. The author depicts a freshman in high school that has gone through some troubles in the past and just wants to adjust. The one thing that especially stood out in this novel is the use of teems and motifs. The most prominent aspect or theme in this novel is mental illness. Charlie, the main character, has many battle with mental illness. Charlie suffers from depression, voices in his head, among other problems. His Aunt Helen also suffered from many of these same issues. Another important and influential theme if the book is drugs and alcohol. Charlie and his friends dabble in all kinds of drugs from marijuana to acid. These drugs lead to Charlie's mental relapse into his illnesses. The most important theme of this story is friendship. Charlue has no friends in the beginning of the story. His only friend had committed suicide before the start of school. Sam and "the gang" become his best friends and honestly his saving grace. Charlie's happiest moments of his life are with these friends. The most enjoyable part of the novel was seeing how friendship can alter a persons course in life in the blink of an eye. Without these friends, the story wouldn't be interesting. The last theme is something that doesn't really seem like a theme but I considered it a big part of the novel. This is the role music. Music was an underlying theme in this novel. It showed up in many places such as the tapes made by Charlie and the song in the truck. The music that Charlie and Sam enjoyed was reall sad and depressing. This is an indication of how they were completely messed up but they were meant to be together. Also, when I saw the film I noticed that the music choices reflected this sad and somber music. This novel is an amazing piece of literature and I truly enjoyed it. I would recommend this novel to anyone who wants a great read. 

The City that Does Not Sleep

Another poem that Mrs. Healey posted has interested me. The City that Does Not Sleep contains many paradoxes. We all know that we do sleep, and we all know that dreams do exist. The paradox lies in the fact that we believe they exist, but all we know is what we have experienced in our lives. Who knows whether the real world is actually reality? We could be living the dream, and experiencing “real life” when we dream. Thus, we are not even really sure of what dreams are. Therefore, even though we experience them, who’s to say that they actually do exist? In addition to paradoxes, there are many nature references in the poem.
All of the references to animals portray nature as a wild animal. The poem says, “The living iguanas will come and bite the men who do not dream.” Since no one can dream according to the poem, the “iguanas” will come and bite everyone. I believe that nature in the form of the iguana represents death.This may have to do with the circle of life, because everyone must die eventually. Also in the poem is intense imagery that made my imagination run wild. Fore example, “We will watch the preserved butterflies rise from the dead,” is a really interesting image to me. The author seems to really emphasize the idea of life and death especially in nature. These dark and deathly images interest me. When the poem says "Careful! Careful! Careful!", it seems to me as if the author is giving the reader a warning. He is warning that life will not be easy, and we must all make sacrifices in order to attain true happiness. This again repeats the serious tone of the poem, and brings my attention to the fact that everything dies.

The Force That Through the Green Fuse Drives the Flower

I read this poem that Mrs. Healey posted on the blog and it interested me. To me, it is about the vitality of nature. All throughout the poem, nature is described in full detail. In my opinion, the word "fuse" is used to describe the root or stalk of the plant. The author uses this description because just like a fuse, the root of a plant contains the "electricity" of the plant, and keeps the plant alive through the energy it receives. This makes me think of nature as all united as one, and really gives the poem a feeling of unity and connection, since all plants have roots. Next, the "force" the author is describing is the flower that the "fuse" is connected to. All of the nutrients pass through "the fuse" to get to the "force". I was confused when I read about the "destroyer", but I believe that the destroyer is once again referring to the flower. Since the poem revolves around nature, it is obvious to emphasize the idea that no living things can live forever. Therefore, the destroyer could be the element of death that eventually strikes upon all living things. I also noticed that the author used many paradoxes in this poem, such as "wintry fever", and "crooked rose". I think the author uses paradoxes because he's saying that even in times when nature and living things were most lively, he still thought of death all around him because eventually all things die. He uses dark depressing terms such as "dried steams" and "rotted roots", as well as lively and energetic terms such as "a mouth sucking life" and "pulsing red blood". This poem really spoke to me because the author is talking about the idea that everything is short-lived and can not exist forever, especially the beauty of nature. This poem inspires me to live each day as if it is my last because it reminds me that you only live once.

The Road

I recently started reading the book The Road by Cormac McCarthy. At first, the book caught my interest because it is about the post-apocalypse. I like to read about apocalyptic theories and ideas because one day it may actually happen. It reminds me of the movie Terminator, which is one of my favorite movies, so I decided to read it. The Road is about a father and a son trying to survive the post-apocalyptic time period. The love between the father and son made the story better to me, but also made my anxiety go through the roof because I felt more sympathetic for the characters and wanted to know the outcome of their story. While the book is pulling on my emotions, it also catches my interest with all of the gore and action that is taking place.  The hopelessness of the characters is encouraging me to read on. I always think about what will happen if an apocalypse were to take over earth, and this book is an answer to many of my theoretical questions. I am excited to see the outcomes of the characters, and all of the adventure that will hopefully take place throughout the book.

Couching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Li Mu Bai has such a strong desire to teach Jen because she displays so much potential of being a great master. Jen is one of kind, she developed on our own with no guidance. Nobody has taught her through her lifetime. She usually gets what she wants with hard work and being stealthy. Li is interested in her throughout the movie even though she does not show him any respect at all. Jen is focused on one thing and that is to gain possession of the Green Destiny. The Green Destiny is a all powerful sword and whoever has possession of it is almost impossible to defeat. Li knows she has a distant mind and can only see one thing. He wants to train her and become one of the greatest master ever to live. Li and Jen have two very different fighting styles. Jen fights with a lot of power and attacks very hard all the time. She gives maximum effort for every strike. Li uses his inner skills to defeat his opponent. It looks like that he barely uses any effort to fight his opposition. With his smart mind and years of training, combined with Jen's fighting skills can be one the greatest combo ever. That is why he does not give up on her. As a Wudan Master, he is very peaceful and graceful on everything he does. He does not judge people on what their background is. He always thinks people have the opportunity to change. Li Mu Bai believes Jen has the ability to change. He tries talking to her throughout the film, but she will not give in. He never gets frustrated with her or gets upset. He keeps his inner peace and tries to persuade her before his death. His mental teachings during the various fights helps her make a decision before the film is over. Li believed that she was different. She was a warrior who learned  amount on her own. A person with that much ability can be great. Li sees that early on in the film. She is constant with her moves, has a good abiltiy, and has a tough mind. Unfortunately, her stubbornness gets in the way and never allows Li to properly teach her .

Male Athlete of the Year

Lebron James! The greatest basketball player of all time in my opinion. If you know me you know I love Lebron James and a huge supporter for him. I recently read in an magazine article that he received the male athlete of the year for the second time. He won this award because he has won two back to back national championships. I highly recommend everyone who has never seen this beast play in person to go see him play. Even if your not a basketball fan, watching this King play his craft is probably the most exciting thing a person can watch of the game. He is inhuman. He has a 6'8 frame and ways 260lbs. He has the feet a ballet dancer, but has the explosiveness of a volcano. He is impossible to guard and can play any position he desires too. James is the most versatile player ever to hit the game.The only thing that keeps LeBron James up worrying at night is basketball, which simultaneously makes perfect sense and no sense.On one hand, he's the game's best player.On the other, he's rarely impressed with himself. Even after a year like 2013, with a spectacular wedding, a second NBA championship and a fourth MVP award were among the many highlights enjoyed by the Miami Heat star, he still is, as he puts it, striving for greatness. Or, technically, more greatness, since his enormous list of accomplishments just keeps growing. James was announced Thursday as The Associated Press' 2013 male athlete of the year, becoming the third basketball player to capture the award that has been annually awarded since 1931. James received 31 of 96 votes cast in a poll of news organizations, beating Peyton Manning and Jimmie Johnson."I'm chasing something and it's bigger than me as a basketball player," James told the AP. "I believe my calling is much higher than being a basketball player. I can inspire people. Youth is huge to me. If I can get kids to look at me as a role model, as a leader, a superhero … those things mean so much, and that's what I think I was built for. I was put here for this lovely game of basketball, but I don't think this is the biggest role that I'm going to have." I like how Lebron James handles things now. He seems to have matured since coming into the league and will always get lots of criticsism.  what he could do better. Nobody could handle anything better as he did the last couple years. As he said, he is just a superhero of our time.

Loving Life

In Death and Dying class, we are reading a very fantastic book called Tuesday with Morrie. This book is one of my most favorite books we have read in class. It is an easy read and people can learn lots from the book. There are all different types of themes and metaphors on how to live life to the fullest with lots of love. According to the book, love is the greatest thing humans can give and receive for one another.  People can learn the true value of living and living meaningfully. We typically live life going through the motions and taking the easy way out. This book emphasizes that life is the greatest gift that God has given us. We live our lives how we want to live our lives. Morrie becomes famous after the battling of his illness readers see in the book. It touches every readers heart what he goes through and how strong he us. He gives the readers courage going through the most difficult times to look for the best in each situation. Even if the situation looks like it has no hope, never let it go by and not embrace the meaning of it. Sometimes we want to ignore the bad parts of our lives which we cannot do. We must face them head on in certain aspects. Morrie teaches powerful lessons in this book that will surprise readers and make them think what is right or wrong. It also makes the readers question if they are living they lives properly. It made personally question my life and how I was living. I questioned if I was doing the right thing, but i figured out I am and happy the way I'm living. I don't regret anything I have done in the past and learned from my mistakes. Morrie's love on life is a pick me up. I strongly recommend this book for anybody who is down on themselves. Nobody could off had it worst then Morrie and what his life came down too. This book might bring some tears in peoples eyes as they read it. An old man with the highest spirits while he is dying is one of the most beautiful things a person can see. He never looses hope throughout the book. He has some sad moments and pities himself, but does not let his condition get the best of him. He is probably the happiest man on the planet when he is going to die. He embraces the death and never looks bad and never regrets anything he has done. People who complain that they don't have enough should revaulte and be thankful for what they do have.