The Conclusion To My Blog

     In this year of blogging I have covered so many unique and interesting topics. I have analyzed plays, poetry, motifs, symbols, ancient literary works, conflict and a plethora of others. As I was reading over some of my old posts, I was struck by how much I have grown and matured, not just as a writer, but as an analyst. At the beginning of the school year I would write about the prompt provided and just skim the surface of the deeper literary meanings. I would go on about the obvious answers and explanations but didn't bother to dig deeper. Now, I am a much better writer and have improved significantly in the area of analyzing for literary meanings. One of the most memorable blogs I posted was one about the poem "Lobsters" by Howard Nemerov. This poem was brilliantly written and is very thought provoking. In my blog I went below the surface and tried to uncover the deeper meaning in the poem, aside from the obvious. I enjoyed this poem because it uses very well-worded imagery to capture the audience, but also has a darker, less known meaning. At first glance, this poem appears to be about lobsters sitting in a tank at the supermarket, waiting for their death, but that image is just a metaphor for our inevitable fate. Poetry has played a role in my interpreting skills as it demands quite a bit of interpretation.

"If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put foundations under them."
Henry David Thoreau

This quote by Henry David Thoreau in his book "Walden" is one of my favorite quotes of all time. It captures the idea of motivation to accomplish really anything. It says that you should set high goals for yourself and they may seem unattainable, but goals be high. This means that something worth working toward will be difficult, but it will be worth it. This was true for my growth as a writer this year in english. I had a somewhat hazy goal of becoming a better writer and reader in 9th grade honors english. But after many hours of overloading my brain with endless lists of motifs, symbols, conflicts, diction, character development, figurative language, inagery, and poetic devices I can now say that i have accomplished my goal of becoming a better writer and reader. I now appreciate words more and understand the deeper meanings in works of literature. Thus concludes my 9th grade honor english blog!

Memorable Assignment

     This year of English has entailed so many assignments including blogs, word power quizzes, essays, papers, posters, and discussions. If I had to chose my favorite assignment of this entire year, it would be my Great Expectations essay. When I first started reading the book, I despised it and thought it was a complete waste of time. I didn't understand the language and thought it was too hard. But as I read further, I was amazed at how deep the novel really is. There were so many motifs, symbols, allusions, and below-the-surface meanings that I hadn't initially caught. This book was brilliantly written and I realized that reading this book stretched me as a reader and helped me expand my literary "horizons."
     The essay, likewise, was difficult at first. But it forced me to dig even deeper into the novel and uncover the themes and motifs. I labored over how I was going to effectively convey the theme of the entire novel in five paragraphs. I was surprised at how easily it flowed and came together. I am proud of the final product and of my final grade on this essay. The Great Expectations essay is definitely my favorite assignment of honors English.

Experience With Poetry

     Since I was a young child, I have loved poetry. I don't remember my very first experience with poetry, but I never remember not enjoying it. I started reading Shel Silverstein's poetry when I first learned to read and from then on was hooked. My dad purchased three of his poem books for my siblings and I. I would sit on his lap in a huge arm chair and giggle as he read aloud rhyming tales of deep-sea monsters and mischievous little children. My dad noticed my love for poetry and gave me a book of Robert Frost poems at the age of ten. While burying myself in this book I soon discovered another side of poetry, a side that didn't involve children's rhymes. I developed an passion for words and trying to unearth the deeper meaning in poems.
     In sixth grade, we did a poetry unit in my class. In this unit I was introduced to a multitude of emotions expressed through the words in a poem. We read many poems by Edgar Allen Poe and I recognized how specific word choice can convey such passionate emotions. I think one of my favorite parts of poetry is how it forces you to stop and really think about it. I love the imagery and figurative language used to describe thind. The beauty of poetry is that it is somewhat hazy in meaning yet can express such passion. At this point, I am still in love with poetry and am excited to learn how to better decode its hidden meanings.

Conflict In Romeo and Juliet

     One of the main conflicts in the play Romeo and Juliet is that the two have a forbidden love that goes against their families and the society in which they live. The Montagues and Capulets hate each other and for their children to fall in love is the worst possible thing that could happen. So this is a case of person vs. society. Another huge conflict is the person vs. self when Juliet has to decide for herself whether to go along with her parents plan for her life or choose her own path. In Act 4, Juliet's parents have chosen her husband and are planning her wedding, not even considering her feelings. She would rather die than marry Paris and plans to fake her own death to escape this terrible fate.

     Personally, I want to choose my own path for life and if I were in Juliet's situation, I would also rebel. All teenagers want to break free from authority and make their own decisions at some point. This is shown when Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence to vent about having to marry Paris. She claims that she would rather die than marry him and longs to somehow escape. I do this all the time, I just don't plan on killing myself. Sometimes I don't want to listen to my parents and just feel like slipping away to do what I please. But I have to reason with myself and know that rebelling would get me into more trouble. Person vs. Self is a very common conflict because everyone has trouble deciding what to do in certain situations. The difference is that our decisions usually aren't so extreme as Juliet's.

Romeo and Juliet: It's Everywhere!

     There are many similarities and references to  Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in modern culture. In the novel The Luxe by Anna Godbersen, the main character is in a situation similar to Juliet. Juliet's parents want her to marry the wealthy, respectable Paris. But they don't know that she is secretly in love with Romeo and longs to marry him instead. Juliet knows she could never marry Romeo because he is the son of her family's greatest enemy. Similarly, in The Luxe, when Elizabeth discovers that her family's money has run out, she is pressured to marry someone wealthy so she can support her family. But she is also in love with someone else, someone her mother would never approve of. She is forced to make the decision to either marry for love or marry for money to take care of her family. Both girls secretly go against the status quo and the desires of their families. This novel captures a major theme  in the play that love conquers social status and wealth.

Connecting With Romeo and Juliet

     Because this book was written 400 years ago and society is very different now than back then, it seems hard to connect with the characters, especially when you can't understand half of what's being said. But I was surprised how the characters can relate to us as teenagers. I can definitely relate to Juliet in that sometimes my parents don't understand me and want me to go along with their plan. Her mother wanted her to marry Paris despite her age and wish to remain unmarried. I think all teenagers feel like this at some point. I can also relate to Romeo in that sometimes I would rather talk about a situation with my sister or friend than tell my parents. He only tells Benvolio what is on his heart about Rosaline but won't tell his parents.
     I think that reading the scenes independently and then in class helps me a lot in comprehending the language. The old language can be difficult to navigate and makes the book much harder to read. I often have to read the scenes twice to fully understand it. Sometimes I'm so confused and have no idea what the characters are talking about that I miss the hidden metaphors an imagery. It also helps to have Mrs. Gilman clarify what I don't understand and reword it in way that makes sense.

Wrapping Up Great Expecations

Throughout all three stages of the novel, one main message has been communicated. This message is that friends and family are more important than money and a high social status. This message is portrayed in Pip's life as he acquires his expectations and becomes a gentleman in London. When he first meets Estella and Miss Havisham, he becomes ashamed of who he is and what his life is. He becomes dissatisfied with everything he has and even the people he loves. He longs to be of a higher social status and have more money. But when he does receive this, he finds that it doesn't provide the happiness he desired. His endless supply of cash not only makes him unhappy, but it separates him from those who love him, like Joe and Biddy. Pip finally does learn this lesson in stage three when he sees that his relationships are more important than his social standing. He and Joe become friends again and he even becomes friends with Estella. He is reunited with his old self and it brings a satisfying conclusion to the novel. This lesson is what the reader wants Pip to understand from the beginning of his expectations and he finally does.