Coming to an End

The end of the year is near and I never thought that this chapter of my life would come so soon. As we walk the halls as seniors, have our picnics, and move towards prom and graduation, I cannot help but feel somber towards these thoughts. So, in this last blog due in my senior year english course, I want to write about endings. Moving on and leaving high school behind is just like coming to the end of every book that I have read this year. Every book from Things Fall Apart to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo marked my course throughout this year. Just as all those books came to an ending, so will my "book" of high school. Through the course of high school there have been ups, downs, triumphs, and tears, and I can't help but notice the similarities between these past four years and a truly great book:

The beginning was innocent, sweet, scary, exciting, and boring all at the same time. It is the first chapter of this high school story. The first chapter ends and relief sets in, but along with the relief comes anticipation for the next year ahead. After a long hot summer, the next chapter begins. This is the sophomore chapter and it is exciting and stressful. We are still underclassmen but we are getting older, wiser, and bolder. Sophomore year can lead to trouble and we even find out who our real friends are. This year comes to a close with the anticipation of being a upperclassmen, and starting to get into the deeper plot of this ever changing story. Then, it comes, the third chapter. Finally we are upperclassmen. Junior year is hard to say the least. It is just like the drama filled chapter where the main character realizes what their story entails or find out the truth about themselves. Junior year is filled with expectations that need to be fulfilled. Once these expectations are filled, we are ready to move on to the end, our final chapter. Just as the last chapter leaves a lasting impact and brings all the other chapters together, senior year is the final curtain call before the end of the story. This fourth chapter is full of fun, excitement, decisions, and sadness. This is the coming to the end of the past four years of our lives. When all is done and over the high school story leaves and impact on everyone who experiences it, just like the ending of a favorite book. As we walk the halls for the last time, walk down the aisle at graduation, and say goodbye at the end of the summer, we realize that this is the end and it will never be forgotten. These past four chapters may be the greatest story of our lives, but we wait in hopeful expectation that there are greater things ahead in our next stories.

Framed Flowers & Dragon Tattoos

The last book that I read for leisure was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steigg Larsson. This book was attractive to me for many reasons. The first was that so many people had told me to read it, and how awesome it was. The second is because there is now a movie which i can actually visually see the story unfold. So, for both of these reasons I decided to read it. There were things about the book that I loved, and there were things that I was not so fond of. First I will talk about the aspects that I did not like about this novel. The book is very confusing and has a lot of names, places, and facts that have to go with the time period. If you are not a person who enjoys reading "grown-up" or adult books, I would not recommend that you read it. Another facet of this novel that i did not particularly like was all of the politics. I personally am not a fan of history, law, or any form of politics. But, if you are, you would love this novel. The whole beginning of the story is about a lawsuit over journalistic slander. Full of politics and law! Now, I want to move on to the characteristics of the book that I enjoyed immensely. The first would have to be the mystery of the murder and the pressed flowers. It is one of the most confusing mysteries that I have ever read about. From the first pages about the pressed flowers I was hooked, and decided to mull through the whole book just to see the ending. Another aspect of Larsson's novel that I relished was the characters. Lisbeth was especially unique and impressive. The way she cared but did not care at the same time, and how she truly personified the phrase "do not judge a book by it's cover". She is the girl with the dragon tattoo, and she lives up to all expectations. She is a bad ass girl who is a great character in this novel. Another facet that I enjoyed was the writing style of the novel. It is set in Europe and the way that the book is written is different from any book that I have read. Even the speech is foreign and exciting all at the same time. This book was worth the read. If you love a good mystery, and do not mind politics, then this is the book for you!

Must See List

Okay, I know that I am a little late but considering the movie of Catching Fire was released on DVD last friday I thought i should finally talk about my thoughts. I have read the book twice so far and have also read the series twice. I thought that this movie was exceptionally well done. I was slightly skeptical going into the movie because I thought that the first movie was a dud. The first movie lacked a certain charisma that the book portrayed. My vision of the districts and capitol was not lived up to. I thought that the movie did not do the book justice. I also believe that the movie did not follow the book completely. There were many small details that were overlooked. But, I went to see the second movie anyway because the second book was my favorite book in the series. The movie was amazing. There was more color, action, and it followed the book almost to a tee. The first reason that I enjoyed this movie is because of the special effects. The makeup artists were amazing. My favorite part of the movie was when Katniss blows up the arena. I thought that they portrayed it in a plausible way, whereas I was picturing it to be all computerized and pixels. The second reason I enjoyed this movie is because of the comedy within the characters. The actors that were chosen for these roles played their characters especially well. They added a certain comic element to the dark and depressing world of the games themselves. Joanna has to be my favorite new addition to the cast, and the actress that plays her does an exceptional. I also continue to enjoy the love triangle that ensues between Peeta, Katniss, and Gale. When I was reading the book, and still unknowing to what happens in the end, I was enthralled and utterly confused with the love story. In this book especially the love triangle goes deeper and plays a major part in Katniss' life. There were some flaws that they missed and I felt that the movie still stood strong without them. All in all this movie was exceptionally written and carried out onto the big screen. I would give this movie FIVE stars!

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Towards the end of the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Shu Lien says to Jen, "Promise me one thing: whatever path you take in life, be true to yourself." When Shu Lien says this I believe that she is saying telling Jen to not make the same mistakes that she did in life. After losing Li Mu Bai, Shu Lien realized all that she had missed out on. When she tells Jen to be true to herself I think that it surprised Jen. We were all expecting a big fight because ultimately Jen is the reason Li Mu Bai died. But, instead Shu Lien is humbled by his death and gives Jen a piece of advice that changes the whole story. Jen did exactly what Shu Lien asked her to do. She followed her destiny by following her own path. She did not stay with the man she loved but she simply disappears into her own bliss. She was true to herself. I believe that she realized that she really did not fit in anywhere so she left to a place unknown. All in all I believe that Jen did exactly as Lien told her to do. And I also believe that Shu Lien was extremely kind and merciful towards Jen by giving her this advice.

Looking for a Meaning

Recently I have read a novel called Looking for Alaska. The book was very similar to another book I had read over the summer: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The two books focus around a group of teenagers who are not the most popular and find their place with a group of like-minded people. They also both end in some form of a tragedy. In Looking for Alaska Alaska dies in a mysterious car accident and in Perks Charlie turns out to be a mental patient. The main difference between these books is within their similar endings. In Perks, there is a resolution and you know what happens. You figure out that all along he was writing to himself from the institution after his mental breakdown. But, in Alaska's story you are left kind of searching for a meaning behind it. At some points I think maybe it was suicide, but then as I think about it more I do not really know at all. When you read the novel, you begin to identify with Alaska and believing that she killed herself contradicts what you believed. I really enjoyed this novel, but the ending threw it off for me. I think that I fully enjoy a book when it comes to a complete end. I need a final resolution. This novel did not have a concrete ending and I think that turned me off. The novel taught me something new about myself in a way. I learned that I really enjoy books that have a resolution and am not a fan of those books that make you devise your own ending. But, I would recommend this book to anyone because of the great story of a group of teenagers that are a little quirky but real. It is a fresh take on how life really happens for people that are completely different from you, or that you can identify with.

Traveling to Wild Places

Recently, I have been working on a research paper in which the topic is Zulu tribal folklore. In my research, I came across a book that describes the oral tradition of the ancient tribes of Africa. A woman who is a visitor in a specific Nguni tribe tells this story. The most influential part of this book for me was the way that it took me to Africa. I felt as though I was really there. The novel paints graphic pictures of storytelling around at night. The story also talks about these beautiful folk stories that tell the history of their culture along with the history of all of humanity. The stories truly make it seem like you are there, and the sheer beauty of the situation and culture has sparked my interest in the African tradition. Also, what sparked my interest the most is how, even though we are miles and miles apart, I could identify with some of the situation. I can remember being around a bonfire when I was younger and everyone attempting to tell stories. Even though it seems like African and I are worlds apart, I learned that we are not that different. If you think about many of the stories and folktales that we tell in our society today, we use many of the same morals, characters, and themes as the Nguni tribes do. They mainly use animals as main characters and so do we. Think of stories such as Winnie The Pooh. The African tribes have stories about a certain mongoose that gets himself into trouble just as Winnie does. The similarities between our culture and theirs are not so different after all. I also have learned the true beauty of language and storytelling. Before starting this paper i did not realize how much a tribe, culture, or society needs storytelling. These stories preserve the history of that group and without them they would be lost. All in all, I learned a valuable lesson through this book about culture. I also got the treat of traveling into an exotic world that is thousands of miles from me.

Life Lessons

          In our Death and Dying class we were assigned to read Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. We had to read the book and relate it back to what we had learned this semester. I had many different opinions on this book. First off, the book was very sad. I mean Morrie is dying which puts a damper on how upbeat and lovable he is. But, once you get past the depressing fact that he is dying the book is actually very good. This book is a quick read because of the dialogue and the fact that ere aren't really chapters. It is a story about one man who has a special bond with his professor and he learns the true meaning of life.
          The lessons that I learned from this boom are amazing. Who would've thought that a little old man would be able to teach all of us the greatest lesson of all. Morrie talks about things such as love, compassion, family, aging, forgiveness, and many other topics that make up our lives. The biggest thing that made an impact on me was Morrie's signature statement that you can't live until you accept that you are going to die. This book showed that death is not a bad thing. If we all just accepted that we are going to die than maybe we wouldn't be so afraid all the time. According to Morrie we need to accept death and embrace our lives as a blessing. Hearing it from this man who has a degree in Sociology and who is dying has more of an impact then any other person telling us.
          Through this novel you fall in love with Morrie. You can't help but see how kind and loving he is as a person. When I read the novel I felt as though I have known him forever. He felt like a friend. I think that's why this book is read all the time. You identify with Morrie, you feel sad about his death, and you learn the greatest lesson of all. The true meaning of life and death.