Weekly Reflection #7

Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Gregory Maguire
pg. 136-152

Just to sum up my reading to date, I finished Ivan Denisovich quite a while ago and have put Time Travelers Wife to the side for now. Friday I spent my reading time on wicked. One thing that I love about this book is the way that it discusses everything. Since oz is a fake world that only lives in our minds, Maguire had the freedom to talk about anything he wished. Such controversial topics as religion and politics can and are discussed in a light that you never see them placed in, but this is done in a way that doesn’t offend. Maguire created three religions that the people of oz follow or don’t. One of these is based off a fairy that left oz devastated a long time ago, one is based off of witch craft, and one is the same as the first except, instead of saying a fairy with a name, it’s the “unnamed god”. These are the basic beliefs in oz and can be discussed in a light hearted manner, joked about, or enforced by different characters in this book without offending a reader of any belief system.

                Although these religions created in this book have much to do with faith, they all have their political place as well. Story’s told with each religion have a way of placing everyone in a certain social category. There is a strong fight throughout this book about animals with conscious minds just like ours holding onto the basic human rights. Each religion has a way of explaining how these Animals came to be, the religion based on witch craft (the pleasure faith) believes that it was a strong spell cast long ago that gave these Animals the ability to speak and think. This is a problem because it places the Animals as the lowest of the social classes (come to think about it all of the religions do this), but it means that the spell could be reversed, and resort the Animals back to being farm animals. The other religions have a demeaning sort of baptism that killed many animals and the ones that survived got the ability to think and speak. Although these baptisms happened supposedly before mankind existed, it still had everyone thinking of Animals as scum. All of this would be controversial and there would be much outrage if Maguire hadn’t made the religions and politics seem so outrageous, that finding any link back to your own belief system is only a mere coincidence. This was quite tactful and I really admire the thought put into making links to the real world, while reminding us that this is oz he's talking about. 

Newspaper Blackout

Here are my Newspaper Blackout poems!

Starting a story

I write all the time for the enjoyment, but I never really share what I've written. However, I would love to change that. I've been working on a bunch of different storys for quite a while now and I just recently realized that they are all connected, and once finnished could be a series of books rather then a few individual ones. This is the preface to what I imagine would be the last in the series. This is the one I've been working on and touching up for the longest, so I feel more comfortable putting it out there and seeing what people think. It's fairly short but any comments would be much appreciated, I especially want to know if this might make you want to read on, and if not what I could do to draw you in more?

She stumbled into his life. No warning, it just happened. So unexpected, some would go as far as to call it an omen of sorts. She was comparable to a bird with a broken wing, looking for someone to take care of her and nurture her back to health. It was simply a lucky accident that she happened to stumble upon him specifically. That wasn’t how their love was meant to bloom. But that’s how it all stared, isn’t that the way it’s always supposed to come across? Unexpected, seemingly random, there doesn’t ever seem to be a rhyme or reason. Love is supposed to take you by surprise at a time when you aren’t looking for ‘the one’ but they need you more then you could possibly dream. Once you have lost all hope to ever fall in love and have accepted that you might very well take your last breath and meet death on your front step alone with loved ones but no one whom you would give up life itself for. Well, that’s how it started. All the love, heart break, loss, tears, confusion, and life. The important thing is that life only honestly starts when you find the one. In this case her name was Jessica, but she went by Jessie. She fell from the sky. Her body was in an ark as she fell from an unknown height for an unknown reason. Usually good things only happen when the reason is unclear. Life only really starts, once you’ve given up hope and opened up enough to let someone in. Once you’ve let someone turn the light in your smile back on, then you know the beginnings of happiness. 

Weekly Reflection #6

I’m not sure of what I want to do after high school yet, so I’m doing everything I can to keep every door open. I am in the IB program at school and everything is pretty stressful. I’m not sure if IB is really going to get me anywhere in life, but for now, it certainly leaves me with lots of options. I love a chance to be creative and this blog gives that to me. Most assignments in school ask you to write down your thoughts along a certain path about a certain subject, when this blog allows creativity to flow in its greatest form. My stress level can get pretty high at times when everything starts to build up. This blog is giving me a way to get away from everything in a way. That didn’t make much sense, if you can follow that train of thought, good for you. More or less, when I’m stressed I’ve been using this blog as a way to relax and get my brain going again. Even If I don’t end up using my blog as a way to get that new job, or anything of the likes, it’s helping me stay grounded and productive when nothing else seems to work. Sometimes you really just need to let yourself be creative before you go back to the same old work. After high school I will be continuing with my education in some way, university or college, so this blog is something I can easily keep up to keep me going. As a sort-of side note: I’m really thinking about the idea of an “internet identity” and this is the perfect way to create one that is true to me, where other social networking doesn’t quite catch who I am. I love the feeling of expressing this part of me in a way that I can share it with other people. 

http://starsshinebrighter.blogspot.ca/2012/10/personal-addition-11.html

I commented on this post because, even though I’ve had difficulties keeping music in my life lately, it is something I love very much. I like hearing about the ways other people try to incorporate music in their lives; it wouldn’t hurt to help me find a way to keep it in mine too! It was also a little reassuring to see someone else talk about how music is always playing in their head; I’m not alone! :P

http://cwblog-missy.blogspot.ca/2012/10/personal-addition-3.html?showComment=1350958228135

I commented on this picture pretty much because it caught my eye. I love summer as well and the picture of a flower somehow manages to bring forward all of my summer memories as well. I would recommend checking it out, I think you might feel the same way!

http://carolcastilhosblog.blogspot.ca/2012/10/rambling-autobiography.html

I commented here because I really do want to know more. I have always wanted to travel and in some ways my own fear has held me back. I want to, some day get over my own fears, but for now without opportunities available at the moment, I'd love to hear about the experiences of others traveling the world. It's something that has always peaked my interest. 

All New

I sometimes have a problem when something stays the exact same for too long, so I changed up my page entirely. This new page symbolises peace. I have made peace with everything that's been going wrong. I'm letting mistakes made slide away and letting myself relax while getting work done. I'm not over anything. I've just finally accepted that what's done is done. I've been blaming myself about my brother for a long time, how I didn't call 911 when I should have, things I should have said, how much more I should have done. I've come to accept that I will never be okay with the way things went, I know this guilt I'm feeling can't go away, I've just stopped wishing I could go back, because I know it's not possible. Along with this I am taking now as a chance to say that what's in the past should be left there, it's time to move on and start new. It's never too late to change everything, for now I'm going to change my grades around, make sure homework gets finnished, and stop beating myself up about all of the little things. It's time to stop and smell the roses for a while before life gets complicated once more.

Picture source: http://goo.gl/GAE4J

Charater IPhone Case

This Would be the case that Elphaba would have on her phone. I colored it entirely black because of who Elphaba is. Elphaba isn't much of a flashy person, she is rarely caught wearing something that isn't black and totally shapeless. Her phone I'm sure would be no different. The case would be water proof, although it wouldn't need it. the moment the case was wet Elphaba wouldn't touch it until dry. Water burns her skin so her phone would need to be as water proof as possible. Again, Elphaba isn't interested in anything colorful, so this is exactly what I imagine she would have chosen.

Chatacter IPhone

This is my character Iphone! I recently picked up the book Wicked, The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire and now I can't put it down. I have already read this book but again I find myself enthralled in the magical world of oz.
The first app I have placed on the Iphone I created for Elphaba (The wicked witch) I called Flying Monkey 101. This might seem odd, but in Wicked Elphaba spends much of her time raising a monkey, trying to prove a theory of hers about the intelligence of animals. At a later point in the story Elphaba actually attaches wings to this pet of hers and he flys!
Next I put and app simply called IBooks. I realize that this isn't exactly original, but it really would be on her phone! Elphaba is a very intelligent individual and she always has her nose in a book. Elphaba has this intense curiosity and a drive to always learn something new and more.
My next app is called Defying gravity. This name is a play off of a song from the musical based off of this book. In Wicked there is this unusual broom stick that seems to call to those able to fly on it, it of course called to Elphaba.
Next I had a map app. This would be highly usefull as Elphaba can easily find herself in an unfamiliar location in the confusing land of Oz. A map would most definitely come in handy while trying to navigate the skys.
After this I had an app entitled "Good or Evil" This app would explore more the ideas of good and evil as this is a huge theme in this book.
Next there is an app called Animal or animal. A confusing part of this book is realizing that when the word animal is spelt with a capital, it is refering to an animal able to speak and think in a similar way as we do. Figuring out which is which before they come to a certain age is impossible so an app that could tell you, might save a lot of waiting time.
Next, an app labled understanding... I put ths app on Elphaba's IPhone because it seems that she is conflicted about religon. With her father being a minister Elphaba was raised to believe in her fathers religon, but it seems as if she has never been sure of what she really believes in.
After this app there is a weather app. Elphaba's skin burns at the touch of water, so an app predicting the rain would be a must have!
Next is a news app. There is a lot of political unrest in Oz and Elphaba always seems to be right in the middle of it. Having the latest news at the touch of a button could be quite useful.
Finally I placed an app called "Secrets of Oz". Elphaba runs away at a point in this book and the next time we see her, she has joined a sort of secret group hoping to take down the govornment of Oz. Knowing all of these little secrets would have certainly given Elphaba the upper hand and things might have turned out differently.

Writing Reflection #2

The six word memoir assignment went pretty smoothly for me. I really enjoyed writing my six word memoirs, then putting them with pictures added an effect that I didn’t quite expect. I knew that we would be adding pictures to the text, I just would never have expected how much depth could be added to the words by a simple picture. I learned how less can be so much more with something like this. I have had the chance to look through some other 6 word memoirs from the class and you can really see in these how some messages can be portrayed best in only a few short words. I find it incredible how 6 words can be so powerful and get a message across so well! I’m not sure I could say I know which I preferred, writing the memoirs, or adding the pictures. Writing the six word memoirs was kind of a relief in writing in a very odd way. Often, in school we are given a minimum amount of words for any given assignment. Whatever it is, when I have a minimum I either write way too much, or I’m missing out on a lot of words. This was so simple, one phrase, six words. You can let your mind wander and find a phrase that is true to you, then adjust it slightly, take out a word or add one in. It was a chance to finally write in school without as much pressure to write a certain way. I know this doesn’t exactly make sense, but the idea is there. Everything went overall very smooth, and I am pretty happy with the way all of my six word memoirs turned out. 

Reading Reflection #4

The Time Traveler’s Wife
Audrey Niffenegger
Pg. 13-28

For one of the first times in my reading, I found a point in this book where it could not be more clear that the author is wanting their readers to make some kind of prediction. On page 13 Clare tells Henry that the oldest she has ever seen him, he was probably in his 40’s. She then says ““…you seemed to be having kind of a rough life…”” This is pretty clear about the general mood of things once Henry is in his 40’s, but lets your mind wonder the simple question of: what is it we don’t know, what’s going to happen? The fact that Clare, in all of the times she has seen Henry, has not once seen him past his forties, it is a reasonable assumption that Henry will die somehow, before he gets very old. Of course, it is also possible that a doctor that Clare mentioned in earlier pages will have success in his research of Henry’s problem and discover some kind of cure, to stop Henry from bouncing around in time, but rather stay in one time period and live the normal life of which he has always wanted. Either one of these predictions is very possible, although I’m not sure which one I would expect of this book yet. 
In this book, something that I can’t wrap my mind around is the concept of Henry being so different, depending on what age he is. This is something that should otherwise be easy to understand, except that, because he is jumping through time at such an unknown type of pace, you never know who did/said what first! ““You said it in your quoting voice, and I guess now that I think of it you must have been quoting me.”” Thinking this through, Henry had been quoting something Clare would later say to Clare, but who said it first? It is such an idea, bouncing through time like that, but when you start to think into it more, this book is working off the theory that time works in a certain way, the way in which this would then work would mean that it’s impossible to actually tell who said this first, because Henry is quoting something Clare would later say but she wouldn’t say it if he didn’t quote it to her. This is one example, but I am someone who likes to try and pick things like this apart until they make sense, in a situation like this though, it’s a loop that seems to really have no answer. 
The final thing that I wanted to analyse is the love that somehow seems to be an undertone to the entire story, even though much of what I read Clare knew Henry, but he didn’t quite know her yet. It’s incredible how the promise for something so deep in the future can cause a spark in him in the present. It makes sense that Clare is madly in love with Henry, he’s been there for her since she was little, he was her shoulder to cry on and all that. She has knows for years by this point that they will some day marry, they will some day try to manage a life around his problem. Henry though, he has no idea how he will feel for Clare. Henry doesn’t know a thing about Clare, but it seems that her promise for their future is enough for him to move on from everything that was his life before she walked into it and start this new life she brings. They are both already in love with each other somehow on the promise of a happy future. This book fascinates me more then I could describe!