Presenting

After straightening out my ideas with Mrs. Abrams, my presentation looks like it will be a success. I really want the students to participate in my venn diagram activity. It will bring together the overall ideas and differences of King Lear and the play we have already read and analyzed, Hamlet. The overall theme of family feud is evident, which I hope the class will pick up on right away. Before I show my five minute clip, I will introduce my project and how I came upon King Lear. It is very interesting the way modern day novels, such as, A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley parallels to a famous Shakespeare play. Hopefully the class enjoys my presentation and can answer my closing question: what are three new things you learned today?

Barn Blind

I never would have though after reading A Thousand Acres that Jane Smiley could write a novel like Barn Blind. It was a novel about a mother wanting her kids to succeed in every possible thing they did, including horse competitions. The intense story line is focused on the Mother, a horse trainer and instructor, that pushes her kids way over the edge. What I found very interesting, the way Smiley wrote this novel, is that she never had the mother even ask her children if they enjoyed horses. I know that if my mother made me doing something for that many years, such as gymnastics, I would have to love doing it. After competing in gymnastics for two years at the age of eight, I wanted to quit. I told my mother the feelings I was feeling; it was no longer fun, but stressful. I wanted to pick up horseback riding, and that is what I have been doing since the age of eight. Smiley created this novel in a way to make the mother the enemy. I thought it was interesting the way the family crumbled into pieces because of one character. In a way that was similar to A Thousand Acres; the way the father let his farm slip away to his two daughters.

A Thousand Acres

As I start to get more into Jane Smiley's novel, A Thousand Acres, I can see how similar the book is to Shakespear's play, King Lear. I give Smiley great credit for coming up with a story line that is parallel to King Lear, but also making it her own. She introduces the main characters of the novel by opening the book with a plan that will make them a lot of money during the harvesting season. I feel that the way Jane Smiley went about telling this story was very smart and creative. The narrator, Ginny, expresses her feelings along with the rest of the family about this certain operation that is planned. She is able to express her negative feelings about the topic, while still able to explain how everyone else is feeling. Also, I think it's genius the way Smiley was able to make Caroline parallel to Cordelia (the only honest daughter of King Lear who wouldn't agree to tell him how much she loves him) in a modern way. I look forward to starting the second book for my project this weekend, Barn Blind, which has more to do with show horses.

King Lear

During Act I of King Lear, the dividing of the King's kingdom did not go directly as he had planned. The greatest share of the kingdom would be given to the daughter that loved him the most. The two oldest daughters, Goneril and Regan responded to his request by tell the King how much they love him. However, Cordelia, the youngest and most realistic daughter, refused to talk. When she does, she says she could not promise her love for him. She also said that if her two older sisters truly loved him, they wouldn't have been married. The King became outraged and claims to disown Cordelia. While the king of France still wants to marry Cordelia, the duke of Burgundy drops out due to the events that occurred. While the daughter that truly loves him is gone, the two older sisters scheme to become completely in power. When Cordelia is gone, the earl of Kent, a nobleman who has served Lear years, disguises himself to receive work back in the kingdom. He was also shunned after sticking up for Cordelia. He is hired with the name: Caius. After Goneril orders Lear to have Lear's servants sent away, he talks of staying with Regan. He believes she will be a true daughter and give him the respect that he deserves.

I believe that King Lear does not believe the true meaning of love. Love does not mean to take over your father's kingdom with greed. Cordelia did not agree with the way her father was dividing the kingdom. She was the only person that handled the situation honestly. One can predict that Regan will also disappoint the King, leaving the kingdom to ruin.

Text to World

Communism was a major theme that I found within the novel nineteen eighty four. Everyone that fell under "Big Brother's" command needed to be prescribed to do anything out of the norm. Throughout the novel, Winston tried terminating the Party with O'Brien, but however in the end gave in. In the past there were many countries that favored communism that had behemoth rulers. The well-being of the Leader of people in the novel, as well as, in the world today are of paramount importance. It is crazy to think that our world today could be living in these conditions. It is also scary to believe that people, who can have their own freedom, are allowing it. The amount of perfidy that surrounds these type of people is unrealistic.

School.

I remember how excited I was walking into middle school for the first time. All of the children were very friendly. That is the difference between middle school and high school. Kids accost their enemies in the hallways while all of this is caught on film, yes, we do have video cameras in our hallways, and cafeteria. Similarly to the novel 1984, the Thought Police monitors all actions of the citizens. Winston, the character mainly focused on, turns his back when the telescreen shows a bleak report on the pig iron. Just like he avoided getting in trouble, I as a senior in high school, traverse through the hallways in between classes as if it were the jungle. I wish as a senior class we could rescind the order to have these cameras in the school. As a student body we are allowed to have personal privacy. Winston writes in the diary from the store. He wrote, "Big Brother is Watching" over and over again, which in his world is considered a crime, but seems silly to us. During school such silly actions are known as "crimes" and resulted in punishment. Such as being late more than once to school- detention. Students should feel ebullient when going to school instead of dreading it, just like Winston should enjoy the life he lives. Hopefully I am not the only one in the school that wants to terminate those cameras.

Starting New

Starting a new job can be a difficult task. I know when I walked into Oradell Animal Hospital I was going to have a great learning experience as well as get paid. The girl who trained me was very friendly, but the other ward aids around my age seemed aloof. I introduced myself to them and tried to be friendly, but it just didn’t seem to work. She told me it took her time in order to become apart of the hospital and that everyone is friendly once you start talking to them. I took her advice considering I did not want to be the cryptic new girl. Within the next week most doctors talked to me with great zest. Asking them questions about where they went to veterinary school started great conversations.

While training with Emily, I asked her what the most difficult part of our job was. She responded, “You have to act stoic when owners come into the back to say good bye to their pets.” I completely understood where she was coming from. We have to act professional.

Learning the tasks of a ward aid at first seemed overwhelming. We have to keep up with laundry and cleaning of the rooms, but yet walk and feed the animals. When I first started I felt I completed the tasks maladroitly and slowly. After working for almost five months now, my tasks are finished before my four-hour shift is over. This makes time for me to converse with the doctors, interns, and other ward aids.