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.

As he bucked in the air I felt the force of his back legs throwing me out of the saddle. It was the fourth time he bucked and I had ceded from fighting this battle. I was launched through the air, closing my eyes. I waited to hit the ground with a thud like usual and for my horse to take off running. However, this time was different. I could not get up right away and just "walk it off.” When my trainer came to my side and helped me up my head was pounding. I walked warily to her house and collapsed on the couch. Waking up in the hospital with my dad sitting by my side was, and will always be a scary memory. I knew I had fallen off my horse, but after that my memory was like it had been erased. My father said I had a concussion and wouldn't be able to ride for three weeks. That bothered me, no riding for that much time will become frustrating. The first question that came out of my mouth was, "Is he okay?"

My father looked at me as if I were crazy. He knew though that all I cared about was the well-being of Union. However, his facial expression was if he deprecated riding such a horse that can cause serious injuries. I came up with a logical excuse that since the weather had been brisk his energy had showed, a typical Thoroughbred trait. When the doctor appraised me, I realized that I sacrifice myself literally each time I mount horses, no matter if it's my own or someone else's.

After three weeks slowly passed, I was ready to ride. Unlike me however, I scrupled getting on my own horse. This was a feeling I never thought I would experience. It took time to become comfortable in the saddle again no matter what horse I was riding. My trainer put me on ponies, but the same feeling rushed through my body. After ten years of riding I could not believe this was actually happening. After two months of consistent riding, I was back to my normal, my daring self. This made me think though that anything could happen while doing something you truly love.

My Opinion

Running for Scissors was definitely a memoir that will stick in my head for a while. One main question while I was reading came up quit frequently. It was, How could a mother possibly give away her son like that? I am sure that the worst memories Augusten Burroughs had were censored from his memoir, but his stories included were just enough to give me the chills. The memoir overall was greatly written and I give a lot of credit to the author to share his story with an audience. Although I wasn’t sure which data was true or changed, the story of his childhood was told successfully. His change of life was under duress, but he adapted. He went through his adolescence trying to exonerate the things he possibly did wrong to have his mother send him away. No child ever wants to feel that his parents or parent gave up on them. It is the worst possible feeling for a child to experience. The psychiatrist that usurped him will leave a print on his life forever.

Seasons

The flowers will soon burgeon as springtime arrives. The most salient part of the transfer from winter to spring is when the leaves come back onto the trees. There is no longer ice or slush that forms over the pavement, which makes it difficult to drive. Although I love the winter, I am getting ready for the softball season, which starts in March. Also, since the ground is frozen I can no longer ride my hose, Union. Being patient for the warm weather to come is sometimes frustrating, but I still find time to enjoy the cold weather, especially when it snows. The beautiful colors of the flowers will no doubt elicit a positive mood to the community. Also, gardeners will no longer waive their gardens; they will have to water them everyday and make sure certain plants get enough sunlight. I always wonder how they are able to make the flowers grow with such beauty. I was never good at gardening. My way of gardening is a complete ruse. Instead of using real flowers, I hang the baskets of fake flowers. Although when planting flowers they succumb to grow, I enjoy watching them bloom in their own way. It makes spring time special from all the other seasons.

Running with Scissors

Augusten Burroughs, the author and main character of the memoir, “Running with Scissors” lived an odd childhood. Burroughs’s mother, a lady of peculiar views, gave his son away to her psychiatrist. What Burroughs’s thought to be an ephemeral amount of time he had to live with this family, turned out to be his whole childhood life. However, this psychiatrist is not one you would normally believe is licensed to help people in emotional distraught. She is obsessed with Santa; her Christmas tree stays up until the end of the summer even though it was of tawdry quality. The doctor’s children are a few patients and a pedophile, who lives in the shed in her backyard. Substances such as Valium were used to ease their lifestyle. Burroughs, at age twelve, had to figure out real life verses fantasy before his life was allayed. He was forced to coalesce with these people who he knew were abnormal and to also come out of the nadir of his life. Also, the way Burroughs explained how he left, it was almost as if his mother exonerated him.

"Nicky"

Punching into work on a Sunday morning is not something I felt like doing yesterday. It was just one of those days where I just felt the need to sleep. As I walked into the main ward I could not take my eyes of of this one Doberman mixed puppy. He had been put up for adoption because his owner's could not afford the surgery he needed. His fur was disheveled and the spirit in his eyes were drained. Figuring in my head that I had four hours to work; I'd spend an hour of my time playing with this puppy (that had like four different names depending on which doctor was working with him). Hmm, which name should I call you I thought as I took a leash and opened his cage. There was Bob, Nicky, Murray, or Rocky. Calling him by each of the names I chose Nicky because his ears went up when I called him that. When Nicky walked out of his cage he was saturnine and walked with his head down. We picked a spot on the floor, I sat down and he laid down putting his head in my lap. Moving the brush through his coat seemed to calm him. His eyes closed in enjoyment, I did not stop. His alluring history made me want to find out more about him. I paged the doctor that was looking after him today. She explained to me that he was hit by a train and that his back left leg had to be skin graphed. This poor puppy. Waking up to the story the doctor told me, I became garrulous as I began talking to the dog about my weekend. He seemed to appreciate the attention. After taking him for walk I put Nicky back in his cage with a bone. The life in his eyes began to flourish. I smiled and told him I would be back later to say bye for the night. In the animal hierarchy at the hospital, he soon moved up to be number one. A few weeks later the doctor that saved Nicky adopted him. He is at the hospital every day so I get to see his transformation from a "hit by car" dog to a healthy one.

Homework

My ipod music, my television, and my laptop impeded my progress towards productive studying. My parents used to importune for me to complete my homework before dinner time, but I would always procrastinate. Throughout middle school I continued on this path, not realizing what it would do to me in the future. Implicit assumptions were made that my homework would be completed, but I would never know when it would be completed. Once entering high school I quickly realized completing my studies in an unstructured way would not suffice. Sophomores would tell their stories of staying up till two A.M. with such brio; I'd start my homework during lunch time. Noting the homework that needed to be completed in my agenda pad allowed me to stay on task and organized. Now every time I heard my friends talk about how late they went to bed, I exhort them to stay focused and get the work done. Going to sleep at 10:30 on a school night gets me ready for a new day and the whole week.

Autumn

One of my favorite seasons, besides summer of course, is Autumn. The nuance of leaves that eventually fall to the ground is an unbelievable sight. As I look out of my classroom window the trees are the first objects I look at. Yellow, orange, and red bouquets stick out from the large trunks of the trees. The unbelievable sight of these leaves sometimes precludes me from finishing my work. Because of the slight impede, I have to spend more time on my homework until it is completed. There are just some objects that capture the eye, such as these leaves. I hold the beautiful nature culpable for being distracted; the leaves don't stay like this all year-round!

Oradell Animal Hospital

My boss is a popular and gregarious woman. She is easy to work with and allows my job to be both entertaining and educational. I am an animal attendant. Most people would be disinterested in this occupation, but for someone that wants to pursue veterinarian school, it's very exciting. There are many tasks I complete in my four hour shift. These include:
1. Releasing healthy animals back to their owners
2. Assimilating each animal's condition and diet
3. Making sure the animal's conditions don't exacerbate
I take a lot of pride in my job, treating each animal as an individual. My co-workers are also very supportive of me and help me when needed. Although there are a few that have an enigmatic personality, it does not stop me from learning new information.

Dream Barn

As I think about my life ahead, I picture myself living in the country with a large barn that have capacious stalls and plenty of fields. The person who imbued me to follow my dreams is my riding instructor, Mary. She taught me responsibility and how to care for horses. Being meticulous while around these animals is very important. Each horse is different regarding its diet, likes, and dislikes. Knowing each horse's needs is another essential.
Once I received Union, my Thoroughbred, jumper, I knew this was something I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. Although I am chary about keeping my own barn when I'm older, I know Mary has prepared me. The lively demeanor of my horses that I will own will keep me busy- riding and grooming them everyday. There will not only be a riding ring full of jumps, but trails that wind around my property.

Done With by Ann Stanford

My house is torn down--
Plaster sifting, the pillars broken,
Beams jagged, the wall crushed by the bulldozer.
The whole roof has fallen
On the hall and the kitchen
The bedrooms, the parlor.

They are trampling the garden--
My mother's lilac, my father's grapevine,
The freesias, the jonquils, the grasses.
Hot asphalt goes down
Over the torn stems, and hardens.

What will they do in springtime
Those bulbs and stems groping upward
That drown in earth under the paving,
Thick with sap, pale in the dark
As they try the unrolling of green.

May they double themselves
Pushing together up to the sunlight,
May they break through the seal stretched above them
Open and flower and cry we are living.

I liked this poem because the author is saying that no matter how bad your day, week, or year has been, there are always going to be things that cheer you up. Flowers in this poem are symbolized as a positive happening. Their beautiful colors and fragrances are what brings smiles on peoples faces. Towards the end of the poem it states that with every negative occurrence taking place flowers still bloom. There will always be that one positive thing that comes along with every bad happening. 

What is Success?

I love my job and my animals. I love waking up everyday to the sound of neighing horses, purring cats, and barking dogs. I enjoy my everyday routine as I feed the horses and the rest of my animals. Looking back on it all now I have truly become successful in life. My goals that have been reached have made me successful. Loving what you do everyday for the rest of your life is something to be proud and ecstatic about. Those who do not enjoy their job or life have not reached their goals or dreams, but I have achieved them all. I sit here now, on my porch, enjoying the sun rise. I am grateful for all that I have and do not wish my life had turned out any other way. Smiling and laughing is another sign of reaching success. I smile everyday and thank myself for the choices I had made in the past. Hard work and determination is something that will help you strive towards your goal. Therefore, having a goal to work towards and live for is worth the extra time; you can only live your life once.

Top Ten List =]

I am most thankful for:

1. my family

2. my horse, Union

3. friends

5. sports (softball and riding)

6. being a twin

7. weekends

8. vacations

9. summer

10. flowers