My Favorite TV Show

Law & Order:Special Victims Unit

This show is my favorite show because it involves all of the medical and criminal aspects that I find very interesting. The show is a constant mystery that keeps my eyes glued to the screen until the mystery is solved. I hope to eventually become a nurse in the future and watching a show that has a lot to do with the medical field as well as the aspect of helping people. I also think that watching this show teaches a lot of valuable lessons and also a lot about different medical terms and illnesses.

30 (Funny) Things to do When You're Bored

1) Walk up to a child that resembles you and tell them that you are from the future.
2) Run up to someone random on the street and slap them with a loaf of bread.
3) Go to pets smart and buy bird seed and ask the cashier how long it will take for a bird to grow.
4) Go to McDonalds and ask for a happy meal with extra happy.
5) Go to a library and ask for a book on how to read.
6) Follow strangers around a store and spray everything they touch with disinfectant.
7) Come late to school and when the teacher asks why say your pet rock had a seizure.
8) Take a stuffed animal to the vet.
9) Buy an ice cream and ask someone if they believe in unicorns then squish the cone to your forehead.
10) Make a cardboard car and wait in the carwash line.
11) Fill your mouth with whipped cream and run down the streets yelling "I have rabies".
12) Go to a horror movie and when everyone's quiet scream.
13) Put a picture of a dog up on dating site.
14) Mail a doughnut to a police station.
15) Name your hair George and go to a salon and be upset that they killed George.
16) Hide in clothes racks at a store and when someone is looking say "pick me".
17) Walk into Sea World with a fishing pole.
18) Make a scarecrow and put it in your yard and yell at it to get off your property.
19) Tie a balloon to yourself and say that it's following you.
20) Dress up as a grandma and break dance in Wal-Mart.
21) Attempt to glue yourself to the ceiling, if you succeed , spit on people as the walk past.
22) Get out of the car at every red light with music turned up and start dancing.
23) Go to weight watchers with a bag of cookies.
24) Go to a restaurant and ask for a glass of ice because water makes you sick.
25) Call a telephone company and ask them if they want to buy a phone.
26) Ring a random doorbell and when they answer just stare at them.
27) Run down the street saying "they're after meh lucky charms."
28) Walk up to a drive-thru window and order one french fry.
29) Vacuum the lawn.
30) Get a job at Target as a greeter and say welcome to Wal-Mart.

*Not that I would actually do any of these things just trying to make you laugh :-)

Explication of "Daddy" By Sylvia Plath

Themes: Feminism, mortality, freedom and confinement.
The narrators Daddy in this poem is first compared to a german and several references are made to this throughout the poem. This poem was written in 1962, a time when women were fighting for their rights. The narrator is unable to connect with her father throughout her life due to their differences. Back to the german reference, Germans were seen as awful people due to World War II so the comparison to her father hints that she did not like her father like normal children. The narrator wants to have a connection with her father but has a hard time doing so. The narrator also appears to be obsessed with mortality. Not only that of herself, but also her father. When her father dies, she contemplates killing herself in order to be reunited with him. Also the ideas of freedom and confinement relate to feminism during the 1960's when women were fighting for their rights.

Explication of "Morning Song" By Sylvia Plath

The metaphor of Sylvia Plath's poem "Morning Song" is that of a newborn baby. In the very first line of the poem, a newborn baby is compared to "a fat gold watch." But it is unclear in this first line whose love is being talked about so this opening sentence is a bit confusing. The speaker in this poem is addressing the reader. Lines two and three are the point in the poem where the newborn baby is taking its first breath and seeing the world for the first time. In the second stanza, the hospital that the baby is born in is compared to a museum. There is an echo and there is an object (the baby) that is grabbing every one's attention much like artwork in a museum. Throughout the rest of the poem, the narrator seems to be trying to distance herself from the responsibility of taking care of this baby. In lines ten and eleven, synesthesia mixes up the sense of sight and hearing; "All night your moth-breath Flickers among the flat pink roses." In stanza five, the narrator is describing herself as "cow-heavy" which hints that most women after pregnancy aren't in the best shape they have been in. The poem ends with the narrator looking out a window and the newborn is left to try "your handful of notes." The title of this poem is "Morning Song" leading me to believe that this poem is a song that the mother of the baby is singing to her baby and at the end of the poem she is setting her baby free to let he/she try things on her own symbolizing a mother letting her child grow up.

"I Can't Change The World" Brad Paisley

"I Can't Change The World"

A bomb goes off in a far off city
A siren wails right here at home
Well, sometimes life ain't all that pretty
When you're watching it all alone

You build a wall around your feelings
Just another heart afraid to break
And you don't wanna let me in
'Cause, really, what difference can I make?

I can't change the world
Baby, that's for sure
But if you let me, girl
I can change yours
I bet I can change yours

So let Jesus look down on this madness
And let the powers that be just fuss and fight
'Cause everyone needs to pick their battles
And me–I realized

I can't change the world
Baby, that's for sure
But if you let me, girl
I can change yours
I bet I can change yours

And every time you light a flame
You just get burned and you feel like it's all in vain
You feel like
You need to learn that no one's gonna save you
No, no one's gonna save you

But I'm standing here
My heart's on my sleeve
Never gonna let you down
Never ever gonna leave you,
Baby, that's for sure

Whoa, I can't change the world
But I can change yours
I bet I can change yours

This song by Brad Paisley illustrates the fact that one person alone cannot change the madness of the world that we live in. There is too much violence around the world and even around us everyday that one person cannot make a difference in the grand scheme of things. This song, though it may seem kind of depressing, is not really. One person alone can't change the world, but one person can change another single person's life, and then that person can change another person's life. So in return, people's lives are changing due to other people, but the world will not change just from one person. Making a difference in just one person's life everyday can be a small contribution to eventually changing how we live as humans. 

What I Learned Today

This jewelry belonged to a woman that was well-loved by everyone. She was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother as well as a respectable teacher. Linda fell victim of cancer and lost her battle in early August of 2013. Linda's passing was hard on everyone in her community, especially her loved one's of course. I wasn't close to Linda but I am very close with her family including her son, husband, and grandson. Watching my loved one's go through the loss of someone very dear to them was very hard and to this day, they are all very touchy around the subject, which is expected. Today, I was given the opportunity to look through some of Linda's jewelry and was told by her husband to take anything I wanted. He allowed me to see that I am loved by them as much as I love them and that I am sort of part of their family. These were Linda's personal items and very hard to part with so I felt accepted. Seeing what these people have gone through, losing someone so loved, has taught me to cherish everything, including the little things.

Explication of "Metaphors" by Sylvia Plath

The obvious metaphor in Sylvia Plath's poem "Metaphors" is that of pregnancy. The poem starts off by saying that it is a riddle and must be deciphered. The author then presents metaphor after metaphor; an elephant, a house, a melon, a red fruit, a loaf that is rising, money in a fat purse, a cow in a calf, and a bag of green apples. The poem itself is a riddle of nine syllables. The poem is nine lines long and each line consists of nine syllables. Pregnancy also lasts for nine months the the number nine is significant in this poem. When the reader imagines the metaphors in this poem , they can begin to put the pieces together. An elephant is very large, ponderous is another word for large,  a melon is round in plump much like a pregnant woman's belly, and when i red fruit is mentioned, one thinks of an apple or maybe a tomato that can also be compared to a pregnant woman's belly. The loaf of bread that is rising metaphor compares to a pregnant women's belly rising as the baby inside grows. The money in a fat purse compares the the expenses of having a child. The cow and a calf metaphor relates to how a women may be seen as a "cow" as she gets larger and larger as a pregnancy progresses. The bag of green apples metaphor also relates to the size of a woman's belly as pregnancy progresses. Last but not least, the last line is; "Boarded the train there's no getting off." This implies that the author knows that there is no escaping pregnancy; her life is forever changed and will never go back to the way it was before.

Explication of "First Snow" by Mary Oliver

Mary Oliver's poem starts out by setting up the scene of a snow storm beginning. As the poem progresses, the author asks; "why, how, whence such beauty and what the meaning" of the snow. The author here is questioning the meaning of snow and when and how winter actually begins. The author also uses the word "rhetoric" in the first couple of lines which takes this snowy winter scene from something of nature to a kind of dream or something that is not in reality. As the poem continues, a scene is set up which allows the reader to question why snow comes to us and what it means. The author uses the word "oracular" which is a prophecy, to add to the "rhetorical" scenario. The connection between snow and a rhetorical situation suggests that maybe snow is a magical thing and that we as humans are lucky to experience the phenomena of snow.

About half way through the poem, the snow has "finally ended" and everything is silent. This silence is described as "immense" and the author describes everything as still, peaceful, and beautiful. Even the trees are compared to castles of ribbon; "trees glitter like castles of ribbons." Towards the end of the poem, the questions from the beginning of the poem come back up and it is revealed that none of these questions will ever be answered.  The author ends the poem by bringing the silence and beauty of snow together as one.

Senioritis

Senioritis

When seniors in high school,
No longer think it's cool,
To have lots of homework,
And feel overworked.

This time of the year is very stressful,
And can be a handful,
For those who just want to be done,
With this so called "fun".

Seniors, though many may think they have it easy,
It is not and is far from breezy.
From chemistry, to math, to history, and more,
There is much knowledge to explore.

But in the end,
Around the final bend,
When seniors finally graduate,
They are not going to care that they learned about acetates.

What is of much importance,
As long as everything goes to accordance,
Is what the senior learns and can apply to their futures throughout high school,
That is what they will feel is really cool.

Explication of "Eating Poetry" by Mark Strand

To me, this poem has two very different meanings. The first being that maybe this poem is written from a dog's point of view. This poem could be about a dog who managed to get into a library and munch on some poetry. This is hinted when the narrator says that he got down on his knees to lick the librarians hand and it is also referred to when they narrator says that he snarled and barked at the librarian. Also, in the first like of the poem, it says "Ink runs from the corners of my mouth", this could also refer to  dog because dogs tend to eat in a messy way, unlike humans.

The second meaning that this poem may be depicting is a man who absolutely loves poetry. He loves it so much that he would just devour it as described in this poem. This entire poem could be just a metaphor that the author uses to compare poetry with something that the narrator loves to eat. This meaning is displayed to the reader when the reader does not pay attention to the very obvious references to a dog.

"To His Coy Mistress"

"To His Coy Mistress" or "To His Shy Girlfriend" in today's terms, is a poem about a man wanting a woman who is very shy and still a virgin. The man tries to convince this woman to have him by telling her that if they had an eternity he would treat her right. But, since life is not an eternity, the man just wants to get with her. The man also uses the woman's virginity against her by saying that if she doesn't have sex with him, then she's going to die and the worms are going to get her; "Thy beauty shall no more be found, Nor, in thy marble vault, shall sound My echoing song; then worms shall try." This part of the poem is basically saying, your beauty will not last forever and if you wait forever to lose your virginity, then you will die and the worms will try to take it. When translated into modern terms, this poem can be seen as very comical and also displays a man whom nowadays would be considered a "player".

Explication of "Talking to Grief" by Denise Levertov

This poem by Denise Levertov is personifying the human emotion grief and addressing it as a dog. The poem starts out by trying to coax in a homeless dog and by the end of the poem the dog is accepted into the household and the author says that it is her own dog. This comparison of grief and a dog is displaying how grief must be trusted and not put aside before it's too late; "before winter comes." When the author says "before winter comes" this can be inferred to represent death. If grief is never accepted into a person or a homeless dog is not accepted into a household, then death is expected. This poem is told in the first person. This poem can be a way in which the author is healing herself and allowing herself to cope with grief by comparing it to something that everyone can relate to. The homeless dog being brought into the narrator's home and eventually becoming apart of the household symbolizes the author coming to terms with her own grief.

Halloween

Halloween

The one day of the year,
when children dress up in what they fear.
They go out at night,
and despite their fright,
collect lots of treats.

After a long, cold night,
the children go home and see what they got.
They eat and eat until they are stuffed,
and go to sleep with a huff and a puff.

Halloween is the one day of the year where children can have fun,
but also live in fear.

Final College Essay

As a child growing up and undergoing the big change of high school, I was always seen as a shy, very unspoken person. At that time, I always pictured myself as a follower, not a leader. During my freshman year, I tried out for the junior varsity and varsity field hockey teams at my high school. I performed the best to my ability and ended up only achieving junior varsity even though varsity was the team I was striving for. My high hopes were crushed, but my head stayed held up high, as I wanted the varsity coach to see my strong passion for the sport. Well, my hard work paid off and after two games, I was asked to practice and play with the varsity team. This is where my journey begins.

After successfully completing my freshman field hockey season with more playing time than ever imagined as a freshman, the next season couldn’t come fast enough. Sophomore year came, and the itch to play was overwhelming. I was hopeful to learn and develop new skills. Sophomore year was difficult for me, especially during field hockey. I was dealing with self esteem issues and the smallest of mistakes on and off the field would put me down. I pushed through sophomore year, and set myself on the back burner to observe my team and their skills. My coach was a lot of help at this time as she saw the problems I was having emotionally. She pulled me aside one game and said to me, “take this year as a learning experience Lauren, and you will develop into the strong woman I know you can be.” On that day, my coach inspired me to believe in myself and those words have stayed close to my heart ever since.

Junior year came around and my confidence was up when entering the field hockey season. Preparing well during the off season, I was ready to play a competitive game. After all of the effort put in, I became a starter and played every minute of every game. As the end of the season approached, I started thinking about my role on the team and began to realize that I had developed some leadership skills all on my own. My teammates recognized this as well and elected me the senior varsity captain of the field hockey team. To me, this accomplishment is what drove me out of childhood and into adulthood. Being the leader of a team has taught me leadership skills and that being in charge of something larger than yourself is a great experience that everyone should have the privilege to undergo. Changing from the once shy, reserved girl, to a leader instead of a follower has changed my life for the better. If this opportunity had not been presented to me, my real voice may have never been found and who knows how different my life would be.

Nursing

I have thought long and hard about what I want my future to be like. Ever since I can remember, I have always wanted to go into the medical field. At first, I thought I wanted to become a veterinarian. Animals have always been a passion of mine but I have since realized that the animal medical field is not the path that I want to go down. This school year I am taking a medical assisting course through Biddeford Center of Technology. I never thought I would be good at working with people but this course has made me realize that working with people is what I want to do with the rest of my life. I want to become a nurse.

Doing something meaningful with life is something everyone should strive for. Though it is a lot of work and schooling to get into the position of a nurse who cares for people, it is all worth it. The end result is changing peoples lives one life at a time. I am very excited to begin the next step in my life and to eventually be someone who changes peoples lives everyday.

"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"

After reading this story by Joyce Carol Oates, I am left with many questions. I don't know if I am looking too much into the meaning of this story or if the meaning is truly hidden. When first reading this story, I thought it was about the main character Connie being harassed by this boyArnold Friend. To me, the story was telling me that Arnold is trying to get Connie to come for a ride with him so he can sexually harass her or kidnap her. There are many clues to this in the story. It is said that he is an older looking man, Connie has no idea who he is and he doesn't leave when she threatens to call the police. Up until the last paragraph of the story, I thought this was the case. The ending to me leaves the reader kind of confused, it did to me anyways.

After finishing the story the first time, I read the story again for a second time because I was not satisfied with my understanding of the story. After reading it the second time, I am still left guessing the meaning of the story. I am very curious to find out the actual meaning behind the story.

"The Shawl"

In Cynthia Ozick's short story "The Shawl", she uses certain language throughout the story to give the reader hints that her story is abut The Holocaust. The story begins describing how Magda is wrapped up in the shawl and how each family member is starving; "Magda took Rosa's nipple, and Rosa never stopped walking , a walking cradle. There was not enough milk; sometimes Magda sucked air; then she screamed" (290. The language used in these first opening paragraphs hint to the reader that the family described is desperate for food and is in deep despair. As the story progresses, the reader finds out that Magda, the baby wrapped up in the shawl, is being hidden at all times. The author hints to this by constantly repeating how Magda is silent all the time and is never revealed from the shawl. The author also begins to hint of the situation this family is in by using certain words. Ozick uses the words "yellow star" and "Aryan" which lead the reader to think that the story is about a family in the holocaust with a lady baby girl that has remained hidden in the shawl while the family is in the labor camp.

The symbolism of the shawl in this story is that of protection and the nurturing of the babies mother that the mother is unable to give. Magda has to be constantly hidden within the shawl in order to stay alive, otherwise she would be killed. The mother is unable to give her child what she needs due to many factors so the shawl serves as a way for the baby to stay alive. The shawl also serves as protection for the bay because she cannot be seen.

Life

This quote was given to me by my field hockey coach before one of our games for inspiration. We receive a quote before every home game that are all very inspirational, but to me this one stood out the most. In a very short amount of lines, this quote summarizes life. This quote talks about the good and bad aspects of life. I have this quote hanging on my mirror in my room so that I see it every morning and every night and it always makes me realize that everything that happens each day in my life, happens for a reason and that it is meaningful. Though it may not seem like at the time, all of life's challenges are for a reason and each and every sacrifice you make, will benefit you in your future. 

College Essay Rough Draft

Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

As a child growing up and even as I entered high school, I was always seen as a shy, very unspoken person. At that time, I always pictured myself as a follower, not a leader. As a freshman, I tried out for the junior varsity and varsity field hockey teams at my high school. I tried my best and ended up only achieving junior varsity even though I had dreamed about being selected for the varsity team. My high hopes were crushed, but I still kept my head up high, as I wanted the varsity coach to see that I had a strong passion for the sport. Well, my hard work paid off and after two games, I was asked to practice and play with the varsity team and this is where my journey begins.

I completed my freshman field hockey season with more playing time than I ever would have imagined and was excited for the next season to come. Sophomore year came, and the itch to play was overwhelming. I was hopeful to learn and develop new skills. Sophomore year was difficult for me, especially during field hockey. I was dealing with self esteem issues and would get down on myself when I made even the smallest of mistakes on the playing field. I pushed through sophomore year, and set myself on the back burner to observe my team and their skills. My coach was a lot of help at this time as she saw the problems I was having emotionally. She pulled me aside one game and said to me, “take this year as a learning experience Lauren, and you will develop into the strong woman I know you can be”. On that day, my coach inspired me to believe in myself and I have kept those words close to my heart ever since.

Junior year came around and I was confident when entering the field hockey season. I had prepared myself well and I was ready to play a competitive game. Once again, my hard work paid off and I became a starter and played every minute of every game. As my junior year season approached the end, I started thinking about my role on the team and began to realize that I had developed some leadership skills all on my own. As I approached the end of my junior year season, I was elected the senior varsity captain of my field hockey team. To me, this accomplishment is what drove me out of childhood and into adulthood. I have learned leadership skills and it has taught me that being in charge of something larger than yourself is a great experience that everyone should have to privilege to undergo. Changing from the once shy, unspoken little girl, to a leader instead of a follower has changed my life for the good. If I had never had the opportunity to find my real voice, who knows how different my life would be right now

Setting as Symbol in "Araby"

When the reader uncovers the meaning of "Araby", the reader can see that this story is actually about a boy who is torn between his religious beliefs and his feelings. The symbolic significance of the little boys quest in James Joyce's short story is to allow the boy to realize that the real world is not what he had fantasized about in his head. When he gets to the bazaar, after a very long time, it is revealed that; "Nearly all the stalls were closed and the greater part of the hall was in darkness. I recognized a silence like that which pervades a church after a service" (111). This "darkness" is very disappointing to the boy because the whole purpose of his journey was to buy something for Mangen's sister who is perceived as the narrators crush. The bazaar can be thought to symbolize the boys epiphany when he realizes that his religion and the way he was raised is not the way he wants to live.

There are many more symbols that lead up to the narrators epiphany. "The former tenant of our house, a priest, had died in the back drawing room" (107). The priest also refers to the religious significance of the story as well as the bazaar and the dead end or "blind side" of the street; "North Richmond Street, being blind, was a quiet street except at the hour when the Christian Brothers' School set the boys free. An uninhabited house of two storeys stood at the blind end, detached from its neighbors in a square ground" (107). The "uninhabited house" is a symbol of the church at the end of the street. Mangen's sister is a symbol for the narrator's feelings. Because of the way he was brought up with his religion, the boy is confused when he has all of these feelings for the girl. He doesn't know what to think due to his upbringing leading to the conflict between his religious beliefs and his feelings. All of these symbols converge so that the narrator has an epiphany by the end of the story. Each symbol signifies the narrator realizing that his religion is not how he wants his life to be therefore leading him to his change.

Nature

Nature 
By Lauren Russell

Hot air turns into a cool breeze,
Leaves turn all different colors,
And begin to fall from the trees.

No later the birds are in flight,
As the ground begins to turn white,
And the cool breeze turns into a winter chill.

Then the snow melts,
The flowers begin to bloom,
And the warm air can once again be felt.

Nature is a funny thing,
Constantly changing from hot to cold,
And cold to hot,
But nature is a beautiful system,
That never ever gets old.

The Story of an Hour Passage

"She knew that she would weep again when she saw the kind, tender, hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed gray and dead. But she saw beyond that bitter moment a long procession of years to come that would belong to her absolutely. And she opened and spread her arms out to them in welcome" (60-61).

"The Story of an Hour" is about a woman who is confined to a marriage where she has no freedom. Once the marriage is suddenly ended by the death of the husband, the woman is suddenly free to be what she wants to be without being held back by the person she thought she loved. Back when this story was written in 1894, women were expected to marry whom ever chose them. Once they were in this marriage, either the man would need to want out or the man would have to die in order for the woman to escape. This idea of men being dominant over woman during this time is mind blowing. What made men superior over women during this time? Women should have been able to make their own life decisions, not let them be chosen by a man. Today is very different from how it was in the 1800's. Women are free to to make their own decision about entering a marriage and are free to leave whenever they feel the need.

Field Hockey Captain

Being chosen to be the leader of a team is an honor. I have come to realize this as we passed our midway point of our season this past week. Being the captain of my field hockey team brings many responsibilities and also many privileges. I have grown a strong bond with my coach, fellow captains, and most importantly my team. It has also been very strange being a captain. I remember my freshman year when I looked up to my captains as great leaders and I wanted to follow in their exact footsteps. Now that I'm in that position, it doesn't seem real. And to think that it's almost all over, is even more unbelievable. I have the opportunity to play in college, but what will I do without the team that I have grown up with? To me, the scariest part of being a senior captain is the thought of never having the team relationship again. When the season does finally end, it's going to be very sad and I will definitely be crying.

Paul's Case Reflection

While I was reading "Paul's Case" by Willa Cather, I always just assumed that the plot was just about a troubled boy who couldn't find what made him happy in life. I never would have guessed that the story had to do with a young boy dealing with sexual orientation issues. I was very surprised when this topic came up in class because the thought had never crossed my mind. Now as I look back at the story, I see the hints that are given to tell the reader that the story is about Paul being homosexual. I understand why the author wrote the story this way because at the time, liking the same gender was considered a crime. This story has proven to me that when reading, I have to think outside the box and not assume the obvious.

"Everyday Use" Annotations

I chose to annotate this page specifically because it has a hidden meaning in a way. In order to understand what is going on, I had to dig deep. At this point in the story "Everyday Use", Dee has decided to change her name to Wangero in order to relate herself more to her African heritage. She also feels as though her family background isn't worthy of her. "I couldn't bear it any longer, being named after the people who oppress me". Dee thinks she understands her heritage, when actually her mother and sister know the true meaning. Also, Dee is the only family member with an education so she is basing her heritage off of what she has learned about the actual African culture and not the culture of her own family.

Never Let Me Go Wordle

In my wordle, the words that stand out the most are time, people, and brought. These three words all play a huge part in Ishiguro’s novel. The children, who are clones, but still people, are constantly thinking about the people in the outside world. The children also don’t have a lot of time to figure out what’s important to them in life and they are also brought into the world for one reason, to donate their organs. All of the other words in my wordle are the same size signifying that they are all important words, but not as commonly used as time, people, and brought. Some themes of the novel that are represented by my wordle are hope and willful ignorance. Hope is represented by the word people as the children always hope to be like a normal person. The theme willful ignorance is represented by the word time. The children are willfully ignorant to what their fates are and they don’t bother to ask questions throughout their lives and figure out what their purposes are.

The Future is Scary

I had my senior meeting this morning and it was quite overwhelming. It was like everything I had been pushing aside is now the priority. It is very scary looking ahead and realizing that in less than a year I will be starting a new chapter in my life. It is very strange because for the past twelve years of my life, I have been in the same routine surrounded by the same people. By this time next fall, I will be in a brand new school, with all new people and teachers, figuring things out for myself. It is amazing how fast my life has gone by so far, especially high school. Everyone always tells me to treasure these years, and now that they are already in the past, it makes me think about what I could have done differently. After my meeting this morning, I feel like I have finally realized that I am growing up and that I'm going to be out on my own in no time at all. The world is a scary place and to think I'm going to have to take it all on is terrifying. From now on, I am going to treasure each and every day remembering that life is only going to become more and more challenging as I grow older.

Never Let Me Go Homework Assignment

#1.

• One of many tragedies that Ishiguro incorporated into his novel Never Let Me Go was the cloning of human kind and how these clones were treated like outcasts and were misinformed their entire lives. The children never found out what their purposes were in life until they were all grown up. The children in Ishiguro's novel lived their lives based on the unknown. They were always curious as to what their purposes were in life but were always too afraid to ask because of the adults that they were brought up by. Another part of the tragedy is the fact that the children were clones and had no idea of their origins. The children did not have parents or family, all they had were themselves and each other. The children did not have any role models to look up to, they only had the teachers who barely gave them any attention. Also, another sad part of this tragedy was the children's actual purposes. The only reason they were originally brought into the world was to grow up to be an adult and donate their vital organs. The fact that the children weren't aware that this was their only purpose in life is very sad. Ishiguro incorporated many tragedy's into his novel and those tragedies become clear at the very beginning of the novel.

• Ishiguro might have chosen to present Kathy, Tommy, and their friends as fully resigned to their early deaths because Ishiguro wanted to show that the children really were misinformed about their fates and that they really did not have a clue as to what their real purposes were until they were fully grown up. Kathy, Tommy, and the others never tried to escape their ultimate fates because they didn't want to face what they were really up against. The children didn't want to believe what they heard and they always held on to the hope that there would be a way out that didn't involve escaping such as a deferral. The children wanted to believe that they were brought into the world for more than just their vital organs and the only way they could do that was to not face the truth. Ishiguro wanted the children to have hope despite what they heard and what the truth was. He wanted the characters to try their bests to lead normal lives until they were sent off for donations. He did just that by never making the children try to escape and always giving them things to hope for.

• In the final paragraph of Never Let Me Go, Kathy shows that she is in somewhat of a denial state. She has just lost her best friend Tommy, whom she has been close with her entire life and she is finding it hard to believe that he is finally gone. Kathy realized at that moment that she is completely alone in the world and has no one. She feels like all of her childhood memories are there in that field with the barbed wire because it is where all of the rubbish was stopped from blowing in the wind. This spot is where Kathy realizes that it is finally her time to stop "blowing in the wind" and face her true fate. Though Kathy is showing denial in this final paragraph, she is also showing courage. Now that she has seen one of her closest friends pass on due to his donations, she is ready to face her own fate. Tommy's death gives Kathy the courage to go on with her donations and end up the same way all of the other clones do. This field with the barbed wire is a turning point in Kathy's life. She sees all of her memories in this spot and finally feels like it is her time.

• Ishiguo's remarks in his interview relate to my own ideas about Never Let Me Go because I interpreted from the novel that Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth were all figuring out what really mattered to them the most towards the end of their lives. Ishiguro says in his interview that "Most of the things that concern them concern us all, but with them it is concertinaed into this relatively short period of time". I agree with his statement because the clones really didn't have a long time to figure out what they really cared about in the world because before they knew it, they were donating their organs. In my opinion, the children had to grow up very quickly in order to get a full understanding of their purposes. Otherwise, they wouldn't have enough time to understand and appreciate what was dear to them. I feel like I have plenty of time to figure out what's important to me because I've never had a reason to grow up fast. But in the clones case, they had to quickly figure out what was important to them, or else they wouldn't get much out of their short lives.

Poem

Mother and Child
By Eugene Field

One night a tiny dewdrop fell
Into the bosom of a rose,--
"Dear little one, I love thee well,
Be ever here thy sweet repose!"

Seeing the rose with love bedight,
The envious sky frowned dark, and then
Sent forth a messenger of light
And caught the dewdrop up again.

"Oh, give me back my heavenly child,--
My love!" the rose in anguish cried;
Alas! the sky triumphant smiled,
And so the flower, heart broken, died.


This poem mirrors The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the novel, the higher authorities of the church try to take Pearl away from her mother Hester, because she is believed to be evil. Of course, Pearl does not want this to happen and rebels, making the church believe even more that she is evil. In this poem, the child or "Dewdrop" is being taken away by the messenger and the mother is telling him to give back her child she believes is not evil. The author uses the word "heavenly" to show that the child is indeed not evil. The child ends up getting taken away in the poem and dies due to a broken heart. In the novel, Pearl ends up getting to stay with her mother and does not die. Both the novel and the poem contain a situation is which the child is being taken away from its mother, but each end differently.

Choice Novel Post

I chose to read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne as my book of choice. I chose this novel because the Salem Witch trials and that whole time period of the early settlements of Massachusetts really interests me. This novel was interesting to me, though it was hard to understand what was going on at times due to the dialogue, because of the plot and how it tied into the time period.. My favorite passage from the novel is, "She knew that her deed had been evil; she could have no faith, therefore, that its result would be for good. Day after day, she looked fearfully into the child's expanding nature; ever dreading to detect some dark peculiarity, that should correspond with the guiltiness to which she owed her being" (61). This is my favorite passage being it shows how serious the sin of adultery was to them and their faiths. If a person committed adultery back in that time, they were shunned for life. But now, in present time, adultery is something that happens everyday and it has little to no effect on the people who are committing it and our society as a whole. So this leads me to wonder, why was this such a huge deal to them and why were the people committing it, so shamed upon? I also wondered why Hester's daughter Pearl, the result of the affair Hester had with Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, is thought to have been evil just because of the way she was brought into the world? Another passage from the novel that stood out to me was, "'What do we talk of marks and brands, whether on the bodice of her gown, or the flesh of her forehead?' cried another female, the ugliest as well as the most pitiless of these self-constituted judges. 'This woman has brought shame upon us all, and ought to die. Is there not law for it? Truly there is, both in the Scripture and the statue-book. Then let the magistrates, who have made it of no effect, thank themselves if their own wives and daughters go astray!'" (36). This passage stands out to me because it also shows how serious adultery was to everyone else, not just people who were highly religous. Because Hester committed adultery, the other women of the settlement felt that they had also been shamed upon. Overall, this novel had a great plot and story behind it, but it was difficult to understand what was going on at times, so I don't think I would recommend this novel.

Never Let Me Go Passage 5

"Yes, there were arguments. But by the time people became concerned about...about students, by the time they came to consider just how you were reared, whether you should have been brought into existence at all, well by then it was too late. There was no way to reverse the process" (262-263).

This passage helps the reader to make sense of the theme portrayed by using the point of views of many people. The theme in this passage is conformity. Society in this novel, when deciding about the cloning of humans, did not think of any implications and just conformed to the idea. By the time people realized it was wrong, it was too late to go back. Everyone had a different point of view on the idea of cloning and once the process actually occurred and there were real human beings produced, people looked at them as different because they weren't so sure about the idea to begin with. People conform to many things daily because not everyone is willing to express their personal opinions. Due to this, many wrong decisions are made, and once people realize these decisions are wrong, they then want to express their opinions. That is exactly what happened in this novel. People conformed to the idea of cloning, so the wrong decision was made, and the outcome was hate towards to products of the decision.

Never Let Me Go Passage 4

"So for a long time you were kept in the shadows, and people did their best not to think about you. And if they did, they tried to convince themselves you weren't really like us. That you were less than human, so it didn't matter" (263).

This passage helps the reader understand the author's themes by using figurative language to compare the cloned children at Hailsham and the people who were not clones. The word "like" is used to show that the "normal" people and the cloned children were different according to society. The theme the author is trying to portray in this passage is ignorance towards these cloned children. The theme ignorance is portrayed throughout the novel, but this passage stands out the most because it is really portraying the meaning of the author's theme. The purpose of the clones was to raise them and donate their vital organs to the people who were putting them in the societal class of outcasts, when really their purpose was to help. The children are being compared to the normal people at the time as if they weren't human at all, when really the clones had emotions and feelings. The clones were just as much human as all of the other people but they were still looked down upon.

Never Let Me Go Passage 3

"We began going up a steeply climbing path, and we could see-maybe a hundred yards further up-a kind of viewing area right on the cliff edge with benches facing out to sea. It would have made a nice spot in the summer for an ordinary family to sit and eat a picnic" (174).

This passage helps the reader make sense of the theme by using word choice. The theme of this passage is in a way lost hope because the children know they will never live normal lives. The author chooses the word ordinary in this passage to show that the children know they will never be normal and live normal lives with normal families. The word ordinary defines what the children will never be. The most common and simple definition or ordinary is simple. The children are far from simple. They were brought into the world for reasons no ordinary person would understand. The children know that they will never be "ordinary" and this is shown in this passage. They compare themselves to other people because they know they are different. This signifies that the children have lost all hope of ever becoming ordinary.

Never Let Me Go Passage 2

"Your lives are set out for you. You'll become adults, then before you're old, before you're even middle-aged, you'll start to donate your vital organs. That's what each of you was created to do...You were brought into this world for a purpose, and your futures, all of them, have been decided" (81).

This passage helps the reader make sense of the author's theme by using societal implications. The theme of this passage is going against gods will. According to society, gods will for humans is to live their lives the way they want to live them, not to have a set destiny or certain set of rules. In this passage, the speaker is explaining to the students that they don't have choices in life, that their lives are set out for them. The children were created for one purpose and that was to donate their vital organs. This passage goes against everything that society has set out for the human race and against everything that society has implied as gods will. The children at Hailsham hear about life outside of the school they've spent their whole lives at and they all desire to do something out there. But since they were unlucky enough to be put in the lives they are in, they will never have a chance to do what they all dream to do. They do not have choices like the people they hear about and they all wonder why. All of the children have a rough idea about their destiny's, but none of them realize that they will never get exactly what they want in their lives, thus going against gods will.

Never Let Me Go Passage 1

"I don't know how it was where you were, but at Hailsham we had to have some form of medical almost every week-usually up in Room 18 at the very top of the house-with stern Nurse Trisha, or Crow Face, as we called her" (13).

This passage helps the reader make sense of the many themes in the novel by showing how the children at Hailsham had no choice on whether to be examined or not. Their lack of free will, which is the author's theme depicted in this case is shown in this passage by the speaker. The speaker, who is Kathy, uses tone to describe how uncomfortable these examinations were. She describes a specific place where these examinations occurred, Room 18, as if it was a place none of the children wanted to be. She also uses the word "stern" to describe one of the people who examined the children to show how uncomfortable the examinations were. She also calls the "stern Nurse Trisha" a name, "Crow Face", to show how much they all hated her. The tone used in this passage shows how the children at Hailsham were unable to change their futures, due to lack of free will, as they were forced to do many things that they do not want to do.

About me

Hi my name is Lauren Russell. I am motivated, understanding, caring, and sometimes shy, especially in the classroom. I am captain of the varsity field hockey team. I enjoy doing lots of things outdoors and I am an animal lover. My dream is to to become a veterinarian. I chose to take AP literature and composition for a couple of reasons. The main reason why I chose to take the class is because I want to become better at having discussions out loud and express my opinions instead of keeping them to myself. I also chose to take this class because I want to challenge myself and really sharpen my writing skills to prepare me for college. I look forward to a challenge this school year as well as lots of class discussions and fun!