Research
This topic of this seminar was assisted suicide and euthanasia. We were to discuss the Sue Rodriguez case, and if her rights to personal freedom and autonomy were ignored by the ban on assisted suicide. This seminar was focused on the question ‘who owns our bodies?’ This question challenges the basic rights of humans, who has the right to life and if anybody has the right to death.
Other information that I used to add to this seminar, I read an article on Robert Latimer from Saskatchewan. On November 4th 1993, Latimer euthanized his twelve year old daughter Tracy because she was suffering immensely from the disease cerebral palsy. Tracy Latimer was a 40 pound, quadriplegic twelve year old who had undergone dozens of painful surgeries in her short life span. Robert did not want his daughter to live a life of pain and discomfort, so in 1993 he laid her in the cab of his truck, hooked up a house from the exhaust into the cab if the car. Latimer watched his daughter die. After Tracey died and the police questioned Latimer, he told them exactly what happened. He was charged at first with first degree murder and then later with second degree murder. Latimer’s case gained national attention because of its controversial nature, and in 1997 his sentence was lessened as his crime was labelled ‘compassionate homicide.’ Latimer’s intentions were obviously for the sake of easing his daughter’s pain, but defence played upon the fact that Tracey had a good life, and though she was disabled her quality of life was fine and worth living. As of today, Latimer is on Parole, and did not spend 25 years in prison.
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Ovid
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
‘The Ages of Mankind’
4. The Golden Age is described as being perfect. There were no laws because mankind had no problems, they were all at peace.
The Golden Age changed to the Silver Age after Saturn ‘was driven to the shadowy land of death,’ and Jove took over the world.
The Silver Age is described as being ‘lower than gold, better than bronze.’ Seasons were made in this age; spring was shortened and winter was added for the first time. In this age men had to work.
The Bronze Age is described as an aggressive time that was evil, but not completely.
The Bronze Age ended when all evil was let loose into the world, this began the Iron Age.
The Iron Age is described as being completely evil and that all the good left the world. Mankind was violent, greedy, sly and plotting. This age was full of fighting. Also, the heavens were not at peace as giants were causing wars.
5. Jove’s intentions were to kill off the Iron Age humans because they were causing too much destruction in the world. Deucalion and Pyrrha survived the flood because they worshipped Corycian nymphs, native powers and then the oracle Themis. Jove saw them floating in the flood water and decided to let them live because they were ‘both innocent and worshipful.’
Book 10
Orpheus and Euridyce
13. Orpheus asks Persephone to be allowed into Hades so that he can bring back his wife who was killed by snake venom. He tells her that he has no interest in causing any trouble in Hades (he does not want to kill the three headed dog), he simply wants to bring back his wife because he has failed at living without her. The Underworld Gods allow Orpheus to bring back his wife Euridyce, but with one condition. Orpheus was not allowed to look at her until she was out of Hades completely and if he looked at her she would vanish and he could not have her.
14. Orpheus has the powers to control his readers/listeners with his words. He is able to break open his listeners weak spot with his words so that he can use there weakness to get a desired emotion.
15. The significance of the course of love Ovid follows after he loses Eurydices is that he refuses to love. He made a promise to his wife that he would only love her, and that is his only connection to her so he holds on to it tightly.
‘The Ages of Mankind’
4. The Golden Age is described as being perfect. There were no laws because mankind had no problems, they were all at peace.
The Golden Age changed to the Silver Age after Saturn ‘was driven to the shadowy land of death,’ and Jove took over the world.
The Silver Age is described as being ‘lower than gold, better than bronze.’ Seasons were made in this age; spring was shortened and winter was added for the first time. In this age men had to work.
The Bronze Age is described as an aggressive time that was evil, but not completely.
The Bronze Age ended when all evil was let loose into the world, this began the Iron Age.
The Iron Age is described as being completely evil and that all the good left the world. Mankind was violent, greedy, sly and plotting. This age was full of fighting. Also, the heavens were not at peace as giants were causing wars.
5. Jove’s intentions were to kill off the Iron Age humans because they were causing too much destruction in the world. Deucalion and Pyrrha survived the flood because they worshipped Corycian nymphs, native powers and then the oracle Themis. Jove saw them floating in the flood water and decided to let them live because they were ‘both innocent and worshipful.’
Book 10
Orpheus and Euridyce
13. Orpheus asks Persephone to be allowed into Hades so that he can bring back his wife who was killed by snake venom. He tells her that he has no interest in causing any trouble in Hades (he does not want to kill the three headed dog), he simply wants to bring back his wife because he has failed at living without her. The Underworld Gods allow Orpheus to bring back his wife Euridyce, but with one condition. Orpheus was not allowed to look at her until she was out of Hades completely and if he looked at her she would vanish and he could not have her.
14. Orpheus has the powers to control his readers/listeners with his words. He is able to break open his listeners weak spot with his words so that he can use there weakness to get a desired emotion.
15. The significance of the course of love Ovid follows after he loses Eurydices is that he refuses to love. He made a promise to his wife that he would only love her, and that is his only connection to her so he holds on to it tightly.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/rwanda.htm http://thinkexist.com/quotes/romeo_dallaire/ http://www.canadians.ca/more/profiles/d/d_romeo_dallaire.htm http://www.ushmm.org/genocide/analysis/details.php?content=2010-04-14 http://www.ucalgary.ca/pdsp/files/pdsp/pdsp-policy-brief_darfur_jan2008.pdf.pdf http://www.darfurscores.org/darfur http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Cambodia/South/Phnom-Penh/blog-93303.html http://www.davidmetraux.com/cambodia.html http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/13/sbm.cambodia.ponchaud/ http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/813400--why-did-ottawa-ignore-warnings-of-rwandan-genocide
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Autobiography Poem
Shonnie
Serious, not serious, big, small
Sister to sister's one, three and four
Lover of life and adventure
Who tries not to fear
Who only needs to laugh
Who gives it all I have to give
Who would LOVE to see the summit of Mount Kilimanjaru
Who loves living in Winona
Stevens
Serious, not serious, big, small
Sister to sister's one, three and four
Lover of life and adventure
Who tries not to fear
Who only needs to laugh
Who gives it all I have to give
Who would LOVE to see the summit of Mount Kilimanjaru
Who loves living in Winona
Stevens
Monday, June 7, 2010
Playing with Plays
Romeo and Juliet, Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia! No matter what play it is I always find myself overly excited thinking about them. The lasting effect of a play is derived from its flashiness in visuals and content. Sure, a good play should be pleasant to look at, but this is a shallow visual. A good play should show your eyes something deeper through its characters because they are the leaders of the situation and are the ones who take the audience through the plot. Strong characters make mediocre plots entertaining, dingy sets artistically stated and two hours go by fast. Characters are the decorative icing on the cake; they are able to hide whatever is buried within.
Also, a play should have at least one memorable factor so that the audience can leave the theatre and always remember those few details that made the whole play unique.
Overall, what makes a play good, and what people expect to see is the concept of interest. There isn't a soul in the world who wants to sit in a theatre for two hours watching dull and monotonic characters engaging themselves in a series of uninteresting encounters and dilemmas. Entertainment is the key.
Also, a play should have at least one memorable factor so that the audience can leave the theatre and always remember those few details that made the whole play unique.
Overall, what makes a play good, and what people expect to see is the concept of interest. There isn't a soul in the world who wants to sit in a theatre for two hours watching dull and monotonic characters engaging themselves in a series of uninteresting encounters and dilemmas. Entertainment is the key.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Children Essay
We were all young, back in the day. Those valued days when we played outside from sun rise to sun set; the days when we didn't care about anything but enjoying every minute and having fun. Then something happened, and life changed drastically. Days began to revolve around priorities and responsibilities; we grew up. Everybody grows up, it seems inevitable. The question is, what makes us different as adults from when we are children? What does it mean to be a child?
You can't break the spirit of a child, however, it is possible to breakdown a child's spirit into all its fragments to understand what exactly it means to be a kid. A child has a body-obviously; hands, feet, arms and legs, but not always. The pieces that make up a child go beyond just having a 'child's body', it's an intangible element hidden inside. Firstly, a child has an imagination like no other. When we were children, we were able to create worlds in our head out of thin air. Our imagination was powerful and a large part of what made us children because we allowed it to be important. Children don't let common sense take up much space in their minds. Secondly, a large part of being a child is the eagerness and the motivation to explore and experience. As children we all used to set out looking for great adventures where ever we could. This sense of journey is lost when we grow up, we push it aside to make room for investments and career choices. Thirdly, the best part of being a child is being naive and unknowing. Ignorance is bliss. The biggest curse is to know too much, because when you know a lot there is little left to discover. Also, knowing certain things can really bring a person down, especially a child. Knowing about the horrible things that happen in this world would rip the 'child' out of children. The biggest part of being a child, the main part is having an enormous heart. When we are children we care about the forgotten things pushed aside for vehicles and income tax. Children have the ability to love blindly because they have open hearts.
There are many things that a child is definitely not. For one thing, children are not judgemental or prejudice, these traits are not natural but are acquired later on if life. Children are not cruel, bitter, close minded, busy unimaginative, controlling, mean or practical. Children are not adults.
A child could really be called anything. 'Child' is only a word placed to make the meaning recognizable. Innocence, young, wild, magical, imaginative, empathetic, pure, new, fresh, any of these words work to describe what a child is. Being a child is more than being young, it's a state of mind, a feeling and a lifestyle. To be a child is to be the good of the world.
Everyone has to be a child at some time in their life. They have to be able to experience life through a carefree existence, where the world isn't bad, it's just big. Being a child is about enjoyment and getting the most out of every experience. As a child, everything is a great adventure, like the time you went on went tobogganing on a medium hill, the memory exists in your mind as an intense ride. The joy of being a child comes from the effects of experiences.
There are too many interpretations of what it means to be a child. Suggestions have been made that a child is merely an early existence. Youthfulness is not what it takes to be a child (botox made it inaccurate). There is more to it than a simple number. Truly, there is only one way to define a child, the only way that should be used to define. A child is a person who views life with an open heart and mind, who is able to take strong feelings away from every experience.
It's easy to grow up, time will even do it for you, but who really wants to? Childhood is an age of complete freedom, the only instance where time is kind. Childhood and its glory don't have to be swept away so quickly if people learn to believe in it and understand its definition. If everyone could live their life with an open mind and an open heart, we could remain being children, and the world could be...magical.
Childhood is magic, everything just seems right even if it doesn't always make sense. That is the beauty of being a kid. Life doesn't have to be explained for it to be beautiful, it can just be great just because.
You can't break the spirit of a child, however, it is possible to breakdown a child's spirit into all its fragments to understand what exactly it means to be a kid. A child has a body-obviously; hands, feet, arms and legs, but not always. The pieces that make up a child go beyond just having a 'child's body', it's an intangible element hidden inside. Firstly, a child has an imagination like no other. When we were children, we were able to create worlds in our head out of thin air. Our imagination was powerful and a large part of what made us children because we allowed it to be important. Children don't let common sense take up much space in their minds. Secondly, a large part of being a child is the eagerness and the motivation to explore and experience. As children we all used to set out looking for great adventures where ever we could. This sense of journey is lost when we grow up, we push it aside to make room for investments and career choices. Thirdly, the best part of being a child is being naive and unknowing. Ignorance is bliss. The biggest curse is to know too much, because when you know a lot there is little left to discover. Also, knowing certain things can really bring a person down, especially a child. Knowing about the horrible things that happen in this world would rip the 'child' out of children. The biggest part of being a child, the main part is having an enormous heart. When we are children we care about the forgotten things pushed aside for vehicles and income tax. Children have the ability to love blindly because they have open hearts.
There are many things that a child is definitely not. For one thing, children are not judgemental or prejudice, these traits are not natural but are acquired later on if life. Children are not cruel, bitter, close minded, busy unimaginative, controlling, mean or practical. Children are not adults.
A child could really be called anything. 'Child' is only a word placed to make the meaning recognizable. Innocence, young, wild, magical, imaginative, empathetic, pure, new, fresh, any of these words work to describe what a child is. Being a child is more than being young, it's a state of mind, a feeling and a lifestyle. To be a child is to be the good of the world.
Everyone has to be a child at some time in their life. They have to be able to experience life through a carefree existence, where the world isn't bad, it's just big. Being a child is about enjoyment and getting the most out of every experience. As a child, everything is a great adventure, like the time you went on went tobogganing on a medium hill, the memory exists in your mind as an intense ride. The joy of being a child comes from the effects of experiences.
There are too many interpretations of what it means to be a child. Suggestions have been made that a child is merely an early existence. Youthfulness is not what it takes to be a child (botox made it inaccurate). There is more to it than a simple number. Truly, there is only one way to define a child, the only way that should be used to define. A child is a person who views life with an open heart and mind, who is able to take strong feelings away from every experience.
It's easy to grow up, time will even do it for you, but who really wants to? Childhood is an age of complete freedom, the only instance where time is kind. Childhood and its glory don't have to be swept away so quickly if people learn to believe in it and understand its definition. If everyone could live their life with an open mind and an open heart, we could remain being children, and the world could be...magical.
Childhood is magic, everything just seems right even if it doesn't always make sense. That is the beauty of being a kid. Life doesn't have to be explained for it to be beautiful, it can just be great just because.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
classification essay
The Good. The criteria that makes a movie good is controversial; it’s been argued and defended and mangled and stretched. The truth is, what makes a good movie depends on the individual watching it, and what factors appeal to them. With this being said, for every movie watcher in the world, good movies are good because they feel complete to the viewer. Good movies successfully portray a combination of characters, setting and plot believably to the films intended theme. Along with successful portrayal and completeness, a good movie goes above and beyond expectations and delivers originality and creativity.
When I am 85
Being young is great. Our bodies are physically at their peak, everything is new and life is just beginning. It's part of our journey that most people have a hard time giving up because they fear the next stage of life, elderly. Not me. In fact, I feel that becoming old is the vacation spot of life, and being young is the drive to it. When you think about it, it only makes sense. Being old is having it all, knowledge, wisdom and experience, all of which are picked up on the road of being young. Growing old is the best part of life because you get to use everything you have experienced before.
That is why I plan on using my old age to its fullest unlike most people. When I am 85 I plan on having a lot of fun. I am going to be the little old lady who gets up for a nature walk at five o'clock every morning; who writes collections of novels on every piece of information she has ever learned. When I am older, I want to make things instead of do things.
The key item for me about growing old is that I don't give up on life. Life ends when I die. It sounds very obvious, but too many times people grow old and stop living life because they believe they can't.
Overall, I am not one hundred percent certain of what I will be doing when I am 85. What I do know is that I will be having a lot of fun, and doing crazy things that I was too busy to do when I was young.
That is why I plan on using my old age to its fullest unlike most people. When I am 85 I plan on having a lot of fun. I am going to be the little old lady who gets up for a nature walk at five o'clock every morning; who writes collections of novels on every piece of information she has ever learned. When I am older, I want to make things instead of do things.
The key item for me about growing old is that I don't give up on life. Life ends when I die. It sounds very obvious, but too many times people grow old and stop living life because they believe they can't.
Overall, I am not one hundred percent certain of what I will be doing when I am 85. What I do know is that I will be having a lot of fun, and doing crazy things that I was too busy to do when I was young.
The Fountain
Never in a million years would I want to see what happens in my future. Being able to see what will happen takes the surprise out of life, even if what you saw were horrible events that you can learn how to avoid. Negative experiences are part of life that are unavoidable and should not be avoided so that a person can experience life to the fullest.
I believe that what happens in your life aids you into becoming who you are. Different experiences teach you many lessons, and allow you to grow from your mistakes. There many unfortunate events in my past that I don't like, but I would not change them because I would not have grown into who I am today without them.
If I had a choice, I would definitely choose to go into my past and change one particular instance that I'd prefer to forget, and save myself years of embarrassment and mockery. I would change 'the fountain'.
My hair has its own style that I don't have any input on, it does what it wants to. Our relationship was very simple, my hair did its thing and I did mine and it worked. However, others never understood our relationship, especially my mother. She believed in controlling and taming hair rather than letting it express itself. Since she was my mother, I had to obey her laws in hair control techniques. My mom made the decision that the best style for my hair and its wildness was called 'the fountain'. 'The fountain' was produced by taking my top layer of hair and pulling it into a ponytail to the top of my head so that my hair stood upright and splayed out like water shooting from the top of a water fountain.
At the time, I believed my mother when she told me it was visually pleasing. Now that I look back, I can see that my mom was an amazing liar.
I believe that what happens in your life aids you into becoming who you are. Different experiences teach you many lessons, and allow you to grow from your mistakes. There many unfortunate events in my past that I don't like, but I would not change them because I would not have grown into who I am today without them.
If I had a choice, I would definitely choose to go into my past and change one particular instance that I'd prefer to forget, and save myself years of embarrassment and mockery. I would change 'the fountain'.
My hair has its own style that I don't have any input on, it does what it wants to. Our relationship was very simple, my hair did its thing and I did mine and it worked. However, others never understood our relationship, especially my mother. She believed in controlling and taming hair rather than letting it express itself. Since she was my mother, I had to obey her laws in hair control techniques. My mom made the decision that the best style for my hair and its wildness was called 'the fountain'. 'The fountain' was produced by taking my top layer of hair and pulling it into a ponytail to the top of my head so that my hair stood upright and splayed out like water shooting from the top of a water fountain.
At the time, I believed my mother when she told me it was visually pleasing. Now that I look back, I can see that my mom was an amazing liar.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Collection of Things Found
Musical Success
Band on the run,
Out of bounds,
It makes a difference
Communication
Internet
Interact
Intrapersonal
Graffiti is a Crime
Paint Can
Artistic Mind
Space on the wall
Into the World
Strength in self,
Open mind,
Don’t go without it
Band on the run,
Out of bounds,
It makes a difference
Communication
Internet
Interact
Intrapersonal
Graffiti is a Crime
Paint Can
Artistic Mind
Space on the wall
Into the World
Strength in self,
Open mind,
Don’t go without it
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Tea Party For Ten
I have decided that it has come the time to take flight into my anual social encounter. Usually, these events make me anxious, bored, and overall unimpressed, but this year, I have a plan. To make this chore more entertaining I have decided to invite special characters, so special that I should get an interesting reaction when I mix them all together.
Here is my Invitee List:
-Peter Pan for his free spirit
-Oscar Wilde for his witty and melancholic wisdom and remarks
-Edward scissor hands for his ability to stun and silence people
-Jack Skelington for his intimidating first impression
-The Queen of Hearts for defense mechanisms
-Santa Claus for his jolly good spirit
-Casper the friendly ghost for his gentle and king nature
-Headless Horseman for having a good head on his shoulders
-Achilles for his ruthlessness
-Cruella Devil for her cruelty and selfishness
I have chosen these characters, both heroes and villians because I would like to watch the combustion that is bound to occur. In my mind I predict it will start off a bit silent and stiff, but then I assume that Oscar Wilde will remark on the bulbousness of the Queen of Hearts head. She will then relpy 'Off with his head!' which will then trigger Santa Claus (played by Jack Skelington), who will try to make peace. Then, the real Santa Claus, I predict, will accuse Skelington as being a fake. As they enlope in an argument, Oscar Wilde and Peter Pan will begin a deep conversation of how much a waste adults are, and how they should keep growing into children in order to gain more knowledge. As they discuss and humourize, Cruella Devil will ask Edward Scissor Hands if he will pass the jam. Trying his hardest he will attempt for several minutes to pick up the slippery jar of jam with his scissor hands, which will inevitably anger Cruella, who will then roll into a series of insults such as 'Imbasule' and 'scissor-handed freak.' Upset that he cannot be of more assistence, Edward will raise try harder only to knock the jar of jam onto the gold armour of Achilles. Since Achilles is hot headed he will then push Edward into the Headless Horseman who will in defense swing his sword, only to accidently slash it through Casper the friendly ghosts chest. But because he is a ghost, Casper will not mind and forgive the headless horseman.
I am anticipating an interesting night.
DING!
And so it begins...
Here is my Invitee List:
-Peter Pan for his free spirit
-Oscar Wilde for his witty and melancholic wisdom and remarks
-Edward scissor hands for his ability to stun and silence people
-Jack Skelington for his intimidating first impression
-The Queen of Hearts for defense mechanisms
-Santa Claus for his jolly good spirit
-Casper the friendly ghost for his gentle and king nature
-Headless Horseman for having a good head on his shoulders
-Achilles for his ruthlessness
-Cruella Devil for her cruelty and selfishness
I have chosen these characters, both heroes and villians because I would like to watch the combustion that is bound to occur. In my mind I predict it will start off a bit silent and stiff, but then I assume that Oscar Wilde will remark on the bulbousness of the Queen of Hearts head. She will then relpy 'Off with his head!' which will then trigger Santa Claus (played by Jack Skelington), who will try to make peace. Then, the real Santa Claus, I predict, will accuse Skelington as being a fake. As they enlope in an argument, Oscar Wilde and Peter Pan will begin a deep conversation of how much a waste adults are, and how they should keep growing into children in order to gain more knowledge. As they discuss and humourize, Cruella Devil will ask Edward Scissor Hands if he will pass the jam. Trying his hardest he will attempt for several minutes to pick up the slippery jar of jam with his scissor hands, which will inevitably anger Cruella, who will then roll into a series of insults such as 'Imbasule' and 'scissor-handed freak.' Upset that he cannot be of more assistence, Edward will raise try harder only to knock the jar of jam onto the gold armour of Achilles. Since Achilles is hot headed he will then push Edward into the Headless Horseman who will in defense swing his sword, only to accidently slash it through Casper the friendly ghosts chest. But because he is a ghost, Casper will not mind and forgive the headless horseman.
I am anticipating an interesting night.
DING!
And so it begins...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Literal
Literal means that something is exactly the way it says it is, this is the reason I love Frank McCourt's Memoir of his childhood, ANGELA'S ASHES. Throughout the novel McCourt illustrates his take as a child; like how he believed the crazy stories that his father told him. It is ironic because the stories in which he believes to be the essence of truth, are meant to be figurative.
Moral
There is one book turned movie that has had a major impact on me, so much, that everytime I read or watch the book, I walk away with so many valuable thoughts about life and how I want to live it. It is INTO THE WILD by Jon Krauker. It is a story about the journeys and life of Christopher McCandless, a glorified vagabond on a journey out of society and into the wilderness. McCandless and his beliefs and journeys have opened up a whole new side of me, and has made me stronger as a person. For example his life story has showed me how controlled people's actions are by society.
Symbolic
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is the epitomy of symbolism as the wild things in the book are a symbol of every characteristic of the main character Max. I fell in love with this story when I was little and still am because they all symbolise me too. Every person goes through different feelings throughout their entire life and WILD THINGS sheds a light on how normal it is to feel different things.
Emotional
A lot of time when I read books, I care for the characters who I read about, but only while I am in their world. Once I put the book down, I seperate myself from them and go on my life. That is the way I like it, I turn to reading for an escape from my own world so that I can have a place to relax. In one case, the characters stuck with me and came with me into my own world. The characters were from the book ANNE FRANK:MEMORIES OF A CHILDHOOD FRIEND. The main character is Hannah Gosslar, a friend of Anne Frank. I always admired Anne but I truly feel for Hannah. In the book I watch her grow under horrendous circumstances. At the age of fourteen she and her family are sent to a concentration camp where she lived for four years. What makes me so emotionally drawn to her is that it was just so unfair. I read about her and saw her potential for such amazing opportunities which are brutally taken from her. I thought about how much I would hate that in my own life and empathized with her.
Hyberbolic
My Name is Earl. This is my favourite show because of its comedic value. It's extremely funny, but there is always a message at the end. What makes this show so funny is the exaggeration of its characters such as Joy (the crazy, trailer park ex-wife) to Randy (the daft younger brother).
Literal means that something is exactly the way it says it is, this is the reason I love Frank McCourt's Memoir of his childhood, ANGELA'S ASHES. Throughout the novel McCourt illustrates his take as a child; like how he believed the crazy stories that his father told him. It is ironic because the stories in which he believes to be the essence of truth, are meant to be figurative.
Moral
There is one book turned movie that has had a major impact on me, so much, that everytime I read or watch the book, I walk away with so many valuable thoughts about life and how I want to live it. It is INTO THE WILD by Jon Krauker. It is a story about the journeys and life of Christopher McCandless, a glorified vagabond on a journey out of society and into the wilderness. McCandless and his beliefs and journeys have opened up a whole new side of me, and has made me stronger as a person. For example his life story has showed me how controlled people's actions are by society.
Symbolic
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE is the epitomy of symbolism as the wild things in the book are a symbol of every characteristic of the main character Max. I fell in love with this story when I was little and still am because they all symbolise me too. Every person goes through different feelings throughout their entire life and WILD THINGS sheds a light on how normal it is to feel different things.
Emotional
A lot of time when I read books, I care for the characters who I read about, but only while I am in their world. Once I put the book down, I seperate myself from them and go on my life. That is the way I like it, I turn to reading for an escape from my own world so that I can have a place to relax. In one case, the characters stuck with me and came with me into my own world. The characters were from the book ANNE FRANK:MEMORIES OF A CHILDHOOD FRIEND. The main character is Hannah Gosslar, a friend of Anne Frank. I always admired Anne but I truly feel for Hannah. In the book I watch her grow under horrendous circumstances. At the age of fourteen she and her family are sent to a concentration camp where she lived for four years. What makes me so emotionally drawn to her is that it was just so unfair. I read about her and saw her potential for such amazing opportunities which are brutally taken from her. I thought about how much I would hate that in my own life and empathized with her.
Hyberbolic
My Name is Earl. This is my favourite show because of its comedic value. It's extremely funny, but there is always a message at the end. What makes this show so funny is the exaggeration of its characters such as Joy (the crazy, trailer park ex-wife) to Randy (the daft younger brother).
Saturday, February 20, 2010
The Encounter That Wasn't
'Hey! Watch it you jerk.' I turned around to see the face of the idiot who had slammed their shoulder into mine. As I approached the one-eighty mark my face slammed into the face of...myself?
I stood face to face with an individual who was identical to me. I had no idea of what was going on, in fact, I had no idea of where I was or even who I was. Everything became unfamiliar, my thoughts crashed into each other like cars and I was gasping for air. My sense of knowing dripped down the walls of my head, I was disoriented.
I stared hard into the eyes of the person standing in front of me, looking for the answer to the question I didn't even know I was thinking.
'What's going on?' I asked with as much strength as I could force out of my quivering lips. The person who I was facing just stood there, staring blankly past me. I repeated my question several times before I gave up.
I checked out my surroundings. All around me was black. I could not see any walls or doors, it was all an endless open space of darkness. Blood was rushing to my head and I began to feel dizzy, everything was spinning around me. All of a sudden, the never ending space began shrinking, I was about to be compacted by what resembled a black hole.
The only light I could see was the glow of the unfamiliar person who was the exact replica of myself. I ran over toward the clone planning on shaking the information out. I reached out to grab hold of the shoulders that had bashed mine, only to smash my hands into a glass wall that stood between us. I slapped and punched the glass wall in fury. I didn't know what was happening and I didn't want to be left alone. I banged the glass with my fists as if I was attempting to break through it. To be honest, I had no idea what my plan was, only that I did not want to be suffocated by the walls of endlessness closing in on me.
The amount of force that I was hitting with shattered the glass wall to tiny shards. I looked up, I wanted to see that face that had been staring so blankly. Nothing. I looked up to see more blackness. It had been a mirror I was looking at, it was me who I was face to face with.
Still, nothing made sense. What did any of it mean? I was so alone, I didn't even have myself for company any more. Claustrophobia (which I never knew I had) set its claws into me as the black walls became close enough to touch my shoulders. I was hyperventilating, and anxious of what was to come. My shoulders were being squeezed by an invisible black force. Tighter and tighter, I had no room to inhale, I felt my heart stop.
...
I woke up to the same four white walls that I had seen for God knows how long. I rolled out of bed and tiptoed on the cold tile floor to my mirror. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked onto the mirror. Nothing. I was alone.
I stood face to face with an individual who was identical to me. I had no idea of what was going on, in fact, I had no idea of where I was or even who I was. Everything became unfamiliar, my thoughts crashed into each other like cars and I was gasping for air. My sense of knowing dripped down the walls of my head, I was disoriented.
I stared hard into the eyes of the person standing in front of me, looking for the answer to the question I didn't even know I was thinking.
'What's going on?' I asked with as much strength as I could force out of my quivering lips. The person who I was facing just stood there, staring blankly past me. I repeated my question several times before I gave up.
I checked out my surroundings. All around me was black. I could not see any walls or doors, it was all an endless open space of darkness. Blood was rushing to my head and I began to feel dizzy, everything was spinning around me. All of a sudden, the never ending space began shrinking, I was about to be compacted by what resembled a black hole.
The only light I could see was the glow of the unfamiliar person who was the exact replica of myself. I ran over toward the clone planning on shaking the information out. I reached out to grab hold of the shoulders that had bashed mine, only to smash my hands into a glass wall that stood between us. I slapped and punched the glass wall in fury. I didn't know what was happening and I didn't want to be left alone. I banged the glass with my fists as if I was attempting to break through it. To be honest, I had no idea what my plan was, only that I did not want to be suffocated by the walls of endlessness closing in on me.
The amount of force that I was hitting with shattered the glass wall to tiny shards. I looked up, I wanted to see that face that had been staring so blankly. Nothing. I looked up to see more blackness. It had been a mirror I was looking at, it was me who I was face to face with.
Still, nothing made sense. What did any of it mean? I was so alone, I didn't even have myself for company any more. Claustrophobia (which I never knew I had) set its claws into me as the black walls became close enough to touch my shoulders. I was hyperventilating, and anxious of what was to come. My shoulders were being squeezed by an invisible black force. Tighter and tighter, I had no room to inhale, I felt my heart stop.
...
I woke up to the same four white walls that I had seen for God knows how long. I rolled out of bed and tiptoed on the cold tile floor to my mirror. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked onto the mirror. Nothing. I was alone.
Into the Blue
You would have never guessed what happened. In the wonderful, blue depth of the Pacific Ocean I met a mermaid.
It occurs to me how unbelievable this may seem, mermaids are purely a fictional character meant to lull children to sleep with the sweetness of bubble gum fairy tales. They do exist, and I met one.
I was searching for my golden pocket clock which I had lost in the midst of an unusual storm that left as quickly as it had come. I was sifting through the sand at the beach-the last place I had been before the storm and where I assumed I had lost my pocket clock. As I dug through the sand I remembered that I had taken off my jacket in the cave farther down the beach, and that my golden pocket clock was in my jacket's inner pocket.
I was making my way down to the cave when I heard a loud shriek that echoed from the stone walls. I ran toward the cries expecting to find a victim of the monstrous storm. What I found was a mermaid, washed up by a rogue wave. I stood at the entrance to the cave in bewilderment. Her face was as pretty as a cupcake. She was everything and more that I had ever imagined a mermaid to be. My little girl dreams of meeting a mermaid came true.
As beautiful as she looked sitting in that cave, she had a look of distress from being out of water. I helped her get back to the water, where the sand bled into the salty ocean. She swam out into her aquatic world, her head above water. She turned so that she was facing me then raised her arm until it was vertically straight above water. Inside of her lightly clenched fist was my golden pocket clock. I swam out to retrieve my precious heirloom. Just as I reached her, she pulled me under, into her world of blue.
With a smile on her face she led me on a tour of her home. She led me deeper and deeper into her world and showed me the constant paradise that remains below sea level. The water moved with us in perfect harmony. It was lovely to be in the big blue and in the company of a mermaid.
From the corner of my eye a silver streak flickered in and out of sight. My heart beat quickened as I mustered up the courage to look over my shoulder to see what it was. Behind me was a gigantic, ferocious shark. I grabbed at the mermaids arm and tried to pull her to protection from the monster that was coming toward us. To my horror and surprise she ripped her arm from my grip and swam towards the demonic beast. I was terrorized, that was until I watched the mermaid run her hand soothingly along the creatures side. Never in my entire life had I seen a shark be friendly and gentle, all the sharks I had seen on TV were made out as blood thirsty killers. Watching the friendliness between the mermaid and shark made me think twice about the presumptions I made about things, without having any evidence to support it.
After our encounter with the shark, the mermaid led me to a mountain of rusted and eroded pocket clocks and other random items of value. Each worn down item was a person, someone who let their narrow minds keep them from following the unknown. Each item fled at the first sight of the shark, or didn't dare follow the mermaid into the water. It saddened me to think that most people never gave her or the shark a chance to prove themselves.
As I emerged from the water and made my way back to land, I made a promise to myself to never judge something before I know what it is. For the mermaid and the shark, I was going to open my mind. And I swear to you that is exactly how it went down.
It occurs to me how unbelievable this may seem, mermaids are purely a fictional character meant to lull children to sleep with the sweetness of bubble gum fairy tales. They do exist, and I met one.
I was searching for my golden pocket clock which I had lost in the midst of an unusual storm that left as quickly as it had come. I was sifting through the sand at the beach-the last place I had been before the storm and where I assumed I had lost my pocket clock. As I dug through the sand I remembered that I had taken off my jacket in the cave farther down the beach, and that my golden pocket clock was in my jacket's inner pocket.
I was making my way down to the cave when I heard a loud shriek that echoed from the stone walls. I ran toward the cries expecting to find a victim of the monstrous storm. What I found was a mermaid, washed up by a rogue wave. I stood at the entrance to the cave in bewilderment. Her face was as pretty as a cupcake. She was everything and more that I had ever imagined a mermaid to be. My little girl dreams of meeting a mermaid came true.
As beautiful as she looked sitting in that cave, she had a look of distress from being out of water. I helped her get back to the water, where the sand bled into the salty ocean. She swam out into her aquatic world, her head above water. She turned so that she was facing me then raised her arm until it was vertically straight above water. Inside of her lightly clenched fist was my golden pocket clock. I swam out to retrieve my precious heirloom. Just as I reached her, she pulled me under, into her world of blue.
With a smile on her face she led me on a tour of her home. She led me deeper and deeper into her world and showed me the constant paradise that remains below sea level. The water moved with us in perfect harmony. It was lovely to be in the big blue and in the company of a mermaid.
From the corner of my eye a silver streak flickered in and out of sight. My heart beat quickened as I mustered up the courage to look over my shoulder to see what it was. Behind me was a gigantic, ferocious shark. I grabbed at the mermaids arm and tried to pull her to protection from the monster that was coming toward us. To my horror and surprise she ripped her arm from my grip and swam towards the demonic beast. I was terrorized, that was until I watched the mermaid run her hand soothingly along the creatures side. Never in my entire life had I seen a shark be friendly and gentle, all the sharks I had seen on TV were made out as blood thirsty killers. Watching the friendliness between the mermaid and shark made me think twice about the presumptions I made about things, without having any evidence to support it.
After our encounter with the shark, the mermaid led me to a mountain of rusted and eroded pocket clocks and other random items of value. Each worn down item was a person, someone who let their narrow minds keep them from following the unknown. Each item fled at the first sight of the shark, or didn't dare follow the mermaid into the water. It saddened me to think that most people never gave her or the shark a chance to prove themselves.
As I emerged from the water and made my way back to land, I made a promise to myself to never judge something before I know what it is. For the mermaid and the shark, I was going to open my mind. And I swear to you that is exactly how it went down.
Magnetized
Mr. Magnets Current State Of The Union
February 13th 2010
IN
Living ON the fridge
North end of the magnet
Opposites attract
Falling in Love
OUT
Living UNDER the fridge
South end of the magnet
Similar suck
Falling out of love
Mr. Magnets Current State Of The Union
February 14th 2010
IN
Happiness
Scenery from the top of the fridge
Loving somebody
VALENTINES DAY<3
OUT
Misery
Scenery from the bottom of the fridge
Loving nobody
Every other day
Mr. Magnets Current State Of The Union
February 15th 2010
IN
Heartbreak
Dying alone
Crying
Under the fridge
OUT
Hearts
RELATIONSHIPS
Laughing
Valentines chocolates
On the fridge
February 13th 2010
IN
Living ON the fridge
North end of the magnet
Opposites attract
Falling in Love
OUT
Living UNDER the fridge
South end of the magnet
Similar suck
Falling out of love
Mr. Magnets Current State Of The Union
February 14th 2010
IN
Happiness
Scenery from the top of the fridge
Loving somebody
VALENTINES DAY<3
OUT
Misery
Scenery from the bottom of the fridge
Loving nobody
Every other day
Mr. Magnets Current State Of The Union
February 15th 2010
IN
Heartbreak
Dying alone
Crying
Under the fridge
OUT
Hearts
RELATIONSHIPS
Laughing
Valentines chocolates
On the fridge
Thursday, February 11, 2010
HUNGRY
If books were food and I was hungry I would eat:
Tuck Everlasting because
Simplicity is a value that I appreciate in food and literature. Tuck everlasting is like a chocolate chip cookie: it's sweet and simple, but there is still surprise in both, the chocolate chips for the cookie and the unexpected decisions of the main character Winnie for the book. As well as the cookie, Tuck Everlasting is a classic that is impossible to not love.
Where the Wild Things Are
Sometimes, I feel like eating something different, something exciting, something WILD! Where The Wild Things fills that void the same way that a vegetable stir fry would-through a whole spectrum of flavours. It all comes together as one main taste just as all the wild things and max come together through their immense differences to form one big group to satisfy. On the days where I want a rainbow of flavour I turn to Where The Wild Things Are...and vegetable stir fry.
The Picture Of Dorian Gray
I would eat The Picture of Dorian Gray when I was looking for something that was bold and clever just like a grape fruit. Both the fruit and the book are bittersweet and are completely ingenious. They are both odd, unique and satisfying and exceptionally fruity:)!
The Other Boleyn Girl
Sometimes I am looking for something rich that isn't necessarily healthy like chocolate cake or The Other Boleyn Girl. Once you get a taste of both, you are left wanting more and more. They may not be a healthy choice but it's still fun to splurge on both once and a while.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
There's times when the only way to calm my stomach is to eat something that is subtle and a little salty like crackers, or The Boy In The Striped Pyjama's. Crackers and the book have a calm taste that doesn't overwhlem my stomach, but doesn't make it feel that much better either. The ending of the book is sad and extremely misleading just like the effect of the crackers which I thought would calm the unsteadiness of my stomach. But still both the crackers and the book I love because they both mean well.
Tuck Everlasting because
Simplicity is a value that I appreciate in food and literature. Tuck everlasting is like a chocolate chip cookie: it's sweet and simple, but there is still surprise in both, the chocolate chips for the cookie and the unexpected decisions of the main character Winnie for the book. As well as the cookie, Tuck Everlasting is a classic that is impossible to not love.
Where the Wild Things Are
Sometimes, I feel like eating something different, something exciting, something WILD! Where The Wild Things fills that void the same way that a vegetable stir fry would-through a whole spectrum of flavours. It all comes together as one main taste just as all the wild things and max come together through their immense differences to form one big group to satisfy. On the days where I want a rainbow of flavour I turn to Where The Wild Things Are...and vegetable stir fry.
The Picture Of Dorian Gray
I would eat The Picture of Dorian Gray when I was looking for something that was bold and clever just like a grape fruit. Both the fruit and the book are bittersweet and are completely ingenious. They are both odd, unique and satisfying and exceptionally fruity:)!
The Other Boleyn Girl
Sometimes I am looking for something rich that isn't necessarily healthy like chocolate cake or The Other Boleyn Girl. Once you get a taste of both, you are left wanting more and more. They may not be a healthy choice but it's still fun to splurge on both once and a while.
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas
There's times when the only way to calm my stomach is to eat something that is subtle and a little salty like crackers, or The Boy In The Striped Pyjama's. Crackers and the book have a calm taste that doesn't overwhlem my stomach, but doesn't make it feel that much better either. The ending of the book is sad and extremely misleading just like the effect of the crackers which I thought would calm the unsteadiness of my stomach. But still both the crackers and the book I love because they both mean well.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The Big 25
Here are the top 25 things I like to write about:
- Myself, all three of me
- Personal opinions on pressing matters
- Movies thats are NOT stupid
- Significant people who have done great things
- INTERESTING events in history
- Animal Rights movements and progress
- Sociatal issues and its intense impact on EVERYTHING
- Life and its mysterious ways
- Christopher McCandless and his numbered days
- Tim Burton and his world
- My own imagination and creations
- Mermaids: )
- Indie Bands<3
- REAL music
- Adventure
- Abstract aspects of...things
- The NATURAL world
- The HUMAN world
- Monsters
- The Killers
- Truth
- Memories
- HAPPY endings
- The moon
- ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that I can
: )
Blogula
Hey.
My name is Shonnie Stevens. I am and forever will be a student of the world. I love learning new things about everything and anything.
Creating pieces of work is my favourite thing to do because it keeps my voice alive even after I am gone. Writing to me is an opportunity to live forever which is a pretty sweet deal.
What I love most about writing is that reading it is the best way to know somebody. Writing comes straight from the depths of a persons mind and imagination which is the most interesting part of every human being.
'I love talking about nothing. It is the only thing I know anything about.' Oscar Wilde
PS. Oscar Wilde is AMAZING he knows EVERYTHING: )
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