Spring Break

What a treasure it was to be in Florida for Spring Break. The Orlando weather was quite an escape from the gray, cold I left behind in Batesville.

In Orlando's Universal Studios, I rode my first huge roller coaster. I had not been missing anything. Turns out, I hate roller coasters. I got off the ride which shaky arms and legs from holding so tightly to the bottomless seat. I was motion sick as well. Dueling Dragons, never again.

While all the amusement parks were generally great fun, I was quite home sick. I missed my family, especially my sister Hannah, and all the friends I left behind. I kept thinking of what they would say about everything we did. Especially the sarcastic comments.

Gone with the Wind

Change is inevitable. How many times have you heard that adage? Cliche but true. This theme is embedded throughout Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. The spoiled princess Katie Scarlett O' Hara evolves steadily through the plot.

She begins the story as a conceited, wide eyed, innocent girl. She is completely unaware of the politics of the soon to begin Civil War.

"There won't be any war, and I'm tired of hearing about it." Scarlett

Pg. 5 Paragraph 5

At the end of the war, Scarlett emerges cold, hard, bitter, with a keen sense of business. She single handedly saves her family estate while dealing with the death of her parents.

She goes into each of her marriages for a different need. To make someone jealous, for financial security, for thrill.

Margaret Mitchell was a master at capturing the humanity and humility of a desperate lady in hard times. She captures how the essence of a person changes. As the war took different turns, so did the people of the South.

The people begin jubilant and fancy free as the Confederacy leads the beginning of the war. Slowly they turn into remnants of the 'Good Ole' Days' as goods and specialities become scarce and as Sherman ravages their home.

1037 pages-3 books

To Perfect My World....

No one can say this world is perfect. Just think how much our home could improve with a few tweaks-or rather drastic changes.

To change our world, I would:

-Begin a mandatory etiquette school.

-Make it necessary for everyone to listen to U2. And frankly, act like Bono and Co. themselves.

-Make it necessary for citizens to watch documentaries of groups of people many are prejudiced against.

-Let people release their inner child.

-Find ways to distribute food to starving countries.

-End intolerance of all forms.

No world is perfect, but the joint forces of all our people can help it. For the better.

Answering "The Call of the Wild"

Dogs snarling. Teeth baring. Growls echoing. Jack London illustrates the dogs' fights with a clarity I've scare encountered. His novel, The Call of the Wild, has been my favorite assigned novel in class this year.

Jack London's Buck, though a dog, was an easily relatable character. Buck learned quickly how to survive in the brutal wild of the Yukon. I remembered my own changes as I entered the savage high school I now attend. Buck kept you rooting for him through the whole novel.

Jack London's style was very compelling. His descriptions of every aspect were full of clarity and vividness. They were exact and appealing without being flowery and fussy.

The Call of the Wild was a book that could aimed be toward both genders. It was full of violence and danger and thrill for the restless, antsy boys. Girls could just as easily fall in love with the loyal, loving Buck.

I would recommend The Call of the Wild to anyone-girl or boy, child or adult.

The Tragic Tale of Antigone

Juliet=Antigone?

It always begins with feuding families and forbidden love. Reading Sophocles' Antigone, I couldn't help but notice the blatant similarities between this play and of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. 

Having previously read Bill Shakespeare's play, the plot of Antigone seemed very familiar. Haemon and Antigone's opposed relationship was near identical to that of Romeo and Juliet's. Also, both twosome committed suicide to deal with the toils proposed by their families. 

Unlike Romeo and Juliet, Sophocles was written in a language much easier to decipher and comprehend. The language gave way to the time period through 'pop culture' references of the age through myths and legends of the people. 

While often moving, I would not recommend Antigone for leisure reading. The work is too short to connect to the characters and is lacking the compelling romance of Shakespeare's ever living classic.

The Art of Persuasion

"Please? Please! May I?" the young girl pleads. It was just like what I did to get my sister Hannah out of trouble when she yelled.

I went in with a strategy formed in my brain. I had to make sure I was respectful to my parents at all times. First, I told my parents that I understood where they were coming from with their punishment. Then, I nicely asked if I could make a revision. Hunt was granted the privilege of an "alone" date at the movie theatre many years before Hannah and I. I asked if he could go with a group to chaperone the couple. I also asked if they would take away Hannah's grounding for berating Hunt. she yelled at Hunt not our parents. Hannah did have a right to be angry after all. She was upset that she was being babied while Hunt- two years below her- had more freedom. I told our parents to apologize to Hannah for hurting her feelings and that all of them should explain themselves and move on. My strategy to change my parents' mind was a lot like the one Haemon used to change Creon's, his father, mind in Antigone, written by Sophocles. Haemon also built up his father's confidence-as evidenced by lines 644-647.

"Father, I am yours, and as you have me,

You guide the best course for me to follow

No marriage will ever be more important to

me than justly carrying out your precepts."

When I went in complimenting my parents' punishment for Hannah, I mimicked Haemon's plot. Haemon, too, respected his father's authority-as evidence by lines 697-699.

" I don't how I could say you don't

Speak correctly,  but sometimes another

Man's opinion is also right."

When I discussed my discretions with my parents' sentence, I too used my manners and a respectful tone to make my tries for releasing Hannah more prone to success. 

My efforts to save Hannah from her unjust punishment were a success. My parents followed through with my advice, and they did not think I spoke out of turn. Hannah was happy with the results, and Hunt was not angry with his freedom being suddenly limited. My plan worked because I kept a respectful tone to my voice. I asked permission to edit my parents' verdict and used manners through the whole discussion. It also worked because I compromised. I didn't say everything my parents said was rubbish, and I based my opinions on Hannah's feelings and thoughts.

My parents were more willing than Creon, but it still took effort and thought to sway them. In the end, however, I won them over.

Sophomore Year-Thus Far

My sophomore year at Batesville High School has been a year of firsts.

It began with a first day at high school which was both thrilling and terrifying at the same time. I was elated with the feeling of being older, more mature. All the while, I was scared of what my teachers would make of me and what the upper classmen would think as the 'newbies' entered the door. I walked doe-eyed through the hall searching for the room number of the upcoming class and a familiar face who might know their own way around and could help me.

It was a year of first struggle with friends. My year was full of tears as we all adjusted to how we were changing just as those all around us were. Where did we stand anymore?

It was year of first trust as my parents finally saw me as old as I saw myself. I wasn't a baby anymore. They believed that right along with me.

It was a year of new technology with a new blog started. 

It was a year of finally being proud of my work. 

It was a year of first independence.

The semester ended with my first license-a first real freedom. I thought I felt big entering the front doors in August. That day was nothing compared to how I felt driving with my sister to Sonic for a sorely needed Dr. Pepper. 

The year is only half through. I know many more firsts are promised to me. 

After all, this has been a year of change.