CM1135 Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf #2

Okay so I thought I did both posts for this book already, but it turns out I only did one. I'm really thanking myself for taking the time to look back over my posts and realize one was missing! I was sure I already did this second post, but oh well. I guess I imagined it or something.
Anyway, Mrs. Dalloway wasn't such a bad book I suppose. It was hard to get through and picking up the rhythm of the way it was written was hard at first, but once you get used to it it flows pretty well. It also helps to read it out loud and add in some punctuation, that way you don't get lost so easily. Overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the book when it was done. I was kind of sad when Septimus killed himself because I really thought he was getting better, he was talking to his wife and they were spending time with each other like they used to. Even she noticed that he was being more like his old self, and it made me sad that he killed himself just when things started to be getting back to normal. I did like the ending of the book though, and I'm glad Clarissa finally realized how fake she had been being for all that time. Sometimes it takes someone else's tragedy to make you realize your own life. Clarissa looked at Septimus' death as a comment on her life, and she finally realized her own mortality. She was in her fifties and it took her all those years to finally realize who she really was. It's sad, really. I don't want to look back on my life and regret the things that I've done. I don't want to wish things were different, and I'm glad I know who I am. I don't have everything I want in life yet, but I'm still young and there's lots of time to live life to the fullest. I hereby vow to never "trifle" my life away.

CM1135 Research Paper #2

I think the best thing about research papers is getting to learn more about your topic. For example, I had no idea Ted Hughes cheated on Sylvia Plath until I looked it up. I didn't know she had kids, and I also didn't know that she admired Virginia Woolf. It's funny, but this semester I've really grown to love a couple authors I didn't even know existed before. The Bell Jar is full of heavy material, but it's one of the best books I've ever read. I don't care about books full of sparkling vampires or hunky werewolves, I love reading stuff that's significant to someone's life and has great themes. It's the whole reason I liked Animal Farm when we studied it in high school, it had historical significance. If you knew nothing about the Russian Revolution it would have just looked like a bunch of animals fighting and making their "society" worse.
In the same way, The Bell Jar shows the reader how hard living back then was for women who weren't stereotypically feminine. If you didn't want to settle down with the first man who asked you to marry him, what did you do? Sure, some women were independent and happy, but what about the others? Others like Esther who had trouble with the fact that she didn't want things society told her she should. They had the hardest time, of course, because being indecisive might have been one of the hardest things in your life. When Esther says she doesn't want to marry Buddy he calls her crazy. He doesn't understand why she would pass up an opportunity to be with someone who would eventually be a successful doctor and make buckets of money. But that's just not what she wants. Men like Buddy think they can just chain a woman down solely based on the fact that they're easy on the eyes and they make money. But the fact is, if it's just not the life you want to live then there's nothing anyone can do. Esther didn't want that kind of life, so she turned him down. She couldn't live the way she wanted to, and eventually it took a major toll on her psychological well-being. I can't help but wonder, if Esther were to live in this day and age, would she still have suffered her breakdown? I really don't think so.

CM1145 #14 Psychological Analysis

In class right now we're working on our last essay, and I decided to do a psychological analysis. I'm torn between Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath because they both went through mental illness and ended up committing suicide because of it. Virginia Woolf stuffed her pockets with rocks and then proceeded to drown herself in a lake. Sylvia Plath stuck her head in an oven and turned on the gas... I can't decide which is worse. At least nobody got hit by a train in any of the stories this semester.

CM1145 #13 To Tell, or Not To Tell?

I read this essay in class about whether doctors should withhold information about a serious illness to a patient. Would going easy on them, and not letting them know the seriousness of their condition, really benefit them? If they don't know their tumor is inoperable, would they be more inclined to keep their hopes up? Maybe. But in the end this could come with some serious disappointment, so it raises the question: to tell, or not to tell?
In my opinion, if you trust a doctor enough to examine you in the first place, you should be able to trust them to tell you if something is wrong. If you're going on a family vacation, should they withhold the information until you get back? In some cases, waiting could mean the difference between life or death. I mean, sure people are sometimes more optimistic if they know there's a shred of hope, but what would they do if they knew there wasn't? Why, they would get things ready for when they're gone, of course. If someone is dying they have a right to know. They should have time to write a will and maybe even do some last minute things before they kick the bucket. The could reclaim a friendship, rebuild some bridges that have been burned, even pay off some of their loans so their kids don't have to deal with it when they're gone. Likewise, if you knew you were dying would you just sit there and take it? Or would you rise up and fight whatever it is that's trying to take your life? Most people would fight until they had absolutely nothing left, and they wouldn't give up very easily. The fact of the matter is, you can't try to fight something off unless you know you have it. Trust should be one thing that's between you and your doctor.

CM1135 Research Paper #1

Choosing a topic for my research paper was definitely hard to do this semester. No matter how bad they were while I was reading them, I did actually end up enjoying every book we studied so the choices were very broad. In the end I decided to do my independent project on comparing and contrasting The Bell Jar with Sylvia Plath's life, and what I found out was pretty shocking. All the events in the novel actually did happen to Plath in some way or another, with the names changed of course, and that explains why the novel is such an amazing read. Sure, I knew it was semi-autobiographical but not to the extent that it actually is. It turns out that Sylvia Plath actually wrote for Seventeen Magazine and won a contest just like Esther Greenwood did. She also threw her clothes off the roof of the hotel as it's described in the book... She later had to go borrow an outfit from a friend because of it, and that's how readers know it actually happened. I just thought it was so interesting to read about Sylvia Plath's life and connect it to Esther because once you read the novel and Plath's biography, it almost seems like one in the same. It's crazy (no pun intended).
Another thing I found interesting was that the character Marco was based on Sylvia's ex-husband Ted Hughes. He was apparently a womanizer type, just like Marco, and when Sylvia refused to kiss him he forced himself on her and she actually bit his cheek. He ended up ripping out her earrings in anger, and yet she still found herself attracted to him. It shows how much of an unhealthy relationship she has with men, I guess.
Another thing is the part of the novel when Esther loses her virginity and she ends up hemorrhaging and bleeding everything. Apparently this happened to Plath, too. She supposedly had an odd relationship with an older man, and he ended up raping her and she almost died from blood loss because of the hemorrhage. If you were to read the novel and Plath's biography you would swear her and Esther were the same person.

CM1145 #12 Why We Crave Horror Movies

I read this essay in class the other day and I loved it. It's Stephen King explaining why people love horror movies, and he's absolutely right! He says that "the horror film has become the modern version of the public lynching", which is exactly right. In the old days people were executed in public, and it's crazy how many people actually went out to watch these things. Better yet, it's insane how many of them actually enjoyed such a spectacle. Insane? No, not really. Killing and violence is human nature, and it has been for thousands of years. The fact that we've enjoyed seeing other people in pain shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, mostly because of how much we still enjoy it. It's like watching a car wreck or a train derailment... Sure you feel bad for the people involved, but boy is it interesting. You just can't look away, even if someone is lying on the ground next to their own severed head. That's why horror movies are great: you can watch people get killed in ridiculous ways from the comfort and safety of your couch. You can even enjoy some snacks in the process, I mean it doesn't get any better than that.

CM1145 #11 Nine Beginnings

In class the other day we had to read an essay and answer some questions on it, and one of the essays I chose was by Margaret Atwood. She's a fantastic writer, and some of the things she said in the essay really stuck out to me. The first thing was that she said writing requires abdicating self-consciousness and I fully agree with her on that one. She says she can't remember the writing process when she thinks back to it, and that's because she doesn't pay attention to it. When you're writing something really good you just let yourself go and get sucked into that world you're creating. You don't pay attention to what you're doing, it just flows naturally. I know exactly what she's talking about, and I guess that's why it made so much sense to me when I read it. She's brilliant.
Something else she said really stuck out, and that was the fact that writing and reading helps you learn to write. Absolutely! I literally can't count how many books I've read, and that's probably what helps my writing so much. It teaches you different styles, how to make characters memorable, and how to create amazing worlds to get lost in for hours. Having trouble with your writing? Read a book!

CM1145 #10 Pet Peeves

I had to do this post, I could not resist. There are some people in this world who disregard the importance of grammar completely and it drives me absolutely insane. I realize I'm not perfect when it comes to the subject, but I try my best and that's what counts. Here's a list of things that make me want to throw my computer when I read them:
1) People who shorten words that are already short. "Hey wot u doin 2nite" is not a proper way to ask someone a question. Please watch out for flying dictionaries that might be coming from my direction.
2) People who think they know grammar, but unfortunately they don't. "It's your and you're. Get it right, your in college". Yes, this is an actual post. It makes me very sad.
3) People who don't know the difference between "their", "they're", and "there". THEY'RE over THERE getting THEIR things together. Please know the difference, or you will be forced to return to middle school immediately.
4) People Who Capitalize Every First Letter In A Sentence. No... Just, no.
5) PeOpLe WhO tYpE lIkE tHiS. When did this start being appropriate? Seriously, people. Come on.
6) People who use numbers in their sentences. "Omg th4t5 s0 c00l"... No, it is most certainly not cool!
7) People who refuse to use question marks. How am I supposed to know it's a question if you don't use the mark? That's what it's there for!
8) People who don't use any punctuation in their sentences at all and they just let them run on forever even when there's a question like why are people so mean but they don't include anything at all they just keep going and magically expect you to know which sentences are separate they assume you know exactly what they are talking about when really you're just sitting there wanting to throw things
9) People who use the abbreviation "bbg". This one is self explanatory. Just don't do it.
10) People who edit their pictures with song quotes on them, and they spell things wrong. I laugh out loud, but really I'm crying on the inside.

CM1145 #9 Blogging

The inevitable has happened... I'm writing a blog on blogging. I knew it would happen sooner or later because honestly I'm running out of ideas here. It's hard to keep track of everything we do in class then later write it in an entry, but I'm doing my best! I mean, it's not so bad once you get the hang of it. Actually, this is my first blog. Ever. I've written things otherwise, and I do, of course, have a journal, but this is entirely different. It's cool to think that something I've written had been put into the public sphere.
At the beginning of the semester last year we had to do a blog, and after a couple entries I really started to like it. Giving my opinions on things like poetry and short stories is a really great learning experience, and doing a blog is a very good idea for an English course. Props to whoever's idea it was! I'm really enjoying it.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath #2

What I really liked about this book was that it was super easy to read, and it was interesting. I started reading it at work one night cause, well, I was bored. And before I knew it, I was a hundred pages through. It took me two and a half shifts at work to read it, and I'm so happy I did. It was a great book.
The second half of the novel was a lot different than the first part. I'd like to point out that before I started reading this novel I didn't know what a bell jar was. Thankfully I looked it up before I got to the point where it actually mentions it in the book and I knew what it was talking about. If I were ever to get stuck inside a bell jar and feel disconnected to the world, I'm really not sure what I would do. It seems like a terrible place to be, and returning from that place isn't easy. The thing that shocked me the most was when I learned that the book was parallel to Plath's own life, and it mimicked her decent into madness as well as Esther's. She committed suicide just months after the book was published, and the reason this book is probably so powerful because it was written with some truth behind it. The book actually contains many references to real people in Plath's life, of course with their names changed and things like that.
Esther is a really messed up girl, and she just keeps getting worse and worse as the novel progresses. The part of the book that got to me the most was when she said she just wanted to lose her virginity so she could get even with Buddy, the guy she had been dating off and on. It didn't seem like something any girl who was in her right mind would do. I don't know, I think that was one of the indications that let me know she wasn't all there. Also, how she keeps trying over and over to lose it and when she finally does she ends up bleeding all over the place. Being a girl, it just wasn't something that was very pleasant to read. I can't imagine one of my friends showing up on my doorstep with a bloody towel hanging from between her legs because she lost her virginity to some guy she just met and ended up hemorrhaging.
This novel was very easy to read, but it was also full of some very heavy stuff. Especially in the end when Esther's friend commits suicide and gets found in a tree outside the hospital she's admitted to. It caught me by surprise because she seemed genuinely happy, but apparently not. I guess you can't really judge anyone by what you see on the outside. Because after all, you never really know what's going on inside someone's head.

CM1145 #8 Causal Arguments

This week in class we learned how to do causal arguments, and I'm kind of excited to do an assignment on it. I've decided to do mine on how The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time changed video games forever. It's one of my favorite games of all time, and despite beating it like ten times I still love playing it. It revolutionized the gaming world, and call me a nerd if you wish but I love The Legend of Zelda. It was the first video game to be bought before it was released or could be played. How did they do this, you ask? Well, a pre-order of course! That's right, the game to give birth to the business of pre-orders. Cool, right? Well, I thought so. I guess I should probably leave the rest of this stuff for my paper.

(Fun fact: I actually have a Legend of Zelda tattoo... Forever a nerd)

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath #1

I have to say, I really enjoyed this novel. Esther was a very memorable character, and even in the beginning I was compelled to keep reading. It starts out kid of slow, but it gets better fast. It's about Esther, a girl who goes to New York for a month, and her spiral into a breakdown. Throughout the novel she gets crazier and crazier, but from the very beginning you can see that she isn't completely there. The way she thinks about things makes you realize that something isn't right with her, even from the start. She leaves her friend, who is obviously not well because she vomits on the floor, outside her room in the hotel. She just leaves here there in the hallway, doesn't even let her in to sleep on the floor even. I'm pretty sure any normal person would have let her in, given the condition she was in (and even if you were annoyed), but Esther just leaves her to fend for herself. I think that was my first indication something wasn't right with her. Throughout the novel Esther tries killing herself a number of times, and they are very frail attempts at first. She is too scared to cut her wrist, so she cuts her leg. She tries to drown herself, but she floats back up. Then finally she decides she's had enough... She gets a bottle of pills, leaves her mother a note saying she's going for a walk, then she goes down to the cellar and tries to overdose. To her dismay, she's found and brought to the hospital and is admitted to an asylum shortly after.
I also really liked this novel because it reminded me of a book we studied in high school, Catcher in the Rye. She reminded me a lot of Holden Caulfield at certain points, and they do have a number of similarities. They both look normal on the outside, and try to act normal, but their actions and thoughts depict something far from normal. Even if Esther was crazy, she was a very memorable character and I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

CM1145 #7 Rhetorical Analysis

Right now in class we're working on a rhetorical analysis on an editorial, and it's actually quite interesting. I'm doing mine on an article that argues how text messaging is negatively impacting language skills. I have to say that I agree, to a degree, that this claim is true. Kids these days don't realize how easy they have it, I mean all their phones are equipped with spell-check and their grammar is still terrible. It's sad, really. I hate going on Facebook and seeing "omg lol ttc bbg". Like come on now, that's just horrible. Are people really so lazy that they can't even spell out full words anymore?
Yes, I am guilty of texting a lot but at least I have the decency to fully spell words. The word "you" should not be reduced to "u". It's two extra letters! Come on people, it's not that hard!

CM1145 #6 The Einstein of Happiness

We had to read an interview called "The Einstein of Happiness" for homework, then answer some questions on it. Honestly, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would. Patricia Freeman interviewed a man named Allen Parducci, who basically studies happiness. I thought it was interesting because it shows happiness from a couple different viewpoints and tells you different ways on how to be generally happier. The one that caught my attention the most was about a woman died of cancer in her mid-thirties, and she was the happiest person he had ever met. It was like "a party every night", she didn't let her disease slow her down and she was still able to enjoy the rest of her life. Another thing that caught my attention was how Parducci talked about people he knows who won the lottery, but the money didn't make them any happier. It was the complete opposite of what one might think, because people think if they have more money they will have a happier life, but this was certainly not the case. I'm the kind of person who puts no meaning on money. I mean, only to get the things I really need, but other than that it's not really an object. I'd rather live in a little run down apartment with someone I absolutely adore than live in a gigantic house with lots of expensive toys. I mean, if you had all that stuff you'd never see the person you love. What's the point? Also, I vowed a long time ago that I would never take a job that requires me to work long, terrible hours that keep me away from home. If I'm making enough money to support whatever I need, then that's good enough for me.
One thing Parducci said that makes people unhappy is something I'm very guilty of doing: having a "when this happens I'll be happy" attitude. I'm really bad for that, and I'm always stuck in the future. "When I go away to university, then I'll be happy" "If I get a high mark on this essay, then I'll be happy". I always do this, and I hate that it's such a habit. The trick to real happiness is to "stop and smell the roses". You know, focus on the little things in life. I'm trying to do this more and more every day instead of sticking to my old "if, then" attitude. Appreciating what you have instead of focusing on what you don't is the key to a happy life.

"I think some people are just born to be happy." - Allen Parducci

CM1145 #5 Compare/Contrast

Today in class we were on the subject of comparative essays. Since it's pretty much the only thing we learned in high school English (thanks, guys), pretty much all of us know how to write them perfectly. While blindfolded, while whistling a jaunty tune, while juggling, or even while driving, all because it has been drilled into our brains. Seriously, it's like the only thing we did in high school. Yes, Mrs, I know how to spot differences. Can we please just do something we haven't done a hundred times before? Please? No?
Anyway the part I enjoyed about the class was the activity we did, which was picking two TV shows, two movies, or two books and comparing them. Naturally I stuck to what I knew, so I compared Family Guy to American Dad. Two classic examples of Seth MacFarlane's comedic genius, and definitely in my top 5 favourite TV shows. Not that I really watch a lot of TV, aside from Glee, but it was nice to get to choose something I know very well.

I suppose comparative essays aren't the worst thing in the world. I could be watching Jersey Shore, right?

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf #1

I wanted to do a before and after post with this book because I've just started reading it, and I can't say I like it a whole lot. I just wanted to do this to see if maybe my opinion changes about it. I'm not very far in, although I do hope to finish it this weekend, but I'm having trouble getting through it. The way it's written is not a style that I'm used to, or a style I've read before, so needless to say it's taking some time to read it. This far I can't really establish much about the novel, but after our first lecture in class I've learned a few things. First of all, the whole book takes place in a day. It revolves around 19 year old Mrs. Dalloway planning a party, and it's mostly written in third person point of view. Since it takes place in London, Big Ben is always chiming away in the background symbolizing the passing of time. Not just literally, but figuratively as well. It represents Mrs. Dalloway aging and coming to terms with some things. And although the novel is written about one day, it really reveals a lifetime. We learn that Mrs. Dalloway's parents have passed away, and she pays great attention to detail.
The one thing I do like about the writing style so far is that it lets the reader see into the minds of other characters, not just focusing on Mrs. Dalloway. There are many characters that come in and out of the frame and it makes it more interesting because we get to see how everyone is connected. When everyone is in the park watching the airplane make shapes out of smoke, Woolf looks into the mind of an insane man sitting on a park bench. It's interesting to see how his mind works in different ways than the other characters. At the same time, his wife is doing all she can to hide the fact that her husband is insane because she doesn't want anyone to know. Seeing into her mind shows the reader that even though the man she loves is insane, she sticks by him and tries to conceal it from everyone.
After the lecture I am kind of excited to get through the rest of the novel just to see if my opinion changes. Right now I'm not really enjoying it, but the themes sound pretty good and I'm interested to see what other literary devices Woolf has used in her novel.
Also, I learned a lot about Virginia Woolf in terms of her life. Before today I didn't know that she committed suicied, or that she was slowly going insane. There was death all around her, and she tried her best to perservere, but in the end she knew she was going to a dark place so she decided to end her life. She didn't know if she would ever exit her sorrow, so why even try I suppose. Nip it in the bud, right?

CM1145 #4 Interviews

Yesterday we took notes on doing interviews and how to properly prepare to do one. First of all I'd like to say that I really wish we learned how to do more relevant things in high school, because they don't really give a whole lot of preparation for what we actually need to do in college. I mean, yeah in career class I did an interview and yeah I had to write it up and stuff, but it was nothing like this. It was just a list of questions and answers, there was no compiling it into an article or anything like that. Plus interviewing my grandma and asking her how things have changed wasn't really that big of a learning experience. Yes, I love her and all, but I already know what things were like back then. After all, isn't that what history class is for?
Anyway I did some thinking and I decided that if I could interview anyone in the world (I decided that whole "who would you have dinner with in heaven?" thing was over used, so I didn't include dead people in my brainstorming) it would probably be Lemony Snicket. Author of an absolutely incredible book series, A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket (which is, of course, only a pen name. His real name is Daniel Handler) remains somewhat of a mystery to me. I've always wondered a lot about the series, and the "Unauthorized Autobiography" book is just a mystery in itself. Not a whole lot of questions get answered, and it just makes you more curious. I've compiled a list of questions that I would ask:
What really happened to Mr and Mrs Baudelaire?
Why was Count Olaf such a jerk?
What happened to Isadora and Duncan Quagmire after they flew off in the hot air balloon?
What in the world became of the Baudelaire orphans?

I'm honestly afraid to ask the last question because the poster I got from "The Beatrice Letters" has some debris from a shipwreck, which was the last thing they did in the very last book. Assuming they did crash their boat and drown, I really don't want to know.

Also, the movie compiled the first three books into an hour and a half with Jim Carrey. Not good.

CM1145 #3 Collaborative Writing

The assignment we're currently working on in class right now is collaborative writing, something I'm pretty new to. Being shy has some disadvantages, so I've never really written anything with anyone else. Needless to say, this will be a learning experience I'll remember. But it's not so bad, I mean I thought it was going to be a little weird at first but things are going just fine.
We decided to do our essay on A Separate Peace, by John Knowles, because we all have different opinions about the novel. Personally I thought it was really good, I liked the plot and how dark the book became once all the conflict started kicking in. It even freaked me out when Gene started wearing Finny's clothes, talk about a creepy guy. The thing that novel taught me was to make sure you never make your friends incredibly jealous of you because they'll end up shaking you out of a tree, breaking your leg, and eventually killing you out of jealousy.
Book rating: 6.5/10

 "Its high, somewhat stiff collar against my neck, the wide cuffs touching my wrists, the rich material against my skin excited a sense of strangeness and distinction;" - Gene while wearing Finny's shirt

CM1145 #2 Book Reviews

Okay so, we have to do a book review for class and I'm seriously loving it. Getting to review one of my favorite books of all time is like a dream come true. Yes, I know I'm a nerd. But in all seriousness, I love this book. Welcome to the not so distant future, where adolescents are pinned against each other in an arena to fight to the death. It gives a new meaning to the saying "last man standing", and by standing I really mean alive. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Hunger Games.

(... The book will always be better than the movie.)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey #2

In my last post I briefly mentioned the fog that surrounded Chief Bromden, and I would like to elaborate on that a little more.
Insanity takes many forms in this book, and for Chief his insanity is represented by a fog that he sees in his mind. The fog usually overcomes him whenever he is on medication, or after he has received Electro Shock Treatment (EST). Chief used to be afraid to get lost in the fog; so afraid that he would take to yelling just so the nurses and aides could "find him", when in reality he wasn't really gone. This was not received well, and every time it happened he would end up back at the EST door and would be engulfed in fog once more. I think the reason the Chief fears the fog so much is because it reminds him of when he used to be in the army. When the planes would land, they would be surrounded by a man made fog so they could remain hidden from the enemy. Chief, while having a flashback, says that he was always scared he was going to get lost in it. He would look so hard that when he finally saw something it would be clearer than he had ever seen something in his life. I think the fog in the asylum reminds him of that and he is scared to get lost in it. However, after a while Chief discovers that he likes to hide in the fog. He usually gets ignored when he is in it, and he thinks that nobody can see him because it's so cloudy, so he just minds his own business. He decided that it's not so bad to get lost in the fog after all.
I like that his insanity is represented by something the reader can keep track of. And by that I mean, it's something you can realize is going away little by little. The more McMurphy gives him strength, the more the fog goes away. One night Chief even goes over toward the window in the ward and looks out, for what seems like the first time he has done this in a very long time, and he sees a dog. He notices things, he begins laughing, he breaks his silence and talks about his life to McMurphy. After a while he even starts talking to the other guys on the ward, and this shows how much he has transformed throughout the novel. He gets his confidence and identity back, and in the end the fog is lifted for good. McMurphy sacrifices himself to give Chief the strength to escape the asylum and return to the world outside.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

First things first, let me begin by saying that I really loved this novel. It was hard to put down because things just kept happening that made me want to keep reading it. Randle Patrick McMurphy was a perfect character in this book, and his struggle against Nurse Ratched kept me laughing and rooting for all the boys until the very end.
McMurphy really reminded me of a Newfie, mostly because he was nice, loud, and he loved to be the center of attention. He loved gambling, booze, and women. I think he was the perfect character to take on Nurse Ratched because of how opposite they were. She was very cold and mean, and at times it seemed like she just did things to put down the boys in the hospital. The boys looked at McMurphy as if he were a saviour to them, kind of a Christ-like figure, and he was almost like a father to them. He taught them how to laugh again, he tried his best to keep their spirits up, and he reminded them of the people they used to be before they were lost in the asylum. My favorite part of the book was either the fishing trip, or the party on the ward. I liked the fishing trip because it lets the reader see how all the boys are transforming, and how they got their confidence back. Even the doctor seems to be in better spirits when he catches his monster of a fish. And most of all, Chief, who had completely lost who he was, was reminded of his old self while out at sea. It reminded him of the times he used to go fishing with his dad, and he even laughs while on the boat. It was just really great to see that the boys were happy and carefree for once, not like they are while being belittled by the Big Nurse.
Secondly, I liked the party on the ward because it shows the wild sides of the boys. Chief picks up McMurphy and one of the prostitutes and runs down the hall with them in his arms, which is completely out of character for him. It really showed how happy he was to be letting loose for once, and not worrying about the things he usually has on his mind. The fog literally and figuratively had been lifted from him. It was amazing to finally see that side of them all.

CM1145 #1 Emotional Appeals

The other day in class we did an essay on types of appeals. You could choose either an emotional appeal, a logical appeal, or an ethical appeal. I chose to do an emotional appeal because I thought it might be easiest to do. Finding an emotional topic was a lot easier than finding either of the other two, which is pretty much what I predicted. I chose to do my emotional appeal on gay marriage because it's a topic that hits close to home. I know what it's like to be discriminated against because of your sexual orientation, and I figured it would be nice to get my side of the story across. Being denied rights because of the way you were born is absolutely devastating, and I think that's what people need to understand the most. Gay people are still people, we don't bleed a different color and words still hurt. Coming back from class and finding the word "faggot" written on your locker in permanent marker can do a lot of damage on a persons spirit. I know people are sometimes scared of things they don't understand, but the only thing they need to understand is this: heartbreak feels the same, no matter your orientation. When you get rejected, it still hurts. When you get your first kiss, it makes you feel like you can fly. The first time you tell someone you love them and they say it back, it's amazing. And it feels that way whether you're straight or gay. Being discriminated because you like a certain gender shouldn't be something people have to worry about, but it is.
I liked being able to write on any topic because I didn't know if I'd ever get a chance to voice my opinion on these things in an academic manner. I liked writing something and actually knowing that it would be read. I want to spend the rest of my life knowing that when I find the right person I can marry them if I want to. Whether its a girl or not shouldn't matter. The best thing my mother ever did was hug me and tell me she would love me no matter what. Everyone should have support, no matter if they're gay or straight. Nobody should have to face that kind of confusion alone.

www.itgetsbetter.org

The Wars by Timothy Findley #2

I have to say, I did really enjoy this novel. Throughout high school we learned about the effects of war and what they can do to a person, but this book really takes you through the actual journey. Robert Ross started off as an innocent young boy who loved his sister and enjoyed life. He was inexperienced, and hadn't even had his first sexual experience with a girl. I think the part that moved me the most was that he was forced into manhood. He didn't seem like the type to be able to kill anyone, or even point a gun at another living creature. But somehow he managed to rise to the occasion every time a situation called for it. In the trenches when he sees the gas coming over towards them, he takes charge and a memory from his elementary school days gives him the insight to survive. He remembers that the ammonia in urine neutralizes the chemical in the toxic gas, and he's able to save most of the men who are simply scared to tears.
This novel also reminded me of the short story, also by Timothy Findley, Stones. The main character David Max is a loving father who cares for his family. He signs up for war and suddenly everything changes. He returns thin and frail, just a shell of the man he used to be. He drinks constantly and ends up abusing his son, Ben Max, and even his wife. The things that happened while at war had a terrible effect on David Max and it changed him completely. When he died, Ben Max was the only one of his children who attended his funeral. He took his fathers ashes to the stones on the shore of Dieppe and spread them. He returned his father, who was as hard as stone, to the company of the other stones.
Both the novel and the short story are a good example of how the things that happen while at war can be life changing. Robert Ross went from an innocent young boy to a war affected, disturbed man who was beyond recovery. David Max went from being a loving father to a cold, hard man who was nothing like the man he used to be. It just shows that war can take its toll on even the most gentle people and change them for the worst.

The Wars by Timothy Findley

First of all I'd just like to say that I really enjoyed this book. It was fantastic, and the way Findley portrayed the brutality and effects of war was amazing. It was like reading a more interesting version of a history book, and instead of facts being blatantly thrown at you from all directions, it was a very powerful story.
I think the symbolism of the animals was very clever. Robert Ross had a sister named Rowena who dies in the beginning of the novel, and one thing we learn about her is that she loves rabbits. She has about ten rabbits that she takes care of, and she loves them dearly. However, after Rowena dies, Robert's mother tells him that he must kill the rabbits. This seems to be because she doesn't want a constant reminder that Rowena is gone, which is pretty understandable. I would like to add that I don't particularly care for Mrs. Ross and that I think the way she tells Robert he must kill the poor innocent animals is brutal. Anyway, when Robert leaves for war he meets a man in the trenches named Rodwell who loves animals and keeps a few in a cage. This is where Robert sees the rabbits, and who do they remind him of? Well, Rowena of course. Robert seems to have a very sincere love for animals, which I thought made his character a whole lot better. It shows you that he is very innocent, even though he is in this terrible war.
The rabbits ultimately symbolize Rowena, and how she was fragile and innocent. When Robert sees them throughout his travels, they always remind him of his sister who he loved dearly. In the beginning of the novel you can see how they had a connection, and when Robert learned she was disabled he became sort of like a guardian for her. Robert wasn't really close to anyone except Rowena, and it was her death that made him enlist in the war. You can't really blame him, I suppose. If the one person I was close to died I wouldn't exactly want to stay in the same place either. Especially not with a mother who shuts herself off from her husband and children after the incident. Also, I think that's why I didn't really like Mrs. Ross in this novel. Yes, I understand that she lost a child and it must be hard, but dealing with it by drinking lots of alcohol isn't exactly making it easier on the rest of the family.
When Robert gets to the trenches, I think seeing the rabbits make him a little more at ease. A young man in the war must be facing a lot of fear and nervousness, but I think the memory of Rowena must make him feel at least a little better.

"Robert?"
"Yes, Rowena?"
"Will you stay with me forever?"
"Yes, Rowena."
"Can the rabbits stay forever, too?"
"Yes, Rowena."