why dontcha DO somethin!

Music controls so much of the things around us. There is even a rhythm in literary works. For instance, when reading a novel such as Memoirs of a Geisha, it is flowing, it is like contemporary orchestral music, with an ebb and flow that is almost predictable, but calming. We then move on to a novel like Frankenstein, it is a dark opera. It is deep, moving and extremely dark. Perhaps a romantic opera, but including the gore and blood, so maybe a little bit italian! Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead definitely has a rhythm. In every little banter-sesh, there is a musical quality that makes it quick witted and SMART. That is what rhythm gives to a literary work, intelligence. The human language is a beautiful one (well, not everything but you get the idea). French is one of the most beautiful languages and can enrapture the most harsh of Americans. So obviously when put into novelistic or screen play ideas, there is a way to turn simple language into ART. What makes novels and plays art? The ability to enrapture an audience and be more than they could ever be. Tonight I had my last orchestra concert. I play in the Chamber orchestra because I ride horses and I don't have time for the constraints of Symphony orchestra (although I would LOVE to play with them). The symphony orchestra played a concerto that literally changed my life. Wes Gillis (maybe you have him as a student) played a solo part and was brilliant. I'm pretty sure my Dad was tearing up and I felt totally enraptured by his talent. The only other thing that can capture me so totally and completely is reading. When reading, I can be someone else. I can experience things that I'd never plan to experience. When listening and playing music, I AM that piece. If im playing something classic rock, I'm Peter Mercury, if I'm playing classical, I'm Tchaikovsky. When reading Harry Potter, I'm Harry. When reading Grendel, I am that horrible beast. An art is something that is more than you and can take you to that level. And I believe that as much as a literary work has a rhythm, a piece of music tells a story. As does a piece of physical art. All in all, the connections in our culture are undeniable; the things that make us special are also the things that are the most special. I am happy to live in a world where I can go anywhere and do anything using the things that God gave me.

Goodbye Memoirs

Memoirs of a Geisha is a novel the personfies how all women feel at some point in there lives. Being a woman is not easy, it requires a lot give and take. I admire the life of a geisha. When I first read this novel I thought that geisha were Japanese prostitutes but now I know that they are artists. The diction of the novel is so rich and flowing just like a piece of art. The wording of the novel is like the body of Sayuri. It flows and it is beautiful. The novel is called Memoirs of a Geisha, and every aspect of it captures the lifestyle and technique of geisha. I really enjoyed this novel although the relationships between men and women are a bit confusing at times. It has a Cinderella feel to it. Hatsumomo is an evil step sister and the Chairman is the prince. In some ways the novel seems simple, but in its themes it is not. The novel encompasses the difficulty of being a woman in society. In a way, all women are geisha. Women have to work extremely hard to look beautiful and be quick-witted at the same time. The character of Sayuri captures the reader by being relatable. Her difficulties are felt by all women and the relationships that are developed are demonstrated in real life. Sayuri is special because she is uncommonly kind and the water in her soul flows from her gray eyes. Her gray eyes give her a "marked for greatness" aspect that shows not only in the success she has as a geisha but also in the way she thinks. I will agree that sometimes her decision-making skills are POOR. But everyone has weaknesses. I would prefer to be a beautiful woman on the inside and out and maybe do something dumb behind a theater every once in a while... But lets remember, that decision led to her being united with the chairman. This novel SO screams Cinderella, it's practically AWKWARD. But lets be real here. Generally when you have a female lead, a cinderalla story is about to being. Unless you are reading Anne Frank or watching the movie "Monster". Which may I add, is AWFUL and totally not worth the money I spent at blockbuster. Taa daa! We love all this crazy love crap. I just proved it! We're all searching for our princes and I'd say that most people get them. Or they get an allusion of a prince... either way, women are all the same. I don't care who you are. Example: The Last Song. Miley Cyrus is supposed to be all hardass but then turns into a big fat softy and finds her "true love" (how irritating). So basically what I'm trying to say is that I love Sayuri. She is a womans woman! I'm holding out for my prince charming too... I'll have to run off a few Nobu's first...

Shameeelesss

Well, as you can imagine, I did not do a lot of school reading while on my spring break. Most of my time was spent on the beach, reading casually and being perfectly safe/making good decisions :) Over the break, I found myself lost in thought about college and the journey ahead. AP Lit has been a class that has tested me more than any other class. I took AP Physics and AP Chem, and although those were difficult classes, AP Lit has really pushed my boundaries. Not only is the work hard, the subject matter is hard to grasp. I will never forget one of the first things I ever learned in AP Lit: The novels that makes you feel the most uncomfortable are the ones that are the most important and the most remembered. I feel that in AP Lit we have read a lot of uncomfortable stories. When we read "A Doll's House" I have never been so disconcerted about women. I read her story and I though, how could you be so self-centered? I then I thought, what if I never found myself? Not only was the uneasiness of the book overwhelming but I felt it in my core. The story of Frankenstein is also one that moved me deeply. A novel that had to do with monsters seemed more to do with human nature than the monsters. Everyday there are scientists fighting to find the next cure, make the next robot or understand where we have come from. It is frightening to think that a man in a novel could create. It turns my whole world around being a Christian believer. It is hard to immerse yourself in a novel that fights everything you believe in but when you read such a novel that tests you and is so well written, you are completely immersed. I would say that the novel that touched me the most was Grendel. Although I cannot say that I understand Grendel, the last line will stay with me forever. "Grendel's had an accident, so may you all." The line is sinister and foreboding. The entire novel was confusing, I'll admit, and when I got done with it I scratched my head like a monkey with nothing to say but those words were powerful. They made me feel uneasy. What will my fall be? What is a monster in our world? I cannot say that I understood Invisible Man in the least but I've never really stopped thinking about it. On my way to Florida we drove past Tuskegee and I thought about Invisible Man. These novels make me question more than, what did that mean? These novels are meant to test us as humans just as math is meant to test us. The subject that tests your integrity and beliefs is truly a special one. I am looking forward to being "tested" on the AP test.