CKC Blogs L&T (Sometimes)

A love-hate relationship. The always trustworthy Wikipedia describes it as an “interpersonal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating emotions of love and hate.” I have a love-hate relationship with my Lives and Times blog, which I have called “CKC blogs L&T” because everyone loves a little rhyme. However, I should rename it “CKC blogs L&T (Sometimes) because starting around Spring Break, it seemed that Thursday 3:30 would roll around and I’d be sitting in class thinking “Shoot! I forgot to post my blog..again!” There were days when I would sit on my computer and try to recap days of the posts I missed, scrambling to my notes to recall past class discussions and assignments. Other days I would let it slide and essentially write the post in my head instead of on the website...lesson learned. Overall, trying to keep up with the blog was a good lesson in organization, critical thinking, and time management and I am grateful that the class provided me these opportunities.

Before I bash myself even more, there are some things I did well with the blog. For instance, here, on my very first blog post, I gave a peek into my personal life. This was the assignment where we had to describe a place of significant meaning. I provided ample details that related specifically to my place, which was a good example of showing and not telling, something we as writers are reminded to do over and over again. Another strong blog post I put up on my blog was an example of close reading. In a close reading of the painting Ophelia, I laid out the step-by-step process of close reading which includes noticing the “surface” information or bigger details, noting certain details that make the piece stick out, trying to extract meaning from those details and then identifying a main message that the piece carries out. A third example of a strong post was my entry regarding the Harlem Renaissance when I discussed the painting “Aspects of Negro Life.” I haven’t revisited that painting since I wrote my blog post about it, but reading it now, I can still picture the painting in my head. Relating specific points in the painting to aspects of American life at the time of the painting emphasized an understanding of life as it was at the time of the painting. My film response to Persepolis was another strong post of mine. I think I did a good job highlighting something specific from class and then relating it to something I’m interested in outside of class. I hope that my classmates were responsive to that and that I inspired them to make more “real life” applications to things we talk about in class.

As mentioned before, at the end of March, I caught myself slipping behind in my blog post entries. I wish I had a better explanation for that besides the fact that I simply forgot. I would forget to put it in my assignment planner, and then my memory would escape me and next thing I know I would walk into class on a Thursday, hear the word ‘blog’ and kick myself under the table. This is what my blog looked like on March 31st. It was a game of catch-up trying to go back and recap what I had missed in the weeks before.

If I were to blog for another class in the future, I would make it more personal. This semester, I would only blog if there was a prompt posted. I think it would have been more useful for me to take notes on my blog, or talk about certain things that inspired me during class discussions or while I was close reading at home. I would also consider posting more meaningful comments on other students’ blogs. During class discussion, I have no problem interacting with my classmates, but my comments online seemed forced and insincere. I am happy to have had this experience blogging for a class, but I know in the future I need to be more consistent, invested, and sincere.

Extra Credit

DELETED YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!

Why Climb Mountains at All?

As my former teen idol Miley Cyrus once said, "life's a climb but the view's great!" As cheesy as it is, there's a lot of truth to the statement. Now not all of us will be climbing literal mountains, but reading a story about doing so can reach each of us in an individual way. I'll use my blog to vent for a hot sec, that's what a lot of bloggers do, don't they? Life is a series of mountains. Sometimes you're at the peak, and other times you're stuck on the bottom. Some days even feel like a journey up and down a mountain. Like this one for instance. I feel like I've been wearing a "kick me" sign for the past twelve hours. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong, I've had a real Murphy's Plan kind of day. But in the greater scheme of things, it's just a few steps down the mountain. I know tomorrow and the next day and the day after that I'll start climbing up again and get to the top and realize how trivial it all was. Excuse my sappy rant...but it's all about the cliiiiiiiiiimb.

Translations Reflections

I have read plays in my English classes since about junior year of high school. Personally, I'm not a lover of plays. (Musicals, whole other story). I just find plays to be a little dry. I do believe they are more beneficial if you read and are able to see it acted out. If it were just one or the other, I think I get more out of a play when seeing  a live action performance of it. However, if you read a play, then get to see it live that is something very unique to experience. Seeing the stage directions written out in the screen play make you appreciate the performance more.

Film Response

I think Persepolis the movie was much more moving and dramatic than the film. I think of the things that contributed most to this was the background music. Music in a screenplay is one of the most powerful tools to use. It automatically makes you feel something. I'll digress for a second here, and talk about Grey's Anatomy (shocking). The other day I came across a Buzzfeed with a link to a Spotify playlist about moments in Grey's Anatomy that were defined by the songs behind them. I'll share the most recognizable song, that even a person who is not a fan of the show might recognize. In the season two finale, Chasing Cars plays as Izzie's fiance dies in the hospital. The opening notes of the song invoke tears, and now whenever I hear it I am immediately brought back to that moment of the show. The same things happen in movies. The music behind big moments let us know that we are supposed to be feeling something, or that something is of higher importance. When just reading the book, I think certain events can be interpreted differently depending on the reader. When a book becomes a movie, you're sort of forced to interpret the events how the directors, actors and production team want you to see them.

Current Events

I think automatically the word "ban" gets a bad reputation. Personally, I don't think Persepolis is appropriate for seventh grade students to read. The fact that I'm reading it for the first time at twenty years old, and still find some topics a little hard to chew, I can't imagine a twelve or thirteen year old reading it. When I was in seventh grade, we read the Diary of Anne Frank. I remember there was some controversy because some kids bought the unabridged version, and that was not what we were assigned to buy.  The unabridged version had a little more graphic detail than the other. The Diary of Anne Frank has become a staple on reading lists in the American education system, and I think Persepolis could be too, if there was an edited kids version. The message of learning to think for yourself is a lesson all adolescents should learn, however I think twelve years old is a little too young to be reading about selling drugs, torture, and sex.

I think freedom of speech kind of negates the idea of book censorship as a societal factor. However, there are some things that are appropriate for the classroom and others that are not. I think teachers should have some say in what they're going to teach. But especially when working with children, they need to be extra cautious of the gravity of the topic they are teaching. They could even pull certain chapters from the book to read, and that would be fine too!

Tool Kit

One of the issues Smith and Watson brings up is the narrator I vs. the narrated I. In other words, they are dissecting how narrators of (auto)biographical writing present themselves in their writing as opposed to their actual persona. Some narrators talk themselves up to be a hero in a story, where others might degrade themselves to make them more relatable to the common reader. In Circling my Mother, Mary Gordon the narrator writes critically of her narrated self. This is apparent when she is describing the scene of taking her mother to the doctor and then having to take her shoes off for her. "I phoned an agency to hire a nurse to tend to her feet every day. I could do it once, but I couldn't endure the possibility of having to do it again and again. The possibility of that made the idea of life unbearable" (219). I am sure the common reader would have a similar gut reaction, but Mary Gordon makes herself out to seem like this horrible person who couldn't even tend to her mother. However the truth of the matter is when medical necessity required added help, anyone would agree to utilize it.

What portrait is she painting?

In one word I can sum up the portrait of Mary Gordon's mother: honest. She is not trying to make her out to be a terrible person, nor is she equating her to an angel. She's just honest. I think that is the direct result of the fact that a relationship between mother and child is one of the most intimate human relationships we have on this earth. Personally, there is no one I value more on this earth than my other. And my relationship with her is the best relationship I have in my life. However, we're not perfect. I call my mom out on her flaws and she likewise. But it's done in a way that truly could only be done between a mother and daughter. Even with rockier mother/daughter relationships, there is still a great level of intricacy. It's a unique bond that words can't really justify. It's just a natural relationship that overtime progresses in its own unique way. Mary Gordon is a writer. If she were a painter, she would paint a portrait of her mother. The execution of every hair follicle would be precise, no freckle would go unnoticed, and every detail would be precise, painting her mother exactly for who she is. Writing is like a more intimate painting. She can't draw the physical being of her mother, so instead she writes it. Every detail. Every success. Every failure. Every good, bad, happy and sad moment in her life. Because Mary Gordon is a writer who loves her mother, and that's all that needs to be explained.

Aspects of Negro Life

In our discussion of the Harlem Renaissance, I really enjoyed our discussion of the painting "Aspects of Negro Life." The Statue of Liberty in the center of the painting represents freedom being the central focus and the idea of the American Dream. However, it looks as if someone slashed through the painting as to represent the brokenness of the American Dream and that it is not as easily attainable as some may think. The gear represents progress towards moving forward, but at the same time that cycle can carry you back down.  I think the painting is a perfect depiction of the sign of the times.

A Letter to Fifteen Year Old Self

Dear fifteen year old Claire,

He's not going to date you- it's okay to start obsessively stalking somebody else's Facebook. It's nothing against you. Sometimes people just aren't supposed to date. Okay? Don't worry. I know high school sucks and I know how miserable you are at school. And I'll be honest, it still sucks after freshman year. But not nearly as much. You'll find your friends. Not a huge crowd, but the right mix of people who understand you and get you. Just wait until college. You'll have the absolute time of your life and it makes it all worth it. You're not gonna have highlighted blonde hair and braces for ever, don't be nervous. And FYI, you'll learn this soon enough, Miley Cyrus isn't gonna be your role model and you really, really should have put more thought into choosing a confirmation name. However, it is always a great story to share. Life gets so much better when you're not forced to play volleyball anymore. You're going to have moments of regret and second guessing. Especially when the team wins state your junior and senior year. Just be proud of yourself that you followed your heart. Nana will always give you a hard time for quitting volleyball and not joining the choir, but over time you'll learn to laugh and make jokes of it.

In short I just want to say: stick true to who you are, believe in yourself, and never stop laughing. These three magic steps will bring you more happiness than you can imagine.

xoxo,
Gossip Girl

Girl, Interrupted

Girl, Interrupted gave a sneak peak into a global issue: mental health. Claymoore is a small mental health hospital with a host of interesting characters. As far as entertainment value for a movie, there is plenty of that. Some viewers get a kick out of Angelina Jolie's vulgar mouth and some are turned off by the dark and twisty characters. However, no matter how you feel about the situation, you can't deny that mental health is a pressing issue in our healthcare, and it is something that can't be ignored. It is important to educate everyone on mental health awareness so that they can help those in need instead of shame them for their disabilities.

Close Reading: Ophelia

Step 1) This is a painting depicting the death of Ophelia from Shakespeare's Hamlet. She is laying dead in a stream or river, wearing a dress, holding flowers and there are bright, luscious landscapes surrounding her.

Step 2) Even though this painting is depicting suicide, which is usually gruesome and sad, Ophelia looks serene and peaceful. She is wearing a very extravagant gown. Her hands are facing outwards, in a passive and offertory positioning. It is interesting that there are such bright and bold colors in an image that represents something so dark.

Step 3) The beauty of the flowers are associated with the beauty of a woman. In the historical era of this painting, women were subservient to men. They were supposed to "stand there and look pretty." Even in her death, Ophelia is made to look beautiful. The passivity in her hands shows that this is for someone  else. She is as delicate as the flowers she is holding in her hand.

Step 4) I think that the main message of this painting is that women were supposed to be lesser than men- even in death. Ophelia's beauty, extravagant gown, and serene setting are all images of beauty that would be desirable to man's eye.

Courage

Virginia Woolf tells us we need the courage to write exactly what we think, essentially because we are women hear us roar. Her message was rooted in feminism and women standing up for their rights, highlighting the fact that women need to write their own history. True- but that message doesn't stop there. It's a feminist issue. It's a race issue. It's a class issue. It's an issue that is omnipresent. Now the question is, what is the "it's?" What could that vague pronoun (okay, pronoun + contraction) possibly stand for? The simple answer: it doesn't matter. What matters is that you have the power to change whatever cause you believe in, no matter how big or small. You have the power to mean something. You have the power to leave a legacy. You have the power to do anything... as along as you have the courage to write exactly what you think.

The Hill

I'm from Darien, Illinois. And if you're not from another western suburb of Chicago, that name probably means nothing to you. But Darien is one of the smallest, least exciting towns in the Chicagoland area. Where nearby towns have downtown areas with restaurants and shops, our highlights include WalMart and TGI Fridays. And one of the corners of the "Four Corners Shopping Centre." But if you take out the Home Run Inn and Jo-Ann Fabrics, it is arguably the worst corner. So I've made myself clear: Darien isn't pretty. It isn't glamorous. It isn't fancy. But it's motto is "A Nice Place to Live" and there could be no truer words about my home sweet home. Darien isn't special, but my neighborhood, Smart Oaks Glen, is my favorite place in the world. More specifically the "hill" in Smart Oaks Glen.

put hill on quotes because anyone who passed through the neighborhood looking for the hill would drive right past it. I guess a better description would be an "accidental decrease in land" but there's not an exact word for that so we will stick with hill. The hill is so important to me because it carries with it some of my favorite memories of my childhood. This snowy winter weather takes me right back in time to those days spent on the hill. In our neighborhood, all the families built houses around the same time, moved in around the same, and conveniently all had kids around the same age. I always had a friend. The hill was our snow day haven. Before the recorded voice message of school cancellations even ended, all of the neighborhood kids would be dressed in gear ready to be on the hill for the day. We would squirt Capri Sun on the fresh snow, and lick up our homemade slushies. We would build ramps to sled over. Do somersaults and body rolls to race to the bottom. There was nothing we weren't capable of doing on that hill. It's is a symbol of carefree childhood freedom that we often lose sight of as the years go by. And that is why it will always hold such a special place in my heart.