IRJ-CP#12 October 22, 2009

Character Analysis: The Bedroom

On the door of her bedroom, there is a calendar for the month of October.  On every Friday and Saturday box there is a “PARTY!!!!”  marked. For every weekday box it says “Cheer Practice”. Once in the room, one could see the mirrored vanity wall. The three other walls are bright pink with a lime green trim. In the middle of the room there is a huge canopy bed with a green colored duvet and sheets.  In one corner there is a desk with a computer and web cam.  The Vanity mirrors cover an array of shoes, clothes, and handbags. There is a long table along one of the pink walls. The table has many pictures. There are many pictures of her and a boy.  Also on this table there are many bracelets, necklaces, and earrings. On top of the bed there is a sidekick phone, small pink bedazzled digital camera, and an ipod touch. There is a side table in front of the mirror which has make-up strewn across it. There is a vast array of colors and shades of every kind of make-up on this table. In the corner, behind her door, there is a pair of brightly colored pom-poms.  There are windows on two of the walls and they are covered with purple frilly curtains.  A bookshelf is against one of the windows but has no real literature. The only books that sit on this shelf are yearbooks from previous years.

IRJ-QR#11 October 21, 2009

Positive Attitude: You can do Anything

            In “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” the eighth chapter, Shadow Warriors, Mali, the floating gardener, says “You can stop a cheque, You can stop a leak or three, You can stop traffic, but You can’t stop me!”  Mali talks about how no poison can stop him from doing his job and succeeding in his missions.

            Mali has a great attitude here. He is positive and believes that you can do anything you set your mind to.  In this story it is extremely important to have a positive attitude because darkness is beginning to overcome them. The poison is polluting the Ocean of Stories and the Cultmaster of Bezaban, Khattam-Shud, is becoming more powerful by the minute. Mali is wise and has learned many things over his life. He seems to have the right mood in the story and really seems to be a true hero.

I think the only way to defeat evil and negativity is to be positive. Harry Potter is a great example of this he must remain positive to defeat the evil Lord Voldemort. Harry knows his way is the good and smart side of life and that Voldemort is negative.

            Anyone can do anything they put their mind to. Positivity and willingness to succeed always makes you the favored opponent. In“ Haroun and the Sea of Stories”, the Chupwalas have the upper hand but because of the positive thoughts and the can do attitude of the few Gups I think the Gups will be successful.

Proposition: Even when dealt the lower hand in life, remain positive and anything you set your mind to will happen.

IRJ-CP#10 October 16, 2009

Kingdom of Crespi: the deceit, the power, the secret

 

Once upon a time, in a place much like Pasadena lived the royal family of Crespi. The only child of King Tresten, Bodie, was a stolid boy. He always did as he was told and never complained (at least in front of other people he didn’t).

 One day when Bodie’s father was giving a speech to the townsfolk, a javelin was thrown from the huge throng of people. This javelin hit King Tresten and killed him instantly. The whole kingdom was appalled that the nice, lofty, and noble Tresten of Crespi had been murdered. Everyone really looked up to him and admired his power and respected his ideas.

There were many permutations of the story of who killed the King of Crespi. The townsfolk and common people all thought it was eminent brother of the King, the kinsmen thought it had been the work of the solemn ex-wife of the Kings, but the only one who really knew what happened was Bodie.

After his father was killed, Bodie was the only one in the kingdom with enough veneration to become the new king. Now Bodie had always wanted to become king and he was always jealous of his father. Bodie would always have a scornful smile on his face. No one knew why but, it was always there.

Bodie killed his father so that he could become king by usurp. No one would’ve guessed and no one else will ever know except for you and me.

IRJ-QR#8 September 30, 2009

Problems of People

In the short story, The Fifty-First Dragon, by Heywood Broun the quote that stood out the most was when the Headmaster told Gawaine “Life is a matter of facts. It calls on the young and the old alike to face these facts, even though they are hard and sometimes unpleasant. Your problem, for example, is to slay dragons.”

The first time I saw this quote I had to read it multiple times so I could fully understand it. The Headmaster is completely correct when he says this. Life is a matter of facts. There is a right and wrong answer to life and how one goes about living it. The right way would be to always try your best and even if you don’t succeed keep going. The wrong way to look at life is to give up. If you find that something is impossible then you’re not trying hard enough.

Once you realize “the facts” in life you will be able to do everything you set your mind to.  Some know facts are you won’t always be successful, you can’t be perfect, and knowing that everyone will eventually pass away.

Metaphorically everyone’s problem is to “slay dragons”.  People will always have dragons to slay for as long as our race exists. Although they might not be real dragons every problem has a solution. And once you find the solution there will be another problem.

Proposition: The sooner you realize that everyone has problems the sooner you realize who you truly are. Your problems don’t define you. The way you go about solving your problems does.

IRJ-OP#7 September 25, 2009

In the song “She Wolf”, by Shakira, she says “There’s a she wolf in your closet.
Open up and set her free.
There’s a she wolf in your closet. Let it out so it can breathe.”

 

Lyrics~ lyrics to the song She Wolf

Background~ about Shakira

  Not only does Shakira’s song have a catchy melody but its’ lyrics are very thought provoking. When I first heard this song I could not stop singing it. The melody stayed in my head for days until I couldn’t stand not knowing the lyrics any longer.  When I listened to the song and read the lyrics I immediately could hear the hidden messages.

Shakira uses the allusion of the wolf being hidden or captured. I believe that she is implying that inside every girl is someone who wants to have fun and be free for one night. This specific part of the song is the chorus makes me want to le out my she wolf and dance the night away. No matter how hard my week has been I always have the time to be myself and throw all my worries away when I listen to this song. “She Wolf” made me realize it’s important not to lose who I truly am.

 

Proposition: Every girl needs to let loose every once in a while and let their inner self or she wolf shine.

IRJ-CP#6 September 23, 2009

“All everyone cares about is my guise! No one knows my GPA or cares. The world is so superficial! They believe everything they read in those stupid tabloids! Why are people so gullible?” screamed Andrea Hayes.

Andrea is the biggest pop sensation in the world yet she isn’t happy with her life. She is always being talked about but not about what she believes is her true self.  She has what every girl wants but hates that she has it.

One day at rehearsal for her concert Andrea could not take it anymore. “Andrea synchronize your steps with the dancers! You need to quit deadpanning or else!” said her choreographer.

 “Or else what? I’m sick and tired of being other people’s puppet. I just wanted to sing and write music! Why do I have to do all of this? I just cannot keep up with the façade anymore! It just isn’t me.” she affronted while storming out of rehearsal.

Being a celebrity was to much of a pressure for Andrea. She hit the apex of her career at an early age and was forced to deal with the repercussions of her choices for the rest of her life.

IRJ-OP#5 September 18, 2009

On the first day of 9^th grade math, Mr. Strom told us about this comic character called Courage Wolf. He told us “ Courage Wolf says “Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it!””

 

Courage Wolf: the comic that is mentioned above

 

The first time I heard Mr. Strom say this, I knew I would be able to use it in many different situations. I remember spending the rest of that class thinking of different times I could use that quote.  I thought of being a Poly student and all the homework and tests, I thought of me going to Poly then running cross-country and then going to soccer practice. I bit off more than I could chew with that decision but if I keep chewing everything will work itself out.  I thought about playing soccer six days a week. I bit off a lot, but, I know if I am able to keep going it will pay off.

This quote makes me believe that anything is possible and nothing is impossible. Courage Wolf means pushing someone out of their comfort zone will make someone better.

I have even told my friends this quote and used it as motivation to help them push through hard times. I used it while at my soccer practice. My teammates were tired and they all said they had a lot of homework to do. But, my coach wanted to keep us longer on this one day. So I said, “Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it!”  At first they were confused but then one by one they got what I was trying to tell them and each of them stayed, without complaining, until our coach let us go. I was really proud of them and happy that I got to use the quote.

 

Proposition: Usually, people put in a tough situation are overcome by a sense of stress and feel like the only way to relieve this stress is to quit. Courage Wolf forces you to succeed. He tells you in this quote to never stop. No matter how big the hill you will always be able to climb it.

IRJ-CP#4 September 17, 2009

Last Friday, Heather had her first cross-country meet. Heather spent her whole summer running mile after mile, minute after minute, step after step as fast and as hard as she could. She had woken up every morning at five to go on excruciating runs with her team. Heather is a freshman in high school and has never run this hard and this long her whole life. She is, however, a very devoted and skilled basketball player. And after every cross-country practice she has to go to her basketball teams’ practice.  This was not a problem during the summer but when school started it became very hard for her to complete her homework. She had started to fall behind in every single one of her classes. On the way to her meet she became very nervous, for it was her first race. Now Heather was a fast runner but not the fastest. She was chosen to run Varsity, which at her school is a huge accomplishment. Right before the race her coach told her something. He told her “Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.”  Heather ran her race and won. She could not believe it. She had wanted it and it wanted her she just had to get it. Through out Heather’s high school experience she remembered this quote. It had pushed through all the rough times and made her stronger.  She ended high school with a 4.0 G.P.A. and got a full ride scholarship to run cross-country to Amherst.

IRJ-CP#3 September 9, 2009

Earlier this summer, I went to London, England to play soccer with my team. While there, the Chelsea Football Club coaches ANALYZED my team.  I was given a personal EVAULUATION on how I play and what I could do to improve my play.  Every day, my team and I would have two-a-day practices and every practice would have a different THEME. Some themes the practices worked around were defending, attacking, and set plays. On the sixth day of my ten day stay, I INDISCRIMINATELY lost my passport. I looked for hours on end, but it was no where to be found. I figured that some one must have stolen it. I was TIMOROUS that I was not going to be able to go home ever again. I tried to enjoy my time there but I felt that every happy conversation I had was STILTED. Finally, on the ninth day there I RESIGNED the fact that I would stay in England forever. On the final day in London, I was forced to stay behind while my team flew off back to California. I went to the United States Embassy and they granted me a new passport. I was on the next flight home. I was ready to see my family again and thankful that the whole fiasco was over.

IRJ-QR#2 September 8, 2009

I choose to write a quick response for the book, Warrior’s Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beals, on the passage where Melba realizes the sacrifices she has made by attending Central High School. “The integration had stolen my sixteenth birthday. Later that night before I sobbed into my pillow, I wrote: Please, God, let me learn how to stop being a warrior. Sometimes I just need to be a girl.” I choose this passage because turning sixteen is a big deal for girls and for no one to show up to her party it can cause so many problems.

The idea the author was trying to portray in this passage is the fact that the integration of Central High altered Melba’s whole life style. She lost her friends, individuality, and her sixteenth birthday celebration. You only turn sixteen once and Melba will always have sour memories.  On that day, Melba realized she had to be a full time warrior. She was forced to live with the hardships of segregation instead of being able to enjoy her teenage years and high school experience.