What book has stuck with you?

A book series that I will always remember is Captain Underpants. It has been over 7 years since I read the first one. These books were the only ones that I actually enjoyed reading. I liked them so much because the story was about kids my age, who always played pranks, and a superhero. It had alot of comedy in it which kept me from getting bored. It truely was a great series.

-Luc

Invisible Man- his story is a cycle

Invisible-->Gradual Realization-->Visible only to himself, but not blind-->Invisible

The narrator's story seems like a cycle. In the beginning, he was naive and docile. He took his grandfather's words literally. He gradually realizes his naivety through the Brotherhood, and finds out that he is visible only to himself. However, he knows that he should not be blind (betrayal). At the end of the book, he comes back to being invisible again- this time, he is not naive, but knowledgeable.

-Susan Y.

Religion vs. Jane

Religion:
There are two extremes regarding religion in Jane Eyre.

-Mr. Brocklehurst: religious hypocrite. He preaches Christianity but is tainted with hypocrisy. An example is the passage we read in class about his lecture on the girls' hair and materialism. He elevates himself as a connection to God and lectures the girls on their sins while his own wife and daughters are covered in extravagant, materialistic luxuries.

-Helen Burns: true Christian. She does not preach the religion but rather, embraces it and acts accordingly.

Jane:
Jane is against both extremes; she does not fall in either category.

She hates the hypocrisy of Mr. Brocklehurst, but does not agree with Helen's tendency to stay subjective and passive. Because of her experiences with the Reed family, Jane does not feel that it is right to simply accept cruelty and to conform to religion.
Jane in a sense rejects religion of both extremes.

-Susan Y.

Inequitable Treatment By Mariah N

            Discrimination is just as alive and thriving today as it was in the 19^th Century when Jane Eyre was written. A few weeks ago our cheer squad was informed that there would no traveling during basketball season due to a multitude of reasons. The first reason in which traveling cheerleaders in no longer allowed is because of budget cuts. This is understandable because our state has been on a declining deficit for sometime. The second is because our school board does not think that our cheer squad is being equitable to all sports. Determined to prove them wrong, our squad wrote a letter to the school board explaining what our squad does to give back to our school, our sports teams and our community. Not only do we go to all football games and basketball games, we make it a priority to attend as many sporting events as possible, we make cards and goodie bags for the team members. We understand that being treated equally is important, but where is the equality for us?

            Much like Jane, our cheer squad is overlooked. Our feelings are not taken in for consideration; it was not until we stood up for our selves fighting for the same equality that our superintendent was viciously preaching at us to practice did we see a change. Unlike Jane, we were not abandoned; our cheer coach stood by us fighting along side us. What Jane Eyre has taught me is that people may try to steal your voice, say that you aren’t significant, and say that you can’t make a difference, but you can.

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) We as humans are quick to judge and say someone is at fault. I blamed our state government for the budget cuts, but then I realized I was participating in the same ludicrous acts that my school board had done with our cheer squad. Reading Jane Eyre I learned that sometimes unjust, unfair, inequitable things happen in our lives, and when they do they need to be handled in a way that is respectful towards everyone, otherwise I become an enemy to others place unfair judgment upon others. 

OLW Pain- Derek B.

My one little word to focus on in my life and in literature is pain. I do not mean this to be a negative or depressing idea rather a study on a primitive and strong human emotion that has a large impact on our lives. My focus is on the different types of pain and their effects on our lives. From emotional, spiritual, mental, and physical anguish, people have been subject to pain, often at the hand of another human, and have had to deal with it in different ways. People can accept the pain, avoid it, or try to advert or stop it. A major factor of the person's reaction is if the pain is sharp and short or dull and drawn out, or even growing over time to consume their life and their will. Although too often people succum to pain and break down, indulge in stimulants, or even take their lives, people can also triumph over pain to accomplish great things. Pain is interesting because although it is caused by outside sources, it is entirely in the subjects control of what to do. The strength of the will is just and important as the strength of the person when it comes to dealing with pain. In literature I hope to find how pain is introduced into the lives of people and how the cope with it. Then I can introduce those ideas into my life and the lives of the people around me.

Freewrite on Promises

Promises may be fragile or strong, depending on the people who make them. Promises can be broken or kept, and they can be made between two people or by a single individual. There are many different types of promises, such as marriage, a more serious promise, to a more simple promise such as keeping a friend's secret. A broken promise might have the chance to be mended, or it might remain broken forever. A broken promise can breka a friendship, a relationship, a dedication. Similarly, a promise kept can strengthen anything, often for eternity (i.e. marriage).

-Susan Yang
Period 1

Frankenstein Response Derek B.

ELPHABA
Hands touch, eyes meet
Sudden silence, sudden heat
Hearts leap in a giddy whirl
He could be that boy
But I'm not that girl:

Don't dream too far
Don't lose sight of who you are
Don't remember that rush of joy
He could be that boy
I'm not that girl

Ev'ry so often we long to steal
To the land of what-might-have-been
But that doesn't soften the ache we feel
When reality sets back in

Blithe smile, lithe limb
She who's winsome, she wins him
Gold hair with a gentle curl
That's the girl he chose
And Heaven knows
I'm not that girl:

Don't wish, don't start
Wishing only wounds the heart
I wasn't born for the rose and the pearl
There's a girl I know
He loves her so
I'm not that girl

Chapters 11 through 18 from Mary Shelly's novel Frankenstein reminded me of the song  "I'm Not That Girl" from the Broadway musical Wicked. In it Elphaba, the literally green girl, longs to be loved by the dreamy prince Fiyero in the same way that the Creature longs to be loved by humans. Both cannot "lose sight of who [they] are" however because they know that they will never be accepted by society and "wishing only wounds the heart." After the Creature steals to the "land of what might have been," he realizes that the ache he feels after being rejected is just as strong as ever.