Metamorphosis

     In the novel A Doll’s House Nora, who is Torvald’s wife goes through the stages of metamorphosis. She first starts off a house wife who follows everything her husband tells her to do. By the end of the novel Nora has developed as a woman and gone her own way. This shows the transformation of independence in her character. She started off as a follower and worked her way to becoming a leader who followed her own rules and stood up for herself and her own opinion by the end of the novel. This was shown by the way she decided to leave her husband Torvald.

      Nora’s character reminded me of the main character from Sleeping With the Enemy.  In this film Laura the wife of an abusive husband devises a plan in which she will escape her husband. This is connected to Nora’s character because the two are faced with relationships that are negatively affecting them and their lives. Being put into almost the same situations they leave their husbands in order to start fresh and create a new start for the both of them. In these two characters we can see a growth from within. We see the ability to take chances and courage. For years Nora and Laura’s lives were influences by the men in their lives being completely isolated from the rest of society. 

     In todays day their are many examples of women who finally stand up for themselves and their lives and leave abusive husbands. These women are faced with development and growth that shows us the ability to escape from the situations that are put into. 

As I Grew Older by Langston Hughes

As I Grew Older

It was a long time ago.
I have almost forgotten my dream.
But it was there then,
In front of me,
Bright like a sun–
My dream.
And then the wall rose,
Rose slowly,
Slowly,
Between me and my dream.
Rose until it touched the sky–
The wall.
Shadow.
I am black.
I lie down in the shadow.
No longer the light of my dream before me,
Above me.
Only the thick wall.
Only the shadow.
My hands!
My dark hands!
Break through the wall!
Find my dream!
Help me to shatter this darkness,
To smash this night,
To break this shadow
Into a thousand lights of sun,
Into a thousand whirling dreams
Of sun!

I chose this poem because it was a meaningful and deep poem that I enjoyed reading. I got the meaning of the poem right off the bat which I liked. This was a type of poem that I liked because of the language used in it. I prefer poems that are more simple in language and easier to get the true meaning and message from behind it. Another person that I think would enjoy this poem would be my mom because we share many of the same tastes in poems.

The poem As I Grew Older by Langston Huges describes an African American man who cannot achieve his dreams because of his colour. Racism, prejudice, limited opportunities and discrimination kept him from achieving his dreams. This poem talks of a child being unaware of he cruelty in the world and those around him. As he grows older he learns more and becomes aware that because of discrimination he was not able to achieve his dreams in life.

Langston uses figurative language to describe this literal reality. He also uses a simile which is used to compare two things by using like or as. This is used in the sentence “bright like the sun”. Using a metaphor which is the comparison of two things without using like or as he goes on to describe prejudice, racism and also discrimination in the poem. This is used to describe the obstacles thrown in his path as a “wall”

After doing further research on my poem I picked I saw that many people had interpreted it in the same way that I did. They saw the same racial discrimination within the novel. The dreams taken away from a man who was of African decent.

“Langston Hughes”  Enotes. Answers. April 2009. Web. 2012

<http://www.enotes.com/langston-hughes/q-and-a/grew-older-by-langston-hughes-what-structure-poem-76307&gt;

Hughes, Langston. As I Grew Older by Langston Hughes. May 2009. June 2012

<http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/as-i-grew-older/&gt;

Catharsis

       In life nothing comes easy. In order to achieve and become better we must work hard. As human beings we all face the want and need to achieve and be the best. In order to accomplish this it takes time to reach certain goals we may have in our life. Many achievements may take years to complete. In the end they are almost always worth the effort and hard work put into achieving them.

      In my life my catharsis experiences happened this year in grade 12. Since day one of our lives our parents, family and friends want us to achieve what we are capable of. They all want us to succeed and achieve what we can. Throughout high school I pushed myself academically to achieve an acceptance into University. Through many homework assignments, studying, and being focused I achieved this goal and was accepted into the 4 different University and finally chose Brock University as my school this September. Although sometimes I doubted myself in the end I made it and was fully capable of it in the end. I had so much stress taken away when I had completed my goal. In my opinion I think sometimes people are scared of trying because they are scared of failure. Sometimes people see failure worse then even taking the risk in general. 

      With this experience in my life it has opened my eyes. It has truly shown me how hard work can pay off in the end. If we keep focused on what we want in life and what we truly want to achieve we can accomplish anything we want. Achieving this has taught me perseverance will pay off. To those who do not credit themselves and what they truly can achieve it is worth the try and the rest to push yourself to your fullest. Without trying and giving new ideas a try we could not know what we can do as an individual. 

 

 

The Things I Love

1. Soccer – Soccer has been my favorite sport since about the age of 7. Growing up in a house hold where soccer was a common topic I learned about it at a very young age. My father being very into soccer as well as many family members our get- togethers are always have one match of soccer. Soccer is an activity in which helps me clear my mind. 
2. Shopping – When ever I am stressed out about something or want to get away from problems I often find myself with an urge to shop. Shopping provides me with a feeling of happiness especially when I find a sale on fabulous cloths. I often spend many of my evenings out shopping.
3. Traveling to Portugal – Ever since I was a little girl I have been spending most of my summers in Portugal with my dad’s side of the family. Portugal is filled with historical, cultural and amazing sites. I love going because it isn’t every week in which I get to spend time with my family from there.
4. Gold Fish Crackers – My all time favorite go to snack would have to be gold fish crackers. I love this snack because they can be eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner. My favorite flavor would have to be the cheddar ones.
5. My cat Zeek – My cat named Zeek is the go to guy. I have had him since I was in grade 3. He provides me with amusement, comfort and love. I love him so much. I find having him as a pet that he is a sort of comfort for me. 

What I’ve Been Reading

 

    When it comes to reading I have many preferences for the types of novels that interest me. I am the type of reader who enjoys novels on relationships/love, adventure, and fictional. The nooks I read must be continuously exciting and on the go. I like finding out new details and information rapidly. I love novels in which I can relate my life to, such as past events, characters and plot lines. Although reading is not a first priority to me I find that it does in fact calm me down and takes my stresses and worries away in life. Due to my best schedule with work and school I have not had much time to read novels of my interest although I did have to read some novels for school. 

         My favorite book I have read so far in my life would have to be the the L.A Candy novels by Lauren Conrad. These novels are based upon the life of the main character Charlet who is based off the main character in the show The Hills. This novels features relationships between best friends, lovers and the society in which they live.

         The novel that I am reading now is The Help. So far I am really enjoying this novel. It has both deep insight and a deeper meaning. I enjoy that fact that their is also a movie because I am a visual person and like to compare how I imagined things and characters to look like to how they appear in the movies. 

         One of my favorite authors would have to be Nicolas Sparks. I enjoy these novels because of the relationships within them. These relationships have a certain way of teaching life lessons. The meanings behind the novels are amazing. I would recommend them to anyone who loves novels of relationships and life lessons. 

         In todays society people are busy with other things such as social networking and in my eyes this is an issue. Do to this new communication method people are forgetting about the fundamental ways of communication. 

Vacation Destinations

Italy

The amazing food, culture and atmosphere. I want to travel to Italy to be apart of the amazing scenery.

• 

Portugal

My family being from Portugal I would love to visit the mainland. Seeing custom traditions and cultures. I would love to meet my family from Portugal once again. One thing I love about it is the tourist sites.

California 

I would love to travel to California to experiences the amazing beaches. This would be a great place for some down time.

New York

The fast pace, shopping malls, fashion trends, this is what makes me interested in traveling to New York. I would love to travel to the statue of liberty. 

China

Traveling to China would be a life changing experience. Seeing the difference in how people run their lives, food, jobs, and tourist sites. 

Brazil

I would visit Brazil for the soccer experience. Watching a great soccer game would be an amazing experience.

When I finish school I plan to make time to travel the world. Listed above are some of the places I would love to travel to. These places are filled with culture, tradition, and are unique in every way. I think that traveling is a great way to find out who you are and unwind. In life I find that you have to enjoy yourself and treasure time this would be a great way to learn life lessons and grow as a person. I have already been blessed with traveling to Portugal 8 times, Chicago, Quebec and Prince Edward Island. These experiences were life changing.

 

To Read or Not To Read?

Here goes another year and another Shakespearian tragedy. From our first grade nine year, to our last and final year of high school we have been assigned 4 different tragedy’s by William Shakespeare. From my personal favorite Romeo and Juliet in grade 9 to King Lear in our last high school English class. Throughout the years of high school and reading I have come to the decision that maybe his plays are not so bad after all. The first year reading I felt that everyone found it very difficult to understand and translate the passages to modern day English. Now that we have become more familiar with the writing we have become comfortable and opened our eyes to the writing techniques and literary devices used throughout his plays.

In my eyes what makes understanding Shakespeare’s plays easier is to watch the plays instead of reading them. In our first year of English class we were given the opportunity to head down to Toronto and watch the play Romeo and Juliet. After being able to watch the play it gave me a clearer understanding to the events that unfolded while reading the novels.

I have to admit when we first began to read King Lear in English I was against the whole idea, but my opinion slowly changed when we were given the opportunity to watch the play and read along. As the play began to develop and grow I became more intrigued and my mind kept wondering what would happen next. As King Lear’s character when through life’s ups and downs and his life took a turn for the worse I began to fully see how this play can relate to my life today. Seeing how the simple things can have such an effect on your life in the future and how King Lear struggled with that.

Although Shakespeare can be at some points a difficult read for some it is a rewarding read that has a deep meaning behind the events that take place.

My Final Year of Highschool

Each day I find myself one step closer to my dreams. Reaching the top has taken many hard working years but I can feel how close I am to achieving it now. The process although tough and sometimes the feeling of doubt and regret but I push myself to still continue. Each day I find myself thinking of all my final decisions. Which university will be best for me? Have I made the right decisions for my future? Is this the right path? Although these are all questions yet to be answered I will let everything unfold as it should be.

I still remember my first steps into high school. The first day of grade 9 walking into my classroom late because my school bus failed to pick me up on time. Sitting there hoping to find all my classes and make new friends that would accept me for who I am. Looking back now I see so much change in myself. I have developed into a more confident and independent person in these 4 years. From being at the bottom of the ladder to making my way to the top I am going to miss having so much power over the younger grades. Yet I find myself ready to step outside the doors of Christ the King. From kindergarten to grade 12, all these years of my life have been used studying and preparing myself for what is about to come my way UNIVERSITY! This word has been even scary to talk about for most of us. It is what I strive for each day in my final semester of high school. Putting as much effort into everything I am given so that my final year counts all the way until the end. Being given the chance and opportunity to choose what I want to do with my life if a privilege and it is something that not a lot of people are given. I have applied for criminology and psychology fields of study in the Universities of Guelph, Ontario and Brock. I get nervous as I anxiously await the letters of acceptance to come in the mail and by e-mail

I am excited, scared and anxious for what is in store for me in the next year. I will be faced with plenty of challenges and surprises along the way but I know that I can make it. I find myself preparing to leave my parents. Making the decision to live on residence is a big step for me. It will definitely test my independence and strength. Living off on my own for the first time will be scary. No more home cooked meals, my own bed to sleep on, and my pet cat. The feeling of home will soon be my small dorm room and my fellow university peers. I am ready! I know that I can succeed and make it! I am ready for the change and what lies ahead for me! I am prepared to say good-bye!

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