Blog 14: The Macbeths

First off, admitting that you have a problem in pressuring your spouse is the first step. Living in denial will get you nowhere. Also, think of different scenarios and how you could've solved them better. Lastly, put yourself in your spouse's position. Lady Macbeth, consider how Macbeth felt with all of that pressure on him to kill King Duncan when he really didn't want to. His conscience will never be completely restored nor was it fair of you to question his manhood as a ploy to get him to go through with it. It is clear that you love each other, but may not always have the other's best interest at heart. If possible, try to take a step back from the chaos that may be happening and look at what's going on. Is it worth it to risk your relationship for a position of power? The most important thing is to prioritize, and when that has been done, everything else will fall into place.

Frankly, you're marriage is not going to restore itself, especially not in one day, but some steps you could take to help yourselves achieve happiness are as follows: first, putting your spouse before yourself is a tough but rewarding goal you should each attempt to achieve. Lady Macbeth, at the time of your questioning of your husbands manhood, what were you thinking to yourself? It's human nature for you to want a position of power, especially one so high as Queen, but is a human life really worth a predicament that is not even set in stone? Although it may not seem like Macbeth took it to heart at the time of your insult, but later he would realize, without everything distracting him, how mischievous your intentions were. This is not only a question of how strong your marriage is and how to strengthen it, but how strong your morals are. Lastly, try to imagine that you have a crystal ball. Although being Queen may seem like the most important thing at the moment, is it worth your personal happiness and happiness as a couple? Above all, being true to yourself and your husband is the most important thing. If this can be done, all of the other chaos in your life will cease to exist.

Blog 12: Magnet Poetry

Alice, you scream not

My mouth has been sewn shut

They've sewn it shut and tied a knot

They've bound me in silver chains

You've made a mock of who i am

All that's left are these banes

Bane like scurvy to a seafarer

Wonderland is a trip away

Sights that would taint any pure cross bearer

Blog 13: Why Shakespeare & Why Macbeth

The documentary, in my opinion, depicted Shakespeare in America perfectly. It showed how his works have, in some way, shape, or form, effected each person's life, even if they don't know it. What surprised me the most was that actors like Christina Applegate know and love Shakespeare even after all these years. What surprised me the least was that even they had trouble reciting it perfectly. One lingering question I have about Shakespeare is if it was really him who wrote all of his works, or if someone else should be credited with it.

Shakespeare's life took place during the Golden Age. He had three kids, one of which died at the young age of 11. His name was Hamnet. Despite this tragedy, Shakespeare was able to not only create some of the greatest plays of his time, but arguably the greatest plays of all time. He was not only a playwright but also a poet. He died on the same day he was born and invented the word assassination. Only males played roles in his performances. He was married to a woman named Anne Hathaway out of wedlock. His plays have been translated into every major living language. This only skims the surface on how much his writing impacted the world to this day. Much about Shakespeare's personal life remains a mystery. Everything from his sexuality to his true identity is questioned by historians each day, but still no one seems to come to a final conclusion. To me, the mystery of Shakespeare only makes him more appealing.

Characters in Macbeth:

Macbeth - a Scottish general with ruthless battlefield tactics.

Lady Macbeth - a slightly unstable woman who yearns for the position of Queen.

The Witches - future-seeing, spell-casting, and chanting trio who are mischievous.

Banquo - an ally of Macbeth who is also a Scottish general with similar views as Macbeth.

Blog 6: Catch Her in the Oatmeal

So I'm going to tell you a story, despite whether you care or not. Warning: This is going to be completely random tidbits of information straight from my brain onto this keyboard. Is it possible for you to think about someone daily, even if you've never met them? I have two sisters, and I've never met either but I always ask myself: Are they happy? What do they look like? What are their interests, etc. And then I find myself wondering how far I'd go to protect either of them from the scary things in the world. Last year in English, a boy in my class defended a pedophile, saying that it's possible for people to change and that it's "not their fault" if they have urges, because we all do, right? But I was disgusted by this and all I wanted to ask how he'd feel if someone had abused him as a child, raped his little brother, or hit his little sister. It's sad, but true that people are ignorant. No one is to be trusted but yourself.

Also, Catcher in the Rye is a very good book so far. I'm really curious about where he is while he's telling the story, although; I don't want to ruin the ending for myself. I suspect that he's in a mental institution because he finally ends up snapping on a "phony." I can see where he's coming from with the idea that everyone's putting on an act. This reminds me of a lyric from one of my favorite bands. They say "all the world's a stage," which is a variation of a Shakespearian quote. This quote is open to interpretation, but I believe what they're trying to say is that everyone is putting on an act. Everyone puts on fake smiles to be "polite" and censors their thoughts when putting them into words to be "politically correct." If everyone just said what they really thought, things would be so much better. I understand that one can have negative and positive opinions about someone, but being offended by either is just ridiculous.

The truth is that, the truth hurts. Some people can't handle it. But we were each put on this Earth for a reason, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant that reason may be. And this may sound contradictory, but there's no reason everyone can't be friendly to everyone else. People need to remember that each of us is going through some kind of personal struggle. You can't judge someone by what they look like today, cause you don't know what happened in their house that morning, or even the night before. The fact is, you'll never know, you just have to assume the worst and hope for the best.

Blog 5: Caulfield's Lasting Voice

After reading this article, I can honestly say that I am looking forward to reading our latest selection, Catcher in the Rye. I have come to the realization that most of my all-time favorite books have something very much in common with Catcher in the Rye. This is that they all have infamous reputations for being banned across American schools. I believe that, not only should these books not be banned, but they should be required to read. Two of my personal favorites include The Giver and The Perks of Being A Wallflower. These two "controversial" novels touch on the most awkward and taboo of adolescent development issues. Not only do these pieces force readers to think deeper about what each chapter means, they also allow for adolescents to think more about life itself.

The few words that the author of Caulfield's Lasting Voice allowed for the girl to speak at the end are wise beyond any high school student's years. With this, she explains why some classes or age groups might be split about the novel. Those students who have experienced feelings and events similar to those of Caulfield are able to see this novel as a "coming-of-age" rather than "depressing." It is expected that some adolescents "just don't get it," as the sixteen-year-old stated. These are adolescents blinded by the poisonous environment that our world has become today. With new technologies, expensive cars, and brand-name clothing, sometimes classic novels like Catcher in the Rye are the only thing that allow for readers to be brought back down to Earth, if only for a little while.

Blog 4: National Day on Writing PVRHS Gallery

Life in its Simplest Form by Allison Lotito

This piece of writing spoke to me the most because of what I have in common with it. Its a beautifully written poem about my favorite season. Phrases like "wind...whispered words into my ear," allows me to create a vision in my head of the colors, sounds, and scents of October. This piece uses symbolism and mature vocabulary, which suggests that it is directed toward a more advanced literate crowd. If I could conference with Allison, I would tell her not to be afraid of using creative and more developed vocabulary. In the poem, she goes in and out of using good vocabulary to better her piece. If she had used "slightly" instead of "a little," her piece might flow eloquently. Although my choice may have been somewhat biased with fall being my favorite season, I truly think this was a beautiful piece of writing about a beautiful time of year.

Blog 3: Family vs. Law

Through all of the trials and tribulations that Frank has caused the Hayden family, Wes comes to the conclusion that he has to do the right thing. What he tries to explain to David is that the hardest thing and the right thing are often the same. The story he tells David is from his childhood. This was when he was chased for stealing golf balls and he never got caught or penalized for it. He believes that, no matter what, justice should be served, but it wasn't in his situation.

Blog 1: Montana 1948, Part I, pgs. 33-38

Wes Hayden is prejudice against Native Americans. Although he does not state it to their faces, behind their backs he refers to them as ignorant and considered them lower in society. "My father did not like Indians. No, that's not exactly accurate, because it implies that my father disliked Indians, which wasn't so. He simply held them in low regard" (Pg. 34) He also displays prejudice when speaking on the phone with his brother, who states that he'll "just go do a dance and beat some drums." Although Wes only contributed to this joke by laughing at it, which is just another way of feeding hatred toward the Native Americans. This view is different than that of the other family members because David and his mother choose not to conform to the hateful tactics of the rest of the town. When David receives moccasins as a gift, his father refuses him permission to wear them. If more people had been brave and refused to conform as David and his mother did, racism would only be a small problem rather than a huge issue in today's society.