Wednesday, May 22, 2013

One Big Dramatic Family!

Authors Note: This piece is my feeling on the musical I was in, "Thoroughly  Modern Millie." I share my thoughts on practices and my new family. I take this work as a proud piece, even if it is not an essay. I mambeled on and on, but that's because I had lots to write about..... good things to write about. Later on I am planning to write a true essay on the musical.


Being in the musical “Thoroughly Modern Millie,” was a great experience for me. By experiencing the musical, I definitely learned how to be myself and how to create a character within my role. Normally, I am outspoken and I am shy around others. In this musical I was able to interact with others who I normally wouldn’t talk to. I learned that becoming friends with others isn’t a bad thing, and most importantly, I learned how to be apart of a second family. My drama family.

I wasn’t expecting to like drama from my first experience when I was in the play “High School Musical.” I hated it and I thought I wouldn’t want to do it again. After some thought, I decided it would be best for me, knowing that there is no class in high school. This year was much better now that we had the new auditorium and dressing rooms. We also had a smaller cast, which made it easier to remember names and to become close with all of them.

Last year, I felt like a nobody. My teacher’s didn’t know my name and they really didn’t know if I was even in the show or not. I remember walking into class one day and the director asked me if I was tech crew or not: that made me mad. This year was a lot better. Comparing this year and last year, overall, this year way by far better. I have made new friends, and I learned my lesson on judging others.

This semester was extraordinary because Ms. Hartz knew each and everyone of us-- that’s what I love about having a small cast. In this semester I was a minor role, and I got who I asked for- Lucille!  I enjoyed being a Pricilla Girl because it made me feel special. Last year I was a brainiac and I felt like I wasn’t even seen. For those who were not a lead or minor role in this musical, I felt like that they were more noticed than last year. Like I said, teacher’s knew who we were.

Another thing that I wanted to point out, was the fact that the rehearsals weren’t so bad. I remember in seventh grade when I wanted to get the heck out of class. I wasn’t recognized and I didn’t feel special.  This year, more practicing kept me going... I loved it! Teachers’ kept us going with encouragement even when we were bored, this made us want it more!

When it became tech week, this is when we definitely became a family. We loved each other for who we were and we didn’t judge each other. School can be known for gossip and feeling self conscious, but not in drama. Drama was drama and we kept school drama out of it.  Our teachers made us feel loved and they taught us to become a family. When we had drama last year, I remember feeling like the teachers only worked with the leads, and I felt like the leads though they were everything. Don’t get me wrong, they were important, but everyone is equal. This year, our “Millie” was extremely nice to everyone, no matter the part. She treated everyone with respect and didn’t care who we were, she loved us for who we were. I loved that about her! I will always remember when we were behind backstage waiting and getting ready with one another. We laughed and belted the songs. We took pictures together and made each other laugh. I felt so close with everyone, I even brought ice cream for the cast.  Another thing I remember was giving Danielle her gift: That made me happy.

I felt like I could bond with all my peers, even the boys. I normally and shy around others, but this time, I was myself. Pictures was the most fun part. A cast member's mom came and took pictures. All of us were being silly and goofing off, and we had fun with it. I loved this year’s drama.

When it came to show time, we were all rallied up. Nervous, excited, anxious, happy, no matter what, we were all hugging each other and being ourselves. We encouraged the nervous, greeted the excited, laughed with the anxious, and was happy with everyone. This was the year, when I learned, that I have another family, a true family!

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Love Taken for Granted.

Authors Note:  This is a theme analysis on the book "The Pearl." I focused on how there can be more than one theme in a novel, and how different themes play different roles in different novels. This is also my DWA Assessment. 


Kino, his wife and newborn son, are living under unstable, unsanitary conditions. When they come across The Pearl of the World, they don’t know what it can do to their family. “What will you do now that you have become a rich man?”(pg.31), and that is simply to trust and love each other for what they had, not for what they have. The Pearl, written by John Steinbeck, has the main themes of trust and love intertwined throughout the book.

Trust is one of the main themes, because of it’s role within the novel. The Great Pearl of the World is now in the hands of Kino and his wife, Juana. They come to realize that they can sell the pearl to have enough money to do what they want in life. With the gossip around town of their big find, Juana realizes that ‘The song of Evil’ has come to visit. Throughout the middle of the book, people are being killed and their family is being hunted down.  Juana knows that they need to save their family by getting rid of the pearl to save them. Kino isn’t trusting her and is moving on with his life. After numerous times of times when ‘Song of Evil’ has come, they run away and hide. Surrounding themselves with family trust is what needed to happen to continue their normal life. The way Juana tells Kino why they need to get rid of the pearl,l is a pure way of learning to trust, and Kino does the exact opposite.

Although trust is something that was needed in the book, love is another main theme within the book. When Kino doesn’t exactly trust Juana the first several times, he learns that love is more important than the pearl. There are many ways how love is shown throughout the book when Kino decides to finally trust his wife. One of the main ways how love is shown in the book, is at the very end. Kino decides to throw the pearl back into the water to save his family; he does this to show Juana how much love he really does have for her.  As time passes, he eventually does learn that loving and trusting his wife is more important than money.

The Pearl  intertwines the main themes of trust and love, because it shows how trust and love is actually needed within real families that may have the same issues. Just like how trust and love is needed within Kino’s family, it is also important in the Tuohy family. The Blind Side written by Michael Lewis is based on the true story of Michael Oher. This book has the same themes of trust and love because of the devotion and support the Tuohy family gives Michael. Michael has no family and is living on the streets, but when S.J. Tuohy tells his mother about him, they soon learn that he needs love in order to survive. They trust him when they bring him into their house to spend the night, because they don’t know what he will do. Love is definitely shown to him when they ask him if he wants to be apart of their family. After he agrees, they adopt him. Michael realizes that the trust and love they give him is exactly what he needs to live a happy stable life.

Throughout the book, the main themes trust and love are incorporated in and throughout. Trust and love is something that every family needs, and in the book The Pearl, it’s what the family needed to stay together as one. Advantages can make you strong, but trust and love is what makes you stronger.