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!

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.

Physical Values Within My Daily Life!

Authors Note: This essay was written for the "Fitness and Health Spring Essay" for gym. I wrote about the value of what physical activity  provides for me. In this essay, you should pick our outstanding work choice and great back up knowledge. 

When I think of  physical activity, I think of running, jumping, and activities that make my body’s adrenaline flow. To me, the  value of physical activity is very important. This is what keeps my body healthy and going strong. When I am in gym, at volleyball, outside, or even at a park, the excitement makes me happy. There are many reasons to why physical activity is valued within my day. I am able to have challenge, stay in shape, and give reminders to myself about my daily health in food.  The value of physical activity is just as important to me, a normal school subject is.

Challenge is something everyone needs in their lives; to make their brains and bodies work harder for something they want to achieve. To keep me striving for something I want to achieve in my physical life, I keep things pretty simple, and gradually make them tougher. In gym, I keep my fitness testing right where I need them to be, and then if I accomplish that goal, I make them progressively harder. This pushes me to work at my fullest potential. Physical activity provides me challenge to get better at something that I may want to achieve to help me get a healthier body.

While maintaining substantially moderate goals for myself, I continue to realize that physical activity provides me to keep my body in shape. I know that for my age and height, I am overweight; I have no shame of admitting to it, but I know that if I want to stay in shape, I need to maintain a healthy life. Physical activity in my daily life helps me stay in shape because it keeps me moving. Something, that I do outside of school and sports, is a fitness program called “Insanity.” “Insanity,” is a really intense workout that keeps your heartrate up going for an hour or so, each day of the week. This is something that my body is able to adjust to, and the physical activity coming from this workout, keeps me in shape, which is something I strive for. I progressively get better, and I do realize this over time. Getting and maintaining a healthy shape is important to me, because I know that in my own skin, I need to keep working.

The value of challenge and keeping my body in shape is very important, but the physical activity that I do in and outside of school, reminds me that eating right, is just as important. People might question me and ask why the value of physical provides me to think about what I eat, but somehow, it just does. When I am working out in school or in the pleasure of my own home, I think about how what I just did (working out) will not be worth it, if I just go back into the kitchen and eat a whole bunch of junk food. Knowing that’s not right, I choose something else, such as an apple and water or some fruit with milk. Something that is not just go back into my butt or stomach. Now, I am not saying that I limiting what I eat, but how much of it I eat. Sure, I still get a school lunch, but that doesn’t mean it’s not, not okay to eat. I just watch how much I eat, and some days I will count calories to make sure I am staying in the right calorie range. The physical activity just gives me reminders about how I should be eating, so that what I do with the physical activity, pays off in the end!

The value of physical activity provides me with lots of challenge, staying in shape, and eating reminders, and this keeps me happy every day. Each component of what what physical activity provides me, goes hand-in-hand with each other, and I know that I am a healthier person because of it.  Physical activities, reminds of the values it has for my body.

Spring Is Finally Here

Authors Note: This piece is about how quickly spring can transition from scary to warm and inviting. In class we focus on figurative language, so you should look for some figurative language in this piece. Tone is something I worked hard on so that stanzas flowed effortlessly. Spring is something I look forward to in these coming weeks, so this is what inspired me to write this poem.

As the trees sway rapidly like a dogs’ tail
You can hear the the sky rumbling around like  bowling balls in an alley
The lightning flashed so bright, it was like a beam of light from a flash light  
Wind picks up quickly, and cats get thrown harshly
The nails of the cats are being scraped like nails across a chalk board
“Boom, Bang, Ba-boom” is the sound of flying trash can lids bashing on the ground
The storm would be here in the blink of an eye

Their eyes’ fill with  terror and horror as the dark booming clouds come ahead
Hiding their emotions as their hearts’ beat a millions times per second
But, as the storm passes through, like a knight in shining armour, their terror fades away
Beautiful spring has sprung, with flowers like no other

Flowers pop up everywhere you look
Miles and miles away, you can see color
The ground looks like a watercolor painting sploshed against the grass
Elderly people out for dazzling walks
Birds chirp and sing to the light  wind, that glides across the trees like skates do on ice
The park was an inviting invitation to sit down for a picnic and lay in  the sun

Nothing’s  like the heat of the sun hitting your back
Shorts and tank tops ready to be worn
Warm weather to kick back and relax
People come out of their houses, from being locked up for the winter
Sun goes down and leaves a cool chilly breeze
But we know, that spring is here

Life Should Be Filled With Courage

Authors Note: In this theme analysis piece, I have picked out the theme- Courage. Courage is something that people need in life and the novel, "Where The Heart Is," is able to show that. You should be able to pick out good voice, and at the end, you should see the effort I put into the conclusion.
 
Something that many people don’t carry  with themselves anymore is courage. People carry lots of shame and doubt, and this world should actually be filled happiness and courage. Courage is something someone has, or something that is given. In the book “Where the Heart Is,” by Billie Letts courage is a motivational word that keeps this young teenage girl moving. Although courage is something that you can give, it’s not something that is just words off the top of your mind: Courage is something that comes from your heart, what you stand for.  

Courage is the main theme in this novel because courage is spread into the heart of Novalee. Novalee is a pregnant 17 year old and is struggling living her life. Not having a home to live in, and being dumped by her boyfriend at a local Walmart, is a struggle.  With the help of the people she meets throughout the book, she is able to have the baby, and be safe. Throughout the book, she meet very interesting people who become family to her; gives her support and courage. Since living in a Walmart, isn’t the easiest, Novalee meets people who soon become very close to her:Family. With courage surrounding her, she is able to have her baby, Americus, and is living with Sister Husband, a close loved one. Courage is what makes Novalee, Novalee.

Even though Novalee has family that is very supportive, and is safe and healthy, there are many other issues that occur throughout the book that required lots of courage. Courage is majorly shown when her family realizes what she doesn’t have. They help her by giving her a place to live, other than a Walmart, and give her necessities to live. When she has nowhere to go, her family gives her the courage to get through hard times. The courage that is delivered to her, is what makes her stronger and warm-hearted. In this book, Novalee and Americus, realize that they can share their love and trust, along with their courage too!

This novel is very similar Lexi, and the book “Perfect.” These books show the same theme because courage is an important part in the books. Lexi has a disease called bulimia, that causes her to be unhealthy. Her family is giving her lots of courage to stop this bad habit, to become healthy and well again. Each day, Lexi goes to a group council to help stop this bad action. With the courage of her friends and family, she is able to stop. When she finally stopped, she realized what could’ve have happened to her body: She could have eventually died. Lexi realizes that the courage surrounding her, helped her, and saved her life.

Courage is a main theme in the book “Where The Heart Is,”because the courage her family gave her, gave her many opportunities that Novalee would never be able to say thank you enough for. Turning life’s corners can throw many problems at you, but that never stopped Novalee from living her life - Courage is what gave her that ability.
 

Words Can Backfire

Authors Note: This piece that I chose to write is an ABC poem. I decided to focus on writing a poem of my choice because I wanted to complete one of my goals. One of my favorite reality TV shows is The Bachelor. I really enjoy this show, because I enjoy to see who wins. In particular, there is this one girl who was recently sent home due to rude behavior and she was really evil. She didn't get along with any of the girls in the house and created lots of drama. This poem reflects what I thought of her and what I thought of the show so far. This is my creative piece!

Words Can Backfire!

A lthough love usually at first sight
B arriers are put up to protect yourself
C ontinued throughout a relationship
D on’t let your gaurd create a different person
E ven at times when you are shy
F aking a different side, is not okay
G uys surrounding you is an awesome feeling
H ello?!? you should only have feelings for that one and only special person
I solating yourself is not that fair
J ealousy is creating drama for yourself
K now-it-alls are not fun to be with,
L oosen up girl, you're not the only one here
M any people have the same feelings as you do
N o one cares how you feel
O pen your eyes to see reality
P eople also take in what’s surrounding them- not like you do
Q uit creating a character when you are around him, you are most definitely not
R ude is one word for you, but quite frankly, ridiculous is too!
S ent home is what’s around the corner for you!
T rouble is the only problem you create
U mbrellas, aren’t going to cover it for you either
V iolins can play sad music, but none of the other girls care
W aiting on you hand-and-foot, is not someone he wants in a wife
X rays can come all you want- stop getting hurt on purpose, because it’s becoming a show
Y elling at girls can create Sean to question you
Z one yourself in now, because you're being sent home!

Love is Never Ending!

Authors Note: In this theme analysis piece, I have picked out the theme love. Many novels have many themes but in the book, "The Blind Side," by Michael Lewis, "love" just stuck out to me. You should be able to pick out good word choice and know that love is never ending!



One strong word is love, and people have many views of it. People interpret love in many ways, and have multiple meanings for it. Grandma's kisses to her grandchildren, a father teasing his kids, or spouses hugging one another, are all types of love, however that is not the type of love in the book “The Blind Side,” by Michael Lewis, tough love is. Not knowing where this boy came from, the mother teaches  him to love himself for who he is, not from what people judge him as.

Love is the main theme in this book because the family spreads it into the heart of Michael. Michael is a poor guy who has no home, and this family takes him in. Many families wouldn't take home a stranger, but with the love and support in this family, they trust and have enough love, to take him in. The book shows a lot of love, just by the way Michael feels in the book. Sean Tuohy said "We were wondering if you would like to be a part of this family," and Michael Oher responded,"I kinda thought I already was." Since Michael already thought that he was part of the family, and the family loved him so much that they wanted to adopt him, you can definitely see the love and the theme in this book. Love is something that you give or just happens, nothing that you force.

Even though Michael was now a part of the family, there are many other incidents of love shown through the book. Love is majorly shown as the respect for Michael changes. As they learn that Michael is a phenomenal football player they realize that loving him is just going to encourage him to be better and be stronger. When Michael realized what they have done for him just so that they could have fame, he realizes that their love has gotten him where he is now. The family comes back to each other, and their love have reunited. Now, they are a family. A family with lots of love to share.

This novel is very similar to Bethany Hamilton, and her story and movie called “Soul Surfer.” These two stories both have love as a theme because love plays an important part in the books. Bethany goes through a lot within her lifetime and each day she lives, love is surrounding her. Each day she goes surfing, her love for her hobby, is what makes her put her heart and soul into surfing. When her arm is amputated, her family shows love as a theme by caring for her and helping her get through her rough times. Finally when her arm heals, she surfs again; this is because of her dedication and love for surfing. She realized that with the lover she has surrounding her, and in her heart, nothing can stop her.

There are many reason why love is a theme in the book “The Blind Side,” for multiple reasons. Along with the battles of not knowing what is coming around the corner and not knowing where Michaels mom is, he knows that he has people that love and care for him- a true family.