Coming Of Age Blog Post #2

            For most teenagers that are coming of age they feel like they have no hope in finding themselves, but eventually do after multiple changes happen to them. This occurred in the book I read, Born Confused by Tanuja Desai Hidier. Dimple Lala feels overwhelmed because she can't keep a balance between being American and Indian. Also her best friend Gwyn is always with the guy they both love Gwyn. At the same time she is learning more about her family members. Dimple doesn't know what to do and feels like there is no hope for her.
           There are a lot of moments in this book where you can see Dimple feeling like this. For example for majority of the end of the book there is a period where Dimple is too frustrated to be with anyone and decides to bond with her father more. Through this she learns more about her parents and their past. This makes her relationship with her parents stronger. So after this her parents understand her better and can help her out with her problems. From these moments I can conclude that Dimple needed to make relations with others better to fix the others.
            I thought that the author was trying to say that you can't have good relationships with only some people that are important to you. You should try to keep a good relationship with everyone that's important to you or else they can fade away from your life. Also when you are in a rough spot in a relationship, going and having fun with others can make you feel better. Having good relations with others can help you learn more about them and yourselves.
            Today I see this theory at work all the time at school and other places. When one is having a hard time in a relationship with others being with new people can help you out and eventually fix old relationships. This especially works when you are coming of age like Dimple Lala.

Coming Of Age Blog Post #1

         During the young years of our lives we are aware of what our backgrounds are and we always follow the culture and religion of it. However as we are growing up or coming of age we realize sometimes we have to act differently. In the book I'm reading  Born Confused, by Tanuja Desai Hidier, Dimple Lala neglects her Indian culture to try and fit in. However when her parents are around she feels she is neglecting her culture too much. A quote that stood out to me in the book was "So not quite Indian, and not quite American. Usually I felt more along the lines of alien (however legal, as my Jersey birth certificate attests to). The only times I retreated to one or the other description were when my peers didn't understand me (then I figured it was because I was too Indian) or when my family didn't get it (clearly because I was too American)." I felt because Dimple was turning seventeen and was learning more about herself, she felt the need to act different around her peers or parents.
          Throughout the first half of the book, there were many moments when Dimple felt awkward because of her culture. When ever she goes shopping with her parents Her mom doesn't understand the need of stylish clothes to an American teenager. Also when Dimple is at school and has her home lunch, which is always a tuna and chutney sandwich, she classmates always thinks its odd. After experiencing all these moments Dimple always tries to act differently but she and everyone around her knows that she is the only Indian-American girl in her school. From these moments I can conclude that Dimple doesn't realize its okay to be part of both cultures and doesn't know how to keep a balance of them. Also she tries to be what everyone wants her too be all at the same time.
         What I think Tanuja Desai Hidier, is trying to say through the moments in this book is that one shouldn't try to change themselves because of what others think. It's is okay to be a part of two cultures. Unfortunately, Dimple didn't realize this yet in the book. She feels that how you act depends on the people around you at the time. What she should be realizing is that it's normal for one to be part of two completely different cultures. In fact being this way just make you a more unique and well rounded person.
        Today, knowing this is important because nowadays people from different cultures do get married, or families do move to new places. Now, it is completely normal for people to be a part of two different cultures. I myself am American and Bengali. At times it may seem that one of the cultures you follow is odd to people, but in the long run, one should realize everyone is unique in their own way and have different traditions to follow.

Extra Credit: The Evil Will Always Find A Way To Come Back *Spoiler Alerts*

           In most fantasy books after the "bad" guys they always have a way of coming back to get their revenge on the good guys. For example, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Voldemort came back 14 years after being defeated by Harry, with the help of Wormtail. In the book I read over break The City of Fallen Angels, by Cassandra Clare, Sebastian returns from the dead to get back at Jace and start a race of Shadowhunters with demon blood in them. I think that no matter how many times the bad guy returns he will always be defeated.
           In The City of Fallen Angels Jace and Clary can finally be together considering they both found out they're not brother and sister. However Jace slowly starts to drift away from Clary and she can't figure out why. Jace says its because he's trying to forget his past, but the real reason is because the demon Lilith is possessing him so she can use him, Clary and Simon (Clary's friend) to bring Sebastian back to life. From these moments I noticed that antagonist was trying to be brought back like in other fantasies. In this book Simon had no other choice but to bring back Sebastian because he knows Jace is possessed and will kill Clary if he has to. Fortunately, Clary gets Jace unpossessed with her love and frees herself. Simon and Jace then work together to kill Lilith. However, Lilith made a connection between Jace and Sebastian so he was brought back to life anyway. From these moments I can conclude that the villain is willing to do anything to get back at the good guys.
           What I think the author is trying to say is that throughout life bad things will always come your way but you just have to fight it. It will come back one day but you have to just fight it and move on with your life. In the previous book, City of Glass Jace fought against Clary and won and they finally got to be together in peace. Now that Sebastian is back, Jace has to fight him once again and then once again he will be back with Clary. It will be hard for him but he knows if he fights this, in the end everything will be ok.
           Today, I see this at work everyday. I see in other books and I see it in other people's lives all the time. In fact this happened to me recently. The other day I faced a 78 on a science test. I didn't see it coming at all. for I long time I sulked about it, then I realized that being sad about this grade won't do any good. I need to instead be prepared for the next test and hope that I do so good that it makes me forget about this grade. I think that everyone should have this attitude about situations like this and get rid of the "bad" in our lives no matter how many times it comes back because one day it will go away.

Having Ultimate Power Isn't Always What It's Cracked Up To Be

            Nowadays most movies and books are about doing whatever you have to get ultimate power. In the book I'm reading, Vespers Rising by  Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson (the 11th 39 Clues book) the Cahill's family ending up separating due to all the pressure of having the ability to get ultimate power. In my opinion, one doesn't need ultimate power and can live without it. 

           Vespers Rising is about how the rivalry between the Cahills and Vespers actually started. It all happened when Gideon Cahill tries to make something that would get rid of disease, but instead it made one powerful. Damien Vesper tried to get the potion from Gideon but failed, but he gave parts of the potion to his four children- Luke, Katherina, Jane and Thomas. Gideon's wife Olive however was pregnant with Madeleine at the time. The four children did manage to escape with the ingredients but they went their separate ways because of an argument. Gideon ends up dying in order to save his potion and Olive has to witness this. She ends up going away and when Madeleine is born she teaches her to bring peace everywhere she goes and protect the family secret. From these moments I can conclude that everyone wants the power so much that they end up causing rivalry with in the family and against another family. 

          I think that these authors decided to write about a problem like this to show that wanting ultimate power can cause a lot of damage. Now Amy and Dan Cahill have to reunite all the Cahills in order to defeat the Vespers. They wouldn't have to do all this if Damien didn't go after the potion. It also seems like the authors want to tell readers that don't let silly arguments break up the family because it can have everlasting damage. The story of Gideon and Damien took place 500 years ago in the book and now Amy and Dan are trying to fix the feud when they are in grave danger. All of this could have been prevented if greediness and anger hadn't gotten the better of everyone.

          Today I think this information can be useful to people because rivalry can happen easily but it can be prevented easily as well. Before anything can happen, one should start to think is having ultimate power really worth breaking up my family and causing worldwide damage?

        

True Love Always Conquers *Spoiler Alerts*

           When you're like me and watch a lot of Bollywood movies you start to notice a common theme in all of them: true love conquers all. Recently I started to think about it and wonder if it is really true. Then the idea show up in the book I was reading, The City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. this book is about Clary, whose mother is in a deep coma that she put herself in to escape her evil husband Valentine. Clary loves Jace and just recently found out thats he is her brother and tries hard to not love him but can't do it. Jace feels the same way. however, in the after their love does work out.
           Throughout the book, Clary and Jace keep having awkward moments, considering they love each other but are brother and sister. Jace tries to flirt with Aline, a family friend but it just makes Jace and Clary's relationship worse. Jace and Clary both know they cannot love another person. Some conclusions I drew from these moments were that, no matter how much Clary and Jace love each other they now they can't be together because they are brother and sister and they are afraid of what others will think. After weeks of suffering like this, Clary mother comes out of the coma, she reveals that Jace isn't really her brother and it is someone pretending to be Aline's cousin Sebastian. after this Clary and Jace are both ecstatic. They can finally be together.
          What I think the author is trying to say is exactly what most Bollywood movies say, true love always does conquer all. Clary and Jace loved each other so much they were willing to do anything to be together. They were even considering to run away. In the end they didn't have to because they turned out not to be brother and sister and could be together. In short, if you love someone/thing it will eventually come your way.
         Today, I see this theory at work in other books such as Twilight and The Notebook, and as mentioned before in almost every single Bollywood movies made. Maybe in real life, love won't always conquer all and turn out the way you want but all you can do is hope that your love is strong enough to win.
         

Romeo and Juliet

            So far I am liking Romeo and Juliet the movie more than the book. The book is a bit hard to understand and from a very different time period. However what i found annoying in the movie was that while trying to keep everything modern, the script was left the same which kind of contradicts the whole movie.
           When I was reading the paper that Ms. Robbins gave us on Baz Luhrmann I noticed that he wanted to keep everything modern but left the script the same. I think that if the movie was in modern English with a touch of poetry, the movie would be better. what's the point of changing everything but the script. Old English is hard to understand and is out of date. the movie just seems weird with guns, new clothing, and cars but old English.
          Baz Lurhmann said that he knew that he would have to make his movie "hip and sexy" and change everything to make it modern, but by keeping the language the same it seems like there was no point in changing everything else. By keeping the language the same the movie contradicts itself. The movie would be better in regular English. However rest of the movie was well played out and did go well with the book.

Love Your Parents

            Most teeneagers don't really understand thier parents. They spend most of the time complaining about them and rolling thier eyes at them but don't understand them. this is what happened in my book, The City of Bones by Cassandra Clare.
             The City of Bones is about how Clary Fray has the sight and can see Shadowhunters that kill demons. The night she first sees them Clary gets in trouble for coming home late. The next day she has a big fight with her mom and ends up coming home to her mom gone and a demon attacking her. After this Clary really regrets getting into a fight with her mom and starts appreciating everything her mom has done for her.
             These days I hear a lot of my friends talking about thier parents in a bad way just because they have gotten yelled or something like that. Most of them doesn't understand that your parents do so much for you and care about everything you do because we're young. It is our responsibility to give our parents respect for what they do for us. (SPOILER)
             By the end of the book Clary learns to give her mother respect even though she is in a coma and won't wake up. She realizes that everything her mother hid from her was for her own good and now just prays for her mom to wake up. A lot of kids need to have the same attitude and just love thier parents.

Mentor Blog Posts

http://booksupontheswiftofthewind.blogspot.com/2011/01/aurora-goddess-of-dawn.html?showComment=1295992820627

           What i really like about Anisha's poem is that goes so well with the painting she chose. I was there with her when she was does this poem and I could see the effort she was putting into it. All she wanted to do is make the poem sound so proffesional and make it go well with the painting and it did. Also with the beautiful descriptions and details she uses you can actually picture the painting in your head. Lastly the vocabulary she uses is just great.

http://ninamoransblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/poison-apples-poison-worms.html

            When I first read this blog I was immediately drawn in with her introduction. Also the questions that she asks throughout the post made me think more about the book even though I read it a long time ago. Also she is elaborating everything she talks about in her post which is important in a response. Lastly, I liked how her last statement was And that's where the Mysterious Benedict Society comes in, it was a really nice way to end her post.
           
http://benselablog.blogspot.com/2011/01/lady-looking-through-telescope-while.html

            There were a lot of things that I loved about Ben's post. I liked the perspective he used. Most people would do it form a third person point of view but he uses first person which makes it seem so real. Also the imagery he used really made me see the painting while I was reading the poem. Lastly I liked how Ben used rhyming but it didn't sound amaturish. When I try to rhyme it sounds like an amatuer wrote it but his poem is just great.

http://eveningswithdrfutterman.blogspot.com/

        I wanted to also incorporate Annie's posts into this but all of hers are too good to pick from. What makes them great is that her vocabulary is great and her writing is just beautiful. Her writing realy makes you think and after reading it you realize how smart and thoughtful she is.

Life is Peaceful

,   Water Lilies By: Claude Monet

Life is peaceful
with water lilies in a pond that doesn't ripple.
Life is peaceful
with chirping birds high in the trees.
Life is peaceful
with soft green grass to sit on.
Life is peaceful
with colorful flowers on trees that just bloomed.
Life is peaceful
with the sun high in the sky letting off happiness.
Life is peaceful
only in Claude Monet's paintings.

Unpacking "A Boat Beneath The Sunny Sky"

A Boat Beneath a Sunny Sky

by Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll

A BOAT beneath a sunny sky,

Lingering onward dreamily

In an evening of July —

Children three that nestle near,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Pleased a simple tale to hear —

Long has paled that sunny sky:

Echoes fade and memories die:

Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,

Alice moving under skies

Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,

Eager eye and willing ear,

Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,

Dreaming as the days go by,

Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream —

Lingering in the golden gleam —

Life, what is it but a dream?

My Response
        Right after reading this poem I noticed that at first the mood is happyand tranquil but as you read on it gets more and more depressing. Also Lewis talks about memories die and how Alice haunts him phantomwise so I think the two are connected even though they are complete opposites. Another thing I noticed was that in the beginning of the poem it is summer, where everyone is warm and happy but soon it turns to fall, and fall is cold and messy. I think the author was using seasons and descriptions to change the mood.
        In one of the paragraphs Lewis Carroll talks about how memories are dying but he still gets haunted of Alice phantomwise so I infered that Alice was a loved one to him but she died. Also I think that he is forgetting some of the memories of her yet he get let go of her emotionally.
         After reading through this poem a couple of times I realized that one day you are with your loved one having a good time then next thing you know they are gone. You try to let go and still remeber the memories but it is hard to do.
         Overall, I think Lewis Carroll is trying to say that life is not a dream even though it can end suddenly. Life is real. It has its ups and downs and can end whenever God wants it to. Thus, you should enjoy life instead of hating every moment of it.

I am hungry for more Hunger Games!

           Over break I read Harry Potter and the Order of The Pheonix and Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince and after a while I got tired of reading the same type of writing, even though it was a series as great as Harry Potter. Then I remebered that my sister got a copy of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins for her birthday and decided to read it. I heard that the book was really good but at the same time a bit depressing. I still wanted to read so I started right away.
           I immediately got into this book. I thought it perfectly resembled a dystopian society. It reminded me of City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, which also was a dystopia and one of my favorite books. Both these took place in the ruins of a place that is existing now. Also both have a heroine with a male sidekick.
           Katniss Everdeen isn't your average girl. She is the one who gets all the food for her family which is her mother and sister, Prim. Also she is very brave. Every year a name of a boy and a girl is picked from each of the 12 districts in Panem, to participate in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is where 24 teenagers are left in an arena with scattered supplies, and they all have to survive until only one person is left alive. This means the teenagers would have to try and kill each other. After Prim's name gets picked, Katniss decides to take over to save her sister. This type of "girl power" has been showing up in the book I am currently reading called the The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson. In this book Lisbeth Salander is the heroine.
           I think authors have an interest in dystopian societies because they are interesting to read about and make you wonder if the future really would turn out this way. Also I think that there is a high interest in "girl power" because now a woman can do whatever a man can and maybe even do it better, but most people don't yet realize it.
          The Hunger Games was a good combination of a dystopian society and showing that girls can do what guys can do. Also it has a interesting plot that makes you want to not let go of the book. I cannot wait to read Catching Fire.