Literacy Blog #6 - MSND

Literacy Blog #6 – MSND

           

This week’s question from my English is the following; Which one of the book covers do you believe to be most effective for the play A Midsummer Night's Dream, and why? This is the cover I chose to be the best out of the options which were given. Out of all the covers I think this one was the most magical and mysterious. The cover shows a young lady in the forest and she appears to be sleeping. Surrounding her are an abundance of fairies, and when aren’t fairies magical? From a young age we have be told stories and fairy tales, where most of the settings in the forest and a magical adventure usually occurs. The dark shadows in the picture possess a mysterious air to them and causes the viewer to have a mood of wonder.  What else is within this forest besides the fairies? What other magic would be lurking around the corner?  The colour of the trees leaves also show it is summertime, lush with new leaves and flowers littering the ground below. Since the play is set in summer this is only fitting. The lady on the ground also has a sense of magic and mystery to her and the viewer wonders why she is in this forest and why the fairies have taken such a liking to her. Since she is sleeping we as the viewer’s wonder what she is dreaming about. When I first saw this cover I thought it was the most fitting because of a part in the play when Hermia (who I assume is the woman lying on the ground) and when she has sat down to rest her head because her and Lysander are fleeing the city of Athens and have stopped in the forest to rest. The examples are the reasons why I believe this is the best cover out of the ones which were the options.

Literacy Blog #5 - MSND

 Literacy Blog #5 – MSND

   

April 5, 2013

Today in English class we had to make a connection to the book we are currently reading. The options for our choices were; connection to the characters or a similar theme. After some time I came up with a similar theme, although the connection was loose. The supernatural is what I came up with. In A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare the supernatural is all of the fairies and magic within the kingdom and of course the forest.  Forests always seem to have something lurking in them, fairy tales more often than not have the setting based there, and at a young age we are taught from these stories not to venture into the forest alone. Why wouldn't there be something supernatural in one of Shakespeare’s plays, when there’s a forest filled with magic? The supernatural in The Last Lecture is Randy’s cancer. The tumors of cancer and cancerous cells in his body formed from what seemed like thin air. How is it we can have these things grow inside of us and us not have known about it? How can we not find a way to get rid of it and stop it from taking away a life? The supernatural is a scary, exciting, unknown thing in some cases, where we know minimal about it. There are always stories about the supernatural and it fascinates our society because of the mystery and little known facts behind it. Sometimes it is made up and thought of by someone, like Shakespeare’s’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream and sometimes it takes someone on a journey they were least expecting.

Spring Break Plans

My spring break plans.

March 22, 2013

Well for starters we can get rid of that word, “spring.” On Monday there was a big snow fall and now the city looks like we are in the middle of December again. Not cool Mother Nature. I plan on going to Fargo and Grand Forks to do some shopping with my dad and little sister, with two other close families. This is a trip we take almost every year, at least three times and it never disappoints. I can always find something great with a fabulous price to match and it seems to make the trip worthwhile. As well, there’s also a great place in Grand Forks where we stop for pizza, it’s called “Rhombus Guys.” Top notch food, drinks and service, what more could you ask for? And spending this vacation with friends is always a bonus. I’ve always said the transition between winter and spring is the busiest, people, schools and family always seem to be in a rush, so a break to slow thing down is appreciated quite a bit. After this weekend voyage, I’m back to sitting on the couch for a bit, trying to wrestle away the remote form my sisters, but I do have some spring break books to read in my mind. “The Penderwicks” by Jeanne Birdsall is one of my all-time favourites and isn't a difficult read either, perfect for a relaxing break. At the end of the week I’m off again to my cousins’ cottage, probably with many more giggles and secrets to be made there. Not a fancy vacation but a very good one in my opinion, and I wish you all a great spring break as well.  

This picture symbolizes me taking me time and enjoying my spring break, and getting away from the rush of everything. It sounds pretty good to me. 

Literacy Blog Number Three

Literacy Blog Number Three

March 8, 2013

Today the following question was provided; what do you like most about your novel so far? My answer, how do you pick your favourite section of a work of art? It takes much thought and reason, and you often have to argue your point with many facts. For those who have read this book and seen some reviews, you will see there are many polar opposite opinions. Some say it's a great book with a new perspective on life and making the most of the time you have, and others think it was too happy, and they often thought he was saying 'yay for me.' I have to disagree with these negative opinions. Although this book didn't bring me too tears, I did find myself laughing out loud at parts, and somber and silence at others. This book shows new light on an old subject ‘make the most of the time you have.’

I admire the way Randy speaks with such blunt honesty, saying point blank he has cancer and he isn’t going to be here much longer. Instead of saying you should make the most of the time you have, he says you NEED too. Time is short and so is life so get too it. Move your butt off the couch and get going. He shows what he has done and inspires others this way. It isn’t a ‘yay for me’ situation per say but an ‘I made the choice to move past this and I moved on, end of story’ kind of attitude. This is something not a lot of people do these days, me included. I really need to work on not complaining so much, and seeing the bright sides of situations more often. This is a book, which is a treasure among novels, is essentially a guide to living in the moment, and we could use a change in perspective once in a while. So…get to it.

Blog Entry Number 2

Blog Entry Number 2

Text to Self Connection

My book, The Last Lecture, is divided into sections with numerous stories and pieces of advice from the author Randy. One of the stories is titled, Pouring Soda in the Backseat. The story talked about how Randy didn’t have kids until his late thirties, so he hung out with his sisters two young children. He was the “fun uncle” which we all adore. He loved taking his niece and nephew on adventures a couple times a month to show them the world threw different ways. In this story I found a connection to a vacation to my cousins’ cottage this past year with only my uncle as our adult supervision. I found these two men had similar rules.  

  1) No whining

  2)Whatever we do on this vacation we don’t tell our mothers.

Words of wisdom. While we were out at the cottage we seemed to be dirtying every dish in the house. It finally got to the point where it was so crowded a few dishes fell to the floor and broke. My uncle didn’t get mad though. He just looked at us and said we would clean the dishes up and for the rest of the time we would use paper plates. He didn’t get mad, showing us accidents happen and we could have a good time together, while taking away a job. Something similar happened with Randy. He came to pick up his niece and nephew during the afternoon in his new convertible. As he pulled up his sister made sure to tell them to keep it clean, wipe their feet before getting in and not to touch or make a mess of everything. He thought these were ridiculous rules because kids always make messes. So as she was speaking he poured a can of soda all over the back seat, to show them people make mistakes and they are more important than things. Show people they are going to make mistakes and it’s only human, don’t value objects more than the people you love and most importantly, use a soda to show someone you’re important to them.

Literacy Blog #1 - part 2

Literacy Blog #1 – part 2

My novel I’m reading at the moment is called “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch. It’s about the author, Randy’s last lecture he is going to give before he passes away. He isn’t old per say, but he is sick. He has terminal cancer, pancreatic to be exact, with ten tumors in his liver (the cancer spread) and he only has months to live. Throughout this book it talks about the topics he spoke about in his lecture. He talks about his childhood memories and dreams, how they aren’t impossible to reach and how dreaming big isn’t always impossible. The book is split into five parts; five different sections of his lecture. The Last Lecture, Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, Adventures… And Lessons Learned, Enabling The Dreams Of Others and my favorite section, It’s About How To Live Your Life. These sections all have words of wisdom and stories which make you laugh, cry and think. My favourite section, It’s About How To Live Your Life, are a collection of suggestions and advice,  giving people a few words of wisdom about how to make every moment memorable and enjoyable, ranging from dreaming big, making deals, getting people’s attention, and the lost art of thank-you notes. This book have definitely given me a new look on different aspects in life and has shown me even in the darkest sad moments of time there is always a silver lining on the darkest cloud.

My main character is Randy Pausch, born October 23, 1960 and died July 25, 2008. He was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University for computer science and human-computer interaction. He often mentions stories of his job and what many of them have become, speaking with the highest praise for all of them. His parents are spoken of highly in his book, saying he won ‘the parent lottery’ often thanking him for what he became in the future. He was married to his wife Jai and they have three kids, Dylan, Logan, and Chloe. He often speaks of how this book will be his way of giving advice and wisdom to his kids even after he’s gone. Randy seems to never have a negative attitude towards his condition, saying “we cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand”. He doesn’t keep the fact he has terminal cancer a secret, mentioning in the book the “elephant in the room” and how even though people don’t want to mention it, the fact is right there and we all know it’s the topic hanging over everyone’s head.  He’s always positive, managing to find the silver lining in everything. He’s often very blunt, saying you have to be when teaching in his field of work, when his students seem to think they are the smartest ones there. He’s quite witty and has some really good insight to life’s troubles. He was around average high, with dark brown eyes, thick eyebrows and a smile which seems to make you think he doesn’t have a care in the world. Randy is a guy who I don’t think can be portrayed in a movie, because he’s a soul who can’t be portrayed by someone else. He truly is one of a kind.

The setting for this book is in Virginia, the Pausch family moving there to be close to Jai’s family after Randy’s passing. Randy often speaks about his life and colleagues back in their old home town of Pittsburgh, speaking of how in the middle of this tragic event they still decided to uproot themselves and move, even with cancer treatments and a book to write. This book was written in the time frame of when he first found out he had cancer to becoming a New York Times bestseller on April 28, 2008. The book is based on the lecture he gave on September 18, 2007, titled The Last Lecture; Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. He speaks of how he missed Pittsburgh but he wanted to be able to provide some kind of support for his family after he was gone, often speaking of how his decision may not have been at an ideal time but he wanted to think long term and know his wife and children would have some family to support them even after he was gone. Randy Pausch seems to be a once in a lifetime kind of guy. I wish I could have met him, gotten advice and shared a laugh, but I can’t. I can however carry on his words by reflecting them in my life. Thank you Randy for a beautiful book and may you rest in peace. 

All About Me

ALL ABOUT ME

        My name's Anastasia, an uncommon one many people tell me. I'm in grade nine. Some of my favourite things in life are books, tea, photography and travel. After graduation I plan on doing some travelling with friends all over the world. Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Europe and many other places. I love history and new cultures, the clothing, definitety the food and language. I adore reading and finding a good book, which seems like these days most of them are about the typical boy-meets-girl-she-finds-out-he's-a-vampire/werewolf,-will-their-love-survive type of thing. That's just my personal opinion though. I love it when you can find a book and it's one where you feel like you know the characters, you can see the image they see, and once it's done you feel like you've just spend time in another world and have just said goodbye to an old friend, may it be mystery, drama, action, romance, you name it. Movies are probably the best thing besides books, but I still think the book is always better than the movie for those who argue.
        I hope with this blog, you find new ideas for good books, share your opinion or contradict it  with mine on certain topics and once in a while maybe have a laugh. So lets get started, shall we?


        " You can't get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." - C. S. Lewis