Persepolis Reflection

I absolutely loved reading Persepolis. I never knew that reading a graphic novel could be so intriguing. It was actually fun to read and I looked forward to it.

My favorite part about the reading experience was the combination of art and text. Sometimes novels can get weighed down by the endless descriptions. I'm not saying that I don't like descriptive prose by any means. I love a good ole' poetic depiction in the morning. I am just saying that it was new to me to be able to see the setting and characters as the author had seen them. Ususally one has to create an image in his or her head using only the description the author provides. There is no way in hell that I can picture the heroine exactly as the writer had seen it in their head. Sometimes that can be a good thing but othertimes you just wonder. Reading a graphic novel was a change of pace and I thought it was much needed.

This is definately something that I would recommend to others. It's something different and you should keep it as a key part of your curriculum. Reading something outside your comfort zone is always beneficial. I can't find any reason for you to trash this.

Jane Eyre Reflection

For the most part, I thought Jane Eyre was a pretty decent book. It was killer to read but the story was super interesting. There was so much going on throughout the novel. Some parts were great while others definately could have been left out.

I think it was an appropriate addition to our unit because it is a true coming of age tale. And unlike Catcher in the Rye, it was from the perspective of a young girl. That was refreshing. It worked with the theme and tied in ideas nicely. I can't find any reason why it didn't fit into the unit.

I did enjoy this book and do think that it should be taught in college literature courses. In college. Not high school. It would be great in Women's Lit. Or just a freshman english course. Jane Eyre just isn't one of those novels you can do justice in high school.

Who is Grace Poole?

Grace is an interesting character to say the least. I think I have come up with a reasonable explanation so I wanted to share it with you fine people.

Grace Poole is Adele's mother, the quote-on-quote "french singer". Rochester made up the whole story about Adele's birth and his relationship with her mother. I think that Grace is the woman that Rochester fell in love with as a young man in France. Adele was born but Grace eventually went crazy. Some mental disaster. Rochester was still in love with Grace but knew that he couldn't be married to an insane woman. It was all about status and appearance. But since he loved her, he took Adele in and let Grace stay with them as a seamstress in the estate. That is why she is still here. She is being taken care of and even though she terrorizes company at times, Rochester still keeps her around. I ask myself why would he keep this insane woman around his daughter and the fact that she is her mother is the only reasonable thought I can muster.

Connections?

Has anyone ever read "The Great Gatsby"? If so, are you seeing any connections between it and "Jane Eyre"? Especially in the colors? Or is it just me?

In "Gatsby", colors are everywhere. On every page, it is guaranteed that there will be at least one color. It doesn't matter if it is just mentioned casually or used to describe something, it is still there. Just take a look at the book cover once.

In "Jane Eyre", you see colors almost just as often. Red, white, black, and purple seem to be the most prominent though.

Maybe I am over thinking this or maybe I'm not. What do you guys think?

Visions of Teenhood

The screenwriter for Rebel Without a Cause definately knew what he was doing when he wrote the storyboard for the film. J.D. Salinger, when writing "Catcher in the Rye", was pretty spot on too. Both of these works are pieces that show what it is truly like to be a teenager. It's hard as hell! Making friends and keeping up with school and developing relationships is not an easy task. Everyone sometimes loses control. We all feel alone at times. It's normal. It's life. You may not be able to see it on our faces, but it is still there. Showing emotions is a difficult thing to do. For all of us...

Anyway...

Going off of that rant, I think Juno is a somewhat stretched yet almost perfect representation of the modern teen. She shows us that shit happens in life and we have to be able to pick up the pieces. It may be hard but there are always people to help if you ask.

Visions of Childhood

I think that one of the best portrayals of childhood has to be in the show Malcolm in The Middle. It is one of my favorite shows so I may be biased, but I really do think it accurately portrays childhood today.

The show is a work of fiction, but it almost seems like a documentary. It shows just how hard growing up is. And how much fun it can be at the same time. It tells the story of real childhood. Not everything in life is perfect. Parents are embarrassing. School is harder than it seems. Friendships are flawed. Santa Clause isn't real. And neither is the Easter Bunny.

The four stories we read in class are also great examples. They don't hide reality behind chocolate chip cookies and bedtime stories. They get down to the grit of it all. Like in "Every Little Hurricane," parents aren't always there for you. You are never guaranteed a cookie cutter existance. Or look at "Where are you Going? Where have you Been?," the main character is a girl who doesn't even care what happens to her as long as its exciting and risky. Childhood is different for everyone, but I can guarantee that nobody will ever be able to describe their childhood as perfect.

When I Grow Up?

Have you ever heard the song "When I Grow Up" by the Pussycat Dolls? It's an interesting song and has a pretty catchy tune. Whenever I hear it, I wanna just break out dancing! But let's get serious now. That's not what I am writing about. I am writing about my future. I would like to start off saying that I have absolutely no freakin' clue what I wanna do. It switches back and forth daily but recently, it has been coming back to the same thing over and over again.

Apparently, I want to go to school to get a double major in Philosophy and Sociology. Who knew? I absolutely love the study of philosophy and even though it probably won't get me anywhere in life, I want to continue my education of it. But really? What am I going to do with it? How about criminal justice? Philosophy deals with ethics and logic so working for the justice department sounds pretty appealing to me.


For your listening pleasure:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0K46C82v9o