Free-write

The school year is almost over. YAYYYYY!!!!!!! I can't wait for summer. I feel like it's going to take forever for the school year to end at this point. I mean it's like teachers keep saying it's gonna go fast, but I'm sitting here on the monday after spring break at 9:37 waiting for this stupid school year to end. I think this anxiety is making me a tremulous person, and these stupid nerves and shakes will not go away until the school year is over. I feel like I'm stuck in this quotidian pattern of days and it will never change until June 21st. I think the school year goes on for too long and that we need less day of school a year. Seriously why do schools need 180 days of school. How much actual useful information can be taught in school. At this point I feel like all my teachers are teaching me useless information that I will never need again in life.

Which of the 4 books was your favorite and why?

My favorite book out of the four we read was The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. Although it was written decades ago, this novel is never obsolete, and its themes can still be applied to people today. What makes this novel so good is how scary the reality of depression is. Because the story is written in first person the reader thinks the main character, Esther, is normal. But to other people she must look insane and impassive. This novel can teach its readers many different lessons about life and can show the negative effects of women suppression in society.

What is your favorite book that you have had to read for high school?

My favorite book that I had to read in high school was The Odyssey by Homer. I read this book my freshman year, and we watched the movie afterwards. It was a really entertaining story to me. I loved the different creatures that were talked about in this novel. I've always had a fascination with Greek mythology. Another reason I loved this story is because it has lasted forever. So many people have read this story and enjoyed it, showing that its themes are universal. To me this story is not fatuous like so many others and is actually fun to read. It also shows all the history that was demonstrated. The language is also not grandiloquence, so it is easy to understand. I would read this novel again.

Why do you like the Hunger Games series?

I love these books they were so fast paced and interesting. It literally took me three days to finish all 3 and I wished they were longer. One thing I love about these novels is that they expose the faults of government and reality television. The story demonstrates the possible future that will occur in society if these things are not modified. Another reason I love these books is because I'm so similar to Katniss. I don't mean to be cheesy or anything but from the book description not only do we have the same physical appearance (dark hair, olive skin), but (according to other readers) the same personality. Also I have one sibling, a younger sister, Abigail, who reminds me more of Prim than I could ever remind myself of Katniss. The scariest similarity is that my sister and I have the same age difference and we also are the same ages of Katniss and Prim. Our relationship actually parallels theirs, especially after my mom got sick this year, and with my dad working I had to take care of everything. All of the scenes with Katniss and Prim left me in tears because they were so relatable. Another element of the story that I love is that it is so much more than a stupid, sappy, love story. I upbraid anyone who obsesses over "team Gale" or "team Peeta" because this is not Twilight garbage, and these books are about so much more than that. The winsome story of the Hunger Games should be read by all because it teaches important lessons about society and life to everyone.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I don't want to be anything because I already am something. Since I was one year old, I've been an obsequious servant to performing. Singing, dancing, acting, you name it. I chose this path because I love it and I can't picture myself doing anything else. When I'm up on that stage I get this adrenaline rush that can't be produced by any other activity. Performing is my panacea for life. When I'm in rehearsal all the drama is put aside and I'm free to just be myself. It's me and the music. There is no better feeling than when you take your final bow and receive a standing ovation.

Who is you favorite Actor/Actress? Why?

My favorite Actor is Meryll Streep. I was very precarious in choosing this person, but I felt that she serves as an inspiration to me. I am an actress myself and an important message Meryll Streep has taught me is to never give up. She was nominated for so many awards with her positive attitude and every time she wouldn't win she just kept trying again. Streep shows that with hard work and dedication you can achieve your goals. Meryll Streep also just has a natural acting talent that will never depreciate. She manages to get into character every time she works and can play any role that is given to her. I hope one day I can aspire to be as great of an actress as Meryll Streep.

What do you think of the open grade book?

I love the open grade book. I have been begging the school for over a year now to create a program like this. This program will help me improve my grades by allowing me to track them. I will never need to ask my teachers again. With this program my grades will never interpose between me and my happiness. If the school did not continue to keep this grade book, it would be a callous action. I believe that if the school kept the open grade book, they will see all their gpas improve greatly. The mystery of the grades without the open grade book is not helping students, who can never see what they did wrong so they can't improve.  Now instead of seeing a regular letter grade, the students can see the exact average, and look at all their grades.

If you could drop one class from your schedule, what would it be and why?

I would drop Gym. Gym is a useless course in our school that helps no one, but the athletes. Everyone is forced to participate in these stupid activities, and we are penalized if we don't. I would appreciate if someone in my class took a Penology class and found some sort of law that prohibits students from gym. Also, most students in Gym do not like to abide by the rules and don't participate in class. This course is such a waste of time, and students should be using the time slot to fill it with more productive things. Gym should only be mandated for 2 years and after that it should become an elective. The main defense statement for gym class is that it helps students try to gain more exercise, but the bottom line is that the kids who are participating in gym have gotten a lot of exercise from their additional sports teams, and are in major shape. The kids who do not participate have no exercise to begin with and end with no exercise. I think our gym classes should be specialized to what we want to do specifically. I saw this at another school. An example would be instead of taking old-fashioned gym, yoga or dance class could be offered, and the athletes could also have very rigorous programs to participate in. I have seen this system work out very well.

The Curse of MacBeth

The curse comes from the play's depiction of witchcraft, still a vital (though contested) belief in 1606, when the play was first performed. The people believe that the witchcraft that they did in the show had accidentally cast a spell on it. The most shocking effects of the curse was the 1672 Amsterdam production, as well as the 1998 Off-Broadway production. In the 1672 production the person playing MacBeth substituted a real dagger for the fake one and stabbed and killed the actor playing Duncan, onstage in front of everyone. In the 1998 production, Alec Baldwin accidentally sliced open the hand of his costar during a performance. What makes this event so shocking is that it is fairly recent, and I was alive for it. You can't mention the name MacBeth in a theater because it could "activate" the curse. If I had to avoid the curse I would use the method of reciting the Hamlet verse because it is the most dramatic and I'm too lazy to leave the room. In the method one must recite the verse: "Angels and Ministers of Grace defend us! Be thou a spirit of health or goblin damn’d, Being with thee airs from heaven or blasts from hell, Be thy intents wicked or charitable, Thou comest in such a questionable shape that I will speak to thee.". I am skeptic about this curse, and although I am an actress, I believe that if you give your performance your all, then you can overcome any curse. This is one of the many theater curses and superstitions I and other actors have heard.

What did you think of the Oscars?

I thought the Oscars were okay this year, but they were not my favorite year. One entertaining part of the evening was when Sacha Baron Cohen threw Kim Jong-il "ashes" on Ryan Seacrest. He is probably the only actor with enough temerity to pull this stunt off. Cohen is so crazy that one can't help but laugh. I think Meryll Streep is so talented, and I'm glad she won the Oscar. This was her third win, and she originally had come to the rash decision that she wasn't going to win this year. The actress was shocked when her name was called as the winner. The Artist had won many awards last night, which was very predictable. I personally loved it when the movie won and they brought the dog onstage. I thought that was adorable and the dog is very cute. Overall, it looks like the Oscars were a lot of fun for all that attended the year, and I hope someday I will get to go to this awesome event.

Stephen King Story

My favorite Stephen King childhood story was the illness/death one. It was a beautiful and heartfelt story that had so much deep meaning to it. This story talks about the last moments of King's mother's death. The beautiful message behind the story is that it represents true family. Her son's were with her throughout everything, and stuck by her side no matter what. Thinking about that moment where she hugged her two children gleaming with pride over who they became to be is so beautiful it made me tear. This story is well written and gives the reader a clear description of the scene without being so gruesome. King makes his reader understand the seriousness of his piece with his writing, and that is a hard skill to grasp. I only wish someday I can write a serious piece as well as King has.

What will you be doing over the February break?

My February break plans are not malleable and have been planned for a while. They will not be anything illicid, but will involve a lot of musical rehearsal. I have rehearsal about 4 times a week. I also will be sleeping a lot because I love to sleep in. I will also probably hang out with my friends and go see a movie or something. My mom and my sister will be enjoying the nice weather of Florida, but I will not because of my musical practice. I sacrifice a lot for performing, including my February break.

What was your favorite part of the Superbowl?

My favorite part of the Superbowl was Madonna's halftime show. I'm a patriots fan so that was the only part I liked about the Superbowl. After the game was over my sister tried to goad me by rubbing it in my face that the giants won (even though she's a Jets fan), but I called her an idiot and she went away. Madonna got a lot of criticism for her halftime show, but I thought it was great. She had so many great stars (not including Niki Minaj, who is awful) like Cee-lo Green and LMFAO perform with her and it really enhanced the performance. The dance and song selection was selected fastidiously so that everyone would enjoy it. It was a great show, and one of the only halftime shows I really enjoyed (much better than Jessica Simpson). Madonna is a legend and people need to give her credit for what she has done. She is one of the many artists that reshaped music to what we have today, and opened a door for many other different styles of music from different artists that many people enjoy.

What is your favorite day of the week?

My favorite day of the week is Friday. I could never abhor Fridays. They are always filled with hope and happiness. Once you exit those classroom doors when that bell rings at 2:51, a feeling of relief comes to your mind. After I get home from school, I greet my agnate and little sister, Abigail. We have a chat about the day, and get along because we are both in such great moods. Then, I go and hang out with my friends until an unreasonably late hour. We have so much fun, whether it's going shopping or to the movies, or even just talking. Depending on my schedule on the upcoming Saturday, we determine if we should have a slumber party or not. When we don't I go home and usually watch my backed up DVR. This usually consists of Big Bang Theory, and this new show Grimm, which I have recently gotten into. For anyone that likes cop shows and a creepy twist on fairytales, this is the show for you. After I watch television, I normally go upstairs into my room and read until I pass out, which is normally around 1:30 a.m. But it's a Friday and I can sleep in the next night so I don't care how late I stay up. In summation, Fridays are just awesome and I'm always looking forward to them.

My hardest midterm will be.... because.....

My hardest midterm will be Research in Molecular Genetics because it is so incredibly hard. For this midterm we have to present a presentation about a Walksman project that we had completed so far throughout the year. To complete this objective, we were given an outline sheet with an abundance of challenging questions. Our class does not have the best rapport with the teacher so our presentations will probably be graded somewhat harshly. These powerpoints can't be amorphous and must always have a point and a supporting statement to back up each idea that is presented. The worse part of this assignment is that most of the information has to be memorized, and each student will be penalized if they are constantly looking at their presentation or index cards for help. Oral presentations are worse than writing any essay in class. I pray that I will do well on all of my midterms and will probably spend the next couple off weeks locking in my room with my head in my books. I absolutely despise midterms and I wish that my high school did not administer them.

Describe your favorite movie

My favorite movie is National Treasure. This movie palliated Nick Cage's bad acting career, but didn't erase it from the minds of all viewers. I love the plot for this movie. It is so unique and interesting. The story is about a "treasure map" on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Ben Gates (Cage), and his friends, Riley, and Abigail Chase accompany him on his journey to stop the nefarious Ian from stealing the Declaration and the treasure. The trio ends up on a series of events all over the country and makes many historical allusions. Even though the movie is a fallacy, the allusions are true, and they have helped me remember many historical facts in my history class. I believe National Treasure is a fun and exciting adventure that people of all ages can experience and enjoy.

Romantic Literature

One element of romantic literature that is seen in Wuthering Heights is love of the common man. This is demonstrated in the story with Catherine's love for Heathcliff. Heathcliff was an ordinary person who did not come from any money and was often mistreated and treated like a servant at the Heights. Catherine's love for him shows that she does not love a person of her high social standard, but an average person, making it a forbidden love. Even late in the book when Heathcliff comes back as a wealthy man, he is still looked upon as beneath Catherine. This is a theme that is very often seen in romantic literature.

Another element of romantic literature  in the novel is the strange, far-away places. Heathcliff's long disappearance separated Catherine and Heathcliff physically, but it did not separate their love. Catherine who is now living at the Grange thinks of it as a strange new place and longs to be back at the Heights and with Heathcliff. Also the fact that the Grange and the Heights are an hour apart is another reason that makes the love between Catherine and Heathcliff forbidden. Far off and strange places like the Grange and the unknown place of Heathcliff's disappearance is often seen in romantic literature, keeping star-crossed lovers apart.

Tell me about your holiday break!

I would never want to efface the amazing time I had on my holiday break. My family is so important to me and I like spending time with them as crazy as they are. Although they always harangue me about silly topics my family is always looking out for me and supports me no matter what. The only thing I regret about break is that I rarely got to spend free time with my friends. My break consisted of a lot of food, sleeping, and a whole lot of movies. My favorite part of break was going to a restaurant in the city with my family for my mom's birthday. There was so much food and it was honestly some of the best food I've ever tasted in my life. The movies I watched consisted of Dirty Dancing, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Due Date, The Hangover, and Sherlock Holmes 2. The two best ones in my opinion would probably be Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes, for I have recently become a huge action movie plan. Anyway this break was also productive for me to get my schoolwork done and finish some essays and projects that needed to be done. This break was greatly desired by me and I really needed it.