Assignment 7

1. I like writing the daily prompts because I like variety. Each prompt is different and requires a different thought process. Some of the prompts brought up special memories I hadn't thought about for a long time.

2. I usually don't like writing short stories but I really liked the first one that I wrote this quarter. I was inspired by some real life experiances. I think I did a good job taking those experiences and making a story of it. I liked having freedom of topic. I was very surprised to find myself writing such a dark story but I think it was effective in its dramatics.

3. I have found that I like writing either way. I can be inspired by something in direction or when I am given freedom. I think that if you like writing you can find something to write about in any situation.

4. I would really like to write movie/ music/ book reviews. I think that reviews are fun to write because you get to express a personal opinion and hopefully they are helpful to others who read them. Reviews have alot of use in the real world and are practical.

Assignment 6- fear

Fear Questions:
1. Do you like to be scared? Why or why not? In what settings are you okay with being frightened?
I like to be scared, but only when I know that I am not in actual danger. I really love scary stories, horror movies and haunted houses. On the other hand things like roller coasters, attackers, and things that put me in physical danger, I don't like. It is fun to be scared and explore the twisted paths that the human mind can take and the way the mind can play tricks on you, in safety!!

2. What scares you? Are there things you fear? Are there things in our world you consider horrific? These do not have to be about ghosts or monsters. (One of Stephen King's bestselling horror novels was about a dog.) Perhaps you are afraid to ski or afraid of snakes. Maybe you hate being alone in your house at night. Maybe you are afraid of big cities. Where do your fears come from? Are you more scared by blood and guts terror or by subtle the possibility of something horrible happening?
I don't get scared easily or by rare things like shark attacks. However, I fear things that would hurt me most in the long run and are more likely, such as losing a family member, getting in a car crash or contracting a terminal illness. I think the most horrific thing that can happen to anyone is the loss of a loved one. Whether they die or you lose who they were to drugs, etc. this is a heart breaking situation. Cruel and despicable things like rape, murder and torture are horrific, as well as war and how it tears people apart. As far as scary movies, the more creative the scarier. The gore doesn't need to be over the top as long as the idea is twisted. The character must be extraordinarly deranged, or maybe just really spooky, like a witch or a creature. A movie liek The Saw is frightening because it contains blood and gore, but the plot is creative in the way that the killer sets up his traps and victims. You are on the edge of your seat.

3. What, in your opinion, is a good definition for madness? What would a person have to do to be considered "mad" by you?
To be considered "mad" to me you would have to do something that seems inhuman and heartless. This means that any sane human would have the emotional capacity and moral compass to prevent them from carrying out such mad acts. Serial killers, rapists, terrorists... they are mad because they harm other people (and the victim's families) in ways not deserved. You are mad if you aren't guilt ridden or aware of the horrible things you are doing. When your thoughts and actions are possessed by things unthinkable to most humans, you are mad.

4. Poe writes about a man driven to madness. What drives people to madness today in your opinion? How does someone go from seemingly normal to insane (at least temporarily)?
I think that people go insane or mad when they themselves are hurting so badly it seems unbearable. This may be caused by the loss of a family member, anger at the world, a broken heart etc. The person is so misreable that this turns into bitterness, evil thoughts and eventually evil or mad actions carried out. It can be a single moment or event, or it can be a long time of misery and pain slowing evolving into madness. That is what happened to the man in the "Black Cat". He was so unhappy that overtime he became more short tempered, evil and eventually came to resent the thing he used to love most (his cat). People are driven to madness because feeling angry is less searing and not as hard to face as depression and misery.

ASSIGNMENT 5

1. Original opener- This has to be it. Rock bottom. I am hurting so bad and I hutr people so bad. I had an effect on my family that I could have never forseen. It would be nice to keep telling myself what all the counslelors (namely Carrie) and motivational speakers would repeat over and over, "This is not your fault. Addiction is a disease, like cancer, it is a disease." But it isn't. Drugs are not cancer. There is a big glaring difference. Drugs you choose, consciously. For whatever reason, I chose to do drugs. Reasons that seemed fine at the time, even logical, have since been lost in the mess that I have created.

2. Sweat beads were dripping down my face. My whole body was shaking uncontrollably. In an instant, I felt vomit fill my throat and I ran to the bathroom.

3. Wall to wall, stacks of clothing, paper, and boxes filled the tiny apartment. A family of mice nested in the corner. The stench of garbage filled the air. The resident of this filthy hole had been to distracted to tend to the place in a very long time.

4. I forced my self up from my solitary position on the couch when the doorbell rang. I was torn between locking my self in the closet and opening the door and embracing the person behind it. Butterflies filled my stomach and I took a step towards the door. The closet can wait, I wanted to see my dealer and I needed my drugs.

5. Sara had always been the odd one in the family. She was never quite as tall, or quite as thin. Her hair was a mousy brown, while her parents and siblings had sunny blonde hair. They were all beautiful, social and confident. Sara was none of these things.

Where are you going? Where have you been?

I found this story really interesting. I think that the author accomplished a strong impact in such a short story, through a more peaceful start and then a dramatic shift. The story begins and it seems to be a simple story about growing up, adolescence, crushes, summer etc. When Arnold comes into the picture the story takes a turn. the youthful nature of Connie no longer seems fun and desirable, but rather dangerous and life-threatening. I think that Connie should have picked up on the eminent danger that Arnold brings sooner, just by his age and the fact that he knows where she lives, where her family is etc. I think it would have been wise to make up an excuse to go inside soon (like "let me go get my purse") and call the cops. The story was somewhat of a cliffhanger but I am guessing that Arnold raped her, then probably killed her afterwards. Considering he threatened harm to her family if she did not come, he would not be above killing Connie. Connie draws the reader in because you are rooting for her safety and for her to escape the dangerous situation. Everyone can relate because everyone was once a unknowing youth. I think the author used really great imagery to paint the setting, set up the daily life that Connie led, etc. The dialogue really helped the reader to know Arnold and Connie better. I thought this story was, overall, an interesting read.

For a short story to be great I think...
1.The characters need to be developed so that the reader can connect with them, despite the length of the story
2.The setting needs to be established, for the same reason as above
3.There needs to be a point or message that comes across concisely
4.pulls the reader in right away, there isnt that much time to develop reader interest in a short story!
5.real-life connection
6.appeals to a broad audience.
7. central conflict
8."good" and "evil" forces/ elements
9. use dialogue!
10. have a climax point

Extended haiku poem

ring ring damn alarm!
another day, hello school
can't I stay in bed?

tick tock time crawls by
lunch is a false, quick release
can I make it through?

tick tock time crawls by
sighs of boredom, nodding heads
ring ring we are free!

Two poems

These are two poems of mine that I like:

The Bell (haiku poem)

tick tock time crawls by
sighs of boredom, nodding heads
ring ring we are free!

Young Love (metaphor poem)

I thought it would last
It felt never ending, didn't it?
Freedom, Happiness, Comfort, and Warmth
but it breaks, doesn't it?
The leaves turn and the wind chills
and summer ends, like my heart breaks
soon as you came, soon as we parted
our young love shattered, didn't it?
the promises made and the time on our hands
fleeting and gone like a shooting star
just as is summer, too good to last
we had something great, remember, wasn't it?
it's hard to believe life can be so cruel
young love is a false and lulling security
soon as it started, its pulled away
because things, they got in the way, didn't they?
now we try and we struggle, desperate to hold on
to the best days of our lives, fulfilling and sweet
forces stronger than us, they broke us
we thought it would last
It felt never ending, didn't it?

Anastasia Krupnik

I brought in the book, Anastasia Krupnik, by Lois Lowry. It is the first book in the series which chronicles the life of Anastasia starting at age 10. I ordered this book from a Scholastic cagtalog for kids. I read it in about 2nd grade and within the first page I loved it. I love the Anastasia books because they are funny and heart-warming. Anastasia is a hilarious and unique character. Her thoughts and actions reflect the confusion of adolescense. I was able to relate to this well at my age. One passage that I like can be found on page 2:

"Anastasia had a small pink wart in the middle of her left thumb. She found her wart very pleasing. It had appeared quite by surprise, shortly after her tenth birthday, on a morning when nothing elseinteresting was happening, and it was the first wart she had ever had, or seen.

"It's the loveliest color I've seen in a wart," her mother, who had seen others, said with admiration.

"Warts, you know," her father had told her, "have a kind of magic to them. they come and go without any reason at all, rather like elves."

I like this passage because it introduces the three central characters. You see Anastasia's unique personality, her mother's kindness and her professor father's constant interesting comments. Anastasia's experiances are always of importance to her, like her first wart. This perspective creates a dramatic atmosphere for her, which spawns much of the book's hilarity.

Prompts:
1. In 4-5 sentences describe a memorable "first" experience that you had during your childhood, similar to Anastasia's first wart.
2. Think back to when you were ten, like Anastasia. What was your favorite thing about being ten? Least favorite?