Cody

=**THURSDAY**=

__Favorite poetic device in literature__: I would have to choose point of view, and it would be third-person-limited. This is how many stories are written nowadays. I tend to favor third-person-limited over third-person-omniscient, which is where the reader knows everything about everyone and every event in the novel, and this is because I like surprises. When you already know everything, you cannot learn new things or be shocked by plot twists. I know some people do not consider them works of literary merit, but my favorite example of third-person-limited point of view in literature would have to be the //Harry Potter// books. I love the way the author, J.K. Rowling, throws in things as you read through each book, like how Harry finds out those believed to be trusted actually can't be. Reading through these events makes you feel like you're walking alongside the character, feeling every heart-stopping, gut-wrenching, tear-jerking truth being exposed along with them. For example, the two best plot twists in the series would be finding out that Sirius Black does not want to kill Harry but is actually his family, as well as the fact that Harry himself is the last one, unintentionally, of Lord Voldemort's seven horcruxes, which are dark magical objects that hold a piece of a soul.

__Favorite characterization in literature__: The best characterization that I can remember from everything I've read would have to be of Lady Macbeth in //Macbeth//. When we first meet her, Lady Macbeth is very ambitious. She is willing to do anything to become queen...including murder. A quote where she basically insults Macbeth and shows her ambition is, "Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promis'd. Yet do I fear thy nature, / It is too full o' th' milk of human kindness / To catch the nearest way." (Macbeth Act 1, scene 5, 15-18) This ambition also makes her masculine, as proven by the quote, "The raven himself is hoarse / That croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan / Under my battlements. Come, you spirits / That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, / And fill me from the crown to the toe topful / Of direst cruelty!" (Macbeth Act 1, scene 5, 38-43) Lastly, Lady Macbeth is shown as guilty and regretful, so much so that it drives her insane, as proved by the quote, "Out, damn'd spot! out, I say!—One; two: why, then / 'tis time to do't.—Hell is murky.—Fie, my lord, fie, a soldier, and / afeard? What need we fear who knows it, when none can call our / pow'r to accompt?—Yet who would have thought the old man to / have had so much blood in him?" (Macbeth Act 5, scene 1, 26-40) She is imagining the bloodstains on her hands as she repeatedly tries to wash them, symbolizing her regret for past actions and showing that guilt can drive a person mad.

__Favorite quote in literature__: My favorite quote would have to be from William Shakespeare's //Julius Caesar//. "Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once." My interpretation of this quote's message is that you should just get out and live your life while you still can. Many older people I know say 'Youth is wasted on the young,' and this kind of proves my point. Lots of people these days are afraid to get out and try new things. Ethnic food and skydiving could be examples of these things. I agree with this quote because honestly, what's the worst that could happen? Doing something new most likely isn't going to kill you, and on the rare, rare, rare chance it does, at least you went out with a bang...or thud if you were skydiving. But seriously, I can understand when elderly people say that because I can see either the yearning to be young and adventurous again or the regret from not experiencing different things when they were younger in their eyes. For all those reasons, that is why I try my hardest to live every day to the fullest, and I never turn down the chance to do something fun and exciting.

__Favorite dialogue in literature__: My favorite dialogue in literature is from a book written quite a while ago - Homer's //The Odyssey//. I thought the scene between Odysseus and the cyclops was pretty hilarious. CYCLOPS "Strangers. . .who are you? and where from? What brings you here by sea ways- a fair traffic?" ODYSSEUS "Kyklops, you ask my honorable name? Remember the gift you promised me, and I shall tell you. my name is Nohbdy: mother father and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy." CYCLOPS "Nohbdy, Nohbdy's tricked me, Nohbdy's ruined me." ODYSSEUS "O Kyklops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny, am I, in a Caveman's hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you, you damned cannibal? Eater of guests under your roof! Zeus and the gods have paid you!" Between the quotes of Odysseus claiming his name to be Nohbdy and the cyclops claiming Nohbdy tricked him and Nohbdy ruined him, Odysseus has plundered the cyclops and injured him, too. I think it was pretty clever of Odysseus to say that because when the cyclops ran off to tell others he was tricked and attacked, others thought he was crazy because it seemed he was saying 'nobody' instead of Nohbdy. Odysseus got away very easily because of his heroic wittiness.

__Favorite theme in literature__: My favorite theme in literature would have to deal with the struggle/contrast between order and chaos in society. Two books that I have read during the course of my high school career that include this topic are //Lord of the Flies// and //Animal Farm: A Fairy Story//. In //Lord of the Flies//, a group of boys are crash-landed on a desert island in the middle of the ocean. They try to create their own order with a leader and hunter-gatherers to find sustenance, but there is much conflict and eventually some of the children die. In //Animal Farm: A Fairy Story//, a group of several farm-style animals are given the personalities of some humans. They continue to go about their business as usual, but they watch what the humans do and start acting like them. Sooner or later, they are all corrupt from the betrayal and conspiracy that has developed between each other, and the animals end up just as evil as the humans who once ruled them. Also, the reader is no longer able to tell apart the animals from the humans, signaling the end of both groups' goodwill. Overall, the theme concerning the delicate balance that exists in simple nature and complicated society really whets my appetite to read.

=FRIDAY=

__A favorite line of my own writing is__: In my essay about //Chronicle of a Death Foretold//, I managed to create an excellently written introduction (if I do say so myself). The pièce de résistance of my introduction had to be my thesis though. It was, "By the end of the book, it is clear that guilt can be known to grow and consume both a person's mental health and perception of reality, engulfing and intertwining them with delusion and twisted memories." The reason I thought it was so amazing is because, first off, it sounded good, but second off, it addressed the question completely. I stated my conclusion, explained myself, and ended on a strong, powerful statement. It was clear, concise, and economic...the stuff good writing is made of.

__My favorite poetic device of my own is__: My favorite poetic device that I used was in the recent candy poems. Included in the last stanza of my poem is an alliteration. I wrote "Now the dirty deed is done," and the reason this is my favorite poetic device is because it is the most recent one that I can remember. I definitely used a lot more poetic devices this year, but the one from this candy poem is the freshest in my memory. I still like it though because I think it's pretty funny how I portrayed eating a piece of candy as a sin.

__A setting I would write about is__: I'd have to pick a place in outer space. Just the idea of being far away from everybody seems very intriguing to me. The thought of being able to do whatever you want, wherever you want, at whatever time you want - it's just complete freedom! I also think about the risk of being out there and having problems, risking death, or being sucked into a black-hole. I wouldn't want to write something science-fiction or fantasy-like, but something more along the lines of a teenager growing up in a bad neighborhood or a family going through some economic hardship...a common story in an uncommon setting.

__A conflict I would write about is__: The most appealing conflict to me is that between religion(s). I know it makes me sound dictating and Nazi-like, but there has got to be one united religion. I mean, the religions we have include those that believe in multiple gods, those that believe in one, those that deny the existence of a god or gods, those that are indifferent to the existence of a god or gods, and multiple other indigenous religions. If you think about it in terms of a multiple choice question, like I do, there can only be one right answer. When there is only one right answer, the rest have to be wrong. So, what I'm dying to know is which religion is right and which ones are dreadfully, hopelessly wrong.

__A theme I would like to address is__: I would love to show the similarity between human relationships and animal relationships. Take these three scenarios, of two people dating and getting married, two people fighting, and family members protecting each other, and try to find examples where animals do the same thing. You say hard? I say...EASY! A pair of doves meets, they fall in love, and they never part from each other until one dies. A side point that amazes me is even if the death of one is an accident, the other partner will be so depressed that it will just stop eating and drinking water and die from emaciation. Otherwise, if one dies of old age, so does the other one shortly afterwards. This reminds me of high school sweethearts who get married and stick with each other until 'death do them part.' For the one with conflict, think of two male rams literally butting heads to show a female who is harder, better, faster, and stronger. It's the same way in high school; one guy is going out with a girl, the girl sees a new guy, the boyfriend fights the new guy, and whoever comes out on top gets the girl. Lastly, a family of gazelle is like a family of humans. The father will protect the children for as long as he can, shielding their eyes from outside danger, but once the young gazelle are sick of the same old thing or start to get very curious and venture outside the safety zone, they are eaten by predators lurking just outside their line of sight. Similarly, a mother and/or father tell(s) their children to always be careful, never to talk to strangers, and always scream if you feel like you're in danger, but every day there are reports of little girls (and boys) being tricked and kidnapped by pedophiles/child molesters. In conclusion, I would just like to address the theme of how similar humans are to other animals. We may be the smartest, but we don't run the fastest, hit the hardest, jump the highest, or hear the best as other animals do, so I consider us all equal. We all share one earth, and I'd address that theme.

=TUESDAY=

So originally I was going to create a portfolio of poetry about five stages of life, but as I began the first one, I got inspired to write about five major events that happen in most peoples' lives. These five events include birth, the first day of school, graduation, getting married, and having kids of your own.

Poem #1: This first poem is about coming into the world. Each line has four syllables, and the four quatrains have a rhyme scheme of ABCB, with the couplet breaking the syllable rule and turning into near rhyme. The tone goes from calm and relaxed to upset and agitated to humorous and loving.


 * The Great Beyond**

This big, dark pool, surrounding me; it sways and flows like a great sea.

Thump-thump, thump-thump is what I hear; my mother's heart beats very near.

What's this!? What's this!? Don't kick me out! I want to cry; I'll scream and shout!

I see bright lights, hands touching me; doctors say, "Hi, please do not pee."

Next thing I know, I hear, "Adorable!"

Poem #2: This poem is about a child going to their first day of preschool and/or kindergarten. It is a set of nine heroic couplets. I also included four alliterations. Three of them are all single letter alliterations, and one of them is a double letter alliteration. Keep in mind, the child is quite the eccentric little bundle of joy. The child seems normal at first, but starting in the fourth couplet, we begin to see that the child tends to misbehave and isn't exactly liked by other students or even teachers for that matter.


 * Toys**

The day is finally here, I can not help but cheer.

As I watch kids board the bus in packs, I grab my satchel stuffed with snacks.

I have so many pens, pencils, and paintbrushes, but I will only share them with my crushes.

My mouth likes to flap; my teacher tells it to nap.

New friends near and far, never fear, I'm not that bizarre.

Let's play cars, let's play dolls; I hear these questions as I take my hourly strolls.

I want to take all the toys home, especially that creepy-looking gnome.

But I will be good, for now; I will resist the urge...somehow.

For Ms. Raven rues my return - I will return tomorrow to "learn."

Poem #3: This poem is completely free-verse. My inspiration was the fact that our class is graduating in basically one week. I do use a little bit of repetition with the word "moment," and that is simply to emphasize the importance the event will hold for the rest of our lives.

**Strut**

There is a moment in everyone’s life - the moment to feel as if accomplishment has taken its turn. A moment in which everyone’s life is altered to a new meaning… a state of clarity… a moment of change. Every moment counts, but only this moment can let us see who we are, and who we are to become. This moment is for us; this moment is our graduation.

Poem #4: Again, this is a poem using heroic couplets. It is about a couple getting married, and I highlight all the promises that are made on that momentous day. Also, I try to make the day seem as special as possible, even though I don't really need to because getting married is never a dull occasion. There are eight couplets in all. I use actual rhyme and near rhyme.

**Wedding Bells**

In most peoples' lives there comes a time, to take the rope and make a tie.

The church bells ring with lots of joy, as two bright souls are now conjoined.

From this moment now, no matter how, through sickness and health, we keep our vows.

As we move on, like we are told, we cherish to love, and forever to hold.

Hand in hand, mind in mind; together forever, as love is blind.

We will go far, we will go high, to the top until the stars don't shine.

Our special day is finally here; no matter the crowd, there is nothing to fear.

They are all here, but only to see, the start of our love - our new destiny.

Poem #5: This poem is about parents going into the delivery room to have their first baby. It is just a bunch of alternating quatrains; some have complete rhyme, some have near rhyme, and some have no rhyme whatsoever. So, I would essentially call this free verse.


 * The Beautiful Art of Gestation**

After months of trying, and months of pain, it’s finally time to finally say,

“Grab the bags and grab the keys.” As we head off on a new journey, as our life is meant to be, we are finally about to have a baby.

From the day of conception, until now, we could only imagine how you would turn out.

Wrapped in blue, soft hair of brown; such delicate life, that must be announced.

As family and friends gather to see, a new born life is ready to be; as hours pass, the excitement roars, we all wish to see you finally be born.

As you are brought into this world, I begin to see, a beautiful girl, wrapped in pink.

With hair so light, and fingers so small - a smile of joy that brightens us all.

From this day, you will grow; after months of trying, you are finally home.