Oliwia

My favorite poetic device is personification. In __The Memory Keeper's Daughter__, Norah explains that, "Music is like you touch the pulse of the world. Music is always happening, and sometimes you get to touch it for a while, and when you do, you know that everything's connected to everything else." Using personification gives a word so much more meaning than it was intended to have; it can allow for a single word to pull together a theme or prove something that wasn't evident before. This quote emphasizes the power of music to help make sense of the world and it's consistency throughout time.
 * __My favorite poetic devices in literature:__**

"Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else's. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back." This quote characterizes one of the main characters in the novel, __Second Glance__, as an unsuspecting hero that can be counted on throughout anything. It redefines the meaning of a hero to an everyday person that has the ability to make a difference. This is one of my favorite quotes because it can be accurately related to people we know.
 * __My favorite characterization in literature:__**

My favorite quote in literature is from the novel, __The Kite Runner__." The quote, "There is a way to be good again" is repeated several times throughout the novel, emphasizing that although mistakes are made, there is a way to redeem yourself. Amir feels that he cannot forgive himself for what he has allowed to happen. However, Rahim Khan tells Amir that he is able to forgive himself and Amir is able to do so by rescuing Hassan's son from the same fate Hassan suffered. Amir is able to redeem himself; however, he still lives with the guilt of what he had allowed to happen to Hassan. This quote can be applied to reality and poses a different view to situations.
 * __My favorite quote in literature is:__**

"What'd he say to you?" "Oh...well, about Life being a game and all. And how you should play it according to the rules. He was pretty nice about it. I mean he didn't hit the ceiling or anything. He just kept talking about Life being a game and all. You know." "Life //is// a game, boy. Life //is// a game that one plays according to the rules." "Yes, sir. I know it is. I know it. Game my ass. Some game. If you get on the right side where all the hot-shots are, then it's a game all right. I'll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren't any hot-shots, then what's a game about it? Nothing. No game." This quote from __The Catcher in the Rye__ is one of my favorite quotes because the dialogue introduces a conflict about rules in society. Some people believe that society should stick to the written rules, as well as the unwritten rules. However, Holden presents a contradicting view about following rules and how it can be disadvantageous.
 * __My favorite dialogue in literature is:__**

One of my favorite themes in literature is the ability to overcome obstacles for love. In modern movies, this theme can come off as cheesy and unrealistic. However, in classic literature, such as in __Pride and Prejudice__, being able to overcome society's expectations for love holds a deeper meaning. In this novel, both Darcy and Elizabeth misjudge eachother due to what society tells them about one another. However, after realizing eachother's true personalities and qualities, they are able to eventually overcome what society tells them is proper in order to be with one another. Love is depicted as independent and able to withstand anything, even society.
 * __My favorite theme in literature is:__**

would have to be personification - of a teddy bear. "Ted stares at me from that shelf across the room, reaching out in my direction. He stares at me and begs for me to hold him once again. I can see the loneliness in the way he sits, catching dust in his fur. I instantly flashback to when I was five, and Ted is in every memory. I forget the fact that I'm now fourteen and I reach for Ted and instantly his eyes widen with joy." I really like this personification of the teddy bear because it's unexpected. I think people can relate to it and remember their childhood toys and treasures.
 * __My favorite original poetic device:__**

"she walks tall looking straight ahead/ appears innocent, but is fierce instead./ not afraid to be who she is, enemies she will easily dismiss/ she seems superficial with all her latest looks/ but she'll suprise you with her favorite books." This excerpt from a poem I wrote about my sister really accurately describes her. This is my favorite because it's short and simple with a rhyme scheme.
 * __My favorite original characterization:__**

A setting I would write about is my old house. When my sisters were a lot younger, I was in charge of making sure they didn't get into a lot of trouble. So many interesting things happened with us that would make this setting a prime choice for writing. We had incidents with cutting eachother's hair, sticking gum in hair, accidently setting our garbage can on fire, and our creepy, old neighbor.
 * __A setting I would write about is:__**

A conflict I would write about would defintely involve sibling rivalry. For as long as I can remember, my sisters, who always side together, and I have always had something to argue about. Sibling rivalry would be an interesting conflict to address because so many people can relate to that.
 * __A conflict I would write about is:__**

A theme that I would address would revolve around serendipity. Serendipity is the act of making fortunate discoveries by accident. I like the idea that everything does happen for a reason, even if it does not seem obvious at first. Today's society is sometimes too impatient to recognize when something good happens because everything must happen at a fast pace.
 * __A theme I would like to address is:__**

__Serendipity__

Alaine always got what she wanted, when she wanted. She was known as the girl who always stole an extra cookie at snack time in preschool, the girl who could talk her way out of missing homework assignments in middle school, and as the girl who had no competition in becoming her high school valedictorian.

Fifteen years later, she walked down the streets of downtown Chicago, head held high, feeling the envy radiating off those walking past her. Alaine was a beautiful woman, the kind every other woman on the street secretly envied. She walked into her usual Starbucks and ordered her usual, a double mocha frappuccino with no sugar and an extra shot of hazelnut and espresso. Alaine sat at her usual table and stared with a sigh at all the couples. She didn’t believe in love. After all, her parents had gone through a nasty divorce and dragged her throughout the entire ordeal. On the other hand, her sister, Olive, had a far more optimistic outlook on love, seeing as how she was already married with two kids.

Alaine went back to her office, from which she ran an expanding business, marketing solutions. Long after all her employees had left, Alaine sat at her desk, sending out emails to clients. At eleven, her phone vibrated with a text from Olive asking to borrow a dress for her anniversary dinner. Alaine sighed and shut off her computer, preparing to go home and find the dress for Olive. She walked out of her office and made her way to the elevator, checking the time on her watch. After waiting impatiently for the elevator for twenty seconds, Alaine turned and walked the three flights of stairs down. Below on the staircase, she could see the curly, blonde hair of a tall man; as quickly as she had spotted him, he had disappeared. She dismissed the feeling of familiarity she had felt in that instant. Opening the door to the outside, Alaine tripped on a brown leather wallet. Opening it, she stared into the face of a curly, blonde-haired Dr. Otto Vane. She planned on returning the wallet to the owner the next day.

She climbed into her black E350 Benz and headed to her apartment. She found the little black dress Olive wanted. She suudenly flashed back to two weeks ago. They were sitting in her apartment, looking through magazines. “Oh Alaine, this dress is gorgeous. It would be perfect for mine and Chad’s anniversary party. I know he would love it!” “Oh. Yeah. You know, black isn’t really your color. You should go for the mustard color.”

Last week, Olive had thumbed through Alaine’s closet and found the dress Alaine had bought the day before and had shipped express. “Alaine! You got the dress! It would look fantastic on me!” “Yup,” said Alaine, with a small, forced smile. Alaine threw back the dress they had once gazed upon, and instead, grabbed her navy dress and drove it to Olive’s. Either way, Olive didn’t need to wear a gorgeous little black dress to impress Chad. They were already married. She decided she would wear the dress herself to Olive’s party. After all, Olive was inviting Tom, a financial director, who, according to Olive, had an amazing personality.

The day before the party, Alaine drove home from work, overcome with the immense amount of work she had completed. She intensely thought of how she would do her hair the next night and sped through a red light. In an instant, she felt the door fold in and heard the harsh sound of metal on metal. She closed her eyes.

“Hey, can you see me alright?” Alaine opened her eyes wider and looked into the kind eyes of the nurse. She tried sitting up and felt a sharp pain in her left arm. “No honey, don’t move. Dr. V. will be with you shortly and he’ll explain what’s going on.” Alaine laid back down and closed her eyes. All that ran through her mind was the simple fact that she missed her chance to wear the dress. And ultimately, her chance to meet Tom. “Hi, I’m Dr. Vane and I’m the attending physician.” Alaine opened one eye, and sure enough, looked into the eyes of a tall, blonde haired man. The thought of the wallet on the ground flashed through her mind. She felt a sense of recognition, not only from the staircase. She looked at his hair again and it hit her. She had stared at the back of that head for an entire year in Calculus AP her senior year of high school. “Do I know you from somewhere?” Alaine stared at him. Dr. Vane stared at his charts. “Alaine Matick. Alaine Matick. Alaine Matick.” He tapped his pen on his chin. “We went to high school together. You sat in front of me in Ms. Peynor’s class.” He smiled. “How could I forget Alaine Matick?! You were so smart and driven. Hell, you probably still are. How have you been? I mean, obviously other than the car accident.” Alaine smiled. She couldn’t help but remember the way Otto had treated her differently than the other students. He was always the one to work with her in class when everyone else thought she was a stuck-up snob. She knew what others thought of her, but Otto was different. She didn’t know what exactly he thought of her. “Well… I could be better. How have you been?! I haven’t heard anything about you since graduation!” Alaine couldn’t help but smile. The shooting pain her arm felt distant now. She forgot what it had felt like to have a normal conversation with someone who saw her for who she was, and not for her looks and preceded reputation. “Alaine… I know this is unexpected, but would you like to have dinner sometime?” “I have a better idea. Would you like to join me for dinner tomorrow night?”

Alaine called Olive and told her she had a surprise.

The next night, Alaine and Otto enjoyed dinner at the party. Alaine listened to her sister’s speech; admiring the little black dress she had let Olive borrow.