Their Love

          Romeo and Juliet's love was a lot different than anyone other love now or even back then for that matter. Often times back then marriages were arranged and finding love was a tricky thing. For them, they met at a party and once they first met and started talking Romeo immediately leaned in and kissed Juliet knowing that they were from two houses sworn in hatred. These days if a guy just kissed a girl the second they met he would most likely get slapped, if he even had the "cajones" to do that.
         In present day I wouldn't exactly say love-at-first-sight is a common thing. Lust is a very common thing when seeing someone and instantly being attracted to them, but not love. Love now comes with hard work and a sense of needing a true understanding of the other person. Romeo and Juliet supposedly fell in love as soon as they saw and met each other. They did not spend very much time together at all after the first time that they met at the party. Romeo would have to sneak over to Juliet's orchard just underneath her balcony where she would come out to talk to Romeo. Even though they would talk to each other it would still be hard to literally see each other because it was often dark outside when they met like this. It would be dark because that would be the easiest way for Romeo to sneak over there without getting caught.
       So it is fair to say that their love for each other was insurmountably different than any other love in our history and there are many lessons to be learned from it.

Who's Fault Was It Really?

          Although the rivalry between the Capulets and the Montagues were a big part to Romeo and Juliet's death, I believe the one sole person in charge for their deaths would be Romeo himself. The rivalry between the two families was vicious, as proven in the first scene when the first thing that happened in the play was the two houses fighting out in the public market. Eventually the Prince had to come down and break it up and warned them that if this were to ever happen again, the ones involved would be next in line for the noose.
         I believe Romeo was to blame. If he asked around to actually find out what was going on with Juliet instead of just assuming that she was dead, he would not have overreacted. But instead he went to a man to get a vile of poison that he would proceed to swallow next to Juliet in her tomb after he said goodbye to her just one last time. Also I think that seeing his best friend Mercutio die right in front of his eyes sent him on a downward spiral. From there he went on a killing streak and was then banished from Venice. He also had to sneak around constantly just to see Juliet and it only got harder for him as they got married by the Friar but had to continue to hide their love from the world.
        It is mostly Romeos fault for the suicide of his love Juliet and himself, although there were many other factors that came into play that he could not entirely control that also put their love at risk and set this whole tragedy up.

Difference Between Movies

          In English this year we watched two different movies in class based on the play Romeo and Juliet. In the older version it seemed to be based a lot closer on the exact lines from the play and the time it was in. They had the costumes to match the the time period of the actual play. They also had the setting, where it all took place in a town with castles and markets out on the street. Even the weapons matched with swords and daggers. They also spoke the exact language and lines from the play. I feel that this movie was the more comical of the two for a few reasons. One being that several people died and no one payed much attention to them other than the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Also the timing was more comedic, such as when Juliet happened to wake up just a few short moments after Romeo committed suicide believing that Juliet was really dead.
          In the newer version that we watched, the first thing that I noticed was that the Montagues started all of the problems at the gas station, rather than the play and other movie that suggested that the Capulets started the fight in the beginning of the play or movie. The plot in this movie very much followed the same path as the original play, but the setting was based off of the present. They dressed like we do today and they had the weapons of the present, not like they would in the play, such as guns. Also they very rarely spoke the entire language that they did in the play. The only one who constantly said all of their lines in that language would be Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio). I found this one to be more tragic because they took the deaths more seriously and Romeo had to watch Juliet live as he was dying knowing that she was still alive and he was dying for no reason.

Romeo and Juliet: Comedy

         Personally I believe that Romeo and Juliet was depicted as more of comedy. Did anyone else notice the convenient timing? For example that just seconds after Romeo commits suicide in the old movie that we watching in class, the Friar enters the tomb and Juliet wakes up to see her one true love lying dead on the floor.
       There were also six deaths in this play. Not one of them were taken seriously or with much reguard other than Romeo and Juliet. Even Mercutio who was Romeo's best friend was less dramatic then Romeo who only drank poison to kill himself. Unlike Mercutio who got stabbed in a fight.
        Also it seemed conveniently unfortunate that the Capulets and the Montagues settled all of their nasty differences after these two kill themselves. These two families rivalries were one of the big reasons for these two deaths. Only because these two were from different families and the other side of the town, they had to sneak around just to see eachother and continue their love for eachother. But they found a way to keep it going. Romeo was so distraught with the idea of having to live without Juliet that he decided to take his own life with poison. Oddly enough, Juliet was not dead and she wakes up to Romeo dying. She then cannot bare the idea of living without him, herself. She then proceeds to take his dagger and stab herself in the heart with it.

Romeo and Juliet: Tragedy

         Personally I think that Romeo and Juliet is more of a comedy. But I do believe that it was meant to be seen as a tragedy as two love-at-first-sight, love-struck, natural born enemies die for longing to always be with each other in the end no matter what would try to separate them.
        They were so used to hiding from everyone and the world as Romeo was a Capulet and Juliet was a Montague. They couldn't possibly fall in love right? No of course not because the Capulets and the Montagues are sworn enemies. Its unfortunate that the hate between each other could drive Romeo and Juliet to suicide just searching for each others love.
       This could be tragedy because six people end up dying in this story. It's also tragic that the Capulets and the Montagues could only settle their scores once Romeo and Juliet had to meet their untimely demises.
       The new movie that we watched in class was more representative of a tragedy to me for one reason; while Romeo was dying he was able to still see and talk to Juliet knowing that she was still alive. This means that as he's dying he knows that he is dying for no reason as he didn't have to drink the poison to be with Juliet because she was clearly still alive.

Learned in English

      This trimester I have learned a lot in English. first of all I learned how to think outside of the box. Reading Romeo and Juliet really made me think and consider what they were saying. Obviously they don't use the same language that we use today so it took some intense concentration to understand their language. It also showed me that the theory of love has not really changed. although many may not kill themselves over their soul mate, they would go to the absolute limit for them.
       I have also learned how to stick with a book even if it is not quite interesting yet or as exciting as i would want it to be. If you just keep reading the novel then it might pick up and grab your attention more than you expected it to in the beginning.
       In English this year my writing has improved immensely. Due to all of the peer editing sessions that we have had, I have learned some of my most common mistakes and was taught how to fix them, take them out, or just make them better than they are. I have also learned how to add more detail too my writing to make it longer and more complex, therefor adding to the interest for the reader and including more intelligence.

Argumentative Writing

      For me argumentative writing has been decently challenging. I'm the kind of guy who likes to argue in real life (and not lose). This way i know for sure whether ii have won or not. An argument in an essay, for me, leaves me with no closure. I'm not sure whether what i just argued persuaded someone my way, made it worse, or didn't alter their decision on the topic or not.
      For my argumentative essay that we wrote yesterday, i argued that teenagers should also get nap time in school like the kids in preschool. According to www.sleepfoundation.org teenagers need about nine and one half hours of sleep. They also say that it is biologically much harder for us to go to bed before eleven o'clock at night. If most of us have to wake up at six in the morning or earlier then we only get about six to seven hours of sleep. This clearly is not the correct amount of sleep that we need.
      They also said that sleep deprivation can interrupt such patterns as learning abilities, remembering homework assignments, numbers or even names. all of this could simply be solved with a nice, convenient nap time in school. This will help our brains refocus and essentially help us in school. Isn't that what the teachers and everyone wants in the first place?

Castle

               There is a tv series that i am currently watching right now called Castle. It is a comedy and mystery show. The main characters name is Richard Castle. He is a famous book writer in the series. He is now engaged to Kate Beckett, one of the actual investigators on the team. Castle just goes with them to help out and provide insight on the cases. Along side those too in the presinct is Ryan and Espezito. They are also investigators on the team.
               This past Monday on the new episode, things get a little weird. They are called in to a house where a woman was tortured and found dead at the scene. All of the evidence points to one man. They have photos of this man as he was put into a psychiatric hospital a few years back. The only problem is, they have no record of him; he has no name, no home, and no family.
              Eventually the neighbors of the house that the lady was murdered in, called up the presinct and told them that the man they were looking for just broke into that house. They get there and find him searching for something in her house. They arrest him and take him in for questioning. Once they get back, he starts telling them about how he is from the future and he knows that billions of people are going to die, but he doesnt know how or why.
              Once they find some clues they get led to this abandonded power plant. There they find the other  man who came back in time to ruin the past so that in the future, this big powerful group can take over and rule the world. Castle and Beckett were surprised to see him when they got there. He knocked Beckett out and then began strangling Castle, right as he was about to suffocate him, the good guy from the future showed up and made the bad guy run away.
           They go back to the presinct and start searching for more clues and looking over evidence. Eventually they find that the bad guy is looking for a college student (who in the future creates a group that stops the other bad group from ruling the world and killing millions of people) and to kill him. They go to this students old highschool to find out where he is and look at one of the pieces of writing they find to be his. There, they find out that he is living with someone and is in college. They call the person that he is living with and that person tells them that he is at an iMax film. They find out that this showing is very far away and that there is no chance that they'll get there in time.
       Now the scene switches to the bad guy in the iMax theater stalking the kid and slowly walking over about to kill him. He walks up behind him and right as he is about to pull the trigger, Ryan and Espezito catch him and cuff him.
     They take him back to the presinct and ask him multiple questions but he doesnt say a word or even make a sound. Outside of the questioning room, Castle and Beckett are talking to the good guy from the future. He says he needs to leave, as his job here is done. Castle notices that he left one of his devices behind and chases him around the corner, but as soon as Castle turns the corner, he is no longer there. Thus, leaving you with the crazy idea that he is indeed from the future.  <iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/R2vHwPkrYHw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Romeo and Juliet, Leonardo DiCaprio

        In class we are reading and watching the original play and several remakes of Romeo and Juliet. This is a classic love story about how a lower class man, Romeo, falls in love with an upper class woman once they meet at a party.
        At first Romeo was in a deep depression for he had been in love with another woman but she was a nun and therefore they could not get married. He was sad and decided to go to the party to find his love, the nun, but instead found another girl Juliet who was of a higher class than he was.
        This relates to our lives because it shouldn't matter what background you come from, you should be able to fall in love and marry anyone that you please, so long they are in love with you as well.
       In the modern-time remake, Romeo is acted by Leonardo DiCaprio. I think this is a great fit because like in so many others of the movies he has done, he falls in love with a woman of a higher class, or falls in love with a woman in general. Such as in "Titanic" where Jack, played by Leo, is a poor man who gets two tickets for him and his friend in short notice by gambling just a few minutes before the ship took off for America. On board Jack sees Rose, a classy woman high in the upper class, attempt to commit suicide by jumping off of the Titanic in to the frigid waters below. He then saves her and begins to fall in love with her the more and more he sees her.
**SPOILER ALERT**
        Unfortunately Jack ends up dying in the end, but Rose changes her last name to Dawson, which was Jack's last name. This shows that she too fell in love with him and it doesn't matter what class you are from or currently in when it comes to love.

Recommendation: The Shack

             I liked this book a lot more than I honestly expected to. I was a little weary at the fact that this had a lot to do with religion and Christianity. I usually don't even attempt to read stories like that as they are very opinionated and can contradict ones beliefs, therefore becoming a very poor book in certain readers' eyes.
          
This book for me though was a bit of an exception. It wasn't very opinionated on Mack's religion (that being Christianity) as it was more interesting in describing the importance of it to him. It shows in immense detail how living with God in your life, whether it be spiritually or legit physically like in this book, can alter it for the better.
           While living with the representation of Jesus in real life, Mack grew as a person. He began to realize that some things happen for a reason and you may not be able to always control it. Will Mack find out who killed his daughter? Was going to the shack in his best interest or could he have lived on with out this experience?
     

             I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a story that gets them thinking. One that keeps them constanly guessing about whats going to happen next, as well as someone who enjoys spiritual and Christian religion books. I give this book a 3.8 out of 5 stars. It was was descriptive, but at some points there were times where I lost interest, and it took awhile for it to get going in the beginning.

Character Development

         
            For Mack, his look on things changed dramatically throughout the book. In the beginning he was very depressed and going through the time called the "Great Sadness". He was depressed about how on a family vacation his daughter got abducted and he has not seen her since. He started to become further and further away from his wife, other kids, and friends as he slipped into a deeper depression. She is presumably dead as they believe she got murdered.
           
             Mack has changed because since he was depressed in the beginning, the life changing experience when he gets the letter and goes to the shack, helps him see his life and the situation about his daughter differently. When he gets to the shack he meets several different characters that represent his religious beliefs. The most important being Papa, the one who wrote the letter that Mack got in the mail on that freezing, icy-cold day. "I had a little tussle with the driveway when i got the mail, but other than that, everything is fine" (Young 21). Papa is the physical representation of Jesus

            
After spending an immense amount of time at the shack with all of these spiritual characters, he begins to realize that some things just happen in life. Some of them you can control and others just happen without explanation or reason, they just do. For example his daughter being abducted. Being with these with these physical representations of spiritual beliefs helped him realize that you can't always help it, so he begins to forgive. He forgives his daughters attacker and everything that has happened.
      "Mack settled back into his chair surveying the view from the porch. 'I feel so full!'"
     "'Well, you've eaten most of the scones.'"
     "'Thats not what I mean,'" he laughed, "'and you know it. The world just looks a thousand times brighter and I fell a thousand times lighter.'"
       This is when Mack is sitting on the front porch of the cabin with Jesus talking about why everything had happened to his daughter like it did. He says that he feels lighter as a metaphor to represent him understanding all of this now. He has come to accept what has happened and to live with it.

Continuation of Theme into Summary: The Shack

      As I talked about in the theme of this book, decisions are key in your life. Whether they be the everyday ones that come with more and more ease each day or the big ones that you only need to makes once or a few times in your life that could drastically alter your life.
      The summary of this book The Shack is that once the main character, Mack's, daughter gets kidnapped and presumably dead, he goes into a deep depression is which he calls the "Great Sadness". This draws him further from his wife and his other children. Until one day he receives a letter in the mail on a frigid-icy-cold day. In this letter it contains a friendly invitation to go to the shack in which his daughter had been kidnapped. he believes that this is just some kind of cruel joke being played on him. He thinks long, hard, and painfully. He finally decides that this letter could have only been written by God, so he decides to go. Although he couldn't understand why God would try to bring up the two most painful things in his life, he was now determined to figure out what was the meaning of this mysterious letter. "While Mack's relationship with God is wide..." (Young 11)
          Once he gets there he meets and befriends several strange character that all represent some sort of Godly or spiritual figure, the most important being Papa who is the representation of Jesus. After staying there for awhile he and these characters get along well and talk about everything, including what happened with his daughter. After all of the time spent with these "people" he starts to understand what has happened and become more at peace with the kidnapping of his daughter. He forgives everything that has happened including the person that took his daughter. "Somehow it seemed easier to live with God when I thought of him as the demanding taskmaster, or even to cope with the loneliness of The Great Sadness" (Young 196).

Beginning of Book Analysis: Decisions

        Whether it be easy or difficult, daily or annually, we are going to have to make decisions. Some of them may  be more challenging or even more confusing then others, but whether you know it or not we make hundreds of decisions a day; what time to wake up, what to wear that day, what to eat, how to get somewhere, etc. Those are just some of the easy daily ones that we are used to, and since we've become so accustom to these, we end up making the choices with more ease the more we do them.
    

 Unfortunately, there are much harder choices to make which never get easier. Whether it be relationships, what college to go to, or how much to commit your self to one thing such as a sport, the choice just never gets easier and there are always different variables for each thing that we have to consider before making a decision.

        For us, some of those variables may be the weather or the people you are with. For Mack in my book, the variables were more extreme and life changing. For example, he did not know who sent him the letter. It could have easily been someone trying to do something bad to him, instead that person (God) who wrote the letter made it seem friendly as if they were a friend that Mack had not seen in awhile. The note reads, "Mackenzie,
                                                    It's been a while. I've missed you.

                                                    I'll be at the shack next weekend if you want to get together.
                                                                                          -Papa" (Young 16)
When Papa says that it has been awhile and he misses him, that suggests that they were recently friends and that he misses talking to him and that they should meet up. That's what makes this letter bizarre, is that although it sounds very friendly and inviting, he doesn't know any person by the name of Papa so he is questioning whether to go or not. He suggested that they meet up and get acquainted again. Unfortunately it was in the shack.

        Mack had recently just had his daughter abducted on a family vacation, and he is very cautious and weary about going here. In the end he decides that the best choice would be to go. He is in a deep depression right now and is losing a friendship with someone who had been his best friend. So he figures he might as well to go and try to get away from everything and maybe get some answers.
"Mack sat and stared at the note. It was confusing and painful trying to sort out the swirling cacophony of disturbing emotions and dark images clouding his mind- a million thoughts traveling a million miles an hour. Finally, he gave up, folded the not, slid it into a small tin box he kept on the desk, and switched off the light" (Young 22). This to me shows that he had a hard time deciphering and actually making the decision on whether or not to go. So eventually after staring at it blankly for awhile and not coming to a conclusion, he put it down, went to sleep and left it for later.
   
            So to put it simply, some decisions in life may be the easy everyday ones, or they could be the ones that are drastic and may change your life and/or how you look at something or someone.

The Shack: Character Religious Beliefs

         As I'm reading I'm noticing that religion is very important to Mack's friend. The first line in the book says, "Who wouldnt be skeptical when a man claims to have spent an entire weekend with God, in  a shck no less?" (Young 1) This already leads me to believe that he believes in God and that he is going to question his friend, Mack's, experience in some sort of shack.
     
        Another quote in this book, that explains the importance of religion  (Christianity), is found on page 8 where it says, "... I know his daddy was not a fall-asleep-happy kind of alcoholic but a vicious mean beat-your-wife-and-then-ask-God-for-forgiveness drunk" (Young 1). This was Mack's friend talking about how Mack's dad had treated his mom, which was obviously very poorly. This shows me, though, that his father felt bad about what he had done to his wife and had talked and/or prayed to God afterwards to ask for forgiveness for what he had done. This belief in religion had been passed down to Mack, and is also found in his friend.

       The final quote I will show is when his friend is describing how intelligent Mack was and what he liked to do and what he enjoyed.

"His favorite topics are all about God and Creation and why people believe what they do. His eyes light up and he gets this smile that curls at the corners of his lips, and siddenly, like a little kid, the tiredness melts away and he becomes ageless and hardly able to contain himself" (Young 10) That quote shows me that he likes to talk about and to discuss God and Creation, it is intrigueing to him.

       His beliefs were all about to come in handy as he recieves a letter in the mail telling him to go to the shack where his daughter was abducted on vacation. the letter was signed "-Papa"... He does not know who Papa is and just believes this is someones idea of a sick joke.

      I'm predicting that the next step he will have to take is to decide whether or not he wants to go to the the shack and found out who wrote the letter, or if the memory of his daughter being abducted is too unbareable to go.
I can relate to this where even talking to someone whom you had the tragic or epic memory with can be hard.
Will he go to the shack? Will his friend go with him? Does he have any ideas who sent him the note to go?

The main theme in my book The Blind Side is overcoming challenges and discrimination. This developed over the story because in the beginnig it was very difficult but he persevered through it in the end. It was hard in the beginning because he was poor, and he could not read or write. Then Leigh Anne took him in and started to help him. With all the help that she gave him he became a great football player and he inspired people. He also develops the game of football to where protecting the quarterback is a necessity.

The article i read was about how he went through a lot to get where he was and how he changed the game of football. Blind side Article