Escaping 1861

I am reading the book Little Women, and Me.  The main character, Emily, doesn't get along with her siblings, Charlotte and Ann.  She resents them because the guy she likes pays more attention to either of them than her.  In the book, Emily starts reading Little Women for an English assignment.  When she starts thinking about what she wants to change in the book ( her L.A. assignment ) she gets transported in to the story.

My Predictions

Emily will get out of the book.

1. In similar stories like My Unfair Godmother, the main character always returns from the fictional universe.
2. No matter how the story ended, the ending would be inconclusive if she didn't escape the story.  The reader would be left wondering what had happened to cause Emily to enter the story.
3. This book is a romance.  The main character, Emily, is not in control.  She did not choose enter the book, which is a main plot point.  The setting is also a relative utopia.  Nothing majorly bad happens, and for the most part people live happily.  Sad things happen, like Beth dying, but nothing unusual happened to cause that.  

Emily will act differently after she leaves the story

1. Emily changes how she acts because she doesn't want Beth to be upset by what she says.  
2. In 1861 people talked and acted differently.  They had better manners and talked in a more polite tone.  Emily wants to fit in so she starts acting like this.  Since she was there for so long the new mannerisms will start rubbing off on her.  
3. In a sort of modern day adaption of sleeping beauty (I can't remember the exact name,) the girl that used to live during the 1600's starts to act like a modern day person, because that is what is expected in the time that she is in now.
4. This is similar to real life Presidents.  They have to be more careful about their social media pages and how much information they share about their personal life because people care more now that they are in a different social position.  

Emily flopped down on her bed.  The book sat limply on the floor somewhere near her feet.  Emily ran over to her laptop and checked the date.  It was November 26, the same day she had left.  In fact, barely an hour had passed since she had entered the story.  Relaxing, Emily started to realize things she had never noticed before.  Everything seemed louder than usual.  In 1861 there wasn't that underlying electric hum that you never payed attention to until it was gone.  Emily looked out the window.  She watched in horror as Jackson walked up to the door.  She heard the faint ringing of the doorbell from downstairs   She could feel the tension in the air as if the whole house was holding its breath.  She ran to the top of the stairs looking down at the confused faces of the three people.  Emily thought of the March sisters.  She knew she had to say something.  She tried to channel Jo's boldness.  Emily walked down the stairs and said in one huge breath,

"Hi, Jackson.  Sorry for the confusion   Charlotte may like you, but if you really care then you should ask her for yourself.  And as for Ann, she is too young for you.  She's an 8th grader, you're a sophomore;  the age difference is a little weird right now.  If you really like her that much, ask again in a few years.  Now, we clearly have a lot to talk about so why don't you leave now and we'll see you at school on Friday, okay? Great! Bye."

Emily practically shoved him out the door.  Her sisters stared at her in awe.  Then, they burst out laughing.  

"That was hilarious!" Charlotte exclaimed.

Ann could barely breathe.  When she could finally talk again she choked out "And the ironic-est thing is that he came here to talk to you," she laughed as Emily's face turned bright pink.  

Emily and her sisters giggled through the next fifteen minutes.  Whenever they started to calm down someone would quote Emily's monologue and they would all end up laughing so hard they were nearly crying.  Emily thought about how she was going to miss the March sisters.  It was going to be weird without them, but maybe her sisters in the present weren't so bad.  She knew one thing for sure, no matter what happened in life she would always remember what she had learned living in Little Women.  

Poor Unfortunate Souls

Author's Note:  I wrote most of this during the workshops, but I wrote the last two paragraphs after going to the WASC Fall Summit JAM Student Council Conference.  Sorry.  That is why the last two paragraphs kind of turn in to an inspirational speech. 

Have you ever noticed how certain books and stories parallel our world -- maybe even a little more than we'd like to admit?  Certain aspects from novels like Animal Farm have obvious similarities.   One story that I have noticed has many real life parallels is Disney's The Little Mermaid. 

Let's start at the main character.  Ariel.  She's a king's daughter.  A girl that has everything that she could possibly want in the world, but she's still unhappy.  She even says that much in one of her songs "...How many wonders can one cavern hold?  Looking around here you think, sure, she's got everything. I've got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty. I've got whozits and whatzits galore. You want thingamabobs? I've got twenty! But who cares? No big deal, I want more!"  She really just wants one thing.  Like almost everyone in America, her kingdom thinks that you can make up for all the empty holes with things.  The only thing Ariel wants is legs.  They aren't just legs, though.  This is similar to people in other countries versus Americans.  The people from other countries just want simple things, like freedom.  Americans have a sense of entitlement.  Above that, they put too much value in materialistic objects, not the things that really matter.  The only thing that Ariel wants is legs.  She would give up everything for them-- her family, her friends, even her voice.  They're her symbol of freedom.  This is the one thing that Ariel wants -- to be free of her kingdom that doesn't understand her.  They don't get what she wants.  They don't get why she would be happier somewhere else.  They don't get who she is.  She is having this emotional struggle that makes her a better person, while the American teenagers are begging for the latest iPhone.  Americans need to appreciate the big things before they put all their value in material objects. 

Even though you can easily compare Ariel to our society, how about her dad?  Triton is king of the ocean.  The whole sea is under his command.  This would be great if he didn't have that nagging little problem --  he is disapproving of what his daughter wants.   He is like most real life dads -- his goal is to have what's best for his daughter.  What he doesn't realize though is that he is just pushing her away.  All of his problems could have been resolved if he had just asked himself Where is this getting me; will it solve my problem?  His world would be perfect if he - like most real life dads - could come to the realization that his daughter will make the right choices and she can handle her own life. 

With all the suppressive elements around her, Ariel needs some support.   This comes from her two friends, Sebastian and Flounder.  They provide her the encouragement that she needs to rebel against her family and society.  I think that this is either really similar or depressingly far away from real life.  In my opinion, I really think that people need support in their lives.  It doesn't matter if this comes from fiends, family or other things; it's harder to accomplish things alone.   Without her friends, Ariel would have given up.  Her story would have been incomplete.  Even when everyone else doubted her, her friends believed in her to the end and made getting what she wanted possible. 

Stories like The Little Mermaid provide strong similarities to real life.  We saw the same wish for freedom in Ariel and the people from most other countries.  We saw the same desire for the best possible life for their daughters in Triton and real life dads.  We saw the same need of supporting friends   in the story and in real life.  We saw the similarities, but who cares?  Why does it matter?  This whole essay means nothing if you read it, then never think about any of it ever again.  You have to try to put more value in things like family; and less in the latest iPhone.  You have to try to let your kids, or siblings,  or friends grow and make decisions for themselves.  You have to not only have supporting friends, but you also have to be one!  As Ghandi said "You must be the change you wish to see."  Look at books and movies that have some sort of message and actually do something about it!  Don't just stand there and play the part of the poor unfortunate souls; make a difference!  Change the world!  Start small -- just one fish in the sea.  Then get bigger --  change the whole ocean.

Unfaithful Friend

Counselor: Hi, Charlie. 

Charlie: Hi.

Counselor:  So, you came here to talk through your...  traumatic experience with some people on The Cliffs, right?

Charlie: Yeah, I guess.

Counselor: So, how do you feel about your friend, Brooke?

Charlie:  Well, We're not really friends anymore; she's really changed. 

Counselor: Really?  Can you elaborate on that a little more?

Charlie:  Ummm, sure. 

Counselor: Great!

Charlie:  Well, before the whole reality show thing, she was really loyal.  She still liked to be the center of attention, but it wasn't all that mattered to her. 

Counselor: And now?

Charlie:  On the show, she really couldn't handle me being the main character.  She always got mad and said that I was stealing the spotlight and she was always mad that the producer of the show ran most of the ideas by me before a lot of decisions were made.

Counselor: do you have any ideas why she might have changed?

Charlie: I think that Marleyna definitely influenced her to change.  Even though Marleyna has always been really mean to Brooke, Brooke has looked up to her.  When Marleyna became Brooke's "new best friend"…

Counselor:  Let me interrupt you for a second.  Why did you put the air quotes around "new best friend"?

Charlie:  It's pretty coincidental that Marleyna suddenly likes Brooke after all these years, right when she appears on a reality show. 

Counselor:  I see.  You can continue now.

Charlie: I was just saying that it's a pretty convenient moment for Marleyna to be Brooke's new friend.  I really think that Marleyna drove a wedge between me, Keiran, and Hallie and Brooke.  There was already a lot of tension, but Marleyna was definitely fueling the fire. 

Counselor: Kind of like Meredith in that re-make of the Parent Trap?

Charlie: Exactly!  She plays innocent to Brooke, but she's horrible to the rest of us.  Then, she turns around and says that it's us being hard on her!

Counselor:  She is definitely someone that doesn't care who she steps on to get to the top, isn't she?

Charlie:  That's a perfect description of her! 

Counselor:  People like that can lead to change in the personalities of people like Brooke.  Do you think that Brooke has a dynamic personality?

Charlie:  What do you mean?  Is she interesting or exciting?

Counselor:  No, I was actually asking if she was really involved in the conflicts that you had on the show.  It could also mean that she is a person that changes a lot. 

Charlie:  Well, yeah.  Like I said before, she really loves being the most looked at person in the room.  Even if that means ditching a party you co-hosted to jump on a yacht with Marleyna.    

Counselor:  Do you think that she ever influenced or changed how anyone else felt or acted?

Charlie:  I think that she really upset people with what she said and made them say things defensively.

Counselor: Do you have any specific examples?

Charlie:  I remember one time, when we were at the fair.  I accidentally said something about how it was unfair that Keiran's parents made her babysit like she was the nanny.  It turned into this big argument and Keiran got really offended.  Somehow there was no sound on the recoded tape, so the show's producer had us film it again.  All of us were hesitant except for Brooke.  Keiran was so upset that she started being mean about all of our personal issues.  Instead of just letting it drop, Brooke was yelling back at her and was just making the whole thing worse. 

Counselor:  Interesting.  What kind of impact do you think Brooke had on the viewers of the show?

Charlie:  I don't really think that the viewers loved Brooke.  She's that girl that you don't particuarly like, but you can't help watching, because her life's so interesting. 

Counselor:  I agree.  Someone like that isn't particularly likeable, but can be really intriguing. 

Charlie:  Well, at least she has her new spin-off show.  She's the star and is absolutely loving it.  She couldn't care less about us or how we feel anymore.

Counselor:  Well, Brooke seems like a very deconstructive person.  I think that you should stay away from her as much as possible.  I know that she used to be your friend, but she's changed.  I think that she's happy now that she can be the center of attention.  There're certain people that need to be in the spotlight to validate that people care about them.

Charlie:  Well that sounds a lot like her.

Counselor:  Sorry, Charlie -- sorry, no pun intended.  That’s all the time we have now, but I'll see you next week, okay? 

Charlie: Yeah, that sounds good.  Bye.  

Founding America

Founding America

I walk through the cool, semi-dark library.  As I run my fingers over the dusty wooden shelves, I notice the names on the spines of the books.  Abraham Lincoln, Niel Armstrong, Martin Luther King, Jr.  What did all these men have in common?  They had courage.  They had determination.  They had hope.  With these three things, they became American heroes.  They made the dreams of our people come true.  These are the things that our founding fathers needed to make our dreams reality and build America. 

I would tell the founding fathers to have courage.  This would help them to not be afraid and to persevere for our country.  Courage would help them to be brave and do the right thing.  With courage, they would learn to stand by their choices.  They would learn to believe in themselves.  Our founding fathers needed courage. 

 

I would tell the founding fathers to have determination.  Determination helped them work through the road blocks and achieve great things.  If they were determined, they could find new solutions and build a better country.  Our founding fathers needed determination. 

I would tell the founding fathers to have hope.  They needed  hope to guide them, to work to establish our country.  A country where all men were considered equal and you had the chance to grow and be your own person.  They needed hope to be that ever-optimistic voice telling them that nothing is impossible.  Our founding fathers needed hope.  

With these few things, our founding fathers could establish a great country.  They would learn to be more than just the average person.  They would be able to achieve great things.  They would be the best that they can be.  Our founding fathers paved the way for other great inspirations and heroes, and believed in the dream of our great country.  With courage, determination and hope they have made this far off dream become a reality.  

Security Gaurd

Dance camp.  Four days and three nights of learning and performing dances.  We spent almost every spare moment practicing.  I went over motions in my head as I fell asleep.  I timed my life in eight counts.  I had a perpetual soundtrack of “Latin Mix” and “Come on Feel the Noise” stuck in my head.  This was ninety percent of our time at camp, but it was really the free moments that I remember most.  Especially the time that we almost got caught by a security guard.

The whole fiasco happened in under two hours, but it felt like days.  It was the second night of camp, at about 11:00 at night.  We were all sitting in Emma and Molly's room talking.  Even though we were all supposed to be in our own suites, Abby was in our room.  Everything was great until "Richard" showed up.  

I'm sure you're wondering what I'm talking about, so let me explain. Earlier that morning, Molly and Jenna had met a person on a bike.  Long story, short; they named him Richard and it became this big joke. 

That's why, when at approximately 11:00 at night, a man passed, most of the people in the room started shouting out at him.

“Hi, Richard,” Emma screamed.  

“DUCK FACE,” Abby yelled out the window.

We were all laughing and joking around.  

Then, the man shined a flashlight up in to our window.  It was a security guard. 

The next few minutes were all a blur.  Somehow, none of us panicked.  We all ducked down, so he didn't see us.  Someone turned off the lights.  Molly closed the curtains.  Then, the shock wore off.  I remember everyone's reactions.  Emma started hyperventilating and shaking.  Molly was so scared that we'd get caught, she was almost in tears.  Jenna was worried that he would come up to our dorm.  Abby was afraid that she would get in trouble for being in our room after curfew.  I was scared to death, but I tried to stay as calm as possible.  I knew that it would be worse if I started freaking out too.  

This is when it started to feel like time was dragging out as long as possible.  The seconds hesitated to pass.  The minutes ticked by as sluggishly as possible.  The clock seemed to slow to a stop.  We were waiting for something to happen.  I think we all knew it was coming, but when it did our hearts skipped a beat.  Someone was knocking on our door.  

Everyone panicked, except for me.  Abby hid in a closet, Emma and Molly pretended to be sleeping, Jenna crawled under the bed.  All the lights were still off.  On my way to the door, I tripped over a suitcase.  Only later I realized how much it had hurt, but then I was completely numb.  I tip toed to the peep hole.  Outside, stood the security guard.  All I did was watched and waited.  I kept thinking "Maybe if  I don't do anything, he’ll leave."  That's when he sighed and pulled out his keys.  I realized that I had to do something.  With no other option, I opened the door.

Luckily, someone had turned on the lights.  He stepped in to the hallway.  I tried to look and sound as tired as possible, like we had actually been trying to sleep.   I offered the lame excuse of me tripping over a suitcase explaining why it had took me so long to get to the door.  That was the end of any small talk.  He said "We had some reports about girls screaming out the windows, and this could have been one of the suites."  At this point I had to make a split second decision: get caught for breaking the dorm rules, or lie.  Neither were good options.  I'd love to say that I took the high road and told the truth, but I didn't.  I just put on a straight face and said the first thing that popped in to my mind.  "Oh, that wasn't us, we were just talking and eating chips."  By now he had walked to the doorway of Emma and Molly’s room.  

Thankfully, he didn't come in.  He was most likely discouraged by the empty pints of ice cream, gummy worms on the desks, and the rainbow of spandex and sports bras littering the floor.  He just looked in to their room and saw three of the other girls.  They were trying to look tired, but were all holding their breaths.  The security guard seemed to believe our story, but he still seemed a little suspicious.  "Was there anyone else in your room in the past ten minutes?" he asked.  "No," I replied as casually as possible.  This was all he needed to hear.  He said "Sorry to scare you ladies, you look fine to me.”  We all rushed to reply “Oh, it’s fine,” before he left. 

The second our door slammed closed, we finally let out our breaths.  Abby waited a few seconds, then went back to her own room before the guard interrogated them too. 

Emma was verging on a nervous breakdown and was almost in tears.  We were all still scared, but we realized that the hardest part was over.  Now our biggest concern was that someone would figure out that it was us screaming and we would get in trouble.  

When I look back on that incident, I realize that it all could have been avoided by following the rules.  If we had gone to bed on time, obeyed curfew, not screamed out the windows, and even not talked to that bicyclist, there would never have been a problem.  That would have been great, but then there would be no story.  Even though I don’t believe it was right to scream out the windows and lie to the security  guard, it definitely made that night a lot more interesting.   So the morale of this story is not “don’t lie to a security guard at dance camp.”  It’s not even that you should follow one of the billion and one other rules we broke.  The real morale of this story is don’t get caught lying to a security guard because you were screaming out the windows.  That would just ruin the end of the story. 

Cause/Effect-Ashleys- Death by Cupcakes

In The Ashleys, three  girls, coincidentally all named Ashley are the "queen bees" in their school.  Lauren Page is sick of how they treat people and wants to change that.  Her plan is to join the Ashleys and then destroy them, so their school will be better for everyone.  The turning point in this story is when Lauren saves the main Ashley's life after a near fatal allergic reaction.  This is the climax because nothing can go back after that.  Ashley almost has to not hate the girl that saved her life.  If you look back, you can see all the things that caused this event.  First, Lauren joins their group.  This throws things off balance, because everyone is fighting or their spot in the clique.  Also, Ashley never tells second-in-command-Ashley (Lili) that she has a life-threatening allergy.  Then, in spite of Ashley's orders to get cupcakes made from a special recipe, Lili buys regular cupcakes for the dance.  Then, at the dance Ashley eats a cupcake thinking that they are nut-free and has an allergic reaction.  Lauren saves her by injecting her epi pen.  After this, nothing can really be the same.  There are a lot of different things that this effects.  Lili is jealous becuase Ashley only told Ashley Alioto(A.A.) about her alergy.  This makes her feel threatened that she won't be Ashley's favorite.  It also makes Ashley like Lauren a lot more.  She feels indebted to her after Lauren saves her life.  This makes Lauren a lot closer with the Ashleys, and makes her chances of getting in to the clique better.  

The result of the story could have been a lot different.  For example, if Lauren hadn't read Teen Vouge, she wouldn't have been able to guess where Ashley kept her epi pen(there was an article on a girl with a nut allergy) and Ashley would've died.  This would have completely changed the events because Lauren would never have a chance to destroy the clique.  Lili would feel at fault for killing her best friend.  Ashley would be dead.  The Ashleys probably wouldn't even exist anymore.  If the climax event hadn't happened, the story would have no conclusion.  The allergic reaction is the turning point because it changes the story drastically and prepares it for the falling action.  This event both brings the characters closer together and farther apart.  If this event didn't happen, the story would have no ending, and there would be no difference from the beginning of the story. 

Speak- conflict/resolution- Facing your Fears

In Speak, the main character Melinda faces a problem.  In the summer before her freshman year she goes to a high school party. Because of the events that happened at the party, she becomes a social outcast and recedes in to a shell.  The main conflict in this book is Melinda not being able to face what has happened to her, and the results of it.  One example of this is when she builds her closet.  She hides out in an old janitor's closet away from anyone else. I think that she does this because she doesn't want to face her classmates because it surfaces her worst memories.  Another example is when she is dissecting a frog in science class.  If she had faced her problems, she wouldn't have let the frog become an analogy to her life.  She could have just thoughtlessly dissected the frog and moved on with her life like the rest of the class, but she let her fear control her.  Melinda has to battle many different types of problems throughout the book, but the main issue is person vs. self.  She is battling her self with her pent up fear and other emotions, because she can't get over what happened.  Even though she feels isolated and alone, she doesn't do anything about it.  She just sits there and let's it happen.  Melinda can't fix her problems until she learns to face her fears.  

Luckily Melinda finally stands up to herself by the end of the book.  Melinda gets over her fear to stand up for herself.  In the climax of the novel, when He tries to hurt her again, Melinda finally gets a back bone and speaks up.  Melinda defends herself and overcomes her biggest fear.  She faced her problems and therefore was able to resolve them and find help.  One way to see that this is the main conflict is to look at what would've happened if she hadn't done this.  Melinda would have just gotten even more afraid and isolated herself even more.  She would have become worse and worse, and would've come to a point where she couldn't get over what happened.  It would have eventually consumed her.  All of her thoughts and all of her time would've been spent on those terrifying moments.  If she hadn't finally faced what happened, she wouldn't have been able to grow and move past those moments and on to the rest of her life.  Because Melinda faced her problems, she created a chance to restore her life.