Note: It's been some time since I finished the book, so I'm having some difficulty remembering it.
In Truth & Beauty, Ann Patchett described the unbreakable camaraderie between her and her best friend, Lucy Grealy -- from start to the bitter end. Reading a first-hand account of their bond gave me new perspective on friendship; I found it remarkable how friends can become true soulmates (without being in an actual relationship). I was able to relate extremely well to this book because the relationship between Ann and Lucy is very similar to friendships I've had in the past.
It was strange to see how Ann and Lucy's relationship changed throughout the book. Their paths first crossed when they went to school together at Sarah Lawrence College. Lucy was diagnosed with cancer as a young girl. The chemotherapy that was used to treat her ended up removing part of her jaw. Even after scores of reconstructive surgeries, part of her jaw was still missing. Essentially, it was her disfigured face that made her so famous in her town. It wasn't until they attended the Iowa Writers' Workshop that Ann and Lucy became close friends. Their companionship thrived on both their love for their writing and their love for eachother.
When I first began the book, I was under the impression that Ann was trying to make the reader feel sympathetic toward her, making her seem like the hardworking, practical one of the pair. Lucy was the outgoing one, always in the limelight, where Ann was more of a secondary character. Patchett seemed all too bitter to be the one in the shadows. While I continued with the book, I came to realize that while this was true for the most part, it wasn't a bad thing. Ann and Lucy truly completed eachother, which is what made their friendship really work. I guess that's what made them soulmates.
Years after, Lucy passed away when a heroin addiction overtook her life. It's quite apparent that losing someone who had been a head figure in your life wouldn't be an easy experience. Even though she is gone, Lucy's friendship with Ann still carries on. She's given Ann enough inspiration to last for the rest of her life. Soulmates don't die.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Prevailing Opinion of a Sexual Character Discussed
If I could use any one word to describe how I felt after reading this essay, it would be grateful. Well, I suppose confused would be another appropriate adjective. Actually, there are any number of words I could use to describe how I felt. Bored, surprisingly, was not one of them.
I have been dreading reading this essay since the day I printed it off. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I had a large enough attention span to successfully read through all twenty-some pages, especially after I had realized that the passage wasn't written in a language that I fully understood. What I mean by this is that the way Wollstonecraft writes is much different than the way today's authors write. Her vocabulary is quite advanced and the way she strings her words together is in a completely different style. In my opinion, it probably wouldn't have taken her 22 pages to get her point across. The piece was wordy and repetitive, but maybe that's how people wrote back then. I had to reread some of the paragraphs multiple times in order to fully understand the point she was trying to get across. On top of that, I had to look up countless words. The passage was an absolute beast to read, to say the least.
While the piece was so long-winded, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I was surprised at how poorly women during that era were treated. It makes me truly thankful to know how far women have come in the past few hundred years. Whilst reading it, I was overcome with feelings of genuine girl power. Mary was so convincing and strong with her points. If I were from her day in age, I'm not sure I would have the courage to be so assertive about women's suffrage (although I know for a fact I wouldn't be content with my position in society as a woman). Even though I would be lying if I said sexism isn't an issue in the present day, I can say with confidence that if Wollstonecraft could see what life is like for women today, she would be so very proud. Had a man from that day read the essay, he might have rolled his eyes in disgust. If a woman had read it, however, it may have opened her eyes up to the essential standard that was missing in her life: equality. It was determined women like Mary who carved the path for women's rights. Without them, we would still be living in a one-sided society where boys rule and girls..well, you get the picture. . .
You go girl.
I have been dreading reading this essay since the day I printed it off. Honestly, I wasn't sure if I had a large enough attention span to successfully read through all twenty-some pages, especially after I had realized that the passage wasn't written in a language that I fully understood. What I mean by this is that the way Wollstonecraft writes is much different than the way today's authors write. Her vocabulary is quite advanced and the way she strings her words together is in a completely different style. In my opinion, it probably wouldn't have taken her 22 pages to get her point across. The piece was wordy and repetitive, but maybe that's how people wrote back then. I had to reread some of the paragraphs multiple times in order to fully understand the point she was trying to get across. On top of that, I had to look up countless words. The passage was an absolute beast to read, to say the least.
While the piece was so long-winded, I can't say I didn't enjoy it. I was surprised at how poorly women during that era were treated. It makes me truly thankful to know how far women have come in the past few hundred years. Whilst reading it, I was overcome with feelings of genuine girl power. Mary was so convincing and strong with her points. If I were from her day in age, I'm not sure I would have the courage to be so assertive about women's suffrage (although I know for a fact I wouldn't be content with my position in society as a woman). Even though I would be lying if I said sexism isn't an issue in the present day, I can say with confidence that if Wollstonecraft could see what life is like for women today, she would be so very proud. Had a man from that day read the essay, he might have rolled his eyes in disgust. If a woman had read it, however, it may have opened her eyes up to the essential standard that was missing in her life: equality. It was determined women like Mary who carved the path for women's rights. Without them, we would still be living in a one-sided society where boys rule and girls..well, you get the picture. . .
You go girl.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
I was more than excited to read this article, mainly because anything about the internet is something I can easily relate to. The internet is a part of my every day life -- I use it for school, social networking, shopping, recieving emails. . .just about everything. While it is such a useful and convenient resource, I am fully aware I spend far too much time online. (Facebook has become my safehaven.) I was surprised to read however, that the internet could be changing the way we think. Maybe there truly can be too much of a good thing.
Since about 7th grade, the internet has become a necessary resource in my life. Research projects that had once meant class periods in the library now meant periods in the computer lab. Instead of having to search shelf-by-shelf for information, the internet did the work for us. In a matter of seconds, hundreds of links were presented to us; all the facts we needed were just a few clicks away. While this was so much easier than having to do the work by hand, I realized that it wasn't as beneficial to me as a student. Researching online provided me with more precise answers, but I was missing all of the information in between.
Mr. Fischer always askes his students if they're learning the material in his class or really learning it. When it comes down to it, most of the students (myself included) aren't actually learning anything, just temporarily sticking it in their minds until after they've taken the test. Both cramming and the "hunt-and-peck" method have become common ways of quickly filling up your short-term memory with information. Nowadays, it's not out of the ordinary to learn information piece-by-piece instead of looking at the big picture. Contemplating has turned into calculating and pondering into processing.
Before reading this article, I hadn't made the connection that maybe the internet could be what's caused me to be so distracted in recent years. Since middle school, I've noticed a lot of changes in my homework/test-taking/researching habits. It takes me so much additional time to do my homework/tests. My mind goes off on tangents; I constantly get bored with what I'm doing. Could this be because of too much time on the World Wide Web? Has the internet trained my mind to function in this staccato matter? Ironically, as interesting as I found the article, I couldn't read more than 1-2 pages without getting distracted. My mind was in other places.
I wish people weren't so dependent on the internet. If it were up to me, I would get rid of it altogether. (Yes, it's made things more convenient for us, but on the whole, it's hurt us more than it's helped us.) That would never happen of course, because we as a society rely too much on it. Hypothetically, I wonder if my scatterbrain could ever mend itself from the evident effects of the World Wide Web. I'll have to Google it. . .
Since about 7th grade, the internet has become a necessary resource in my life. Research projects that had once meant class periods in the library now meant periods in the computer lab. Instead of having to search shelf-by-shelf for information, the internet did the work for us. In a matter of seconds, hundreds of links were presented to us; all the facts we needed were just a few clicks away. While this was so much easier than having to do the work by hand, I realized that it wasn't as beneficial to me as a student. Researching online provided me with more precise answers, but I was missing all of the information in between.
Mr. Fischer always askes his students if they're learning the material in his class or really learning it. When it comes down to it, most of the students (myself included) aren't actually learning anything, just temporarily sticking it in their minds until after they've taken the test. Both cramming and the "hunt-and-peck" method have become common ways of quickly filling up your short-term memory with information. Nowadays, it's not out of the ordinary to learn information piece-by-piece instead of looking at the big picture. Contemplating has turned into calculating and pondering into processing.
Before reading this article, I hadn't made the connection that maybe the internet could be what's caused me to be so distracted in recent years. Since middle school, I've noticed a lot of changes in my homework/test-taking/researching habits. It takes me so much additional time to do my homework/tests. My mind goes off on tangents; I constantly get bored with what I'm doing. Could this be because of too much time on the World Wide Web? Has the internet trained my mind to function in this staccato matter? Ironically, as interesting as I found the article, I couldn't read more than 1-2 pages without getting distracted. My mind was in other places.
I wish people weren't so dependent on the internet. If it were up to me, I would get rid of it altogether. (Yes, it's made things more convenient for us, but on the whole, it's hurt us more than it's helped us.) That would never happen of course, because we as a society rely too much on it. Hypothetically, I wonder if my scatterbrain could ever mend itself from the evident effects of the World Wide Web. I'll have to Google it. . .
Friday, July 16, 2010
Skunk Dreams
After printing out "Skunk Dreams" by Louise Erdrich and reading the title, I was left quite confused. I read the first paragraph and I still had no idea where the next six pages were going to lead me -- or how they were going to relate to smelly little rodents and their dreams in any way.
Automatically, I thought to myself, What would skunks dream about? Perhaps they dreamt of scampering around, spraying their putrid stench on everything in sight..Or perhaps their dreams were more like that of humans. (What would a skunk nightmare be like?) I couldn't begin to imagine what laid in the depths of their seemingly small minds. It wasn't until I had reached the end of the article that I realized the message that Erdrich was trying to convey (see things from other perspectives) and the relevance of the title.
While I enjoyed the passage, at times it seemed too detailed. It was stocked with unnecessary details/specifics that almost acted as fillers. At some points, however, descriptions were perfectly executed; it astounded me how detailed the author remembered her dream of Corbin Park. Most of the time, I don't even remember my dreams; when I do, they are so vague that I have a hard time making sense of them the following morning.
However, I do like to think about dreams and what they mean. What is reality and what isn't? Is anything reality? The dream-life concept makes me wonder. Why do we dream?
Why do we live?
The best explanation I can come up with for having dreams is to prepare ourselves. Sleep is simply eight hours of our day that we can let our mind rest..and wander. Dreams let us see the outcomes of potential situations; they let us test our boundaries. They might warn us of things in our near future; they might help us make decisions. Dreams let us "try before we buy." In a way, they give us a "test drive" for the real world.
The passage closed with Erdrich talking about how humans should think about life from a skunk's perspective -- or any other being for that matter. It's good to see things from another point of view in order to enlighten your own outlook on life. As Erdrich said, "The obstacles we overcome define us." Maybe we need to look at things from a different standpoint in order to overcome the obstacles we face.
Automatically, I thought to myself, What would skunks dream about? Perhaps they dreamt of scampering around, spraying their putrid stench on everything in sight..Or perhaps their dreams were more like that of humans. (What would a skunk nightmare be like?) I couldn't begin to imagine what laid in the depths of their seemingly small minds. It wasn't until I had reached the end of the article that I realized the message that Erdrich was trying to convey (see things from other perspectives) and the relevance of the title.
While I enjoyed the passage, at times it seemed too detailed. It was stocked with unnecessary details/specifics that almost acted as fillers. At some points, however, descriptions were perfectly executed; it astounded me how detailed the author remembered her dream of Corbin Park. Most of the time, I don't even remember my dreams; when I do, they are so vague that I have a hard time making sense of them the following morning.
However, I do like to think about dreams and what they mean. What is reality and what isn't? Is anything reality? The dream-life concept makes me wonder. Why do we dream?
Why do we live?
The best explanation I can come up with for having dreams is to prepare ourselves. Sleep is simply eight hours of our day that we can let our mind rest..and wander. Dreams let us see the outcomes of potential situations; they let us test our boundaries. They might warn us of things in our near future; they might help us make decisions. Dreams let us "try before we buy." In a way, they give us a "test drive" for the real world.
The passage closed with Erdrich talking about how humans should think about life from a skunk's perspective -- or any other being for that matter. It's good to see things from another point of view in order to enlighten your own outlook on life. As Erdrich said, "The obstacles we overcome define us." Maybe we need to look at things from a different standpoint in order to overcome the obstacles we face.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
The New Yorker: The Talk of the Town
The first article, by Adam Gopnik, is on the subject of the 2007 Virginia Tech Massacre; the second is an article by Susan Sontag on the September 11 Attacks. The two articles, although based upon different events, both critique the United States government for the way these attacks were handled. It is evident that neither Gopnik nor Sontag approved of the way the Bush Administration dealt with these crises. For the most part, I tend to agree with both articles. I have some reason to believe that both situations could have been seen to more efficiently.
After reading the first article, it's pretty obvious that more could have been done to prevent the Virginia Tech shooting from happening in the first place. The statistics speak for themselves -- the US gun policy isn't up to par compared to other countries, who after experiencing shootings, accordingly tightened their gun laws. There is no reason any private citizen should be able to own guns made strictly for killing people. It scares me that it's so easy for people to acquire these kinds of weapons. The article points out the direct (and obvious) correlation between gun laws and gun violence. (Strict laws = less violence, Weak laws = more violence.) Of course, even with refined laws, some (although considerably fewer) shootings are bound to happen. I don't know if there could ever be a full-proof solution to prevent gun violence. Speaking hypothetically, had the US had stronger gun laws around the time of the Virginia Tech incident, it might not have happened. Thirty-three lives could have been saved.
Sontag's article objects the government's approach after 9/11. She believes that the focus was mainly on calming and comforting US citizens as opposed to actually taking steps to resolve the situation. After such a traumatic event, I can see why government officials would want to calm the people of their country. Family members, friends, and heroes were lost. I understand why the leaders of our country would want to create feelings of reassurance, confidence, and patriotism after something so upsetting. On the other hand, I don't think it was right for President Bush to put us under the impression that everything was going to be okay, when it clearly wasn't. He didn't exactly have a good plan of action. However, neither does Sontag. Yes, she freely criticizes the lack of execution done by the executive branch, but she herself never quite proposes a strategy.
Now I'm no government official -- thank goodness for that -- but I think both situations could have been handled a little more effectively. Far too many lives have been lost.
After reading the first article, it's pretty obvious that more could have been done to prevent the Virginia Tech shooting from happening in the first place. The statistics speak for themselves -- the US gun policy isn't up to par compared to other countries, who after experiencing shootings, accordingly tightened their gun laws. There is no reason any private citizen should be able to own guns made strictly for killing people. It scares me that it's so easy for people to acquire these kinds of weapons. The article points out the direct (and obvious) correlation between gun laws and gun violence. (Strict laws = less violence, Weak laws = more violence.) Of course, even with refined laws, some (although considerably fewer) shootings are bound to happen. I don't know if there could ever be a full-proof solution to prevent gun violence. Speaking hypothetically, had the US had stronger gun laws around the time of the Virginia Tech incident, it might not have happened. Thirty-three lives could have been saved.
Sontag's article objects the government's approach after 9/11. She believes that the focus was mainly on calming and comforting US citizens as opposed to actually taking steps to resolve the situation. After such a traumatic event, I can see why government officials would want to calm the people of their country. Family members, friends, and heroes were lost. I understand why the leaders of our country would want to create feelings of reassurance, confidence, and patriotism after something so upsetting. On the other hand, I don't think it was right for President Bush to put us under the impression that everything was going to be okay, when it clearly wasn't. He didn't exactly have a good plan of action. However, neither does Sontag. Yes, she freely criticizes the lack of execution done by the executive branch, but she herself never quite proposes a strategy.
Now I'm no government official -- thank goodness for that -- but I think both situations could have been handled a little more effectively. Far too many lives have been lost.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
An Introduction of Myself
Where to begin? For starters, my name is Jenna Knoche and I will be a junior at McFarland High School in the upcoming school year. I will be turning sixteen this coming Wednesday (6/23) and I'm in the midst of taking an online drivers ed. course, although I have no desire whatsoever to drive. My family consists of my dad, Rick, my mom, Yvonne, and my brother, Nick. I'm unemployed, although I babysit neighbors occasionally. I don't have much planned for this summer, other than relaxing and spending much-needed time with my friends. My only set plans are being a summer school volunteer at the primary school, going to my brother's little league baseball games, taking driver's ed, doing AP comp work, and practicing with the dance team. Oh yes, by the way, I'm on the dance team. It's a big commitment - our season lasts from June to February and then we try out again in the spring. Sometimes things get rough, but I would never give it up; I love dancing too much -- both organized and freestyle. This is partly stemmed from my love of music. I like all music - a few of my favorite artists are *NSYNC, Death Cab for Cutie, Michael Jackson, the Beatles, Hannah Montana (not Miley..there IS a difference), Lil Wayne, LFO, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Beyonce, Michael Buble, etc. As far as other entertainment goes, I don't watch much TV except the occasional Lizzie McGuire rerun, but I really like movies. A few notable favorites would be The Princess Diaries, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, The Wizard of Oz, Toy Story, UP, Model Behavior, Hannah Montana: The Movie, Cadet Kelly, Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century, and many more.
I signed up for AP Composition because I love writing! I hope to pursue a career in journalism one day. I wasn't given much of a chance in middle school and high school to write (specifically freewrite) so hopefully this will be the perfect opportunity for me!
~jenna:)
I signed up for AP Composition because I love writing! I hope to pursue a career in journalism one day. I wasn't given much of a chance in middle school and high school to write (specifically freewrite) so hopefully this will be the perfect opportunity for me!
~jenna:)
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