Random Poetry. Craziness.

Why kiss a frog? It is ugly to taste the slime

But the princess would say it is worth it. No pain

Because the frog will not hurt you. Bruised like a blue mud.

It is gross and distasteful to say the least.



The shock is as inevitable as the clouds,

Hot and sharp like a summer day

With nothing left to surprise the moon

Left hanging aimlessly on the edge of my heart.


After the moon swung about the
leathery skin,

I bit my lip. I long for something more
fulfilling

Than the countless soft and shallow moments

That keep the rock within the riverbed.

Reflections

English 1102 has been somewhat of a turning point for me. This class definitely showed me that with enough effort, I can actually write slightly well. I've always dreaded writing and most other elements of literature, but I'm finally able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. To a degree writing is not bad at all! I also realized that I'm much better at writing about a applicable topics, ie the research paper, than writing about a certain view of literature. This is probably because I found the food paper more interesting and shocking, in a sense, than the others. I actually enjoyed the papers because they opened my eyes to a whole new side of the world of writing. My favorite section of the class, however, was definitely poetry. I've always had an interest in poetry but English 1102 only deepened that love. The GDRs were not completely enjoyable but overall, they were not that bad. It would be better if they were due at a later time because my last high school class gets out at 3:15 and it's a little challenging to submit them on time. Also, I really liked having little assignments for the research paper due before the actual paper. This prevented me from procrastinating until the last minute and I was able to write a more insightful paper. The only assignment I did not like was the notes and quotes. It seemed unnecessary and I didn't feel like it really contribute to the paper in the end. This class definitely had a more than average amount of assignments compared to my other classes at Highlands, but I feel like most of them benefitted me quite a bit. In the end, I can truly say that I grew a lot academically through this class and discovered completely new things about myself that I never would have realized without it.

The Typical Breakup Poem

People change. Oh, how it's true.
It became even more true after I met you.
What I saw was a connection with someone like me;
What you saw was a chance to have fun with no fee.

Despite all of the memories, the moments, the joy,
It finally became obvious I was simply your toy.
You called me your girl a billion times a day
Now I wonder just how many you treated this way.

I fell for your smile, my biggest mistake.
Remembering your lies tends to keep me awake.
Everything was perfect while I thought that I knew
That something this perfect could never be true.

Though five months ago I thought we were forever,
I realize now that you were a stupid endeavor.
I promise right now I will never do this again
But as the typical teenage girl, I have a terrible taste in men.

High school: Hypocrisy at its Best

A hypocrite can be defined as one who pretends to be someone other than who they really are. They may also profess to have beliefs that are contrary to what they actually believe and often do just the opposite of what they say. People exhibit hypocritical behavior for a number of reasons. Most believe that having a different personality or set of beliefs will gain approval among their peers. This reason is the cause of the troublesome hypocrisy found throughout the high school crowd.
It was not until recently that I discovered how hypocritical the majority of teenagers are. People will go to great lengths to tell you how to act then not follow what they say in the least. For instance, a girl will judge the attire of another girl and remark that her skirt is "definitely WAY to short." However, a week later she arrives to school in a dress twice as short yet expects no one to judge her. Teenagers also love to fake friendships. From day one, they act like your best friend. They listen to your problems, help you get through hard times, laugh with you, and you seem to have everything in common. Suddenly, they are spreading rumors that they know are false, simply to help themselves and cause you pain. These people will do anything just to get good gossip to fit in among the popular crowd, no matter how many people they must hurt along the way.
Speaking from experience, hypocrites thrive in high school. The drama-rich environment is the spawning grounds for juicy gossip and hypocritical "friends." Thankfully, there are only 50 days until the end of this madness and the beginning of college. Unless of course, hypocrisy is as prevalent in college as it is now. All I can do is hope for the best and pray that the hypocrites decide to stay in high school.

Nine Weeks! (:

Nine weeks, fifty-eight days, or approximately 1,392 hours until the best day of my life thus far: high school graduation. This long awaited day has finally almost arrived, marking the beginning of a completely new chapter in my life. The very thought of college makes my imagination go wild with the limitless possibilities of the unknown. New people, new school, new classes, new living conditions, new city- it seems like a completely new world.
After attending the same extremely small private school since kindergarten, this change is going to be monumental and slightly frightening. I have never experienced another school environment or a different group of people than those who I have known for years. However, taking a few classes at Georgia Highlands my senior year has definitely helped prepare me for the "outside" world. So far, I completely love the "college experience" even though its far from being complete. The drama is diminished significantly and there aren't strict dress codes or class requirements. The lectures actually seem applicable to my future and I know that in four years, all of the late night studying and stressful assignments will allow me to be successful.
I nine short weeks I will officially be a Kennesaw State University Owl, studying nursing. My true passion, however, lies with early deaf education so I plan on transferring to Valdosta State University after a year to double major in ASL (American Sign Language) education and nursing. Hopefully, I will be able to receive a degree in both, but we will just have to see how that goes. After college graduation, the world is my playground. What the future holds? I haven't the slightest idea. But I will live life to the fullest and wait patiently until the time comes to
fulfill my future!
Only 1,392 hours until I graduate. But hey, who's counting?

Troy Maxson: Racist or Not?

Troy Maxson is definitely not a racist. He is, however, surrounded by a culture of extreme racism. The play is set in the 1950's so of course, racists were not uncommon. The idea of whites and blacks getting along was almost unheard of. The majority of characters in the play make narrow-minded statements about other races quite often. Similar statements were completely acceptable in the 50's. The slight bitterness expressed by Maxson is simply a product of society at that time. Being around harsh, racist individuals like the other characters would undeniably affect anyone's attitude. Also, he has various reasons to distrust whites. He was constantly discriminated against in his youth and continues to feel like an outcast among people of different race. By taking into account the setting and other characters of the play, I believe that Troy Maxson is not a racist.

Death of a Salesman Casting

The cast for the Death of a Salesman would consist of the following:

Danny Devito should play the salesman, Willy. Willy is successful, but he is often delusional and has an insecurity about him, much like Devito in his comedy sketch It's Sunny in Philadelphia. His erratic behavior throughout the play gives further evidence that Devito would be perfect for the role. As I read the play, I imagine Willy as a older, strange looking man with a quirky personality which is exactly why Devito comes to mind.

Gerard Butler would fit the role of Happy quite well. In the play, Happy is seemingly successful but still ultimately unhappy (hence the irony in the name "Happy"). He is shallow and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve the "American Dream" which reminds me of many of Butler's recent roles including The Bounty Hunter and The Ugly Truth. Even though Butler is much older than Happy, his personality definitely fits the part.

I believe that Shia Labeouf would work as Biff. Biff is pretty much a failure who feels trapped by his father's idea of a perfect life. He realizes that Happy and Willy are delusional yet he suffers from a severe identity crisis himself. Shia Labeouf is excellent at portraying a failed individual who seeks his place in society. This is obvious in Transformers where his father is living what he believes to be the dream life while Labeouf is shown as a disappointment who struggles to find himself.

Finally, Helen Mirren should be Linda. She is very level headed and tough yet has a strong motherly instinct. She is often disappointed with Willy and becomes frustrated with his crazy imagination. Mirren's character in the Queen is much like this and reminds me quite a bit of Linda.

The American Dream?

As an American citizen, it is not uncommon to hear of the famed "American Dream." It is almost impossible, however, to manufacture a single meaning for this phrase. It has held multiple meanings throughout the history of our nation and today, it varies by person.
The Founding Fathers defined the American Dream as "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." The original Americans strove to be independent and have freedoms that were not available under the King's rule. For this reason, the writers of the constitution included those words in the document. Though wealth and fame were desired, they were not something that all people strove for.
In today's society, the "American Dream" has a different meaning for each individual. The majority of people strive to achieve the ideal life which consists of wealth, popularity and prosperity. Everyone would love to have a big house, nice car and gorgeous family. However, each person desires a different degree of this "perfect" life. Some are happy with living a moderate lifestyle while others must have the largest house and best clothes to be happy. All in all, the rich and famous lifestyle is the common dream for Americans.

Old Faithful

It was the middle of my eighth grade year. My best friends and I were sitting at our usual table at lunch eating Taco Bell. My friend Sarah had finished her first taco and was getting ready to eat her second. She absolutely loved sour cream, so she saved the majority of it for her last taco and was ecstatic about how amazing this glorious food would taste. My other friend Betsy, who was sitting across from Sarah, had completed her meal and was sipping on her Coke while chatting with Sarah and I.
At the opposite end of the table, my friends Cami and Walker were carrying on a conversation about Cami's "brownie log" and how it strikingly resembled a pice of dog excrement. Being the nosey middle schoolers that we were, we listened to their conversation and chuckled at their obvious lack of maturity. Suddenly, my friend Casey realized that it was almost time for lunch to end and yelled across the table for my acquaintances to "clean that crap up!" Betsy, realizing the irony of that statement, immediately spewed her mouthful of Coke across the table where it engulfed Sarah's precious taco.
Devistated by the obvious destruction of her prize possesion, Sarah burst into tears and exclaimed that her day had been ruined by the "fountain of soda." With suppressed laughter, we labeled Betsy as Old Faithful because of her apparent resemblance to the geyser and to this day, the name stuck. Oh, the joys of middle school.

Lasagna (:

The lasagna I had for dinner tonight was made of ground beef from somewhere in the US, tomatoes from Georgia (they were bought at a local produce store), cheese from the US (maybe Wisconsin...), Italian spices from overseas, and noodles made from grains probably grown in the US. The salad accompanying my lasagna consisted of iceberg lettuce, spinach and cucumbers, all grown in the US (bought from Publix), cheese from the US, and ranch dressing with ingredients most likely grown within the US.
Looking at these ingredients, it's pretty obvious that most of my meal was grown or produced in the US, showing that we have a very well rounded agricultural system. The various climates and terrains across the country allow the US to grow just about anything, from wheat to tomatoes, while leaving plenty of room for livestock. This is a huge reason that our country can export larger amounts of food products than we have to import.
Also, this meal was fairly healthy; most of the lasagna was made by hand so it wasn't extremely processed and parts of the salad were "organic." I'm sure, however, that the vegetables and beef had their fair share of hormones and chemicals despite being "fresh" and not frozen.