Joy Luck Club

Through almost the whole movie, I was trying to sort all of the characters into Hogwarts houses. It was incredibly difficult. Every one of these women had the bravery, nerve, and daring of a Gryffindor. They also all had the kindness, tolerance, and work ethic of a Hufflepuff. But there was also the fraternity (or in this case sorority), self-preservation, and ambition of Slytherins. And then there was the wisdom, individuality, and acceptance of a Ravenclaw. Talk about a hat stall. Even if they didn't start out with a certain trait, it sort of popped up somewhere in their story. I had notes on who would be in which house but it's covered with question marks and slashes.

I have to say though, I really identified with some of the things in the movie. The main example being Suyuan and Lindo's little mom war. It was most of my childhood to be honest. My cousin and I were born in the same year and we were in a constant battle with each other, fighting for our mother's affection. Our mothers were also in a constant battle, trying their best to stroke their egos. I don't know if you find it surprising but I almost always won. I was more well behaved and I got better grades in school. She had more friends than me but whatever, mine lasted longer (muahaha). Our moms don't really care as much now for whatever reason but my cousin and I are still fighting subconsciously, I think. Like June and Waverly during the dinner scene. Waverly casually jabbing at June's work and June mentioning how much extra work she's willing to do. I'm sure they didn't mean to start such a big argument but I don't think they wanted to stop it either. When we were kids, my cousin used to casually mention, "since I'm a few months older than you, I'll have my licence first and I'll be able to drive you places." Guess which one of us has our license. That's right, me. I don't even need it. I didn't even want it in the first place. I think it's just so ingrained in our minds that we need to be the best, that we can't not be in first place for something.

I understand June's story from personal experience but what about the mothers' stories? I was a mess in class (thank goodness it was dark the whole time). Suyuan's story about leaving the twins behind while she went and found somewhere to die had me bawling. No joke. Then she recovers in a hospital but can't find her kids. Oh my gosh. I'm tearing up a little just thinking about it. I blame PMS. I thought Lindo's story was the best though. It was also the most ridiculous. I was expecting her husband to be some creepy old man but I was a just little off. He was what, twelve? He obviously didn't know how it works. I know women can't have children until after their first period but is there an age requirement on men? I think we all need a little more sex ed in schools. My favorite part was how she got out of there. I love when people use other people's superstitions against them (when they deserve it). I love how she fit everything together. The mole, the tooth, the servant girl's pregnancy. It was a masterpiece, if I do say so myself.

Overall. I really enjoyed it. I wouldn't change a thing about this movie. I'm glad they cut out the last line of the voice over and saved it for later. I also like the scene at the end when June meets the twins. I think it's all perfect.

(Also, Mrs. Gillis, you obviously don't have to believe or accept my excuse. I was trying to finish this Wednesday afternoon but I only managed about the first two paragraphs before people started showing up. I'm not allowed to use my laptop when family is visiting for the holidays. If they didn't show up a day early, everything would've been posted on time. I apologize for that.)

Shame (Found Poem)

it's overwhelming, all of it.

it knocks you down,

makes you feel small,

makes your cheeks turn red.

just make it stop.

it's all in a moment, the worst moment.

some mistakes can't be taken back,

so you hide instead of face it,

but a feeling can't last forever.

or can it?

they'll laugh, they'll hate you, forever.

you fear your friends' and family's gaze,

you hide from your own reflection.

it's a constant fight, you're always losing.

you'll never be anything but nothing.

The Liberation (It's really not the cookie's fault)

I don't really like the Americanized version of Chinese food but for whatever reason, my family does. They always bring me a fortune cookie, though, because I love those. I once got one that said something along the lines of, "You're the cookie now. Open yourself up." It was weird at the time, but I think that's the one I've listened to the best. I wish I didn't, though. I thought, 'maybe it wants me to try new things'. Call it over dramatic, claiming that a cookie is at fault for this claustrophobia, but it's true. Every time someone would tell me, 'I wanna take this class but no one wants to take it with me. I don't wanna be the only one there!,' I would automatically take it as a sign from the cookie.

"I'll take that class with you!," I would say. I'm in some deep trouble now, let me tell you. Jake thinks I should do chorus. Yeah, okay, sounds like fun. Natalie wants to take 'Heroine's Journey.' That looks cool. I'll join you. 'Let's join book club,' says Ana. 'UNICEF club. We gotta help the children!' Thanks, Club Member X, who was running the UNICEF stand. Sign me up. Look's like Jake's back with a 'You'd love Drama Club' which was, of course, followed up with a 'you should audition, you'd make a great Stephane.'

Now because of the cookie, I'm stressed out to the max. We have to learn so many songs for chorus, which I guess isn't so bad. We have until December. But our teacher doesn't know what he wants with one song and taught us another one completely wrong. Heroine's Journey (No offense, Ms. Gillis) is the first honors class I've taken since I don't even know when. Vocab, four page essays, a blog, and weekend homework (again, no hard feelings). The books (which are very good books, I'm sure) also overlap with the one I picked for leisure, and the one I'm reading for book club. Book club is run by a bunch of teenagers, which doesn't go over all that well. UNICEF is great and we have matching tee shirts, but meetings are all over the school and sometimes we have them and sometimes we don't. Don't even get me started on the bake sale! Even though I've never acted before, I'm an understudy and part of the ensemble, so I have those meetings to go to for almost no reason.

That doesn't even include the things I'm not doing. I used to come home and do things with my hands or listen to music or watch a movie with my sister. Now I don't write or draw like I used to. I don't watch full length movies. Just some TV shows here and there. There are so many books on my shelf I've been trying to get to. I haven't worked out or shadowboxed or anything like that for so long. My arms are squishy again. And on top of all that, I just spent all this time complaining when I could have been doing something more productive like sleeping or procrastinating. I've been doing that a lot lately too. I can't believe my senior year got this crazy because of  a cookie. Speaking of senior year, I also need to get my future planned out eventually. Yikes.

Mood Assignment

Small chips of paint fall to the ground after losing their battle to the merciless weather. A strong, freezing wind sighs through the crumbling highway bridge. The unevenly white-washed sky flashes warnings of an impending storm. An old pair of muddy boots, tied tightly to a collection of worn, creaky bones, dangle off the rusted remnants of the traffic barrier. A young but tired face is angled at the horizon, blankly staring off with glazed eyes. A calloused hand gently grazes a festering cheek laceration. The rhythmic echo of a water drop can be heard from below. Aside from this, the world is frozen: silent and macabre.

The silence is broken for no more that a second by a pleading whine. The massive, filthy paws of a Shiba Mix land with a twang onto the metallic beam. The eerie silence is broken yet again as the twenty-something year old clears dust out of her dry throat to speak. 'Okay. I hear you, I hear you,' she rasps, 'I'm coming.' Her black and blue legs swing up and over the ugly, olive colored bar on which she was sitting. With her feet finally return safely to the cracked pavement, she reaches down calmly and slowly to place a mostly gloved hand on the mutt's head. His normally chestnut fur, much like his master's clothes, were black from soot and ash.

Slowly, she makes her way towards the road through the blackened woods, dreading what was sure to come. Loyally, he follows his master, by her side,  towards anything and everything that would be waiting for her. Together, they move forward, ready to face what was left of the world.

Jane Representation

This is Jane's brain. It has a force field around it. The force field is Jane's self respect. It's job is to keep out all the negativity. The red lines are sounds Jane doesn't like to hear such as people telling her what she should and shouldn't do. Those green lines are all the positivity sliding right on through the barrier. These are things Jane does like to hear such as nature or Mary and Diana. The quote that best matches the image is, "I am no bird and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will."

I feel like this is the best way to depict Jane's character because it's just so true. Jane doesn't let anyone influence her decisions. She has the power to decide for herself. It's like she puts cotton in her ears whenever someone tries to tell her what to do or how to do it. She has always been the independent type of character I look up to. She isn't a bird in a net. That would imply that she has no choice. She always has a choice and she always had the power to take that choice and make it her own.

Jane's New Relationships (Book 3 Chapters 1-6)

At first I was a little nervous when Jane left Thornfield. She really, really, really needed to get away from Rochester's abuse. If she waited until she had more money or a place to go, she might have gotten sucked back in. I was so nervous about her 'roughing it' until she found somewhere. Sleeping outside, begging for food. My poor baby. I don't understand how so many people could send her away. But then she finds the Moor House.

Me, when people are rude to Jane

Hannah, the housekeeper there, wanted to send her away. She was skeptical because of Jane's nice clothes. She assumed Jane didn't need help even though she was begging for it at the door? Later when they're talking in the kitchen, Jane goes off. She mentioned how, even though Hannah didn't 'mean anything by it', she was still quick to judge. Jane says that some of the best people in the world have been in poverty as well and it wasn't a crime to be poor. Then Jane is the bigger person and shakes Hannah's hand, leaving all of it in the past.

My personal favorites when it comes to Jane's new friends are the Rivers siblings. The girls are true saints. While Jane is recovering from her nights of travel, Mary and Diana are consistently visiting her. They were always concerned for Jane's well being. After she comes to, they start to hang out. They teach her German and she teaches them to draw a little bit. St John would have been a lot harsher to Jane if these two weren't around. I'm still not entirely sure how I feel about him. He's a bit of an odd duck. He isn't rude to Jane which is all I can ask for. Otherwise, I love the way they all interact. These three are lovely companions for Jane and I can't wait to see how they melt together in the future.

 Rosamond and Jane is a perfect combination. They are adorable together. I feel as though they are more compatible than Jane and Rochester could ever be. Rosamond thinks that Jane is 'good, clever, composed, and firm.' She was 'only one tenth as handsome' but looks aren't everything. Rosamond also thought Jane's life would make a 'delightful romance.' Rosamond visited Jane very frequently at the school. Jane thought she was 'charming' and a 'cool observer of her own sex.' Rosamond loved how well Jane could draw and even spoke about Jane at home. One could make the argument that I find lesbian undertones in everything. One could also argue that I'm just pointing out the facts.

Gothic Elements in 'Jane Eyre' (chapters 1-21)

Part of what makes a story ‘gothic’ are the medieval like settings. Jane Eyre comes across many of these on her journey. The most notable is her current home, Thornfield. Essentially, Thornfield is a big castle with almost no inhabitants. It is set far from the nearest town, almost in the middle of nowhere. Then there is the Lowood School. It is an orphanage and a schooling facility. It it full of very religious nuns and nearly one hundred young girls. Quite a few of it’s inhabitants died of typhus. All of which is incredibly creepy.

Another detail of a gothic story are supernatural events. Jane has unfortunately witnessed some of these happenings. It started when she was a young girl. She was locked in the Red Room well into the night. While she was in there she saw a bright light which she swore was a ghost. She experienced ghosts again in Thornfield. When she heard the loud, high pitched laugh that sent shivers down her spine. This turns out to be Grace Poole, another of Rochester’s employees. When she goes into town to mail Mrs. Fairfax’ letter, she sees Mr. Rochester’s dog, Pilot, for the first time. She hides in the brush because she thinks it is a monster patrolling an abandoned road for it’s next victim. There was also the time the ‘Gipsy’ came to Thornfield. The other girls were amazed that she new so much about them. When Jane went in, she played along and also wondered how the gipsy knew so much. Later we find out that the gipsy is just Mr. Rochester in disguise.

Gothic stories also have many mysterious characters. The first character that comes to mind is Grace Poole. She tends to keep to herself in her room and doesn’t even come out for meals. She was allegedly the one who tried to kill Mr. Rochester. She is still employed and still living at Thornfield. The other staff is also mysterious. They know something that Jane doesn’t. They know all about Grace Poole and won’t directly answer Jane’s questions. They also whisper about ‘if she knows’ referring to Jane. Also, during the party, a man came by and claimed that he was a friend of Rochester’s. No one knows much about him. They know his name is Mason and he comes from a warm climate but everything else is a mystery.

Inner Sanctuary (For Meditation)

You open your eyes. The light is blinding. The wind is whipping past your face and through your hair at highway speeds. A light flares up inside you. A happiness that could never be compared to anything else. You're almost there. You know that. Because you're falling...falling...falling.

There's no fear here. Only immeasurable joy. The ground is still thousands of miles away. It's moving so quickly, running almost, to meet you. Just look at how vivid everything is. All the colors have come back to you. Nature isn't gray anymore. Excitement overtakes you as you twist...turn...flip.

About a hundred feet to the ground now. It's been so long. So much has changed. You barely recognize the old place. Why does it feel so familiar then? So comfortable. So relaxing. So tired. You're so tired. It was exhausting trying to get in here, wasn't it? You look like you could use a rest. Just for a minute. Fifty more feet. Down you go, slower...slower...slower.

Stop. You've got your feet on the ground. Everything seems so real. Though it isn't. But that's what makes it dangerous. Don't you think? Ha! Look at that. Green grass. That's what it should look like right? You've nearly forgotten. And that field of wildflowers. What's that color again? Purple? And monarchs are orange once more. All your senses are at work, sight...touch...smell.

How soft this grass is. How bright the sun is. You can smell fresh air. Why is that, though. You, the real you, is cooped up. In a box. In a city. There it smells like, what is it, even? Gasoline and pollution? But this you, the other you. You're smelling flowers and a fresh autumn breeze. Where is that coming from? From your brain? From your heart? From a lie? That's it. It has to be. Why does this feel so wonderful? You're lying to yourself. Liar...liar...liar.

You have to push that thought away. It's for your own good. Let's go for a walk, shall we? Ooh. Whats over there? You start walking. Leaves crunch beneath your feet. Animals scurry left and right. It's so loud in here. Not from cars and factories and industry. From birds and streams and leaves in soft winds. Here's that red fox again. Circling around your feet too quickly for you to see her face. Hey, you there, come back...come back...come back!

Well, don't just stand there. Follow her. Make haste. Quickly. Into the woods. Where did those come from? Were they here a minute ago? I distinctly remember a shortage of oak trees, don't you? Never mind that! Stop dawdling. You have a fox to catch. You need to start running...running...running.

Where's she taking you this time? You can go anywhere you want but you follow her? Why? Wait. There she is. Dodge that low branch. Jump over that boulder. Look out for that, right, not helping, sorry. She keeps getting faster, though. That means you have to, too. What? You got rocks in that backpack? Haste, I said, haste! There she goes. Over that way...this way...that way.

She seems to like this place a lot. Or maybe you do. Maybe she knows that. But who wouldn't? The gentle hill. Surrounded by trees on all sides. The dutch cottage on top. Not a doll house but nothing too grandiose. Look at those shutters. And how cute is that little stone chimney? And the water mill with the stream? You're so excited. Come on then, up the stairs. Up...up...up.

Go ahead and open up the door. Key's in the window box by the way. How do you know that? Because you put it there, of course. How else would you know? See how familiar it is now? The light blue walls? The royal purple beams and shutter? Is any of that ringing a bell? Maybe if we see what's waiting for you inside. You put the key in the lock and unlock...turn...push.

The door glides open. Oh well lookie here. If it isn't the everything you'd ever want. Your favorite person prepping your favorite foods and activities in your dream kitchen with, Ah! Your dream granite counter tops! How classy! Maybe you shouldn't have pushed that earlier thought from your mind. This isn't for your own good. Like giving into a heroin addiction. Chasing after the first high that you'll never have again. This isn't for you. This isn't real. You need to wake up. You can't just pretend...pretend...pretend.