The R&J Love Story

The loving but yet violent tale of Romeo & Juliet in a sort of modern day theme. Last week my class and I watched the movie and this week we have begin to read the book. From watching the book and reading the movie, i have been able to match the seen in the book with some parts in the movie. When i am reading and I read something that was either big or important i am able to picture it better because i have seen the movie.

When I first heard we were going to watch the movie I thought it would be like the setting of the play. However, when the movie actually came on it was not as I thought it would be. The setting was modern day like California. Nevertheless, when the characters started to talk and interact the way they spoke was like the way it was in the play. The first scene got right into the theme of violence because it started with a fighting scene between the cousins from both families the Cauplets and Montague’s. It showed me how strong the rivalries are between the two families. There were also a lot of little hints that showed symbols of the fact that something big was about to happen. Like their expressions for instance right before they were about to fight the eyes of Benvolio and Tybalt met and they had like a stare down before the real action started. When I saw that I could rather tell there was going to be some type of battle between the two. In addition, clothing and the camera angles gave you a hint. I say this because in parts they showed a close up on Tybalts boots, which had a tough figure of a cat on his boots as he stomped out his match, which rather showed the tough character he was. Also the way they had close ups on the points where they had there hands resting on there guns it rather gave a hint there was going to be a battle scene.

To me in the movie showed how between the two families the mother father and cousins fought but through it all Romeo and Juliet found there way to find love through it all. I think it showed that out of fighting there can be love, it was showed mostly through the movie. Even though Juliet was, suppose to marry Paris as she was being forced to by her mother and father she ended up meeting and even marrying Romeo who is suppose to be a family foe. In the movie, the theme of Fate played a very big role many times Romeo said that fate was the reason for something that had just happened. However, many times you saw him change his mind of weather he believed in fate or did not want to fall victim to it.

“O, I am Fortune's fool!”
From that one quote, my table and I had to discuss what we thought it meant. I personally think that Romeo stated this because that is when he had just watched his best friend Mercutio died fighting for Romeo and also trying to break up the fight between Romeo and Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. In addition, after he went and murdered Tyblat he said he is fortunes fool because he fell victim to the fate of the rivalry. Most of the time the weather symbolized the events taking place like when Mercutio died all of a sudden a big storm came and it stated to rain and the wind blew real hard.

Through out the movie the themes, clothes and facial expressions really showed the detail of what was either about to happen or going on. I like how even though it is a very old play they added a modern twist to it to make it seem more interesting. In addition, the scenes did help me understand what they were saying or speaking about. For example the balcony scene when Juliet says
“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

I have heard this quote before but never understood. However, by watching the movie and seeing the events that lead up to that scene I was able to understand and put it into context. This movie modern day version of Romeo and Juliet really made it clear and easy for me to understand the book. I feel it was much better for us to watch the movie then read the book then it be they other way around. Overall, I loved watching the movie and hope to enjoy reading the book.

My All STAR Mentors Of The Week !!!!

This week I’ve choose Amanda as one of my all star mentors. To me in her post Blood is Thicker Amanda really to me broke down and made me think about family. And why just because were family do we have to be so close. I also like how Amanda didn’t just go on about her book the whole time; she connected it to her personal life. Amanda’s personal connections also made me think about my family and did I connect to the book in any way. Also it made me want to go read the book. I picked Amanda as one of my all star mentors because not only did she follow the structure for our blog post she exceeded it.

Hey if you guys want to go check out Amanda’s great blog post for yourself here’s the link




Okay so one of my other star mentors is Malik in class 812 also. What I really liked about Malik’s post was that it wasn’t on a book or anything school related, this was about a movie named Tron Legacy that Malik had recently saw. In his post he goes deep down in the movie and unpacks the theme and reasoning behind it. In his post Malik talks about the morals and concepts. I haven’t even seen the movie but Malik painted a picture for me of what happened in the movie. I really liked Malik’s post just because the way he unpacked the theory and theme of the movie and explained it. It really made me understand.

Here’s the link to check out Malik’s awesome blog post




My last all star mentor I’ve chosen is Ashley, in Ashley’s post in her book identical by Ellen Hopkins. What I really liked about Ashley’s post is the fact that she did make personal connections and how she felt about the book. You can tell from Ashleys post that the book really intrigued her and she felt deeply about it, and I could tell all this just by her post. Because her post was really detailed and it helped me understand the book. Ashley’s post gave me a summary of the book in one paragraph it wasn’t too much information it was just enough.


http://peaceloveandpages.blogspot.com/2011/01/identical-readind-response.html

Music

By: BRUNI Sablan


Music
It lives in all of us
It makes you come alive
The rhythm
The beat
The way the music matches the way you feel
Every emotion has a song
Music is not just a song with a catchy chorus and a cool beat
Real music is something you can dance to no matter how you feel
Without music will the world be the same
Will people be as cheerful during their morning commute with out the music to wake them up
Can u even imagine a world with out
MUSC ?

Can you let go of Tomorrow and Live Today?

Just yesterday, I started reading a new book called Willow by Julia Hoban. Even though I've just started I haven't been able to put it down, the book draws you in as a reader and makes you think about a lot of things.

In the book the main characters name is Willow and she's in high school and she lives with her brother his wife and there daughter. She sounds like a regular teenager and looks like one, but underneath she's not normal at all. Deep down Willow faced many issues but on the outside, she never let it show. There was a lot Willow had to deal with. However, her biggest thing that doesn't make her like any other teenager is she killed her parents. It wasn’t like she killed her parents on purpose it was a bad accident and Willow has never and will never forget that eventful horrible night. Not only does willow have to face everyday with the thought in her head of her killing her parents. Willow also has to deal with the whispers and stares , to ease the pain away she cuts herself. To willow a cut isn't just a cut its a rush of adrenaline, it helps her not hurt her.

Besides her secret life of cutting herself and her huge secret Willow attends high school like any regular teenager. To me its like Willows determined not to ever be social as she was before the accident. Until she is introduced to a guy named Guy, although Willow tries to distract herself from even noticing Guy she just can't deny the feeling she has for him. Willow goes around feeling that everyone’s staring at her and everyone knows about her past.

Even though I haven't gotten to far in the book I would hope that Willow actually let's go of her fear of anyone recognizing her as the girl who killed her mom and dad and live her life. Sure, the pain of the death of her parents will always be there, but I'm sure they would want her to live her life as well. So far the book hasn't lost my attention as I was reading it , I look forward to when I get home from school to continue reading the book is really intriguing and I can't wait to finish it.

13 .. and insane

Just today, I began to read the book Girl 15 Charming but Insane by Sue Limb. I am not done yet but just reading what I have read so far I have a good idea of what type of person the main character Jess is.


At first when I started to read this book just by the cover I thought it was just your regular book about teenage girls and there normal life. With school, non-understanding parents and boys. However, as I got into the book I did notice that, that was what the book consisted of but it told the story in new funnier ways. I think it was because of the ways Jess handled her situations she came encounter with, were things that not every day teens would do. Jess went through many problems as of what I have read so far. Like any other girl in life, goes through like how sometimes you may envy what other people have weather its material or just growing in ways or places, you do not.


During reading the book, I did refer back to my social justice unit that I am studying in school now. I did think deeply that it was not just Jess wanting what others had. It showed me how girls do go through extreme lengths to get what others have. In the book, there is a big party but while Jess is getting ready, she feels that every other girl more developed in the chest area, so Jess decides to stuff her bra with bags of soup to feel like the other girls. That was just one of the extreme ways girls try to be like others Also her stuffing her bra wasn’t just to be like other girls it was to impress the boy she liked. I think it is the point that some people try to make when they say that magazines advertise women that have big boobs are butts. Today in America most women struggle with there image and self-confidence, and this books was really a way to show how some teenagers deal with it.

I have not finished the book but i am only 45 pages in and this is they ideas i have gotten from the book, I cannot wait to finish it and see what other crazy things jess does just to fit in.

A Disobedient Girl .... Or not ?

This week I've begin to read the book A Disobedient Girl a novel by Ru Freeman in the book there are actually to books combined and in each chapter they go back in forth from book to book. Therefore, there are more then one main character the two main characters names are Latha and Bisco. Even though they live life completely separate ways in the end it is all the same. In the end, the stories tie together in an unexpected way.


To me this book was about today’s modern day slavery and a woman that is abused by her tyrannical husband. Even though Latha is a servant, she knows she is not meant to be. In the book when she is thinking, something comes to her mind, which is a quote. The quote states “I was born for the finer things, like the rose smelling soap I steal from the family that I’ve worked for since I was five, and the glasses of fresh lime juice I help my self to after a long day.” After I read this quote it lead me to think, I mean I know all slaves know there not mean t to be slaves, but Latha just doesn’t want to be free she wants to live the wealthy, high society life that her masters live. Nevertheless, in my eyes there has been a highlight to her working for the family even though she felt the family has spoiled daughter Thara. Along the years, Latha and Thara became best friends. Latha and Thara becoming friends did not seem likely to me because, if I had to work for a family is to me it would be awkward to be there daughter’s friend. The other main character Bisco who is a hard working mother of three children. However, her life changes dramatically when she risks every thing to escape her uncontrollable husband who beats her on a daily bases. Even though Bisco and Latha's stories are completely different and so are there lives it seems to tie together when they help each other accomplish the goal of freedom and higher beings of life.


This book really connects to real life things because yes, everyday modern slavery goes on and yes, everyday millions of women fall victim to physical and verbal abuse. From this book, I think Ru Freeman wanted the readers like me to take away that no matter which you are or what situation life throws if your try hard enough you can come out on top. Just like Latha and Bisco even though they’ve been through a lot they keep on going and that have dreams and goals they want to achieve in life.

Which color am I ? And which color are you ?

This week I have read and seen the movie to book For Colored Girls by Ntozake Shange. Even though the books title is for colored girls, I think the book can address most females in the world no matter the color or race. I read the book before I watched the movie because outside of school, I have a club and our assignment was to read the book so we can all go see the movie together.


When I read the book it was not anything like the movie the book was filled with poems that told stories in very interesting ways. To me they weren’t just poems or stories to me it spoke out like it was a special book all written for me that’s how good the book really grabbed my mind and ran with it. I loved all the little details she added and the words she used to describe a scene or how one of the characters felt, it was not just good it like a perfect fit to what the poem described. In addition, at the end the poems all came together as if they were teaching a lesson. The book made me dig deep down in my mind and think about what this mean or what she meant by saying that. I have come up with so many thoughts and ideas about what she may have wanted us to think and I realized that every girl is supposed to take the book differently. Some may take it as I did and really connect it to how the girls handled certain situations. Moreover, some probably cannot connect themselves to the situations at all because they have never been in them.



While watching the movie I saw how different it was from the book. The movies came to surface with, the struggles the characters went through are what some or most women in American go through in there daily life. It was like the book came to life and everything was graphic and you could get a better understanding. The movie did fill in many blank pieces I had about the book. The movie wasn’t to different from the book as in plot wise but as in the actual movie to me it really was about how women go through hard times in life due to men, death or just dealing with the struggles in everyday life. To me the movie was better then the book because even though it was a movie, they still recited the poems and showed which scene went with each poem. My favorite part of the movie was at the end when all the girls collaborated on the last poem and they shared there struggles and the lesson they learned from it.


Overall the movie and book would have to be my favorite movie and book so far this year another thing I learned from the movie was the title colored girls didn’t mean what I thought I meant its not race colors its colors as in blue yellow … etc. the colors represented which color each character was. At the end of the movie, it had me thinking about which color I was.

Am I a bright yellow?
A dull gray?
A pure white?
Or a bright pretty pink?

I could not come up with an answer, but you tell me. What color do you think you are? Because we are all colored girls.