The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Everyone has to experience growing up. Whether they're good or bad, important events that occur while your a teenager can affect your whole life. These types of things shape our persona's forever. But what types of things will change us the most? It's different for everyone. The most important thing is to be true to yourself. In the novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Charlie, a 15 year old boy, goes through a series experiences that influence him forever.

Charlie is a unique character. His extremely kind heart and thoughtfulness leaves you thinking about what you can do to make someone happy. Charlie doesn't even realize how genuine he is. But Charlie is also extremely...clueless in a sense. He doesn't really understand how the world works or why people do the things that they do. He simply just wants everyone to get along.

Charlie starts his freshman year very lonely. The only thing he has for company are his favorite novels (The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye, The Naked Lunch, etc.). But everything changes once he meets a few friends. Although he doesn't start out that close to the new people he meets, having friends really changes a lot about charlie. He learns how to be in a relationship with another person and help it grow. As he becomes closer with his new friends he tries a lot of things he wouldn't imagine himself doing. Stepping out of his comfort zone also helps Charlie develop as a character. He starts to feel more confident and stable. Through the best times of his life and the worst, Charlie's new friends influence him forever. In a good way, that is.

Current Article

An interesting article I recently read was an article about Trayvon Martin. Trayvon Martin was a 17 year old boy that was randomly shot and killed on February 29th in Florida. This particular case has stirred up a large amount of controvery due to the races and ages of the two people involved in it (Trayvon being African-American and Zimmerman being Hispanic). In the article, it gives an update on the case of the prime suspect George Zimmerman. The article states that Zimmerman has officially been charged with the 2nd degree murder of Trayvon. Zimmerman is pleading not guilty and his official arrangement is on May 29th. This article is important because it updates an event that has touched the hearts of and resonated with many.

One of the reasons this article is important is because it declares a very important step in the case. It states the fact that George Zimmerman has been officially charged. "Mr. Zimmerman, 28, who was charged by a special prosecutor on Wednesday evening with second-degree murder," This quote makes the whole case a lot more official. It's a big step for Zimmerman to be officially charged, a step that may bring us all closer to justice for Trayvon's family.

The article is also important because it talks about several aspects on an event that's become very important in the last few days. It's many important details it includes helps average people understand the case better. “We only know one category as prosecutors, and that’s a ‘V,’ ” Ms. Corey said. “It’s not a ‘B,’ it’s not a ‘W,’ it’s not an ‘H.’ It’s ‘V,’ for victim. That’s who we work tirelessly for. And that’s all we know, is justice for our victims.” This is a quote from Zimmerman's lawyer addressing the racial controversy. It's important for articles to include things like quotes that will makes the overall picture easier to understand.

Overall, the reason why this article is important is simply due to its subject matter and formatting. The death of Trayvon Martin is very tragic, and it's important for the press to update on it as much as they can for it's readers. This article speaks about very large steps in the case. Also, it's crucial for any article to be organized, clear, and authentic. This article was all of those things based on its direct quotes/sources and detail. The purpose of this article was to give the latest on this case, which is succeeded to do.


Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/13/us/george-zimmerman-to-appear-in-court.html?_r=1&hp
Source: nytimes.com

Plagarizing

Plagarism is a widespread crime that has been underestimated for its level of reprecussions. Unfourtunately, many kids plagarize without knowing the true depth of it. This situation occurred with a writer that plagiarized pieces of a text called "A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings." 
What did the student do wrong? What could he/she have done to include the source correctly?
The student took someone else's work and re-named it as their own. This is plagiarism. The used the exact pieces of the text, word for word, with out citing or acknowledging the original writer. To include the source correctly, the student could of put the text in quotations or citing where the source was from in parenthesis after the text.  

Write a sentence using the original source correctly; use a quotation or paraphrase. Also, make sure to cite correctly. "There is the night sky filled with swirling clouds, stars ablaze with their own luminescence, and a bright crescent moon. Although the features are exaggerated, this is a scene we can all relate to, and also one that most individuals feel comfortable and at ease with. This sky keeps the viewer's eyes moving about the painting, following the curves and creating a visual dot to dot with the stars. This movement keeps the onlooker involved in the painting while the other factors take hold"

("A Brief Understanding of the Starry Night Paintings").

What are at least three ways to avoid plagiarizing?

 A writer can avoid plagiarism in many ways. Including:

1. Correctly citing the text in a works cited page.

2. Paraphrasing the texts into your own words.

3. Correctly citing the text with quotations.

Student Responses

Although there were many very well written blog posts from Ms. Galang's list, one that I thought was particularly great was Izzy's. I truly admire the way that Izzy chose to think outside of the box. The fact that she chose to write about how she doubts Romeo and Juliet's love was a very bold and courageous move. Not many people would decide to disagree with a statement that is so famously pronouced true (Romeo and Juliet's love for eachother). That is why I think it was very wise for Izzy to take that step and open up many knew interesting perspectives and idea's to the text. Another great thing Izzy did was citing the lines she referred to. I thought that using exact quotes and lines made the post very authentic and organized. I really believed that Izzy truly analyzed and thought about the text. Using quotes made her idea's much more persuasive. Overall Izzy did a great job of getting her very interesting point across to the reader.

Another impressive blog post I read from Ms. Galang's list was Ruby's. (810.) I thought how Ruby decided to begin the post with her real life feelings was a really nice way to ease the reader into the entry. It was almost comforting; reading a few lines of something that most of the readers can really connect to instead of a background story. A strong lead or opening lines to a post is crucial to the whole piece. Ruby made a very mature move in helping the readers connect with what she was saying.  Another sophisticated thing that Ruby did was connect to her own life and the main character while still staying relevant. When Ruby connected to the book, the readers (including myself) could aswell. This made Ruby's final message to her post much more authentic and influential. Ruby did a great job on this reflection.

These posts inspired me to improve my future blog posts in many ways. I'll try to connect to myself and the reader better to make my opinions easier to understand. I'll also try to cite my sources and use direct quotes to enhance authenticity. Also, after looking at these posts I've noticed my blog posts may need to be a big more organized with a clearer focus. I will definitely take the sophisticated techniques these writers used into thought.

Classic Stage Theater

My experience at The Classic Stage Theater was a very good one. As soon as I walked in I thought the combination of the coffee shop and the theatre was very clever. The idea of getting a cup of coffee and then seeing a live show seems very relaxing. I also thought the layout of the stage created a very including effect to the play. I really enjoyed being so close to the actors. It made me feel like I was much more involved and attentive. The shape of the stage was also really great for both the actors and the viewers- not only does it bring in a unique vibe but I think it was more efficient for everyone. I felt like I could see a lot more on a round stage.

Also, all of the actors were very talented. Their exceeding animation and skill made the play much more emotional and enjoyable. They stayed in character literally every time they were open to the audience- there was never a moment when I saw one of them goof off and such. All of the actors portrayed their parts as if they really were those people in real life. I felt like all of it was very real and authentic the whole time. In addition all of the transitions were very smooth and the live music was a great touch to it.

And lastly, the production did a very good job of modernizing it without completely changing the story. Since live plays are so fast paced- I was worried that I would have trouble following. But the change of time period and slight edits in the script made it really clear and easy to understand. Overall I thought it was a very good play/experience! I would definitely go back if I could.

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet has already introduced very innovative and interesting characters. They all have very pronounced personalities which I think really enhances the text. A huge problem I've come across in books are lifeless characters; it makes me feel like the story isn't genuine. A key element to a truly notable book is interesting characters. Shakespere has already shown that.

I think a very noteworthy character in Romeo and Juliet is Juliet. Juliet is very wise for her age. Her sense of self-control and sensibility is very charasmatic. She seems to know what she wants very clearly, without panicking. For example, when Lady Capulet suggests that Juliet gets to know/marry Paris, she simply tells her that she will try to but only for Lady Capulet, and anything further she'll do as she wishes. Juliet presents a sense of peace with every word.

I also see a little controversy to Juliet. I feel that under all of her wisdom and tranquility lies a very fiery and wild personality deep inside. I feel that her love for Romeo will spark a new aspect to her persona. I'm interested to see how it all unfolds!

Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 1

Dear Sydney,

I think Romeo and Juliet is already becoming a pleasure to read. I really enjoy how unique it compared to the modern novel. The text is so thought out and advanced; it makes me stop and question the quality of the books I'm reading now. There is a sense of ease and authenticity in his writing that you don't usually see in most books. Shakepere is a very true and talented writer which I exceedingly appreciate.

I've noticed that even though the play is set in a very different time period, I can easily relate to the characters. Shakepere has already presented each of the characters with very defined personalities. I'm only about 30 pages into the book- and he's already shown the characters individuality/persona. Although it is very challenging writing, under all of the complexity is clarity. It's almost like a contradiction- which makes it more compelling.

I'm very interested to see how the characters and the plot develop!