Final Blog

This summer has definitely been a time of experimenting, expanding, and experiencing new things. Overall I have really enjoyed this class and all that I have learned.
When it comes to experimenting, we did many things that were new ideas for a class room setting. One example, that I don’t think anyone is going to forget, was the 10 minute plays that we picked out and performed. That is one experiment and experience that pushed my limits because I am in no way an actress and I prefer to stay out of the spot light. But looking back it helped me understand the drama/play aspect of literature and that it is much easier to understand a play while watching instead of just reading it. I think overall I was experimenting this summer by taking this class because I do not do well keeping focused on class during school let alone during the summer, but I think this class was good and I was able to learn new things about literature but still have fun in and out of the class. As a class we experimented with writing flash fiction and poems each with their own difficulties. I found that when we were writing flash fiction that I was experimenting with creating a story in 200 or less words. I think, for not being a writer, I did decent on getting the point of my story across. Then when we were writing the poems we experimented with many different types of poems, some of them being difficult (fortune cookie and concrete). But I know that I was able to understand the idea that poetry does not have to be all about rhymes and that you can do almost anything with poetry, given the chance.
I did a lot of expanding this summer also. When it comes to reading I love it but I have a certain set and kind of books that I stick to, I usually read Christian Fiction and a handful of other books, so the literature we read this summer broadened my selection, a lot. I think when we did the mini book clubs that it helped a lot because if we were to have just read the stories I probably would not have learned as much from them. But when we read them and then got into small groups and discussed them it really helped bring the story to life sometimes or bring wiser, more intelligent ideas to the table. I definitely got more out of those stories by discussing them with different people. I was also able to expand my appreciation for poems because before I did not really read poems or read into them. After spending a day writing all different types of poetry and then doing the poetry slam, I learned to watch and learn from others poems and the way they portrayed the feelings that they had written, even if they were silly , made up, or real feelings, telling a short story or teaching a short lesson. I now have a poem that I wrote that I’m proud of, even though it may not be anything huge, but I really like it. Even writing in the blogs every week has expanded my writing abilities. I was so use to writing formally that when I started to write the blogs I was not sure how to start. Eventually I was able to expand my writing technique reading and commenting on others blogs.
Experiencing this class and all that it has to offer has been a lot of fun. Not only have I experienced a different kind of literature but also a different way of learning. When I read the syllabus and it said ‘bring a spirit of adventure’ I thought that meant imagination but we really did have some adventures in this class. We were able to experience acting, given a short play and a short amount of time to prepare it and then present it in front of class. I think we did awesome, considering only a few from the class had ever dealt with drama. As a class we were also given the opportunity to experience the Shakespearean Festival. This experience not only took us out of the class room but also out of, most ours, comfort zones. We had to pay close attention to the play because it was not what we were use to. In the end it was an experience that was well worth it because I think we all learned something from it. I know I learned to not depend on the words being spoken but to also pay attention to other details, such as hand gestures, body language, and tone of voice. We also experienced the imagination and personal adventures of our independent novels.
I think pushing my limits this summer, in experimenting, expanding, and experiencing has helped me grow not only in literature but in life and I’m glad I took this class. Thank You Ms. Stephanie Scott for a great first summer class.

Concert - Matthew West

So I forgot to write about the concert I attended, so now I'm writing about it. I was able to attend the Matthew West concert after a Cheif's game. I went with two of my sisters and some of my co-workers from Hoerr's Berean Bookstore. The concert was amazing, to say the least. When I first heard about the opportunity to attend this concert through my work, I thought 'well I'll go just to spend time and have fun with my friend from work' but I am very glad I went. I did not think I knew many of his songs but I actually do, probably from listening to a Christian radio station at school. One of my favorite songs of his is Motions, which is about actually performing the actions you say instead of just going through the motions. It basically says that he is going to make a change both in is actions and in is thinking. Probably my second favorite song is A Friend in the World, which kind of describes how he met his wife. Saying that at times it feels like no one is there but then you always have friend in the world, weather it is a person or God. Overall it was a very inspirational concert. I really enjoyed worshipping with my friends and watching all these people, that I have never met worshipping. I'm very glad I had the opportunity to attend.

Shakespeare in Love

I found Shakespeare in Love a very interesting tale. It is, of course, based off of the life of Shakespeare focusing on the time when he was writing Romeo and Juliet. The story starts out with a little bit of a background on the theatre of the time and the two theatres striving for the public’s eye. You then meet the characters in their own settings, giving a little about each character. As the story progresses you learn that Will Shakespeare has lost his touch in writing stories. After receiving a gift he comes upon a story that throughout the movie morphs into Romeo and Juliet. It starts out as a comedy to help one of the theatre owners pay off a dept. Will Shakespeare tells the theater owner to start finding actors. While at a party Will meets the lovely Viola De Lesseps, who is the daughter of a wealthy gentleman. Unbeknownst to Will, Viola is the young man who Shakespeare wants to play Romeo in his play. So the story becomes a comedy to the audience as Viola tries to keep up her appearance as a lady and as the young actor. All the while Viola’s father has promised her to Lord Wessex, who is just marrying her for her father’s money. As the love story advances Will and Viola have a Romeo and Juliet romance; falling in love when they know they can never be together. To me, the movie romance story reminded me of the movie The Moulin Rouge, mainly because there are two people in love that cannot be together because of the time and situation. Well without giving away the whole movie, it ends in an expected, yet unexpected way (if that makes any sense at all!!). It is expected in the way a tragic love story would end but unexpected in the Hollywood aspect of a love story ending. Well that is basically the story without too much detail, I hope, and I did enjoy watching it and would probably recommend it to some, depending on their likes.

Midsummer Night's Dream

I thought this was an amazing experience. At first, when we were asked if we wanted to go I thought 'well I'll go so that I get that cultural opportunity done' but in the end I really enjoyed it.
The Manor was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. I mean can you picture that back in a time when it would have sat on 100 acres or so with no electricity. Maybe that is just me and my imagination. But it really added to the experience. I mean if we would have gone to watch a Shakespeare play in an auditorium or something it would not have been as much fun as watching it under the stars and at Ewing Manor.
The play itself was, I thought, pretty good. I'm not much of a Shakespeare person but I do like some of his stuff and this one is in that category. But when I was thinking about it I think I was remembering watching Much Ado About Nothing in high school. Which is another good Shakespeare comedy. Midsummer Night's Dream was an interesting story line, especially since it has magic in it. Although the story line was a bit predictable I never lost interest. I think the spirit guys, were my favorite because they found everything funny, even their mistakes. This comedy of errors kept my attention but not just because I was laughing but also because they put a twist on Shakespeare by setting it in New Orleans with a Cajun accent in the early 1900s. I have to say though that the accents did throw me for awhile, but I was able to follow their movements and tone of voice until I got the hang of the accents. And now that we are watching the movie which is set in Italy, it allows us to compare the different settings and how it affects the characters and their actions. I really enjoyed going and spending time with students out of class. I am hoping to go next year if possible.

Wind Dancer

So I finally finished my duo, Monday Night Jihad and Blown Coverage, which were awesome books. I am now onto my third book titled Wind Dancer by Jamie Carie, it is set in the late 1700’s. The characters are a young spirited girl named Isabelle Renoir and Samuel Holt who is mysterious frontier man. Although I have just started it, the plot takes off in the first few pages. The book contains some historical fiction and historical facts that help intrigue me. The shadow of the Revolution is dark in the mid-western frontier but the pioneers’ try to hold on to hope that they will be added to the growing country, America. I have always enjoyed reading books that include and work around history. History is one of those subjects that in school is not a favorite but when I read about it in a way that adds a fictional life intertwined with factional characters, places, and events; it takes on a different meaning. Fantasizing about history makes me want to experience it, and reading these books allows me a little bit of that. Basically what I have got so far is that Isabelle is very independent and is looking for an adventure. She is given a chance to travel to a British held fort to pick up some material for a friend. Samuel on the hand is a very intelligent man who is probably in a position for a man many years older than him. He handles himself very well in times of stress and in battle; he knows how to use his weapons to the best of their ability, and how to observe his surroundings and use their gifts. I enjoy the story line, so far, and I can’t wait to read and follow these fictional characters through a historical time.

Air Show

So this weekend was the Prairie Air Show. I wanted to go as soon as I heard when and where. There were just a few problems, getting there and when, since I worked all day Friday and Saturday. Thankfully my dad was home on Sunday so we were able to go and we had a blast. Airplanes have always fascinated me and I have always wanted to learn to fly, I have been asking my dad for years now to teach me but it just has never worked out. So going to the Air Show was big for me because there are some many different types of planes and the actual shows are amazing. We toured some of the bigger aircraft. Walking through the KC135 was awesome. There is so much history and stories that can be told. We were able to see were a pilot could control the refueling line to connect to another plane to refuel in the air. It was pretty cool seeing that and knowing that at some point in time someone was actually working the controls. The next aircraft we looked at was a Harrier, which can lift off vertically (like a helicopter), which is pretty sweet for a fighter jet. My dad struck up a conversation with the pilot and it was fun listening to them discuss different topics. The pilot was very eager to talk to us and describe the plane a bit. I found it very intriguing to listen to them discuss and similar occupation but each with their own unique style. My dad, being a commercial Airline pilot, deals with people constantly, has a crew on board and weird schedules. The fighter pilot has the weird schedule also, but he is on military time and flies alone in his cockpit, with only the ground crew to help maintain the aircraft. I can’t remember everything they said but I remember listening and thinking ‘Wow that is a lot of information and technical stuff. It was very fun getting two different perspectives on flying. The next project is to go up to Oshkosh this August to really experience flying and the aircraft.

If Today was Your Last Day

My sister recently bought the new Nickleback CD and I really like one of the songs on it, If Today was Your Last Day. This song is basically saying live each day like it is your last. I found it very interesting because it starts out with the line, ‘my best friend gave me the best advice he said each day’s a gift and not a given right’ and that statement is so true. I believe we need to live each day to its fullest and enjoy life. It then goes on to ask questions like, would you forget old pictures, donate money, could you say goodbye, and others like that. It makes you think, if today was your last what would you do? If it was my last day I’m not sure what I would do, but I think I would try to fix everything that I could and spend lots of time with the people I love. Two really good questions that are mentioned in the song are, would you take the path less traveled and would you forgive your enemies? To me those questions are ones that need to be considered because would you? I know I would like to say yes but I do not know for sure what I’m going to do later in a day. This song gives lots of incentive to think about death and how you would react if you knew your today was your last. Another question that comes up when I think about this kind of stuff is ‘why is it when someone knows when they are going to die they want to live more?’ Why is that? Is the reality that you only have so long to do all the things you have never done or is it something else? So many questions and no one really has an answer because it is different for everybody. I only hope that if I ever know that the day I’m living is my last that I make everything good and enjoy the gift that has been given to me, the gift of life.