Reflection Piece

My feelings on blogging...

Blogging is not something I necessarily enjoy but I don't hate it. To me, it just seems more efficient and self-serving to take the first ten minutes of class to discuss what books we're reading with our peers rather than blog about it. I feel like there are certain things I can't blog about because A) it will spoil the entire book B) it will spoil the entire series or C) it sounds extremely dorky when I attempt to explain it.  I always seem to find myself on the computer Sunday night at eleven in a frantic, last ditch effort to upload a post before midnight (I always make it :) ). Over all, blogging was not a bad experience, but it's not one I would do voluntarily do.
 
My feelings on reading...

Reading is something I love doing. I finished the entire final book of the Harry Potter series in one day and am extremely proud of the fact. I love predicting what the characters' next moves will be and I find that it is a great way to do nothing. Reading is what inspired me to write, which in turn inspired me to try out for Power of the Pen, which led to several medals and publications and me co-coaching one of the Junior High teams. Reading is how I relax and is something I truly enjoy.


Freshman year...

I absolutely love high school. I came in knowing absolutely nobody and it was awesome. I could completely start over and begin school without any predispositions. I ran Cross Country (and loved it), participated in Writer's Block (and loved it), took an art class (and loved it), I ran Track (and loved it) and I made so many good friends. I became faster, smarter, and more social (meaning I finally got a Twitter and Snapchat). Mason has so much to offer and I'm really looking forward next year.

The Winner's Curse

The Winner's Curse refers to one's inability to back down and lose; often in the case of a bid in which the "cursed" ends up paying for something of little value at a steep price.

Although in most cases that something doesn't turn out to be a person.

This book, though geared more towards the female gender, contains universal themes present in society.

The Herrians have been enslaved by their former trading partners, the Valorians, and have been for the past ten years. Perhaps once the strongest country in the world, Herran is now under the control of the Valorian's emperor, and the society's elite.

Once, the Herrians had considered the Valorians weak, barbaric, and admired their beauty. Now only one stands true.

Amongst these ruling elites is Krestel, the daughter to the famous Valorian general. Some would say the gods favor her, blessing her with the ability to spot any mistruth as if it were a cloud in the sky, until she meets the God of Lies himself: a slave by the name of Arin.

Drawn in by his startling gray eyes (and the fact that he is a singer) she quickly becomes enthralled in a bidding contest, purchasing him to work as a blacksmith.

He slowly begins changing her perspective of the world she lives in, yet as they grow closer, Krestel is unaware of what other changes are just around the corner.

The Herrains are planning a revolution with Arin at the head. But as he gets to know the strong willed musician, he finds that his desires, once so crisp and clear, are blurring.

The book spins a tale of judgment and betrayal. It brings into light the darker side of human nature. When the tables are turned, and the slaves become the masters, they don't hesitate in inflicting the harshest of pains, despite having been there themselves.

Revenge is extracted in the most excruciating of ways and innocents are ruled as guilty. Thousands are slaughtered in the bloody mutiny.

Yet the book also showcases human capacity for change and forgiveness.

Arin and Krestel are able to recognize the mistakes of their past and become better people. Though it takes effort, they manage to let go of their resentment of one another and find it within themselves to forgive all the wrongs that had been done to them.

Despite the obvious racism and oppression, the author demonstrates the characters' progress towards a more civilized future built upon equality and freedom.

New truces are formed and old alliances dissolved.

Scandalous plots are uncovered and faith will be tested.

And with this, the book shows that everything is more than it appears.

That sometimes... a curse can be a blessing in disguise.     

The Three Notes (Column Story)

The First Note: Connection

Like that first note of a song, the writer has that first line to draw people into his story. So it makes sense to start with the thing he want readers to remember most. In the case of "Man on the Streets, in Three Suites" by Steve Lopez, that most important thing was a man: Nathaniel Anthony Ayres.

It was not his schizophrenia he wanted us to remember. Not the fact that he was homeless. Not the fact that he attended Julliard. But rather the man himself and his passion for music. That passion is what Lopez spends three pages trying to help his readers feel because as long as Nathaniel has that passion as his driving force for carrying on, he will always have a full life.

Lopez wants us all to understand that passion is the key to making life worth living.

The Second Note: Diction

Half of being a successful writer revolves around creativity and one's ability to tell a story.

The other half deals with proper grammar and strong diction choice.

One example being when Lopez purposefully uses words with strong connotations- one negative, and one positive- to draw attention to the fact that a homeless man can play stunning, complex pieces of music often associated with the rich and successful. On opposite ends of the spectrum, the phrase "bedraggled source of refinement" brings pause to the reader, as well as extra attention to how odd this scene must have been.

This supports his message of focusing on the things money can't buy-the pure joy Nathaniel experiences when he plays his music. To be able to hold onto that feeling, despite all of his hardships is admirable.

Those people in the park were reminded of this admirable quality when they saw him playing, which further supports Lopez's idea of people focusing too much on material items and forgetting there is more to life than thin, green paper bills. 

The Third Note: The Importance

In today's society, materialistic things tend to be prioritized over things such as emotions, yet through Nathaniel, Lopez reminds us that maybe the things we cannot touch and cannot buy are the ones we should hold onto.

I am Malala

Malala Yousafzai was shot on a bus in Pakistan in 2012. This attempt to silence her only succeeded in drawing the world's attention to the turmoil in the country, as well as the young women's activist fighting for her life, and the education of others, in a hospital in Birmingham, England.

How she came to be this influential, courageous, and outspoken, bright person is due to circumstance, family, and her own instincts. From a very early age Malala was taught to fight for what she believed in. Her family owned a chain of schools, allowing her to continue on her education while other girls her age were keeping house or being married off. Her father was anti-Taliban, the terrorist group threatening the country, and voiced his opinions, despite the death threats and warnings.

As Malala matured, the Taliban threat became more and more prominent. Then the group announced that starting the 15th of June, girls were no longer to attend school. With all the other issues and wars raging throughout the country, the education of women was low on everybody's list. When no one stepped up, Malala decided she would.

With the help of BBC, British Broadcasting Corporation, she blogged under the pseudonym Gul Makai about day to day life in Mingola. Her blog attracted a lot of attention, finally making those in other parts of the world, such as America, understand the struggles people were facing outside of bombs and attacks.

Once her identity was ousted (accidently by her father) she began doing interviews and starting programs to help girls receive an education. Even after she received a death threat of her own, she did not stop. After she was shot, she spoke at United Nations conference, became the youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize  laureate, and published her own book.

But the reason I love this book is because of the pride I feel, knowing that a girl my age, with no prior social status, was able to stand up and make a huge difference, in education of women. She did this in a country where women are expected to be covered from head to toe and are not permitted out without the company of a male.

She did this without violence, without hiding, with her family behind her. She took on a highly dangerous terrorist group, knowing they would retaliate in some way, shape, or form. She knew what they were capable of.

But she also knew that what she was fighting for was important and that someone needed to be the voice of the countless oppressed women who wanted an education.

And I would like to think, that if it ever came down to it, I would stand up for what I believed in too.

Malala is an inspiration to not just girls, but everyone world wide. So many take for granted the privilege she was almost killed fighting for. A privilege no 15 year old should have to fight for.

My favorite part of the book is when her father takes her hand and tells her that everyone once knew them as Ziauddin Yousufzai, the political activist, and his daughter Malala, but now they were known as Malala, the courageous women's activist, and her father Ziauddin.

That quote to me says it all. It says girls, you are just as important as men and you deserve the same education, it says to the world, things need to change, we need to make things better, and it says to me, that even when the odds are stacked against you, never abandon your beliefs. They're what make you who you are.

She is Malala, and she made a difference.


    
 Picture of Malala
                            

Her Book I am Malala


Photo of her speaking at UN


 
Nobel Peace Prize