The Right Way to Solve a Problem

     I'm in the middle of reading a book that I love so, so, so much! It's called Lock and Key, and it's by Sarah Dessen. The main character in this story, Ruby, has gone through so much in the 18 years that she has lived, and she has had to struggle with so many problems over the years. She's had to fend completely for herself since she was 12, make money, keep up her grades, and deal with her horrible mother, who abandoned Ruby at the age 16. Many people deal with their problems in different ways, through relaxation,  anger, destruction, among many others. For Ruby, she runs off and gets wasted, and she thinks that that will solve all her problems. I think she does this because she feels comfortable in her old ways, she thinks it will help her to get away from everything, and because her mom was a drug addict and she wants to feel closer to her .
     When Ruby lived in Jackson with her mother, she was living in a tiny run down house in a sketchy neighborhood, and right down the block from her was a drug dealer. She since she was 16 it's been second nature for her to "smoke away her problems." In the book Ruby said, "I didn't think of it something illegal, and bad, and harmful. It was just something I did, like watching TV or going to sleep." Ruby had grown so accustomed to that type of lifestyle. Then she was sent to a totally new place and her life was flipped upside down. Everything was changing and she had nothing to hold onto in her life. So whenever she has a problem she feels obligated to go back to her old ways, to make her feel safe and comfortable. Even though she had a far from great lifestyle back home, I think she thinks that being in her original "habitat" will make things better. There's definitely sense in the fact that she finds comfort in her home, no matter how bad it may be.
     Another reason why Ruby goes off to get drunk and high whenever she has a problem is because she thinks it will get her away from all her troubles. One day when her older sister Cora told her about how her mom lied to Ruby her whole life, Ruby was feeling overwhelmed, scared, and confused. So she went back to Jackson and decided to get wasted. When she got home she felt bad about herself, but she still would continue to do it. She said, "I don't care who's going to be disappointed in me, it's my life and I need it. I need it, or else I'd have to face my problems by myself, and I'm not strong enough to do that." At this point in Ruby's life she's not brave or powerful enough to stand up to what she needs to, so she finds another way to do that: get wasted.
     One more reason why I think Ruby uses drugs and alcohol to get away from her problems is because her mom was a drunk and a drug addict all her life. Ruby's mom may have put her through hell, but she is her mom, and Ruby definitely misses her. In Ruby's mind the only way to get closer to her mother is to follow in her path. For example, when Ruby is justifying to herself her need to smoke and drink she thinks, "I'm never going to see my mom again. Never know her, never know where she is, what she's dong. But when I smoke pot I feel like she's there with me. When I wake up from being too drunk, she's the first thing I think about." I believe that this is Ruby's way to stay with her mom forever.
     In conclusion, Ruby's whole life has been one big rough patch, and she doesn't know how to handle it anymore. So to overcome her problems Ruby goes out to get wasted. I think she does this because it makes her feel like she's home and safe and comfortable, she thinks it will help to solve her problems for her, and she wants to be closer to her mom. I feel terribly for Ruby, and I wish there was some way she could figure out how to deal with the troubles in her life on her own.

Analyzing a Painting

     After looking at this painting in depth and trying to observe, infer, and interpret, I now look at it in a completely different way.  Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh is a world famous and astoundingly beautiful painting. When I first saw this painting, I absolutely loved it, though I didn't think much about a deeper meaning or thought behind it. Then after I took note of little details, and tried inferring things about the painting, I came up with the conclusion that I think this painting is about the calmness and happiness that Vincent Van Gogh finds in the nighttime. 

     I think that Starry Night is about how he can find beauty and light in something otherwise dark and dull like the night. For example, even thought it's night time he adds in bright yellow swirls and accents, which brightens up the whole scene. Instead of painting a completely black background, he has a beautiful shade of dark blue, mixed in with a whole palette of soft, light, and pretty colors. I think the fact that he demonstrates night in a bright and colorful way shows that he is making this painting out of happiness, and that he has positivity in mind. Also, Vincent Van Gogh made the rest of the setting mostly little quaint and cute houses. I think this is showing happiness because the painting shows a sense of community, and how even though it's dark and dull out, there are still people in the town, and there's still things going on in this town even though the day is over. I think this says that it may be getting darker, but the town, and the people, and the mood aren't.

     I think one reason why Starry Night is so popular is because it really appeals to every different audience, and I think pretty much anyone can relate and connect to it. No one likes the feeling of darkness and things coming to and end, and Starry Night makes you feel like things never really have to come to and end. When I look at Starry Night it makes me feel calm and just a feeling of happiness, and I think that same feeling will come across so many other people. I think this picture is really a universally loved picture, and everyone can relate to it and enjoy looking at it and studying it. Starry Night is an absolutely amazing painting, and there's so much beautiful meaning behind it. 

And the All Star Mentor is...

      My nomination for All Star Mentor is Francesca's post "Quote Responding, Saving Francesca",
( http://righting-and-reading.blogspot.com/2012/01/quote-responding-saving-francesca.html ). The post comes from Francesca's blog, righting-and-reading.blogspot.com
     I nominated Francesca because on this post, she focused on one quote, and she made it so great. She was able to take just one line in her book, and elaborated so much on it. I think it was really wonderful how she was able to go into such depth on such a specific thing, and she did a great job doing it! She really read into the quote and talked about Francescas's feelings when she was thinking this. And Francesca also really empathized with character, and explained to the reader what was going on in the character's life that made everything so hard for her. I also really liked the way she specifically said why she chose the quote, and how it summarized Francesca's (the character) life.
     She really related to it and put a lot of work and effort into it, and I think she is definitely an all star mentor.


 

Mysterious Actions

     I'm in the middle of reading Lock & Key by Sarah Dessen, and I've been a little bit confused about the main character Ruby's actions. She has lived her whole life in run down, tiny houses with a drug addict as a mother, and more responsibilities than just about any other 17 year old girl. Then she moves into a huge beautiful house with her sister and brother-in-law, where she finally gets to live the life of a normal teenage girl. Yet, she decides to sneak out and leave the house the day she gets there. This decision was really interesting to me, because I know if I was in that situation, I would definitely want to stay in her sister's house for so many reasons. It really puzzled me that she would give up such a good living environment, to go back to her old, horrible life.
     I think one reason why Ruby may have wanted to go back was that she has always lived her life very independently and I don't think she wants to change that. I don't think she likes having someone be her "leader", because she said, "I hate that they're going to be the ones telling me what to do now". At home, Ruby handled everything herself and she was the "man of the house", even though she's a 17 year old girl. She's definitely so used to the "every man for themselves" notion, as she says in the story, "it's pretty much an every man for themselves kind of thing". I don't think she's comfortable having to listen to and elder and do everything they say.
     Another reason why Ruby probably doesn't want to stay is because she doesn't like change. She hates the fact that she has to go to a new high school, she hates the fact that she has to live in a whole new place, and she hates the fact that she has to act like a completely different person now. For example, Ruby said "I don't like the idea of going to a new school in the middle of the semester. It will just be weird to make that big of a change". Another thing she said was "I don't like changing where I live. As bad as it was, it was still my home, and it doesn't feel like home here."After all that she's been through, it does make sense that she wants everything to stay the same and she doesn't want to keep having to shift her life around.
     Ruby also definitely feels like she doesn't fit in her new neighborhood. All her life she has grown up in the "slums" and now she's in a fancy, elite neighborhood where everything is perfect. She isn't used to it and she just doesn't feel comfortable there. Ruby said, "this neighborhood is too rich and preppy for me. I'm Ruby. I don't fit in in a place like this." She clearly doesn't feel comfortable with herself or with her surroundings at her new house. She also said, "Perkins Day? Perkins Day is the most uptight, perfect private school. Known for obnoxious and upperclass athletes and braniacs. Not a school for someone like me." She is definitely feeling anxious about going to a whole new school and trying to fit in with everyone.
     In conclusion, Ruby's choice to sneak out of her new perfect house and go back to her ruined lifestyle is definitely a weird one. Although it does make sense in her case, because she's a very independent person, she doesn't like change, and she has every doubt in the world that she'll fit in in her new home. I feel so bad for Ruby, and she definitely has some hard decisions to make.

It All Starts From the Beginning

     I recently zipped through a really great book called Dare to Dream: Life as One Direction. The book was made up of autobiographies of all the members of the band, Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn. While reading about all of the members' childhoods, I noticed a recurring theme. Ever since they were small children they all were very confident, and they all got on stage, and did very brave things for being just little kids. I think that the support and guidance that kids get at a young age is extremely important to succeeding later in life, and their behavior as a child, will totally resemble their behaviors as they grow up.
     Every member of the band talks about how outgoing they were when they were little, and how they most always ended up wanting to perform for an audience, and this really is a result of their parents' wonderful help. For example, Niall said he used to never want to go on stage and perform, until his dad convinced him that that was what all the "cool" kids were doing. After that day he couldn't get enough of the stage, and now he's in a world famous band. Another example was when Harry was little, his parents supported all his dreams, and hobbies, and they helped him to start up a talent show at his middle school. A parents support is so important for a child, especially in their youngest years. And all of the members' parental support has definitely helped them to become what they are today.
    Something else that was really interesting was that they all started singing and performing at a very young age. This definitely somewhat has to do with their parental support, but it's also just them as people. It's quite interesting to me, that even if it was just a little glimmer of "pizazz", you can kind of tell when a kid will have a bright future. An example of this is Liam. Liam started to love the stage at the young age of 3, when he first started imitating melodies and singing them back for his family. I think it's somewhat obvious that a kid like this is going to go places in the world. Louis, for another example, was in shows his whole life, and he was introduced to the performing world at a young age, presumably influencing his choices and interests later in life. I think there is so much you can tell from a young child, and there is definitely something in the fact that these boys, who are now a major band, grew up feeling like a star.
     Overall, this book really made me think about how important the early years are for kids. With parental guidance and the exposure to a certain something, (in this case the performing arts), will really be a big factor in what happens later on in kids' lives. I also definitely think it means something if just a little child feels so strongly about a certain interest, and it will, in many cases, show later on in life as well. Harry, Liam, Louis, Niall, and Zayn all grew up in great, nurturing environments, which, without a doubt, played a role in their super stardom today.