Inauguration

The election of Barack Obama and inauguration of the first U.S. African American president is certainly a historical event.  I thought the inauguration ceremony clearly represented the importance of the day and President Obama's speech was inspiring.  America has come a long way in the civil rights movement and with the election of Barack Obama, we have finally come over the prejudice and discrimination that so often represented the United States.  The music from legend, Aretha Franklin and the other musical performances were wonderful.  Also, the two million people that arrived to watch the inauguration and see the new President in the flesh, clearly represented the mood of the rest of the nation.  I did however, disagree with the decision to have a preacher speak at the ceremony.  We have finally united as a nation without the discrimination of race, religion or anything else and it is clear that church and state are to be separate.  This event, on January 20th, 2009, will go down in history.  I am excited to see what the new President will do and what will happen over the next four years.

Secrets secrets are no fun.  Secrets secrets hurt someone.  Secrets are bad and when I have a secret or hear a secret it is quite obvious.  I first avoid people who cannot know the secret, especially the person it is about.  I am not a good secret keeper so if I don't avoid the person of whom the secret is about, I will probably end up blurting it out.  I also feel really guilty if I have or know a bad secret.  The secret ends up being what I think most about and makes it difficult to concentrate and fall asleep.  In the end I usually tell the truth to someone and try to fix whatever the problem is.  Secrets exacerbate everything and can ruin friendships.  Secrets are no fun unless it is for a surprise party or gift.

New Year's Resolution

I make New Year's resolutions  every year, but never end up keeping it.  Sometimes I don't even make it through January, but I eventually fail every time.  This year my New Year's resolution is to not procrastinate.  I usually wait until the last minute to work on a project, or study for a test and I feel my work could be tens times better if I take more time to work.  Instead I rush through things the night before and pull out a decent grade, but with more time and concentration, I could do much better.  

To achieve this goal I am going to be more thorough about writing down my assignments.  Also, I am going to work on managing my time so I don't have to wait until the last minute to work on something.  This resolution needs to be a life change rather than something I promise to do and only end up doing the beginning of the year.  

Winter Poem

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

By: Robert Frost

 

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

 

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

 

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

 

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

"What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers." - Logan Pearsall Smith

 This quote means that a good author tells a story but also has a lot of hidden meaning behind their story.  In other words there is something to read in between the lines or there is an idea that the author is trying to imply.  This is seen when an author is trying to teach a lesson using a different scenario or an analogy.  I agree with this quote.  Every story needs something in the background.  Also stories that have symbolism, themes, motifs and imagery are ten times better and good descriptions are a must.  Any story with some unexpected twists and turns and a larger picture is always  better.

Short Story

One short story that was very memorable was the "Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allen Poe.  The story takes place in a castle where the prince is throwing a masquerade party.  The guests at the party are living at the castle because there is a plague, called the Red Death, on the outside, killing many. Every room in the castle is painted a different color and the last room is black with red windows.  There is one guest that the others do not recognize and he is dressed as a victim of the red death.  The prince chases him down all the way to the black and red room where he dies.  The other guests follow him there and no one is beneath the costume.  Everyone then dies and the clock stops.  There was a lot of symbolism in this short story and a lot of hidden meaning.  For instance the colors of the room represented a life cycle and the clock represents the time going by in life.  This made an impression on me because it was very mysterious and interesting.

Do you think young people value their education as much as Sara Smolinksy does? Why or why not?

Yes!  I think that people today value their education as much as Sara especially in the competitive world that we live in.  Finishing high school, going to a good college and getting a good job are goals that all people have today.  I think in novel, set in the 1920's, it seemed as if Sara valued her education more than others and in that time period she did for most women.  Only men were really educated and it was odd for a young girl like Sara to want to get an education.  Today education is very important and without it, it is hard to be successful.  Many students need to get good grades in order to have a good GPA, and need to be involved in extra-curricular activities all to get into a good college.  The better college you go to, most likely the better job you will get.  Today an education is necessary and is very valuable.