Blog #5 5/20/09

For this blog post, I wanted to analyze a quotation from a main character Polly, from 3 Willows. Polly said, "She didn't want to be interesting. Maybe it was okay when you were grown up and you were in control of it, but being different in high school was no fun at all"(Brashares, 143). Pollys mom Dia was an artist, so of course Dia felt comfortable being unique and "interesting." But, after Polly went through modeling camp, she was exposed to how the world viewed people, and being "interesting" definitely was not it. First off, after being told that being different was way better than normal, it came as a shock to Polly when she entered high school and modeling. This especially became true when her friends split apart to go into "better" friend groups, feeling ashamed when they talked to her, mostly because they thought they would hurt her feelings, which in a way, they did. This quote shows how even though parents and teachers stress that being yourself is the most important thing, it really is false when you are a student, and it is angering that adults feed their kids with those kinds of things, only setting them up to be dissapointed in the future. Sure, being unique is fine, but many people in high school don't view it as "cool" or "normal." Moreover, this quote shows how hurt Polly was after being abandoned by her friends and being told lies from her mom. 

Number 8 poem

There once was a lady

who had octuplets 

that were born on the 8th day of october

who lived in a state

with only eight cities

in which all eight resided

in a house with 8 rooms

shaped like an octagon

from which all 8 shared a dinning room

where they would eat

8 octopus every 8th day of the month in october

they would go to school riding octacycles

because the gas was far to high 

at eight dollars a gallon 

for the mom of the octuplets to pay

so she put them in eight races

were each got 8th place

and won 800,000 each

so they could pay 

the mother with octuplets

Blog #4 5/13/09

For this blog, I wanted to do a connection from one of the characters, Jo from the book 3 Willows, to the real world. I would like to make a connection from Jo's parents divorce to ones that happen all across the world. Brashares describes, "Jo began to get a feeling, faraway but powerful, of just how unhappy they had been, how much had been sacrificed because of it"(Brashares, 248). This quote describes how Jo had known that after her brother Finn's death, they just weren't happy anymore and that it changed who they were. For example, her mom turned to cleaning and her dad to work, but they both were afraid to talk about it because it brought up to many memories. As in many divorces, they happen because of some sort of tragedy or misfortune, in this case the death of a son. Or, just because they don't love each other anymore. The divorce of Jo's parents affected her in more ways than just one. She lost touch with her dad, and her mom was always trying to be outgoing, being at party's all the time, as a way to avoid loneliness and the acceptance of loss. Also, the divorce affected Jo because she had to find a balance between seeing her mom and her dad on an alternating schedule, while they told her they were just "trying" it out. In effect, many divorced couples face issues of possession over children which can lead the children to be confused, lost, and hurt without anyone to talk to. The worst part about divorcees is that they tend to feed their children false hopes as if they were to mend things up. Moreover, it is not always best to blame the parents, but they should keep an open mind to their children and maybe invest some time into sessions to talk about what is really going on so that no one gets lost in translation. 

Blog #3 5/6/09

For this literary blog post on 3 Willows, I want to make a connection from the book to the Media/world. In the book, Polly aspires to be a model which is due to the pressures from her friends. I would like to make a connection to the pressure of body image and conforming to a certain mold, especially in modeling. For example, in the book, during modeling camp Polly is very much forced to go on extreme dieting and other appearance extremes. This is shown through the online article, "Pressure mounts for ban on size zero models." The article explains that people are beggining to realize how much pressure there is on models to be unhealthily thin but that people still are against making changes to improve the standards and expectations on models. In the article, a 22 year old Ramos from Uruguay died from eating a diet of only lettuce and diet coke for 3 months! Of course, it is also not good because models on the runway are also role-models for kids and teens, such as Polly whom it has gotten to. Fortunately, after the modeling camp, even though Polly went to a runway show, she realized who stupid it was and that she was tired of trying to be someone she was not. As theorized by Polly, "She was never going to be a model. Never, never. Even if she did look like her grandmother. To want it was the same as hating herself. That was the truth"(Brashares, 291).

Blog #2 4/29/08

For this blog post, I would like to write a letter to Polly in Jo's point of view. This is after Polly came to visit Jo at her beach house but Jo was talking to another friend and Polly heard Jo say that she isn't really her friend. Polly left and was extremely hurt. 

 Dear Polly,

I am sorry for what happened when you visited. I know you must have overheard the things I said, and I feel miserable every time I think of it- which I do a lot. I know I should have told you the truth before I came but now when I come to think of it, it was better I didn't because then I didn't realize what a real friend you were when at the end everyone left me but you were the only one left. The truth is I really didn't want you to visit. I know that's mean and I'm ashamed of it. I was so caught up with the scene at the restaurant and these older girls. I just thought that was the most important thing and that you would get in the way of it. Its' kinda scary to be so wrong. Those people weren't important. They weren't real friends at all, but you are. I understand that better now and no matter what happens I will always know what a real friend is because of you and Ama. I don't expect you to forgive me. I don't really think you should. But I just want to tell you the truth, because what I said to her was a lie. You are my friend. Even if we never talk to each other again, you have been a better friend than I have ever deserved. And that is the truth. 

From, 

Jo (aka me)

Spontaneous Word Poem 4/26/09

With gloss rebounding off its rugged surface

the stone on the ground

is something to cross

across to the side with grass

grass, used for the fields

on which we jump, run, pant, and shout

on which rain descends

and in puddles do we splash

with laughter ringing out in the open

almost like singing

the trees adjacent to the school

sing with the sound of spring

a floral and sweet combination

that we hope will last forever

at the end of the day, we abandon our books

the reading we do is lost 

as we leave through door 2

and walk with our ankles, wishing we

could fly in the sky, abandoning our flip-flops.

Blog #1 04/22/09

For the first blog about my choice book, 3 Willows the sisterhood grows by Ann Brashares, I chose to pick a quote and analyze it. My quote is, "No matter how far back you cut a willow tree, it will never really die" (page 319). First off, you have to know that the author relates the three girls who planted willow trees when they were younger to sayings about Willow Trees. The three girls are Ama, Polly, and Jo. This quote was on the very last page of the book and it shows how since Polly, Jo, and Ama planted the trees a long time ago and split apart, they were able to come back together. They were able to come together because as relating them to Willow trees, even though they got cut back, they never really did loose their friendship because a Willow Tree will "never really die." I particularly chose this quote because it struck me as being so straightforward and how friendships really are concrete if they were based off of something genuine. Also, I think that this quote shows how the author, Ann Brashares, can relate two different things, one animate and one inanimate, and fuse them together to create a basic theme in the scheme of friendships and moreover, relationships of all kinds and sorts. 

So much depends, 2

So much of spring depends 

upon growth

the rebirth of the trees, leaves, and grass

how much perseverance they have

an eruption of flowers from the earth

the symphony's of a birds raucous calls

reverberating through the clean, crisp air

the majestic beauty of a clear azure sky

the feel of the wind blow gently by

with a whisper that seems to breathe

life back into spring

So much depends, 1

So much depends 

upon a round little egg

gleaming in all its glory

waiting for its unwrapping

the crinkle kunkle krish screams in the air

as a brilliant waft of cocoa and peanut butter

makes its way to the brain

signaling a fusion that gives ecstasy 

the massive crunch, loud yet delicate

as it crumbles to its destruction

shows its vulnerability 

pleasure resulting 

Awarness

So, this blog post is pretty much just for its own. This spring break, I went to San Francisco and Scottsdale, AZ. When I went to San Francisco it really amazed me how many different ethnic groups lived there and that many people would help you with directions or were friendly. I'll admit that I had some preconcived notions about a big city like San Francisco, like that everyone was mean and no one wanted to help you, but when I gave it some time it showed that you really shouldn't have ideas of what people will be like. Another thing that made me realize what a big world it is, is that there were so many homeless people in the streets and in the parks because the weather is much more temperate than it is here in minnesota. What really made me mad was that people just walked by and mothers or fathers with their kids would tell them not to look at them. I didn't bring money around with me, but I always smiled at them because they seem so lonely. I wish that their helplessness would be brought into the media more often so that things would be better for everyone and that stereotypical barriers would be broken down.