My Character Sketch Essay!

Leaving for the Fast Lane

            In today’s world, many people begin to plan out the rest of the lives from a young age.  The goal of many people is to become their own person, living their life the way they want to.  Choosing a college, an area of study, a career, and a place to live are just some of the things people usually contemplate during their youth.  Often, these sorts of plans work out, making these people happy about what they have accomplished; however, sometimes things do not go exactly as planned, which may lead to disappointment and a dire need of “course correction.”  Sometimes, authors will write about these sorts of circumstances, in which the character’s “master plan” does not go as they expected it to go; although, this is not always a bad thing for the character.  Anything but Ordinary, by Valerie Hobbs, tells the story of Winifred Owens, who boasts academic excellence, an understanding and caring boyfriend, and a sense of unique independence that she knew would carry her far; however, her inability to resist some outside influences at college forces her to reevaluate her relationship with her boyfriend, her life, and the direction in which she will take it.

            Winifred Owens was a very unique individual, in terms of both physical and personality traits.  She was rather short and had an average weight.  She also had frizzy red hair.  Winifred is described as cultured, as her mother played the bassoon and spoke French and her father taught

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dead languages at a university and played the viola.  Valerie Hobbs describes Winifred as, “A fireplug, short and square . . . Winifred’s hair was red and frizzy . . . Neither was beauty contest material, which was just fine with them.  Beauty contests were ‘ordinary’” (Hobbs 9).  Winifred was her own person.  She did not care what others thought, because being self-conscious was “ordinary.”  Winifred was very independent, meaning that despite having a boyfriend, she had her own ideas and her own plan for the rest of her life.  

A major part of Winifred’s life was her boyfriend, Bernie Federman.  Bernie had always been supportive of Winifred and everything that she did, including her unpopular Green Hat Club.  Bernie also shared Winifred’s dream of attending a great university, as well as continuing to get exceptional grades.  Winifred was always at the top of class, with Bernie right behind her.  Winifred had no worries about her future, as she believed that after they graduated together, they would get married.  However, while Winifred was speaking to him about what college they should attend, Bernie let her know that he was not planning on attending college.  Bernie and Winifred argue:

“‘I’m not going, Winifred,’ he said in a voice as deep and grave as Jack Kerouac’s.

‘Not going where?’

‘College,’ he said.  ‘What good is it?’” (16).

This shocked Winifred a great deal.  She was in no way expecting this, as she thought that Bernie had as much academic motivation as herself.  Clearly, she was wrong.  Because of his mother’s

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death, Bernie Federman lost his dream of attending college, and forced Winifred to see him differently than before.

            Another big event that changed Winifred was arriving at the University of California Santa Barbara and meeting her new roommates – Calista Bearden, Victoria Castagnola, and Samantha Gray.  To describe how the girls acted, Valerie Hobbs wrote, “Calista (the blonde) stared openly at Winifred’s ragged cuticles; Tory (the booby brunette) actually bounced on Winifred’s bed to see if she ‘got the good mattress’; but Sam (the too-thin brunette) would smile almost shyly at Winifred now and then if she thought the others weren’t looking” (42).  At first, Winifred just wants to make a great first impression on these girls by being herself; however, as she soon learns, her roommates are only interested in what is on the outside and not on the inside.  Eventually, Calista, Tory, and Sam, talk Winifred (or “Wini” as they began to call her) into changing her look.  On a day out with the girls, Winifred dyes her hair black and straightens it.  She also begins to wear tight-fitting clothes and short skirts.  She eventually becomes “one of the girls.”  For a while, she sort of forgets who Winifred was, and takes on “Wini” completely.  She begins to doubt that her relationship with Bernie was even worthwhile.  She does not even know if she loves him anymore.  Bernie even comes to UCSB to visit her, and she just lets him be.  For most of his stay, Bernie is just “there.”  Winifred really does not pay much attention to him, as he “cramped” her new style.  With this physical transformation, Winifred begins to think differently about how her life was before.

            From the many changes in her life, Winifred undergoes an enormous transformation by the end of the story.  In the beginning of the story, Winifred is rather unpopular, as the only

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friend she has is Bernie.  This was not because she had an inability to make friends, but rather because she had no interest in doing so.  She never took the initiative in social situations, mainly because she was never involved in many social situations.  When she was younger, her main goal in life was to attend a prestigious university known for nanoscience and nanotechnology with her boyfriend Bernie.  However, as the story progressed, Bernie ended up not going to college, and she majored in communications at UCSB and not nanoscience.  At the end of the story, Winifred meets with Bernie, and they talk seriously about the future of their relationship.  She says, “‘Bernie!’ cried Winifred with a look of horror.  ‘I never stopped loving you, I didn’t!  I was just, I don’t know, under some kind of spell or something.’  Then she frowned.  ‘No, that isn’t fair.  It wasn’t anybody else’s fault.  The girls never made me do anything I didn’t want to do.’” (165). They compromise on just being friends until they are both sure about who they are and what they want to do with their lives.  Winifred becomes friends with Tory, who has realized that she does not belong with Calista and Sam.  She figures out that she must stop partying and drinking and focus on the important things in life.  Winifred has a similar realization when she returns home for break.  By experiencing all of this, Winifred learns to surround herself with different people while still keeping her own personal identity.  She learns that “Wini” is not who she wants to be.  She wants to go back to just being “Winifred.”  Winifred, Calista, and Sam say,

“Winifred smiled.  ‘No, thanks.  But could you guys do me a really big favor?’

Calista shrugged.  ‘Sure.’

‘Call me Winifred, okay?  That’s my real name.  Winifred.’” (148).

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Yes, “Wini” becomes “Winifred” again; however, she emerges from this experience with a newly developed sense of self.  She once again became who she was meant to be: not Wini, but Winifred Owens.

            Through reading about Winifred and her experiences, we can learn that being and staying our own person is very important, especially at this age.  Winifred, while going through high school and college, developed her own personality, did the things she wanted to do, and lived her life her way; however, she failed to resist the pressure of her new roommates at college and gradually changed into “Wini.”  We learn that becoming who others want us to be is not what life is about.  Life is about figuring out who we are, because everyone is different, and staying that way.  It is great to be surrounded with new things and people, but it is important to embrace them without changing ourselves.  Through telling Winifred’s story, Valerie Hobbs was trying to say that even though Winifred’s world was changing around her, she managed to become who she wanted to be in the end, and that is what the overall message of Winifred’ transformation, as well as the book in general.  The life of Winifred Owens would never be the same after her transforming experiences told in Valerie Hobbs’s Anything but Ordinary.

http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/h/valerie-hobbs/anything-but-ordinary.htm

           

           

           

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! Travis's "That's What's Up!" Reading Book Is Outstanding!

BREAKING NEWS! Travis Nelson's "That's What's Up!" reading book, Peak, by Roland Smith, declared best book in the class!...Well, not really, but I bet it's pretty close because Peak is a great book!  Here's a picture to help you get the idea of what Peak is all about:

What do you see here?  If you're not seeing a man scaling a building, you need help!

You need to read this book!  NOW!  No, seriously, I want you to go the library right now and check this out. 

Anyway, Peak is a great book in so many ways!  The main character, Peak, is adventurous and spontaneous - what a great combination!  Peak sounds like a lot of fun to be around!  One highlight of the story is when Peak attempts to scale a skyscraper.  I don't know about you, but I am definitely not insane enough to try something like that!  Teenagers should read this book!  I can guarantee that you can and will relate to this book and its characters in one way or another!  This is sort of a given, being that Peak, the main character, is a teenager himself.  You know Peak is an awesome book because it's being read by an awesome person!  (Not to beat my own drum or anything.) 

So go ahead... read Peak by Roland Smith!  You know you want to!

Image obtained from: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/galleries/the_french_spiderman_strikes_again/the_french_spiderman_strikes_again.html

"Mask of the Red Death" Essay

Symbolism of Purple in “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe

           

            In “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allan Poe, purple, the color of the second room, symbolizes fun, youth, playfulness, and childhood.  The colors in the story all stand for something.  They represent the seven stages of life.  Blue is birth, purple is youth, green is adolescence, orange is adulthood, white is the process of aging, violet is elderly, and black is death.  There are characteristics of each other that correspond with their meaning in the stages of life.  The color purple is associated with youth- which can be interpreted in many ways in the story and in the real world.  The Prince wanted to escape the lethality of the “red death” in England, so he lived in seclusion in his palace.  One could interpret this secluded lifestyle as an attempt to maintain youth.  Prince Prospero did not want to die; he wanted to live a fun life with his friends in his palace.  However, because one is unable to avoid any stage of life, the Prince’s plan of living ultimately failed in the end.

            Again, purple symbolizes the youthful stage of life.  Blue, which is associated with birth, precedes purple in the order of apartments and in the stages of life.  Green succeeds purple in the story and in the stages of life.  This makes sense because green stands for adolescence.  One experiences adolescence after the childhood/youthful years.  Alone, purple represents one stage of life, but in comparison to the other colors of the story, it directly relates to all the stages of life.  In “The Masque of the Red Death,” the ebony clock in the black room relates to the meaning of the color black in the story.  Black symbolizes death – the end of life altogether.  The ebony clock symbolized that the end was near.  It kept the time up until the death of Prince Prospero.  The ebony clock had a direct meaning to all of the colors in the story.  It was constantly keeping time, marking each of the stages of life (the colors).

            Purple relates to my life now in a number of ways.  Purple symbolizes youth and childhood, which I am moving out of as an adolescent.  I am thinking and acting more maturely than I did when I was a child.  I am becoming more aware of my community and those around me.  Although I am no longer a young child, I still have my youth; however, it is a matter of maturity.  As a fourteen year old, I am most certainly still considered young.  As a teenager, I stand for youth.  Purple represents me as an adolescent and as a person.  Purple is very significant in “The Masque of the Red Death”, as are all of the colors.  It represented the near beginning of life, before the “red death” entered the party.  Not only does purple represent youth and fun in the story, it represents the time before death finally reached Prince Prospero and his palace.  Symbolism is a key tool used in “The Masque of the Red Death.”  The meaning of the colors goes so much deeper than simply their appearance.  All of the colors, particularly purple in this case, were essential in understanding the story completely, as well as the meaning of each room and its color.

Getting to Know O. Henry!

• His birth name was William Sydney Porter.
• He was born in 1862 and died in 1910.

• He dropped out of school at age 15 to work at his uncle's drugstore.

• He founded a weekly humor magazine, titled The Rolling Stone.

• He was charged for embezzling funds from the First National Bank of Austin, TX in 1896. Instead of standing trial in a court of law, O. Henry fled to Honduras.

• After his release from prison, he moved to New York in 1901 to begin writing full time.
• Some of his most famous stories are The Gift of the Magi, The Furnished Room, and The Ransom of Red Chief.
• His method of story telling has influenced many modern stories and movies.

• At one point, O. Henry was writing at a rate of more than one stories per week.

• Over his entire lifetime, O. Henry published over 500 stories in several popular periodicals.

Below is a pciture of O. Henry:

This picture is of O. Henry with his wife and daughter in the early 1890s.

Image: http://schools.penncrest.org/staff/tdouglas/index.php/2009/12/13/the-gift-of-the-magi/

**All information was obtained through Microsoft Student Encarta 2009.**

Edgar Allan Poe Webquest

1.      Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He died on October 7, 1849 (http://www.poemuseum.org).

2.      The death of his mother and father, along with his father’s alcoholism all influenced Poe’s works (http://www.poemuseum.org).

3.      The following are death theories of Edgar Allan Poe (http://www.poemuseum.org):

a.       Beating

b.      Toxic Disorder

c.       Rabies

d.      Porphyria

e.       Dipsomania

4.      Poe called Richmond, Virginia home (http://www.poemuseum.org).

5.      The Poe society of Baltimore believes that although Richmond was considered Poe’s hometown, Baltimore was a very significant city for him during his lifetime.  This is where he sought comfort while fighting with his foster father.  This is also where his parents are buried (http://www.eapoe.org).

6.      Poe was expelled from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (http://www.poemuseum.org).

7.      Poe married Virginia Clemm.  She was 13 years old at the time (http://www.poemuseum.org).

8.      I think Virginia was way too young to get married.  However, things were probably a little different back then.  I also thought that it was wrong for Poe to marry his first cousin.

9.      Murders in the Rue Morgue is a classic crime story.  In it, Poe analyzes the mind of the criminal (http://www.mysterynet.com).

10.  Tell Tale Heart and The Black Cat were both written in 1843 (http://www.xroads.virginia.edu).

11.  The Raven was published in 1845 (http://www.heise.de).

12.    (http//:www.poestories.com) This picture looks most like the Poe I envisioned because of the exhausted, old, and uneventful look of the portrait.  It looks depressing, just like his stories.

13.  My favorite Poe story is the Masque of the Red Death.  It was very interesting in its own creepy, distorted way.  I thought it was a great short story, and it really demonstrates Poe’s ability as a writer of this genre.

Picture from 12.

Presenting . . . The New and Improved Travis N's Honors English 9 Blog

Welcome back to my blog!  As the new quarter is right around the corner, our English class is starting a new unit of literature!  For the next few months, we will be learning about Edgar Allan Poe and William Shakespeare.  We will also be reading some of their literary works - which will be very exciting!  With the beginning of a new unit, everyone in our English class is revitalizing their blogs to fit our unit, as well as the time of year.  A new quarter, a new look!  I've never read anything by Edgar Allan Poe, nor do I know a lot about him; however, I am looking forward to read some of his stories!  I came to know a lot about William Shakespeare when I read Romeo and Juliet in my English class last year.  I really enjoyed reading that play, and I am really excited to read A Midsummer Night's Dream and Julius Caeser in the upcoming months!  Here's to the new quarter and expanding my literary horizons!

This is a picture of some of my friends and me in New York for the theater department trip.  I had never been to New York before, and it was a lot of fun!

My Position Research Paper

Childish Sentencing

            In our society, children are not permitted to drive, see R-rated movies, or even go on school field trips without parental permission, yet they are being tried as adult criminals in criminal court.  In the American criminal justice system, juvenile offenders are being tried as adults for different types of crimes.  Juvenile criminals who are tried as adults face a future in adult prisons, which have no rehabilitation services to offer.  Sentencing juveniles as adults creates a near endless cycle of crime.  Because children are young and cannot be held accountable for their actions, they must be tried in a juvenile court system, rather than an adult system.

            In both social and mental terms, children and teenagers are not as developed as adults. Due to this underdevelopment, juveniles are not able to think decision through completely; nor are they always able to deal with situations in a mature and reasonable way.  Debra Miller, principal of a school for juvenile offenders, said, “For the youngest offenders, education and programs that promote cognitive development are crucial to change criminal behavior.”  MRI tests have shown that the juvenile brain does indeed anatomically differ from the adult brain:

Brain researchers, using MRI technology, have found the frontal lobe of the brain, which controls planning, impulsiveness and the ability to anticipate consequences and react   accordingly, doesn't fully develop until the early 20s. That means kids may be less       capable than adults of appreciating consequences and weighing options, and may rely          more on the emotional parts of the brain when making decisions. (Villa)

 Despite these statistics, 47 states, along with Washington, D.C., have passed laws making it easier to send juveniles to adult prison (McCormick).  In states such as Arizona, a law referred to as Proposition 102 has sent more than 1300 juveniles to adult prison (Villa).  It is common knowledge that as children age, they mature, in more than more aspects; therefore, juveniles will eventually grow out of their impulsive, quick-to-think ways.  It is senseless to punish juveniles with such an intense sentence if they will change their ways with time.

            The juvenile and adult court systems are separate for multiple reasons.  Again, adults and children are different in many ways; therefore, they should not be treated the same.  The juvenile court system offers rehabilitation programs for children and teenagers who commit crimes.  If juveniles are tried and sentenced as adults, they will not have access to these helpful programs.  Additionally, while juveniles are in adult prisons, they are surrounded by adult murderers, rapists, thieves, and other types of criminals.  When one thinks of a child, they usually think of playing games, being carefree, and having fun; however, in the adult prison system, criminals, including juveniles, live locked away from the world in cells.  “They grow up in cages in a culture of violence and racial segregation and can be isolated in lockdown 23 hours a day for months at a time.  Anti-social behaviors become their norm” (Villa).  Juveniles do not have the chance to develop the core values that are necessary in living a life outside of prison walls.  “These teenagers have gone into an overcrowded and underfunded prison system that has largely overlooked their unique needs” (Villa). Thirty percent of juveniles who were released from adult prison reverted back to crime, compared to the nineteen percent of juveniles who were released from juvenile prison (Villa).  The legal definition of an adult and of a juvenile is different in every state; therefore, children of similar criminal backgrounds are being tried differently throughout the United States:

  But for Florida's fight against teen crime, the studies carry significance. Each of them     matched children in the two systems--adult court and juvenile court--by their current charges, prior records and key demographics: in other words, similar youngsters, charged       with similar crimes      and with similar criminal pasts, routed to different systems.       (Greene and Geoff)

            Rehabilitation programs are essential in helping juveniles turn their lives around.  The juveniles who had these programs available to them were tried as juveniles.  Trying juveniles as adults makes these programs unavailable to them.  Adult prisons do not offer these programs, as adult prisons were created for adults, not juveniles.  Despite the importance of these programs, many are underfunded and overlooked in several states.  They are of no use if the state is not supporting them, as well as making them known to juvenile offenders.  “The Department of Juvenile Justice's proposed budget cuts millions for early prevention programs targeting at-risk youths across Florida” (Greene and Geoff).  Juvenile criminal prevention programs are obviously helpful, yet states are cutting their funding out the budget.  “Cuts would hit truancy reduction and gang prevention programs, juvenile camps and after-school education programs, along with day treatment and therapy centers” (Greene and Geoff).  Despite the fact that juveniles only make up about 0.5 percent of the total prison population, their futures remain important (Villa).  Rehabilitation programs are of great assistance to juveniles.  Juvenile offenders, through criminal prevention programs, receive training in the fields of electrical, plumbing, and sanitation (Villa).  State governments must support and fund these programs in order for them to reach their full potential in helping juvenile offenders.

            One may argue that if anyone, regardless of age, committed a serious crime (such as murder, rape, and so forth), they should be tried as adults.  A criminal is a criminal, no matter the age; therefore, they should all be in prison together.  However, the circumstances concerning one’s social, personal, and family life differ among every juvenile offender.  Because of their age, juveniles are affected by many outside influences.  They are not as mature as adults, and can therefore not be held fully for their actions.  There is an old saying which states “don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.”  Yes, one should think before acting; however, juveniles are not completely capable of doing exactly this. 

            Many people believe rehabilitation programs should not be funded and made available to juveniles, as they are beyond help.  However, everyone, including criminals of all types, deserves a second chance.  One may also believe that juveniles who commit serious crimes should be punished to the fullest extent, with no chance of rehabilitation.  As mentioned before, statistics have shown that juveniles who took part in rehabilitation programs were more prepared for life ahead; a large amount of them did not return to prison.  These programs are proven to help juvenile offenders; they should be made available to them.  Rehabilitation programs are necessary in putting juveniles back on the right track, as everyone deserves a chance to better their lives and themselves.

            It is clear that juveniles should not be tried as adults, for more than one reason.  Rehabilitation programs are not available in adult prison.  While in adult prison, juveniles are not developing the principles needed to succeed outside of prison.  Adults are to be tried in the adult court system, while juveniles are to be tried in the juvenile court system.   To conclude, juveniles are socially and mentally underdeveloped; therefore, they cannot be tried as adults and sentenced to serve time in the adult prison system.

Works Cited

Greene, Ronnie, and Geoff Dougherty. "Kids in Prison: Tried As Adults, They Find Trouble Instead..." Miami Herald (Miami, FL). 18 Mar 2001: 1A+. SIRS Researcher. Web. 04 Oct 2010.

McCormick, Patrick T. "Fit to Be Tried? Legislators have been making it easier to punish juveniles as adults." America 11 Feb. 2002: 15. Gale Student Resources In Context. Web. 4 Oct. 2010.

Villa, Judi. "Adult Prisons Harden Teens." Arizona Republic (Phoenix, AZ). Nov. 14 2004: A1+. SIRS Researcher. Web. 04 Oct 2010.

It sure was a lot of work!

http://www.bellevuepublicschools.org/ishare/cburesh/newsimages/writing.gif