Journal #3 (senior year)

I have read this book and seen the movie and to tell you the truth not much has changed. Obviously they had to take somethings our for the movie to be a decent time, but they didn't take out anything too important that absolutely needed to be there.
Also, the visuals in the movie are so much better than what you invision in your mind. With this trilogy, there is a lot going on and on top of that, the book takes place in a futuristic world. I don't know about you, but for me whenever a book takes place in a future world, I get confused easily. I never know what to picture because it can be pictured differently depending on the person reading it. When the movie gives you an actual picture to follow it makes it a lot easier to follow the story line without any distractions.
Overall, I think that the book and the movie are on the same page, and I know how rare that is to have happen, but in this case it is true.

Journal #2 (senior year)

My favorite character in the Insurgent by Veronica Roth is Tobias "Four" Eaton. He is the love interest in the trilogy and he keeps Beatrice "Tris" Prior sane. They are like yin and yang to each other, the balance each other out.
In the novel, Tris acts rashly and impulsively because of the fact that people are trying to kill her. On the other hand, Four is older and has gotten more training and has dealt with this situation for many years. Four helps Tris stay calm and rational at times when she needs it. Four is her safety blanket.
I admire this characteristic in people. Those who look out for others and help them when they need it. That is not only good to have in a partner, but it is good to have in a friend as well.
Tobias not only balances our Tris, but he balances out the book as well. Whenever the book gets too serious or if there needs to be some drama, Four pops up to do the job. Four keeps you on you toes. You never know what side of him you will see next when you turn the page. This is why I like this character.

Journal #1 (senior year)

The quote above is from the book Insurgent by Veronica Roth. This is the second book in the Divergent trilogy. It takes place in a dystopian futuristic world and the character that says this line is speaking to the main character after they had run away to a sort of "safe haven" after a group of people tried to kill them.
Tris, the main character, is a Divergent and the Faction (group of people) are trying to kill her because of what she is.

This line is said to Tris explaining to how even when things are bad and you have nothing to look forward to, acting happy can for one moment make you think that you are happy, and for that moment, you finally feel good before reality hits you. And that there is nothing wrong with doing that.

Oedipus The King

James Weigel wrote an article reacting to the play, Oedipus the King. He brings up multiple points about the fate of the characters, but one thing he said I found very interesting. He states, "Every act of his is performed rashly: his hot tempered killing of Laius, his investigation of the murder, his violent blinding of himself, and his insistence on being exiled. He is a man of great pride and passion who is intent on serving Thebes, but he does not have tragic stature until the evidence of his guilt begins to accumulate...Each time a character tries to comfort him with information, the information serves to damn him more thoroughly."
When I read this, I immediately thought, "That is so true!" This man has gone through so much tragedy, but most of it is his own fault. He caused his own problems. It was not fate or destiny, it was pure choice. Not once did I feel sorry for Oedipus until the end of the play where everyone was trying to pacify his feelings by telling him stories of the past in an effort to relieve him of guilt, when in reality, they caused him more guilt because he knew the truth. In this moment Oedipus because a tragic hero.
The reason, at least in my opinion, the story became intriguing after he put together the pieces was because in the moment of him causing himself so much pain, it was self destructiveness, not fate that played a role in the outcomes. No one feels sorry for a man who causes his own problems.

Oedipus Tyrannus:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com/lrc/detail/detail?sid=5ca4dfbe-29bb-45a3-8124-5e9a9e8686fd%40sessionmgr4004&vid=1&hid=4101&bdata=JnNpdGU9bHJjLWxpdmU%3d#AN=103331MP423999560000518&db=lfh

College Essay

I have quotes plastered all over the walls in my bedroom. Some may think it’s weird, but I love how some people just have a way with words. They know exactly what to say so I know that someone out there feels what I feel and knows what I know. I see it as a hobby of sorts; collecting quotes, advice, views, experience, and ultimately collecting knowledge.

There is one quote that I wrote on the center of my wall. It is from the book Boy’s Life by Robert McCammon. The book is about a 12-year-old boy and his journey of growing up in small town in the 60s. It is a long passage, but to sum it up it states,

“…See, this is my opinion: we all start out knowing magic…The truth of life is that every year we get farther away from the essence that is born within us. We get shouldered with burdens, some of them good, some of them not so good. Things happen to us… Life itself does its best to take that memory of magic away from us. You don’t know it’s happening until one day you feel you’ve lost something but you’re not sure what it is.”

You see, many adults are burdened by life experience that they are expected to carry. Children, on the other hand, are discovering every aspect of life for the first time. Children see wonder, beauty and purity, while adults know that wonder is confusion, beauty comes with a price and all things that start out pure will eventually become compromised.

Being an adult means to prepare children for what they don’t yet understand. They must discard their magic to protect those who still have magic inside of them. Life gets in the way of children and turns them into adults. But, life is not as immediate as a flip of the switch.

Do you remember when you would stand against the wall as a kid to measure your height? You wanted to grow up so badly, but your Mom always said not to grow up too fast and your Dad said that it wouldn’t happen overnight. But, despite what your parents told you, you checked every day and sadly nothing changed. You couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t happening. Then after some time you forgot about it; you went on with being a kid and had fun playing with your friends instead of worrying so much about getting taller, older, or becoming an adult. Then one day, you notice the wall and realize that you haven’t checked in a couple of months, so you go up to check and you’ve magically grown two inches! It seemed so surprising; you thought that your Dad was wrong, that it must’ve happened over night because you would’ve known if you had grown that much. But in reality it was a gradual process, just like everything else in life.

At what point do you notice that you’ve gotten taller? At what point in a 5,000-piece puzzle do you realize what the picture is? At what point in your life do you mark your transition from childhood to adulthood?

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I don’t think that there was one moment that marked when I became an adult. I don’t think most people could pinpoint that moment; it’s a gradual process. Some may argue that I still haven’t become one, and if that is true, I don’t necessarily see it as a bad thing. It means that I still have some of that magic inside me. It means that I can see things in a different light; a different point of view is never a bad thing, in some ways it can even be a blessing, to offer someone something that they never would’ve thought of. So maybe I’m still in transition, and I’m okay with that.