Janie

Love is obviously one of the major themes of Their Eyes Were Watching God. Throughout the story, Janie searches for the kind of love she's always wanted, a kind of love that is as beautiful and true as what she saw between a bee and a pear tree blossom. However, it's not until after experiencing many other different types of love that Janie gets the kind of love she truly desires. 

Nanny, Janie's grandmother, gave her a protective love. Because Nanny wanted Janie to have a better life than she did, she arranged Janie's marriage to Logan Killicks in hopes that Janie would be safe, telling her that love will come with marriage. With Logan, Janie has a sense of security, since Logan is wealthy. However, Janie is not satisfied with this, and she realizes that Nanny was wrong for saying that love comes with marriage. 

When Joe Starks appears, Janie is provided with an escape from this unsatisfying love with Logan. She leaves Logan for Joe, thinking that she'll finally be treated like a lady and that she'll find true love with Joe. However, this is not so. Joe shows her a possessive love by ordering her around, forbidding her to do certain things, and treating her as an item. 

After Joe dies, Janie finally finds true love with the charming Tea Cake Woods. Although there is a big age difference between them, Janie still can't help but fall in love with him. Janie leaves behind everything she knows for Tea Cake, and embraces her new life and new friends in the Everglades.

As Janie searches for love, she gradually becomes stronger inside and gains independence. When Hurston, the author, published this book in 1937, such strong female roles in literature were uncommon. Hurston might have chosen to portray Janie as a strong, independent woman in order to encourage other women and show them that opportunities do exist for them. 

Lots of Thanks

I want to start off by wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving break! I know that I'm really glad to be out of school for a few days.
There are many people that I'm thankful for (obviously), and a few of them are in my English class.
Emma- I'm really glad to have you as one of my friends! You're funny, nice, and really talented at both running and singing. You're also a fellow Swiftie. Plus, I think you do a great job when it comes to analyzing the stories we read in English class. It's fun to talk with you, and even though I don't do crosscountry anymore I'm glad I still get to see you.
Michelle- I'm also really glad to have come to know you! I enjoy our conversations after English class everyday and hearing about how your dance class is and what you guys are doing. It's funny how we both sit at the same lunch table but it's so big we don't even really talk to each other- I swear, our six-tables-pushed-together is like the freaking Last Supper table! I also find your lunch conversations with Andy and the others hilarious- white, wheat, or banana bread? Plain, toasted? Or naw... How about microwaved? That conversation made me die with laughter.
Andrew- Guess I HAVE to write about you, since you said you were writing about me... Haha just kidding, I want to write about you. I'm glad that you're in my Band class, and that we both play the flute. I think the whole flute group is pretty cool. I'm also glad that we're both in Geometry... Wonder what I got on that last test. And of course, we have English together. It took me a few weeks to realize we shared three classes together- it didn't register for a bit. But I'm glad we do!
Brashana- I can't believe you were crazy enough to take Drama II- haha! But you're an amazing actor, and I'm glad that I was in Drama with you last year, even if it wasn't a favorite class of mine... I'm also glad that you're in my division! Your Catch Phrase group kills it, by the way. You guys are all so good at the game. I'm glad that I could talk to you about stuff last year, when I needed advice on certain things. And I was also glad that you helped Taylor and I keep our cool on the first day of school this year- the things you said to us were really encouraging.
I'm also thankful for everyone else in the class, even if I don't know all of you that well! You guys make class interesting and fun- I always laugh in English class, and it's my favorite class of the day- because quite honestly, I don't like many of my other classes.
And of course, I'm thankful for Mr. McCarthy for being a wonderful English teacher. I like how this English class helps me analyze texts in a deep way- I'm often mind blown in this class. Most of my previous English classes consisted of just reading and filling out meaningless worksheets, taking bland notes, and writing boring essays. In this class, however, I'm actually interested in learning and feel that I'm gaining knowledge on the texts we read. I loved "The Great Gatsby." I was surprised, in fact, by how much I liked it- I thought that I would be bored by it, but I ended up enjoying it immensely.
Once again, I hope everyone has a good Thanksgiving break!

Influences on Ernest Hemingway's Writing

Ernest Hemingway was-and still is- a well-known author with a unique style of writing. His works are well-respected and still widely read today.
I noticed while reading a few of his short stories that a lot of the stories had a focus on the subject of masculinity. I believe that this is a result of Hemingway's early childhood. When he was a kid, his mother dressed him girls' clothing until he was about seven. Although it was not uncommon at the time to dress boys in girls' clothing (it was the Victorian era), Hemingway's mother took it one step further by growing out his hair and adorning it with accessories. She also pretended that he was his older sister's twin. This might be why Hemingway focused a lot on the subject of masculinity when he was older, trying to erase what had happened in the past by proving himself a man.
I also noticed that a lot of the stories reflected Hemingway's own life experiences. For example, he was part of the war, and there are quite a few stories written by him about war. In those stories, the presence of psychological trauma and scarring is often seen.
Hemingway also traveled to many places, such as the African Safari, the bullfights in Spain, and the coastal areas of America. He write many stories that include those settings.
Hemingway also wrote many stories reflecting his own personal problems, such as his relationships, friends, and enemies. That's why it's important to read his stories and try to understand them on a deeper level. Who knows- maybe there's a  connection between that story you're reading and his own personal life.

My Six Word Stories

"No iPhones- Snow White hates Apple."
I wasn't always an only child.
Test subjects realize that they're experiments.
1789 Facebook friends. Few real life.
Cancer. Four months to live. Pregnant.
Bakery burned down. Business is toast.

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge?

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a very powerful and well-known play that tells the story of the terrifying witch trials that arose in Salem in the year of 1692. One of the main characters of this play is John Proctor, a married farmer with three children. We know that he doesn’t like the reverend Parris, his third son isn’t baptized, he doesn’t attend church regularly, and he doesn’t quite remember all of the Ten Commandments from the Bible. Besides all of that, he’d also committed adultery against his wife Elizabeth by lusting after Abigail and having an affair with her.

Do I think he’s a hero? Yes.

He’s definitely not perfect. He’s made some pretty big mistakes in his life, he has a tense relationship with Elizabeth, and he’s not viewed as a very religious man by the people in Salem. Even though he’s cut off his relationship with Abigail, he still beats himself up about his past and can’t seem to let it go. But you don’t need to be flawless to be a hero.

John Proctor genuinely loved Elizabeth, and he fought to get her out of jail. He tried to start over with his wife by cutting out Abigail and apologizing. He went to Salem to tell the judges and leaders of the court the truth of what really happened- even though it meant facing Abigail and skeptical people of power. He confessed of his adultery, even though it meant he would get in trouble for it, in order to try to get the truth out in the open.

In the end, he had to choose between lying and living or staying true to himself and dying. He chose the latter. And although it might seem like a foolish choice to some, or a stupidly rebellious decision to others, I believe that it was heroic. It’s a terribly difficult choice to make, and it’s easy to just do what is required in order to save your own life. John Proctor, however, did what he thought was right and what he thought was best, even though it cost him his life. He died for what he believed in, and dying for your beliefs is no light matter.

In conclusion, although John Proctor hadn’t always been a “good man,” he fought to make things right and he died for what he believed in. I believe that he is a hero.

There Goes the Neighborhood

Life is good. Life is normal. Everything seems pretty okay. Then next thing you know, these strange people show up on your land with their large ships, foreign language, and shiny treasures. What do you do?

I wouldn’t exactly welcome them with open arms.

We all wonder, what did the natives feel when Christopher Columbus and his men kind of just, well, appeared on their island? Obviously shock, probably a lot of curiosity. But whatever they felt, they still welcomed Columbus and his men and treated them with kindness. Yet Columbus manipulated them and viewed their trust worthless. He planned for them to be slaves, to be overtaken easily and converted to Christianity. And as for the land, well, Columbus was just going to take it for Spain, because why not?

Yes, it’s easy to point the finger at Columbus. But let’s take the focus off of him for a moment, and think about the natives. Their culture valued trust and friendship, so it made sense for them to welcome these mysterious strangers. However, it wouldn’t have hurt to have been a bit more cautious and protective. You don’t know these people, or their intentions. Maybe it’d be smart to keep your guard up. Just saying.

The natives and settlers had major conflicts, we all know that. But that was so fifteenth century, right? Well… Think about today. There are still racial conflicts, right?

Sadly, the answer is yes. Different races are well, different, and sometimes conflicts arise because of those differences. People don’t understand each other, or are ignorant and insensitive, tensions form and feelings are hurt. Despite the sayings that declare that everyone is equal and that no one should be discriminated, sometimes it sure doesn’t feel that way. What matters, however, is how you react to all of this. How do you treat others who seem “different” than you? Do you understand their differences and embrace them for who they are, or ignorantly make some rash judgment based on who you think they are? And I’m not just talking about race anymore.

I mean, this isn’t the fifteenth century anymore, so it’s okay to not fear for our lives when we meet someone who’s different than us. What I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to meet people who don’t share the same interests as you, or befriend someone who has some different views and takes from what you think. Give them a chance, and you just might be surprised of what you might learn from them.

Cliché? Maybe. But maybe there’s some truth to it as well. 

Me

Talk about myself? Alright then, here goes nothing.

My name’s Lawrie (I hope you’ve gathered that much), and I’m a sophomore at Whitney Young high school. I was born in Chicago, grew up there for most of my life as well. People always ask me if I came from China. Sorry, but no. It’d be cool if I could say yes, but then I’d be lying. My parents think I do too much of that already (they’re wrong though).

I was adopted when I was eight, after a series of unfortunate and rather complicated events that would probably take up a whole novel. I’ll write a novel someday about it, since I like writing novels. I’ve written quite a few fictional novels just for the fun of it, since I’m weird like that, but I don’t like writing nonfiction. However, my family and friends keep on bugging me about it and telling me I “have to have to have to” put my story into words, so I guess I’ll do it one day, when I actually have time and am running on an adequate amount of sleep. Looks like that won’t be anytime soon.

Yeah, sleep. I really like sleeping, but then again, who doesn’t? I also like reading, and as I’ve mentioned earlier, writing. I like being with friends, especially the ones that you can be yourself around them. You can trust them with your secrets, burst out in random songs, annoy the heck out of them, act extra dramatic, crash their houses, steal their food, and, well, the list goes on.

Similar to many people out there in the world, I like music. I enjoy playing the piano, but more than that, I like to just enjoy listening to music. Soaking in the organized sounds set in time (that’s how someone in my band class defined music, I think that’s pretty good, since at least for me music is hard to put into a few words) is a hobby of mine. I like to listen to a variety of music, but one of my favorites is just listening to film scores. Don’t give me a weird look- I love music from movies. They’re great for the imagination, and they also do crazy things to your emotion. They’re dramatic, and I love drama.

Well, I guess that's enough about me for now, so, later!