My Rant

So, since I can write about anything again this week, I guess I am going to write about how fast this year went. I thought it was going to take a lot more time to get through my first year of college but it seriously flew by. I can’t believe it. Next year, there is going to be so much going on that I think it’s going to fly by too. I remember sitting down on my first day of high school and thinking that it was going to take forever for me to get to college and that I would never actually leave but now that I look back on it, time seems to be flying by. It’s weird and cool at the same time. I am excited to learn, to absorb, and to find my calling. I can’t wait until the day where I wake up and I have a family and a job and settle into normalcy—well as normal as I can be. I guess I also get more sentimental the older I get which is strange. I used to think about things and not get as sentimental but now, I’m like getting all weepy and shit and it’s just not okay. But I am really excited for next year: RA in Wilkins, Voices of Discovery facilitator, on the Pride E-Board, planning for MBLGTACC 2015, and 16 credit hours. It’s going to be a fun schedule and even this summer is going to be crazy. I have one internship, a full time job that can turn into another internship, and two summer classes. So basically I’ll have no life for the next four years which is okay with me.  I am honestly so happy about switching my major and everything that I’ve got going on that I really can’t talk about anything else. I am in like a super debating mood and I want to just talk about social justice type stuff and debate ethics and everything that goes along with that. I could talk for days about things and that’s all that I want to do. I can’t wait!!  And that is all from me!

Word Count: 360

My Bitch-Fest

So since this week’s is Choose Your Own, I guess I am going to update everyone about my life. Not that many people know each other but I figured that this is important enough that enough people would care. So, my sister moved out when she was 18, right after her graduation and since then, she hasn’t really talked to us. Well, on Tuesday, she called us to let us know that she has enlisted in the army and that she is going to be deployed to Afghanistan. Now, she is my second sibling to be enlisted in some of the armed forces and my second sibling to be deployed somewhere. I guess the biggest feeling that I have right now is shock because I never thought that she would have done this and I guess that I am just really worried about her.  It’s hard to actually believe that she is going overseas. She told us that she is going to be deployed for over a year and I guess I just can’t fathom it. It’s hard to believe and my mom is freaking out because I told her a few weeks ago that I might want to enlist to work with returning vets. And she basically called to tell me that I couldn’t enlist and that I had to stay stateside for as long as I live. So…I guess my family is just kind of crazy right now because she is the second person to go to Afghanistan, my cousin is there now and my Aunt is going crazy too. So now my Mom has my Aunt’s worry and craziness to feed from which is fantastic. So now they can call each other and have bitch fests over the phone together and send care packages and stuff like that. It’s going to be a fantastic thing for all. So, that concludes my rant for today. Thank you all for listening.

Word Count: 322

Why Close Reading?

Close reading is important because it gives us a chance to delve below the surface of the text and truly examine what the author is attempting to convey to us. It’s something that can help us get extreme meaning out of the story. Without close reading, there are so many allusions to other literature and different stylistic elements that the author places in their story to get the reader’s attention and pull them closer into the story. There are also other reasons for us to close read. One of the biggest reasons is that we might have missed some elements of the story if we just read the surface. We might miss certain key themes and elements that would have normally made the story easier to relate to or easier to understand. And going with understanding, if we don’t close read, we might not understand where the story is coming from or the purpose of why the story was written. Those are some key things that we would miss. Another reason close reading is important is because on the pieces that it’s most necessary for, they are pieces that are a social commentary or something that speaks to the bigger picture in our lives and if we don’t close read, we’ll completely miss it and we wont understand some of the meanings of the parts of the story. It’s also necessary to see where the author is coming from and their personal experiences because that can help us shape the story in certain aspects. Like the Yellow Wallpaper if you didn’t understand the history behind why she wrote what she wrote. Or the way that the specific story impacted her life directly and maybe why she was writing what she wrote. What specific meaning it held in her life. In doing that we become better readers and that’s why close reading is important.

My Paper

I am going to be writing about fairy tales and how Disney tends to change the fairy tales and make them different just to sell them to a different audience. Because, a little history lesson folks, back in the day, fairy tales weren’t meant for children. They were meant for adults to give them a sense of right and wrong and to remind them what they are and aren’t supposed to do. The reason that they are written with such simple writing and are so easy to read is because when fairy tales were first around, most of the common folk didn’t have that great of reading abilities. So when you wrote for someone like that you had to make it easier. But then, Disney came in and they decided to change it all around. And in doing so, they’ve changed how society sees fairy tales and the use for fairy tales all together. Not only have they done that but they have also injected their own beliefs into the story and reinforced a lot of gender stereotypes and a lot of racism into their stories. I mean, why did our first princess of color have to happen in the 21^st century? I know there was Pocahontas but she never really exemplified a princess. They actually enforce the stereotypes of Native Americans in that story.

There is just a lot that I don’t agree or like that Disney does and they tend to take the best stories for their own and change them so that the original meaning isn’t the same anymore. After that, they copyright the shit out of it so that way it can never be reproduced in any way without Disney’s sole say so and agreement with how they want their story represented. Even though I am not an English major anymore, I still love English, the stories, and the writing that goes into it. And to have one company single-handedly destroy stories, it makes me sad and unhappy.

Cinderella: A Review

When we think of Cinderella, we think of the blonde girl that has light blue eyes and finds her Prince Charming.  We think of the story by Disney that furthers patriarchal dominance and sexism. This great story that almost every child is introduced to when they are young, teaches us that there is a clear divide between men and women and that women need to find their Prince Charming. This story has been handed down by generations without giving much thought as to what it’s teaching our children and how we are furthering these thoughts if we meant to or not.

However, I am not talking about that Cinderella; I am talking about one that was published years before Disney even heard the story. The Brothers Grimm Cinderella talks about greed and the costs of being greedy and wicked. This is a book that is meant for more of an adult audience. While it does follow a similar story to the Disney version, it is a lot more graphic and gory. It also shows Cinderella outsmarting the Prince and her family. Cinderella seems to confuse and confound everyone. She isn’t made to look like some girl who is solely going after the Prince because he has money, she seems to have intelligence and she is a hard worker.

I guess the biggest thing that I would like to stress about this book is that it is meant for adults and solely adults. The Disney version does a nice job of making this story for kids; this version is not for kids. It’s something that I personally like because I am not one of those people who like happy endings in stories. I am more of a realist I guess I would say. I know that everything doesn’t work out perfectly and I really don’t like it when books and movies do that. This story has an amazing ending, it starts off with the two wicked sisters cutting off parts of their foot to fit in the shoe that is meant for Cinderella and then when the Prince is informed that they aren’t the correct person, he actually figures out its Cinderella. At the end, the two sisters attempt to sneak into the wedding and get their eyes pecked out. It’s part of a punishment and part of a lesson that we have to take with us. It tells us about wickedness and greed and metaphorically what you lose when you indulge in those things.

I feel like this book is something that more adults and teenagers should read. The Brothers Grimm makes it so easy to understand what’s happening and what their message is about greed.  I feel like most people forget that fairy tales were normally meant for adults and not children. They were supposed to give adults an easy way to access their moral compass and help remind people the causes of their actions and how they should behave.  Without these stories and these reminders, we lose what we had to help us make decisions and we lose those little reminders that we once had.

Spring Break

Spring  Break! I am too excited to go chill on a beach, soak up some sun, and swim a little. It’s so great to go somewhere warm and not have to worry about this damn wind or any F*CKING snow that decides to pop up unannounced and unwanted, kind of like Sarah Palin. It’ll be so great to get a tan because I am so pasty that Casper would be horrified by what I look like right now. Isn’t that just awesome?!?

In reality, I am going to go back to my house and go to my orientation for my job over the summer. I am not going to any tropical place or anywhere remotely warm unless Illinois decides, much like our politicians, to do something shady and tease us with the prospects of warmth. I know you guys are probably sensing a lot of sarcasm but what you guys should really get from this is a blog post dripping is sarcasm. I honestly will be spending my week at home, doing homework, and praying that this school year is almost over. Some small part of me wishes that I was kidding but, sadly, I’m not.

I guess it’s not all bad. I’ll get to see my Six Flags family and all the people that I’ve missed. I get to see my puppy and all my friends that go to other colleges. I am already making plans as we speak. I just have to remember to write that paper that I have to turn in a few days after break. Also, the great part about Spring Break is that I register for classes two days after break. Yeah, RA’s get special privilege. Whoot, whoot.

I am sure that everyone here is probably so jealous of my Spring Break and you know what? You should be! I get to cuddle with my dog and create more antics with my friends. I don’t need any warm weather or beach or sunshine! I can do everything I want to do here and not have to worry about getting a sun burn or flying anywhere or anything like that!

**Begins to sob** 

Word count: 358

Movie Fan vs. Home Movie Store

I can honestly say that the first time I went to The Movie Fan, it was a bit overwhelming. At home, I had just one Blockbuster and one Hollywood Video. That was pretty much all we had until RedBox started popping up everywhere. The mere fact that The Movie Fan has so many videos and great deals at such low prices is pretty amazing. I have been to The Movie Fan so many times since I’ve been here and I love it more and more each time. They have so many great deals and you can actually spend a weekend watching movies for less than 5 dollars. As broke college students, that’s so amazing and wonderful that we can do that.

I can honestly remember renting four or five movies for like three dollars and it was probably one of the most amazing things in the world because I rented them for like $1.90 which was pretty fantastic. I remember that we had a horror movie weekend and it was honestly the best weekend. Also, they have tons of older movies so you can get the movies that you cannot normally find anywhere else.

I went to the movie theater just once this year. It was for the LGBT Film Festival and it was pretty cool. It is a very old-timey theater but it’s really nice. Whoever owns it keeps it up and really makes sure that it’s nice.  They ask for donations and they don’t charge admission to the theater the time I was there. They had a great place but they aren’t very advertised so it makes it difficult to know what movies they are playing and what their prices are. It is also a very low key theater that doesn’t have any corporate sponsorship which makes their funds harder to come by and some things a little more pricey.

I am not sure if you guys can tell but, I am a huge movie buff. I love watching horror, comedy, and thriller movies. Those are my favorites. I don’t have very many favorite movies; I just like genres of movies. So, if you guys have any good suggestions, let me know! I am always down to see something new and crazy.

Word Count: 374