Marjane Santrapi's Change

           It is no secret to me that Persepolis by Marjane Santrapi is story about Marjane coming of age. But I  also think that before the book she already came of age in excepting who she was and what kind of a situation she was in. So therefore Marjane really had a much different coming of age experience that we have come to except in all coming of age books. Her experience was one that was full of traveling and independence that really left the reader in awe of her story.

            Marjane changed the moment she kissed her mom goodbye and got on a plane to go to Europe to start her new life. When she arrives in Austria she meets up with an old family friend but is forced to move to Vienna Italy to a catholic boarding school. Due to the situation Marjane's family friends family was in. So that move made her have to put up with people that weren't her family. Which is a key if you want to grow up. Than she meets new people and has a great 3 years of experience in the Catholic school until she gets kicked out, because she stood up for herself to who she was.

         Then Marjane moves to a living home in Paris to finish high school she then exposed herself to alcohol and drugs but was mature enough to get away from it and fight off pear pressure. That right there was a key factor to how Marjane changes. After living in Europe for six years and going through boyfriends and friends so quickly, that she decided to go back home. When Marjane went back home to Iran she returned as a full adult women. One that could make all the smart decisions on her own and could live a self sustainable life.

         Marjane got a degree in graphic art and has now lived a very successful life as a writer. The reason was that her coming of age experience was truly one of a kind and brought her success as a writer and as a person. Her changes were so important to her life and what she was able to accomplish. It was an experience that was truly worth living for.

Persepolis aka the time Marjane Santrapi becomes an adult!

             I wanted to read Persepolis simply because it talks about the political revolution that is still occurring in Iran. But what struck me the most was that this was a true story of a  Iranian women living and surviving through the Iranian revolution. What is so neat about this book is that Marjane Santrapi is the main character of the book and also the author of the book. So it's kind of a autobiography or a memoir on her childhood and her experience of coming of age.

           The book starts out with Marjane being ten and having big dreams of becoming a prophet. She later on grows out of her dreams and starts realizing what kind of a country she is living in. When things start to get really bad her mother and her father get her out of the country and into Vienna Italy where she will be in school. She later on struggles to find herself as a women and moves several times. What Marjane is experiencing is her coming of age but in a much different way that the average American child does. She has to let go of her childhood at a very young age which gives her a much higher maturity level. Which gives her an advantage later on in life.

            What makes Marjane's coming of age experience so special is her courage and how brave she is. It really leaves a big impression on me, because she is so brave throughout her entire childhood. The other thing is that the amazing people who she knew in Iran and how they were willing to die for what they believe in. Makes me just wonder how it feels to feel so strongly about something as simple to an American as freedom.

             Marjane Santrapi has one of the most amazing coming of age experiences, it makes me just wonder all the untold stories of kids that lived in Iran coming of age during the revolution. With Marjane's experience of coming of age not only amazes me, but also makes me feel grateful to be living in America the place where you don't have to die for freedom.

The Ending of The Soloist does not end on such a high note!

             I just have finished the ending of the book The Soloist and boy am I surprised! First of all on my last post about The Soloist I was near the end of the book. But suddenly after I made my post I found out that Nathaniel Ayers "the main character" suddenly had an outbreak of anger on Mr Lopez. Which lead both of them into a physical altercation that took me by surprise!

          It all started when Steve Lopez gave Nathaniel this brand new apartment at this facility for the mentally ill. Then Nathaniel has one of his schizophrenic episodes that got him angry towards Mr. Lopez. Now at first that was extremely confusing to me, because both Nathaniel and Steve Lopez know that Steve Lopez does everything for Nathaniel. So for Nathaniel to get mad seems kind of strange, because I thought that they both had this "special bond" through music. Then It suddenly resolves with Steve Lopez getting angry and trying to pull himself out of this terrible situation "meaning leaving Nathaniel."

         Now that Nathaniel is all by himself he goes out of his way to personally make an apology.* Note* which I have found out that getting a schizophrenic man to apologize for there previous actions is very rare. Then I kept on thinking how is this going to plan out, because of all the things Steve has done to cut off Nathaniel. But Steve apologizes for everything and tells Nathaniel that nothing should ever get between us.

         The Soloist ended up shocking me and it made me realize that life has plenty of twistes and turns, and it's your job to stay on top of it! Also to get back on more of the moral of The Soloist. You have to always help people that need help by providing support and happiness to other peoples life. So of course I am going to say that I loved this book "mainly because of it's plot", but what really made me love it is that The Soloist not only covers two characters. The Soloist covers what life and friendship should be.

Can the soloist by Steve Lopez take a bow?

          The Soloist by Steve Lopez creates love and friendship through music. Steve Lopez talks about his actual friendship with a homeless paranoid schizophrenic man who happens to have a huge gift with music. He creates a friendship that eventually helps this man Nathaniel Anthony Ayers find a home and get his life back on track.

           The soloist redefines the word friendship, by showing you why saving ones life from destruction can really make you feel a thousand times richer. It also shows that one reporter Steve Lopez who stumbled on a homeless Julliard graduate fond not only a story to write about. But something to Cherish for the rest of his life........... A best friend. What you can also notice through out the book is that music is what makes there friendship so unique and powerful. Lastly Nathaniel Has never been cured from his schizophrenia which makes talking or interacting with him hard and unpredictable. The soloist talks about music, friendship, and a way to help.

          Yes of course The Soloist takes a bow Steve Lopez accurately states the disease of schizophrenia and how in Nathaniel's case it can be cured. He also lets the reader really follow up with Nathaniel's life by doing a weekly column on Nathaniel and other stories that he finds out about. Also this story seems like it was made from a fairytale you can't believe the amount of courage that it took Steve Lopez to get a once crazy Nathaniel to safety. He also includes that most mentally ill people have an unusual sense of when someone is disrespecting them, and Steve talks about all the hurtles he went through with Nathaniel.

          The love and friendship that is created in the soloist is absolutely a profound experience to read and I highly recommend it to any reader! The Soloist also incorporates a lot of things that you can do to help the mentally ill. For example by just giving your time to locations that help serve and help the mentally ill and unstable. The Soloist is a book that everyone should read it is the perfect book for friendship, music, and the miracles story of one man who lost his way.

Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet

           To envision a modern day movie from a play that was made over 400 years ago is a very hard task. But with Baz Luhrman's unique style of directing he has pushed the boundaries of what you can do creatively in a movie.

          The Setting: I thought that he discovered a exquisite way of finding the right setting for each scene. He creates the perfect effects on to each person's emotions and helps you follow the story with plenty connections to modern day society. Also in the beginning of the movie all of the beach scenes was when a hurricane hit the golf of Mexico causing the sky to look so dark and scary when Mercutio ends up being killed. Lastly Baz Luhrman finds out new ways to shape images that are filmed throughout the setting of Romeo and Juliet.

         I can't go on without saying how define he mad each character be! You could really tell what each characters purpose was and what the characters felt throughout the entire movie. Also Baz Luhrman made each shot of when Romeo and Juliet where together he made everything focused around them! Which was a very good way of describing there love. Very focused in on each other.

        Baz Luhrman brought reinventing Shakespeare to a totally different level! It just goes to show that something that is redone isn't always worst than the original and in this case Baz Luhrman's version in my opinion is better than Shakespeare!

Was Forest Gate By Peter Akinti a good choice to read?

*spoiler alert!        
        
             As I started to read Forest Gate By Peter Akinti I thought that this would be the kind of book that I would never want to stop reading. But as it turns out now that I am near the end of this book I have realized one big problem! I have never read anything more boring and messy in my entire life!!! My reasonings are this. The book starts out with a double attempted suicide that involves Ashvin and James, but it turns out that Ashvin (who is the main character's brother) was the only person who ended up dieing. This leaves Meina "the main character" in a terrible deep depression and the majority of the book is Meina retelling there memories as brother and sister.
          
           What makes me feel like this book is so messy is that Peter Akinti dosen't really show there life a part but as together, and yes for the people who have died and you have loved. You never forget them but to describe randome moments together in detail is far from understandable. I also hate the way he retells the events through meina's memory in perfect detail to me nothing more is crazier. And just remember meina has to continue life without her brother so she must MOVE ON. Which the author dosen't enable Meina to do or try.

        On the other hand this can be looked at as a lovely story that shows what happens when there is a death in your family and how you are going to react. As I kept on reading I also discovered one important thing! This is a book that has allot of potential! But Peter Akinti di not capitalize on it which makes this book just as useless and bad as an article written in the New York Post.

See what The New York Times has to say about Forest Gate!

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/books/review/Akam-t.html

813 Mentors

                                   http://onlyonoppositedayy.blogspot.com/
        
           Having your own opinion always makes up to a good blog post! But in Colin's blogs not only does he speak his mind. He emphasizes on key details in his book and backs them up with thought and meaning.    When ever I read Colin's blog posts they are also always insightful and fun! They are mixed with knowledge and theory's that always keep me thinking. Whenever I need a blog to base my blog post's on I always use Colin's posts to help me!

                                 http://untoldstoryinsideyou.blogspot.com/
          
          Whenever I see Zarrin's blog posts I not only see something that exceeds standards. I also see a thoughtful well prepared report on a poem or a book. She really gets me thinking with the points that she makes on each book. For example when she blogged about the poem Stories I Ain't Told Nobody Yet by Jo Carson she not only wrote about key observations she backed them up with a steady argument. Zarrin also incorporates more details than book summaries which makes her writing seem effortless!

                                 http://iflifewasan80smovie.blogspot.com/

        If you want a fun and cleaver blog to read always make sure that you read what Rafael has to write. Whether its about crazy people or about a poem he always has a fun twist that will leave you blown away. What I have come to notice about Rafael's blog post's is that he always seems to have Ideas or theories about a book. For example his blog post on the Guantanamo Bay poem was not only thoughtfully written. It Incorporated a lot of objective info that were put in his own words to remind us all the suffering of the that people have in the prison.

       Thank you for all the mentors for having blogs that I can look at and see what my blogs are missing!

art poem response.

                                                               Poem Response
Two kinds of color are as simple as black and white,
With textures and colors that would put art teachers into fright.

As the colors drip and spread,
Maybe this painting represents the dead.

The perspective of this piece is unlimited and free,
That simple colors make us see.

What really means more happiness or richness,
I don't care I would rather be happy and poor,

You see not every poem has to rhyme, all the time.
But all have to talk, and
ramble about the things they would take a gamble for,
What is in stake for a paper in pen,
What you see and that's the end.

Poetry that reads itself!

One of my wishes is that those dark trees,
so old and firm they scarcely show the breeze,
were not, as 'twere, the merest mask of gloom,
but stretched away unto the edge of doom,

I should not be withheld but that some day,
Into their vastness I should steal away,
fearless of ever finding open land,
Or highway where the slow wheel pours the sand,

I do not see why I should e'er turn back,
Or those should not set forth upon my track,
To overtake me, who should miss me here,
And long to know if still I held them dear,

They would not find me changed from him the knew--
Only more sure of all I though was true.
                                                                                    - by Robert Frost "one of my wishes"
      
       This Poem at first looks like a bunch of meaning full words put into sentences. But what i found out is that not only is it poetry but this poem tells a story. One full of beauty, fear, and life and death.  Its rhyme scheme is aa bb though out the whole poem until the last stanza.

      what i have found is that this poem shows intention on bringing inanimate objects into living creatures. For instance he uses words like breaze, track, and pour. Now what Robert does is that he uses these words like if they were a living spirit or a person. He also makes the poem stand out with its gorgeous language that would makes you feel at home.  Lastly he really uses his poetic licence like it was a drivers license constantly driving the poem threw its gratifying story.
 
    I have also come to a conclusion that this poem was written intentionally for someone he misses which makes you wonder are you reading poetry or a letter remorse. I think that Robert Frost planted words to draw you in and think about what is actually going on in this poem and what is the reader supposed to think? I think that he wants you to dream about a place you miss and think about all the details, and Robert Frost helps you do that by including lots of rich description and metaphors.

  
   One of my wishes has been one of my favorite poems my entire life. My mom used to read it to me and I never thought about the poem, I just imagined! What really makes me appreciate poetry is not the words but the idea, and being abstract is accepted in poetry and in most cases applauded. So remember next time you want to imagine without thinking pick up a piece of poetry and your dream will be fulfilled.