Free Write: Weekend

Camping, dancing, dressing up and a wedding. These were all part of my weekend.

Friday I went home to go to a wedding of two people that I used to work with. I drove an hour both ways to say "Congrats" eat some chocolate, and drive an hour home. That was fun. That night though a bunch of us in our ward went up Provo Canyon and made a campfire. We roasted marshmallows, and hotdogs--the real way. We went and found sticks; none of those store bought roasters for us! Then we just looked at the stars and talked.

Saturday was the day of the big Heritage Formal! And my first date with an RM. So I got all dressed up, squeezed myself into my Prom dress that seemed to have shrunk since I had worn it last year (I swear, it was like wearing a corset!), and went to party hardy! The Morris Center looked really good. In just one night I visited France, England, China, New York, Italy, Mexico, and the rain forest. My life is now complete, there is no reason for me to ever travel as I have seen it all! After the dance, and after I got out of my dress and could breathe again, I sat outside with an English, rugby player in my ward and ate ice cream and listened to all the interesting stories from his life.

Ah, the joys of college life! You share spoons with people, dance crazily, go camping, leaving no room for the real reason you came here--Studying! Of course, studying is completely overrated...

Writing Technique: Summary

For this week's writing technique I'm going to summarize a book I recently read.

In Stephenie Meyer's young adult novel, Twilight, the reader is introduced to seventeen year old Bella. Bella moved to Washington to live with her father, Charlie after her mother remarried. The town in which her father lives is small and wet, as Washington usually is. On her first day of school, Bella notices the Cullen family--three boys and two girls who are all beautiful and mysterious. No one in town talks to them. Bella is instantly attracted to Edward Cullen, but is surprised when her seems to dislike her from the moment they meet. It is only after Bella is almost hit by a car in the school parking lot and is saved by Edward that they start to become friends. Edward is still distant, and sometimes harsh on Bella, but it seems that he is always there in case she gets into trouble. Bella starts to guess the truth about Edward when she goes to the beach with some of the kids from her school and she meets some of the young boys fromt he reservation. She talks to one and he tells her a legend that his people have about vampires and how they believe that the Cullen family are the original vampires from the story. Bella confronts Edward and learns that what she heard is partly true. Instead of being horrified by her discovery, she is just curious and still hopelessly in love with Edward. Now that Bella knows the truth, Edward begs her to leave him alone, in order to protect herself (even though the Cullen family doesn't believe on feeding on humans), but she refuses. Eventually, Edward and Bella develop a relationship--only after Edward is able to conquer his natural feelings. Eventually Bella starts to spend time with the Cullen family, and it is during one of these times that her life is endangered. While playing a vampire version of baseball, some other vampires meet them, and they don't have the same beliefs as the Cullens. They are able to tell that Bella isn't a vampire, and are attracted to her smell. One is a hunter, and is determined to have Bella, though it takes great effort to get her.

Now I wouldn't want to give away the dning, because that's no fun! So do like LaVar Burton says and "don't take my word for it!" and check it out for yourself!

Free Write: Three Ironies

Leave it to me to fall for the one non-LDS person at BYU. Of course he’s not really the ONLY non-LDS at BYU, but he’s the only one I know of. I have grown up in Utah, I have only ever dated the good LDS boys (of course, I haven’t dated much at all, but the five or so boys I have gone on at least one date with have been the good LDS boys.) Then I come to BYU, the LDS Bachelor capital of America, and I fall for a Catholic. Why does life work this way?

Not only that, but after leaving my hometown, a rumor was started that I was engaged. True, I had come to BYU which has the infamous reputation of marrying off everyone—“Ring by Spring or Your Money Back,” right? Not only did my friends from high school start thinking I was engaged, but it made it back to my hometown and my sister’s mother-in-law heard it from a lady in her ward that I don’t even know! Not only am I not engaged (nor do I plan to be in the near future), but I’m not even dating anyone! My boyfriend and I broke up three months before I left! The rumor mill is an amazing piece of machinery.

When my brother came to college, my parents and I moved into a new—bigger—house. Not only that, but once I left, my dad finally bought the Honda Odyssey that he had been saving up to buy. Not that strange right? Well, it is when you do all this after all your children leave home. It’s as if now that they are empty nesters they decided that not only did they want a bigger nest, in order to feel lonelier, but they also wanted a bigger vehicle in order to show that they are “real” Mormons, though it doesn’t quite work if they don’t have 10 kids piled in the back. I think that the empty nester mentality is something that needs some sort of therapy—it makes you buy things that you don’t really need!

Rhetorical Analysis: 'Testify'

By the way that Russell Crowe’s music video “Testify” was shot I would have to say that it seems as if they were trying to appeal to a younger, maybe teen to early twenties, audience, but inadvertently appealed to an older audience as well.

“Testify” shows Russell Crowe recording the song, then goes to him performing it—in a church like setting. The makers of the video were trying to appeal to the younger audience by 1) showing how fun it was to record a song, and 2) by showing a concert such as one that they might go to. But as Russell Crowe is an older person, and doesn’t have the look or prestige as someone who the younger generation would be interested in as a singer, it mostly works as a nostalgic piece for the older generation. This music video is taking them back to the rock concerts of their youth.

This music video is also interesting in the church like setting. Behind the stage where Crowe is performing, there is a stained glass window. As Crowe’s song is talking about testifying, and chaplains, and baptism, the window is an effective choice. It gives the video of a feel of going to one of those churches where they have bands instead of singing hymns. It seemed that the church setting was trying to emphasize the meaning of the song—and to relate to Christian watchers.

Crowe’s “Testify” video seems to be trying to appeal to the generation of today with it’s concert like filming, and the “making of “ sections of the video, but it also appeals to the older generation with his age and style of song. The church like setting emphasizes the meaning of the song and well as to appeal to Christians.

Free Write: What is Love?

What is love? My friend asked me what I thought it was, and while I've actually thought about this a lot, it's hard to explain. To me love isn't just something that you "fall" into. It's not that easy, because falling in love with someone means that you can fall out of love—like you accidentally stepped into a puddle of mud, then stepped out of it, removed the mud from your shoes and continued on your way. Love isn't just an emotion, it's a way of thought, it becomes part of who you are. Love means that no matter what happens, you still care about that person. It's like energy--never created, never destroyed, just changed. Love means not being selfish--but that doesn't mean that you don't judge whether the love you have is right or wrong for you. Love is beautiful and careful--it's slow. Lust is what gets you in trouble, never love. Love is so completely pure that you want to change just to feel worthy of it. Love is when you want to make that other person smile, and you spend hours thinking about how to do it. Love endures everything, even though it's the hardest trial you've ever been through--unlike the song it isn't "all you need," but just knowing that you are loved and that you love someone in return gives you a little more strength. Love is trust, and it hurts when the trust is broken, and yet for some reason you still love that person. Love is always having to say that you're sorry. Love is being able to see not only what a person is but what they could be. It's knowing all of their faults and being able to look past them. Love leaves room for improvements; that's the glory of it being able to change. Love is comfort. Love is so many things that I don't think I'd be able to put in words everything that it is. God made it perfect, but it has been perverted by our world. Love is love, that’s the easiest way to say it. It’s just love, and it’s different for everyone. Love is wonderful, and confusing, and exciting, and everything you could ever feel. God created love so we could have a little glimpse of Heaven.

Writing Technique: Revising your own Work

For my writing technique this week I’m going to revise a poem that I’ve written, called “To the Ones I’ll Never Have.”

Original:
I’ve never had you;
Never had your autumn eyes
to gaze into,
Never felt your sweet skin
warm my hands.

I’ve never had a place;
A place in the strength
of your arms
Never had any place
in your heart

Without me, your soul
will continue to burn
its bright light
Without you, I try my hand
at poetry.

I’ve never had you.
not even a spot
in your memory
When talking to me,
your thoughts were full

I’ve never had you,
and now I never will

Revision:
This is a song to
the ones I’ve never had;
the ones I’ll never hold.

You are the ones I admired
for your eyes or smile.
your laugh and talent.

You never looked my way,
not really
Your autumn, or sky, or
emerald eyes never saw

You were the ones whose
thoughts were elsewhere,
even when you were
right beside me.

This is to the ones
who will forget me

The first poem was really fluffy and obviously a first draft. The revision is a little better, and almost completely different. I took the ideas from the first draft that I liked, and even a phrase here or there and tried to make something a little more real.

Rhetorical Analysis: The Old Guitar Part 2

The hard thing about paintings is that the painter has painted it for one of two reasons and it is difficult to discover which reason the painting was painted. The first of these being that they painted it for themselves—for the relieving of an emotion, or in an attempt to fill an empty part of their life. The second reason would be to connect with the world. Picasso went through several stages, or periods, in his art and it is believed that each of these periods were influenced by events within his life.

“The Old Guitar” or “Guitarist,” depending on the source, is one of the most well known paintings of Picasso’s Blue Period. It’s believed that this period was started when a friend of Picasso’s shot himself in a cafe. By knowing such a background it can be believed that Picasso was painting for the first reason—he needed an outlet for his sadness. It’s also possible that the subjects for his paintings are really just representations of him. Picasso is the old man with the guitar, the one who is singing a lament throughout the night with his head bent in sorrow.

While Picasso might have been painting for himself, his paintings seem to be meant for everyone. Just about everyone has had their own “blue period.” They have witnessed death, and terror. Maybe they are singing songs for the world, or a specific person. Picasso was able to capture that emotion on canvas, because he felt it and expressed it. This is what made Picasso’s paintings so likable; he was able to connect to everyone’s emotions because the emotions he put into his paintings were real. He felt strongly the emotions and used them to strengthen his paintings.

Free Write: RPG's

A long time ago I got into online RPG's, but instead of stuff like Dungeons and Dragons, these were writing RPG's. The ones I was a member of were taken from popular books and then you created a character or used one that the author had created. This particular "post" came from an RPG called Life in the Land of Tortall, and it was taken from the books about Tortall by Tamora Pierce. I created a character named Raven, and while the writing isn't very good, these RPG's helped my develop my writing and become more interested in creative writing. This is the introduction to my character, Raven. Just as some background information on Raven: he's the youngest son of a Lord, black curly hair, light blue eyes, mischievous. His father sent him to Corus (the capital of Tortall) in order for him to find a potential wife. Within Corus is the school where young boys (and girls now, but that's a whole different story) come to train to become knights and contains some of the best fighters and military men in the country. Duke Gareth works within the palace

A young man stepped out of the stables. He was well built and of good family, this much you could tell just by looking at him. You could also tell that he was troublesome, just by the gleam in his unusual eyes. With him was a mangy, but clean, mutt of a dog, and a young man, a servant by his clothes. "Really Jonny, I'm sure that we won't interrupt anything important by going to visit Duke Gary. It's not like he's off fighting the immortals." The tall youth strode toward the palace. "I know Master Raven, but it seems we should have made an appointment first, or announced that we were coming." Raven shook his head, his unruly hair shining in the sunlight. "I told you, I'm just 'Raven' here in Corus. And what would being announced get us, but a bunch of unwanted hullabaloo, and people trying to make us comfortable. No," He
put his hand on Jonny's shoulder, "This is the perfect way to visit someone." They arrived at the door which said Duke Gareth the Younger. Raven knocked, than entered without waiting for an affirmative call. Fortunately, Jonny noticed, the duke was alone at his desk. "Gary!!" exclaimed Raven as he lounged in a chair, "How mauvelous to see you, really." Jonny bowed, muttering, "Milord," and stood at the door. "Let me guess," Raven continued, "You were just about to ask what I'm doing here in Corus. Well I'll save you the trouble. My father sent me here for, shall we say, a holiday." Picked up a bit of grapes left of from milord's lunch. "Am I right?"

Rhetorical Analysis: The Old Guitar

The painting I’ve chosen to analyze is Pablo Picasso’s “The Old Guitar.”

This painting is of an old man holding a guitar. The overall feel of this painting is one of dejection. Picasso uses different shades of blue which is usually associated with sadness. The old man has his head bent in sorrow. He holds the guitar like it’s the only thing left to hold on to, but that it could slip away any minute. He is obviously proficient at playing. Maybe he was a master at one point. His mouth is open, as if he’s singing. It looks dark where he is, like night.

Looking at this painting makes the looker almost feel the dejection. It’s almost as if the man is singing a lament, and you can hear his song, but you can’t at the same time. It’s a song that has never been written and never will be; it’s that powerful. It is the real master piece. Even though the painting portrays mostly dejection and sorrow, you can tell that the man hasn’t given up yet. His face is clear, though sad, and once this night is over he will stand up straight and go on with his guitar. The sorrow he has right now will only be seen in his eyes. The looker is going to feel this sorrow and maybe just by seeing this picture they will have learned a little more about the world, and they will carry it with them also.