Recently I watched the 'Shawshank Redemption' and it was fantastic. On IMDb’s rankings it the number one rated movie. The film is about a man named Andy Dufresne, a banker who is falsely sentenced to life in Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and her lover during his time at the prison, he befriends a fellow inmate, Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding, and finds himself protected by the guards after the warden begins using him in his money-laundering operation. Andy comes up with a highly sophisticated plot to break out of prison over the course of a few years. Before he leaves he tells Red to meet him somewhere when Red is released. Andy crawls through the disgusting prison sewer system to freedom. In the end Red is finally released and meets up will his old friend Andy. This movie was great. It was both exciting and dramatic and the acting was superb. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants to see one of the best classic movies ever made.
I recently ate at Cantina with a few of my friends for my birthday. I had a great time and the food was great. It was “Taco Tuesday”, the day where they offer $1 tacos. In return I ordered the tacos. They serve them in three’s, and I got two chicken and one steak. They were fantastic. The setting at the restaurant is dim lighted and tightly packed. It was even pretty crowded for a Tuesday. The service was good and the food came fairly quickly. The only downside is they don’t offer free dessert for birthdays, but oh well. Overall good food and a good atmosphere. Highly recommend. If you want to have a good time out with friends you should check out Cantina.
In this excerpt of a diary entry from Admiral Richard Byrd, the central idea is inner strength. While the author is alone in hut at Bolling Advance Weather base in Antarctica for five months in 1934, he has many inner conflicts that he must overcome to be successful and survive. The temperatures outside of his hut reached as low as 83 degrees Fahrenheit. The way Byrd conveys his central idea is through the use of point-of-view.
The author uses point-of-view to describe his experience because it allows the reader to put themselves in his shoes and try and understand his experiences. The author starts out with a very serious and constructive tone. He must strategize and figure out what needs to be done in order for him to survive. He states “…as I saw the situation, the necessities were these: to survive I must continue to husband my strength, doing whatever had to be done in the simplest manner possible and without strain.” You can see the author is serious and thoughtful at this point in the entry. Byrd’s viewpoint then shifts to one of despair and helplessness. He says “no matter what happened, if I survived at all, I should always be a physical wreck, a burden upon my family. It was a dreadful business. All the fine conceptions of the afternoon dissolved in black despair. He goes on to exclaim “it was as if all the world’s vindictiveness were concentrated upon me as upon a personal enemy. I sank to depths of disillusionment which I had no believed possible.” You can tell from these quotes, the author was in a mental place of anguish and vulnerability. The author finally resides in a mood of contentment. He says “…I was living in the world of the imagination---a simple, uncomplicated world made up of people who wished each other well, who were peaceful and easy-going and kindly.” In conclusion the author presents his central idea of inner strength through the use of point-of-view. The author’s view varies throughout the diary entry and the audience is able to understand him throughout because of his detailed descriptions. The author’s perseverance through this struggle is illustrated profoundly in this excerpt. In the excerpt from ‘Under the Eye of the Clock’ by Christopher Nolan, the central idea is that the main character in the book, boy Joseph, struggles very much due to his paralysis. Joseph struggles greatly throughout the piece, then finally overcomes his weakness through perseverance. The author conveys his central idea through the use of figurative language by using literary elements such as similes and personification.
The author uses similes to describe the boy’s struggles when he says “Two great legs I have, but put my bodyweight on them and they collapse under me like a house of cards.” He uses this simile to explain how weak the boy’s legs are and their lack of support. Another simile the author uses is when he says “…the boy blowing like a whale from the huge effort of trying to discipline his bedamned body.” This quote shows the severity of difficulty the boy deals with in attempting to control his own body. The author also uses personification when he utters “my smile which can be most natural can at sometimes freeze…” showing how he tries to convey positive emotions but simply cannot. The quote “…great spasms gripped him rigid and sent his simple nod into a farcical effort which ran to each and every one of his limbs.” This vivid personification helps to exaggerate the author’s central idea In conclusion the author helps to develop his central idea of the struggles Boy Joseph endures by using figurative language. Similes along with personification allow the author to illustrate his point in a unique way and style his piece to have more meaning. I recently ate at ‘Juicy Burger’ and enjoyed it immensely. The restaurant has a nice layout with two large flat screen TVs. I ordered the Teriyaki Onion burger which consists of classic thick burger with sautéed red onions and teriyaki sauce. The burger was amazing. The bun has a polished look and the burger is very juicy, hence the name of the restaurant. The burgers are made fresh when you order so you always obtain the “right off the grill taste.” The service was decently fast. They give you a number and you sit and wait at one of the many tables for them to bring you your food instead of being called up to accept your order like other burger places. It only took about 5-10 minutes for them to bring the food. The price of the burger was reasonable for its quality, around $8. The restaurant is not far from my house so it’s an easy transit. The burgers can compete with any other place in the area. I also ordered the onion rings. The onion rings were very good as well. The onion rings at Juicy Burger are much thicker and filling than at other restaurants I have eaten at. All in all, if you are looking for an easy place to eat at with great food I highly recommend Juicy Burger. I posted to Yelp. I read the article titled “Why I Wrote the Yellow Wallpaper.” This article was very interesting and provides a good background of the story we read in class. In the article the author says that she received much negative feedback from physicians in Boston and Kansas. The physician from Kansas even went so far to state ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ was “the best description of incipient insanity he had ever seen.” Many doctors and men at the time believed that women were a lesser sex and they should remain at home doing domestic work. These statements from the doctor were made around 1891. The author states she actually suffered from a severe nervous condition. She received advice from a doctor saying that she should “live as domestic a life as far as possible”, “have but two hours’ intellectual life a day”, and “never touch pen, brush or pencil again” as long as she lived. She received this response in 1887. You don’t have to be a doctor to know that too much restraint from normal life will drive person crazy however she chose to follow the doctor’s directions for three months. The author states she was “so near the border line of utter mental ruin that I could see over.” The doctor’s directions clearly drove her to the brink of insanity. She was not insane by nature; she was made to be insane by the directions of a male physician. The male physician could not be able to be in her shoes so he recommended what he and many others believed women should do. Nothing. The author eventually went back to working and said that a normal lie cured her. People need to be a part of society and do things in order to be normal mentally. The doctors were unaware or maybe even too arrogant at that time to recognize it. The author says she then went on to write the “Yellow Wall Paper.” She says she never actually suffered hallucinations and she put them in for exaggerated effect. The exaggerations are what made the story. They showed us what lying in bed and not being connected to the outside world can do to a person. The authors nagging obsession with the yellow wallpaper is a great symbol for how people go mentally insane after doing nothing for so long. She sent a copy of the story to the Boston physician after it became famous and never received an answer. Perhaps the Boston physician was too embarrassed to admit he was wrong. She states she has saved one woman from a similar fate as her, so it is good to know that the story actually had an effect on people’s lives. The author says “It (the story) was not intended to dive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy, and it worked.” This article goes to show that people of the time believed men were superior and anything they say is more important than anything a women says. Today we have come a long way. Women have many more opportunities and are not confined to the home. Gender roles have evolved greatly and ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ helped to contribute at the time it was written.
. Recently I watched the film ‘Saving Private Ryan’. The film takes place during World War II the film stars Tom Hanks as Captain John H. Miller. The film starts out with a memorable scene that takes place at Omaha Beach during the Normandy invasion. The scene is very graphic and you see many soldiers with missing body parts as well as many dead bodies and lots of blood. Captain Miller survives this attack and escapes. Back in Washington D.C., General Marshall played by Harve Presnell is notified that three of the four members of the ‘Ryan’ family have been killed in battle. The Ryan’s mother is to receive all three telegrams in one day. General Marshall orders the fourth brother, Private First Class James Francis Ryan, who is missing in action, must be found. Private Ryan is played by Matt Damon. Captain Miller assembles seven men from his company to accompany him on the search for Private Ryan. One of the men dies from being shot by a sniper during the search. Eventually they find who they think is Private Ryan but turns out he is not their man. There is one scene where Miller neglects to execute an injured German soldier and lets him go. The group eventually comes upon a group of paratroopers and one of them is Ryan. Ryan learns about the death of his brothers but on request he returns home declines. He says he wants to remain with “the only brothers he has left.” Ryan eventually agrees to go along with Miller and his crew. In the ending scene while trying to defend their position, the crew suffers heavily casualties from the Germans. Most of the paratroopers from Ryan’s platoon are killed along with three from Captain Miller’s. During the fighting Miller is shot and mortally wounded by the German soldier he previously set free. American planes destroy the remaining Germans however it is too late for Captain James Miller. Miller dies but before he passes he says to Private Ryan, "James ... earn this. Earn it." in a final scene many years later, James Ryan honors Captain John H. Miller’s grave. I really enjoyed this film and apparently so did many others. The film was nominated for elven Academy Awards of which it won five. This film is very memorable for its opening scene portraying the Normandy Invasion. This was a great movie and I would rate it 5/5.
Amnesty International
A couple months ago I joined the Amnesty International club at the high school. Amnesty International is a worldwide organization focused on human rights. The mission statement for the organization is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated." In the club we sign petitions to help victims of human rights abuse. Year we have also written letters to another countries leader, put a video on the morning announcements, fundraised for Syrian refugees, and much more. Often we will sign letters to other countries leaders who have jailed innocent citizens. As a worldwide organization, our collective efforts are often successful. I joined the club because I believe in Amnesty’s message and I was familiar with most of the students in the club. We normally meet once a week and the meetings last around twenty minutes. At the meetings we discuss our upcoming plans and eat snacks. The people in the club are passionate for people’s human rights. The club will also look good on my college resume as t adds to my extracurricular activities. I hope to continue with this club in my senior year and would encourage anyone to join it. I ate here for the first time the other day and it was great. The service was great and we were seated immediately. The restaurant environment is nice too. The dim lights make for a pleasant experience. I had a chicken dish with pasta and some olive oil. I wanted both pasta and chicken and they were flexible enough to make a specialty dish. The food was terrific. It was on the cheap side too. My mother had a pasta dish as well that she claimed was “the best $10 pasta she has had in her life”. One waiter would continuously come around and refill water and bread, which was nice. You can tell by the restaurant’s service that they really appreciate the customer. The food was authentic italic. The seating situation is fairly tight but it didn’t really matter. The one downside I would say for me personally is it took a little longer than expected for the food to come out, however the wait was worth it. I went around 8:30 on a Sunday so it wasn’t very crowded but there were still plenty of people there. Everyone in the restaurant seemed like they were in a good mood and I think the fantastic service attributed to that. During the course of our meal, one of the people sitting next to us accidently spilled his wine and some it got on my pants, it was no big deal. When we asked for our check the owner told us the people sitting next to us paid for our dinner. That was a very pleasant surprise. I wish I was able to eat here more, but sadly I do not live in the area. I will be back to visit and definitely eat at Da Marcella’s again. 5/5- would recommend if you’re looking for cheap, authentic Italian food.
(I couldn't attach a link or a picture but I assure you I posted it on Yelp.) I watched the classic movie The Sandlot the other day. The movie is about a boy names Scotty Smalls, who goes by just “Smalls.” Smalls is new to the area and does not have many friends, he attempts to join a neighborhood baseball team overall at the local field. At first he is not very good at all but as the movie progresses he learns the way of the game. The team has a standout player and their captain, Benny Rodriquez. He also plays with “Ham” Porter, “Squints”, “Yeah-Yeah”, Kenny DeNunez, Bertram Grover Weeks, Tommy "Repeat" Timmons, and “Repeat’s” brother, Timmy Timmons. The team bonds in many creative and funny ways throughout the movie. The team gets banned from the community pool because “Squints” pretends to drown to make the female lifeguard give him mouth-to-mouth. The team also has to face a snotty long-time rival and defeats them. One day the team loses their last baseball over the fence in Mr. Mertle’s yard. Mr. Mertle is rumored to be mean old man with a vicious dog named “The Beast”, was has allegedly eaten kids who trespass onto his yard. Smalls goes home and fetches one of his dad’s baseballs unknowing signed by Babe Ruth. That ball is lost over the fence and smalls receives a lot of trouble from his friends for being so dumb. The famous quote from the movie is “you’re killing me smalls”. The team tries many ways to fetch the ball but are unsuccessful. One day Benny has a dream where Babe Ruth is encouraging him to follow his dreams. The next day Benny Jumps the fence, grabs the ball and runs for his life while the massive dog chases him around the town. Benny leaps back over the fence and the fence collapses on the dog. Smalls and Benny overcome the fear of the dog and help free him. After this they learn that the dog is actually friendly and not vicious at all, he just appears that way. They also find out Mr. Mertle is a nice man and Smalls and Benny befriend him. All the kids grow up to be successful and Benny becomes a pro ball player. I love this movie because of the baseball background and the life lessons it teaches, never judge a book by its cover. I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys baseball or just an all-around fun movie.
|
|