The Underdog Takes the Prize

As I continue through "Bossypants" I pick up different messages through every chapter. A majority of the book talks about how she was awkward and weird throughout most of her adolescent years. I just reached the point in the book where she begins her new job for "Saturday Night Live" as a writer/ producer. I find this highly encouraging because I myself am quite awkward and strange. I like readering about her voyage from the underdog to a head producer because I relate. There's hope for the strange.

Tina the Accepting

Tina Fey is a comical genius. “Bossy Pants” is an autobiography about how she got where she is in life. She was the underdog as a kid. She was dorky and a little bit weird but that did not stop her from achieving her goals. She had a lame job at the local YMCA and worked her was up into a big office job. I enjoy this book because I think it is funny and it is fun to hear about what stars did before they were famous. She said that acceptance is very valuable. I agree. I think that if you accept people and love people for the different things they bring to the table; your life will be enriched. There is no good reason to make people feel like outcasts because they are a little bit different. Rather than isolating people, one should try to stick around them. Every person has something to teach someone else. Be accepting toward people and you would be surprised at what you find.

Quote the Raven nevermore

I am a huge Edgar Allen Poe fan; he may possibly be my favorite writer. A lot of people may find him overdone, especially since teachers have us read his works every year. I, however, find him interesting. I get the chills every time I read something of his, even though I can practically quote most of his works. If you have never read “The Raven” you must read it! If you have read it, do it again. “The Raven” is one of Poe’s most popular poems. I know when I am home alone I start to freak myself out by every little noise the house makes. I think it is easy to get scared when you feel lonely, if you are alone long enough it is hard to separate threatening noises from the wind howling. Alone, a mouse can sound like a ferocious jungle tiger, a floorboard creaking may sound like the house falling down around you. Reality and imagination play little games with the lonely.

Tell-Tale Heart

Sometimes, we get these big ideas that we think are fool-proof, however, they don't always work out the way we planned. The man in Tell-Tale Heart thought he was going to make things better by killing the old man. He did not really want to kill the old man, he just wanted to destroy the eye. At the end of the story the man breaks down because he could not handle the amount of guilt that came with the murder. I've clearly never killed anyone but, I have made my fair share of mistakes. I know that when I do something really wrong the guilt does get to me. This short story is a dramatic example of what guilt can do to a person. Not to say that he was completely sain to begin with. 

Why We Suck

I feel like if I were to write a book, it would be similar to this. Denis Leery, much like me, is full of aggressive opinions on nearly everything. Sometimes I have so many ideas and opinions floating around in my head that need to be shared with someone. Leery clearly felt the same when he decided to write this book. Why We Suck is a collection of opinions tossed together page by page. From Oprah to McDonalds, and Ireland to Brittany Spears, this book goes past the limits society provides. Bowdlerization is probably the only thing left out of this ribald piece.

The first page of the book warns readers that they will most likely be offended throughout the book. Though some people may find it crude, I find it slightly inspiring. I strongly believe in going past what is socially acceptable and using your voice. Gathering opinions and expressing them in a mostly comical fashion is a good way to get attention to the subject. I would rather write a book like that because it would be a book about me. I don’t enjoy sugar coated stories; I prefer the blunt opinions of comedians. It is definitely not for the sensitive.

The Masque of the Red Death

Edgar Allen Poe is known for his dark stories about murder, death, and fatality. "The Masque of the Red Death" was about a group of people getting together to celebrate in a time of disease. Death certificates were printing faster than the news; morgues were filled to maximum compacity. The Prince decided to get some of his friends together and have a big party as if the problem didn't actually exist.
It's easy to pretend like nothing is wrong when your world is falling apart. A lot of people use denial as a coping mechanism. Sometimes when i'm upset I find it easier to pretend like everything is okay, so people don't look at me differently. When I pretend like nothing is wrong and smile, I am really just hurting myself. Pretending everything is sanguine does not protect you from your issues.
Even in the happiest of places, the issue found its' way in.

The Real Little Mermaid

Almost everyone that was a child during the 90's has seen the classic Disney version of "The Little Mermaid." The Disney version is about a little red headed mermaid who wants to be human. The flowery, sugar coated Disney version was an innocent remake of the original vulgar version, created by the Grimm Brothers.
In the original version, the Grimm Brothers do a remarkable job at describing the sheer pain of the mermaid tail being riped apart to become two legs. They also reveal a gothic love. In this version the sea witch turns the princess into a human, with conditions.
The princess must, submit her ability to speak, lose her tail, marry the strange prince,  and never return to the ocean. If she tries to return to the ocean she will evaporate into the foam that washes up on shore.
When the changed mermaid goes to land she is placed into the prince's "friend- zone." It isn't long before the prince falls in love with a different lady and the sea princess is faced with a difficult choice.
Will she kill the Prince before the sun rises, or herself?
This tragic story is a strange way to explain the extremes of what love can do to a person.
It honestly seems a little ridiculous to me, I enjoy the dark story but feel as though it is lacking in verisimilitude.
What I find interesting about the story is that she is not a happy-go-lucky little girl who wants to dance around on land; she is really just a fish that can't manage to make herself happy. Love can send a person into a slump if that person does not know how to really make themselves happy. A girl does not need a man to make her life complete; everyone needs to be able to search for the positive things in their lives or they won't ever be fully satisfied. 
Sometimes, when I get upset, I think about all of the bad things in life and become depressed. This often leads to hurting myself. If I could step back and accept the bad and recognize the positive things, I wouldn't get so depressed. The story may have ended differently if she were able to step back and just be happy about what she does have.
It's not an easy thing to do, but it could extend a life.

Introduction

I often have a hard time finding books that spark my interest. I am highly uninterested in books that I am forced to read. No teenager enjoys being told what to do, what to think, or what to say. At a young age adults start pushing books at us that are supposed to be "interesting" to us. This is why I am so stubborn towards reading. I love to read books I pick out, not books handed to me from a dusty shelf. I love to read books from all different genres, from romance sprouting between unlikely strangers, to the secrets behind current events. I like having my own choice.
This quarter I don't just want to read, I want to enjoy the books I grab off the shelf. I want to find a lot of books that are hard to put down. Through reading, I would also like to increase my writing abilities. I believe that through a good book, a person can learn better writing skills to apply. Skills such as grammar, organization, expressing an idea, description, and tone, can be enhanced by putting a nose in the right books. I know what the Etymology teachers expect from my blog posts however, I think that if they already knew what my answer was supposed to be, there would be absolutely no point in me fulfilling the assignments. If they knew my answer, they would need to ask. I want to express new perspectives to peers, teachers, and myself through my writing and reading assessments.