Multiple Personalities

Currently, I am reading the book, "Romeo and Juliet" by Shakespeare and have so far come up with the conclusion of the most interesting and thought provoking character, which is Mercutio (The prince's kinsman and Romeo's BFF). I'm pretty sure he suffers from dissociative identity disorder (DID) or multiple personality disorder (MPD). I mean come on, at one moment he gets in between Tybalt (Kinsman to the Capulet's) and Romeo saying something along the lines of calm down and all of a sudden it is Rome whom has to hold him back from clawing Tybalt's eyes out. That doesn't mean that there aren't any good personalities projected from him, he just seems a little loony. However, even though he may act as a lunatic at some points, that's what defines him a an interesting character.

Mercutio is unpredictable, you''l never be able to infer what his next move is. So far, we have seen Mercutio as crazy, wise, mean, caring and as  peace-maker. That's why I think Mercutio is interesting, because he seems to be a mix of different people inside of one body. Its like Mercutio is an oxymoron himself, he is wise when giving advice to Romeo on love, but is foolish for blindly attacking Tybalt for he had started a fight (Tybalt had, not Mercutio or Romeo). He gets crazy when making fun of Romeo and getting lost in his words, but is sane for caring about Romeo's state in the beginning. Additionally, what makes him more interesting is that when Mercutio was on the verge of death, he shouted, "I am hurt. A plague o' both your houses! I am sped. Is he gone, and hath nothing?" It was as if he was curing them, saying, "YOU WILL PAY!" or its like he's saying someone will suffer in the end like he did. It's as if he knew that Romeo and Juliet were going to die, for he had cursed both the Montague's and the Capulet's families to share his fate, to lose something that they care for deeply. 

In conclusion, Mercutio is just a puzzle himself waiting to be solved. When I say that I think that Mercutio has multiple personality disorder, I don't mean it in an offensive way, but rather in a way that shows that hes different than others. No, being different isn't a bad thing, for it shows your uniqueness. For Mercutio, he is unique because he is basically a character that's more than meets the eye.

Who are you fighting for, Katniss?

In the book, "Mockingjay", by Suzanne Collins, it seems as though Katniss is able to cooperate with the rebels (Who she was taken 'capture' of not to long ago) rather than being able to cooperate with the capital (Who had more experience with her). I believe that is because she was born to be a rebel from the beginning, not follow the rules. It comes natural to Katniss, especially when innocent people are brought into 'her' mess. Katniss, the natural born rebel, will try her best at succeeding the position of the rebels mockingjay. Not for only for her friends, not only for her family, but the innocent people dragged into this nonsense as well. Its her duty to protect those who are not guilty. She is the mockingjay, it is her.

I believe Suzanne Collins wants me to understand that Katniss isn't becoming the mockingjay because she is forced to anymore, no. Katniss must become the mockinjay because it is her own will to save all the people she might put an end to. She wants me to realize that she can't back down now, not when she has added fuel to the fire. It was as if she was chosen to fight against the rebels all along. Suzanne Collins wants me to know that now its Katniss's choice to make her own decisions, whether they are for a good cause, or bad.

I think this whole time she was on the rebels side. Almost every move she made proved my theory correct. All this time, she wanted all the people of all districts to stop their hunger and put an end to the capital, which also caused it. She couldn't stand by and watch her people suffer, she had to stand up and fight. Katniss did not fight for her own district, family or friends, but all the innocent people that suffered as a whole by the capital.

Believe

In the book, "Despereaux", by Kate DiCamillo, Despereaux the mouse has broken the mouse rules by letting a human see and touch him. Not only that, but he spoke to the human as well, which happened to be the King's Princess Pea. When speaking in front of the Head Mouse, he stated something along the lines of, "I love the Princess Pea". For that, he was sent to the dungeon for breaking the mouse rules.

Despereaux loved the Princess Pea, she was kind, beautiful. However she was a human, and it was strictly stated in the rules of mice to not fall in love with a human, better yet, a princess. That didn't mean he would give up, no, Despereaux believed in happy endings. He believed that he could indeed love the Princess Pea.

Miggery Sow wanted to be a princess, that was her dream. Sadly, no one supported her. Soon she lost her dream, she never became a princess at all.

This book sends a great message, If you truly believe in something, then always believe in it. Miggery Sow did not believe enough to reach for her goal. In fact, because no one supported her, she soon believed what they were saying was true. Believe in yourself. Believe in your dream. Believe.

You Before Me, You Before We

In the book,"Catching Fire", by Suzanne Collins, Katniss is trying to keep Peeta alive in the annual Hunger Games instead of worrying for herself. She is devoted to protect him with all her might despite his complaints. Katniss wants Peeta to go on and win the games instead of her coming out victorious. However, Peeta doesn't want to let Katniss go, he doesn't want her to protect him. He wants to protect her. How can he when Katniss believes his life is more "important".

One way Katniss believes Peeta's life I more "important" than hers is that she tries to block as many attacks as she could that are directed towards Peeta. She's using her own life, own body to save him from the dreadful fate of death. She doesn't need to be alive, she'll make uprisings worse. Katniss wants Peeta to be safe and sound.

One way Katniss believes Peeta's life I more "important" than hers is that she has already caused so many uprisings when in reality she was oblivious to the fact when she "defied" the capital. If Katniss was still alive by the end of the games, uprisings would still continue since they follow her. It is she that is the heart of all the uprisings. Once she died all the uprisings would die down, and Peeta would be safe if he won.

It's true, Peeta is letting Katniss protect him with her own life. It's true, he would be safe if he made it out of the games, but hes not going anywhere without his beloved Katniss. An unbreakable couple that support each other as much as they can. If you truly loved someone, you would protect them with all your heart.

Unless

UNLESS someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. 
It's not. - Dr. Seuss

Over reliance on fossil fuels. Mass production. Deforestation. Even if you put those two factors in a children's book, they still don't understand how important they are. That one message is hidden under bi-polar colors. One minute, the mood is happy with vibrant colors when suddenly it becomes mysterious. Why is it that children don't see the message? Do they ignore it?

The message UNLESS  was shown to inspire people to make a change in their environment. Not having to many people wrecking mother nature. Show that you can really make a big change, but only if you care a whole lot. I think that the message doesn't apply to just deforestation, chopping down trees. I feel that UNLESS applies to anything that hurts the environment, or anything that shouldn't be done.

NO, it's not that the children ignore the message, it's that they don't try to find it. They focus on what's inside of the book, not what it's portraying. However, since children can't really decipher what UNLESS means, I feel as if the message is being sent to adults. I say that because I feel that adults can not only understand the message, but can also make a change.

The Thirst Games

In the book "Catching Fire," by Suzanne Collins, Katniss is ignoring the fact that Peeta and her will die if they do not find any water to drink and is worrying about Finnick betraying their little group. Katniss tends to over worry herself and focuses on staying alive, watching Peeta's and her back for Finnick. How can she worry about Finnick killing Peeta and her when they themselves are dying from the lack of water to drink.

Katniss should stop worrying about Finnick trying to kill Peeta and her. She thinks that Finnick will kill Peeta and her when in realty, anyone or anything (Including the game makers) can wipe them out. She needs to worry about anything or anyone killing her, and that includes dying of hunger or thirst.

I believe that the author sent a message saying that when trying to protect your self, don't focus on one factor, focus on every single one you can think of. For example, lets say I was being chased at night time, if I stopped, the person chasing me would get me. However, if I wasn't watching where I was going and ran into the street without looking at what color the light is, I could get hit by a car. Open your eyes! When in danger, the possibilites keeping you from safety is endless.

Where is the Midnight Sun? : View on the Secret Series, 1- 4

When reading," The Secret Series," by Pseudonymous Bosch, I realized that there's not a lot of conflict  with the Midnight Sun in the fourth book (This Isn't What It Looks Like)  then the last three books. Not until the end was there conflict with the Midnight Sun, however, it was kept to a minimum. What could this mean, I wonder. Simple, I believe that the last three books needed the conflict with the Midnight Sun in order to be interesting. Because otherwise, what would be the point in creating the series in the first place.

In the book," The Name Of This Book Is Secret", (Which is the first book) needed conflict with the Midnight Sun in order to lead on to the other two. It needed to create a conflict that went on throughout the series. In this book, the Midnight Sun created many dilemmas one after another for the protagonists to face. The Midnight Sun gave this book color, they gave the reader a reason to read on.

In the book," If Your Reading This, It's Too Late", (Which is the second book) the conflict with the Midnight Sun is needed because it continues from the first book and leads to the third book.

In the book," This Book Is Not Good For You", (Which is the third book) a whole new conflict with the Midnight Sun is created which leads to book four.

In the book," This Isn't What It Looks Like," (Which is the fourth book) conflict with the Midnight Sun is shown only towards the end. I think it's necessary for the first three books to have lots of conflict with them, but the fourth should have only a minority. I say this because the first three needed lots of conflict so the reader is kept happy, whilst the fourth is fine the way it is for the little amount of conflict projects much more than intended.

Not all books in a series have to have lots of conflict. When there is at least one book that challenges your mind and gets you to decipher many messages that are translucent, you don't need a book full of conflict. It's better to have a book that makes you think than to not have one at all.

As Above, So Below

In the book," This Isn't What It Looks Like", by Pseudonymous Bosch, Cass keeps on running into the words, " As above, so below," when searching for 'the secret'. Cass has no idea what it means exactly, but she feels as if it's trying to give her a clue on finding 'the secret'. During her exciting adventure, the words of Clara, the fortune teller, linger in her mind. " As above, so below'. What does it mean? Why did she say that?

The quote, " As above, so below", can mean many things:

- Things which appear to be very different have attributes that are surprisingly quite similar
- By studying one thing, we can discover something else
- Occult maxim : hidden truth

I believe it means there more than meets the eye, because you may not over look something when it must be overlooked in order to understand. If I looked at a pair of glasses and I didn't know what they were, I would think you wear them for fashion. HOWEVER, if I examined that pair of glasses, I would soon figure out that they help you see better.

I believe that this quote symbolizes that the secret is with her, she just doesn't know it.

The quote " As above, so below", projects an image of a hidden treasure right under there noses, not literally.

All in all, the quote " As above, so below" has many meanings, BUT, all of them conclude that its the hidden truth.

I Think It Is What It Looks Like

In the book, " This Isn't What It Looks Like", by Pseudonymous Bosch, I believe that Cass and Max-Ernest aren't as similar as everyone thinks in their school.  Everyone thinks there just the same typical "nerds and weirdos", but in reality, their just as different as anyone else. Also, I believe the author WANTS us to notice how different the two main protagonists are, not to believe what everyone says. They think their only the same because they hang out with each other, but that's wrong. They hang out with each other because their friends and opposites attract.

Cassandra  (Cass) is a very sarcastic, witty young girl who loves to study natural disasters such as volcano erupts and earth quakes. She is very fun and likes to focus on the Terces society ( a secret society they interact with) rather than reality. She tends to overwork herself sometimes on a thing that has a simple task. Cass is very positive and likes to reassure everyone that everything is going to be all right.

Max- Ernest is a know it all who doesn't really like to brake the rules, but since Cass is his friend her must. Anything for the Treces society. He tends to worry a lot, whether it's about his friends or all the infections, sicknesses and allergies he has. He likes to correct every ones mistakes and to be precise. M.E. isn't really social and really only likes to hang out with Cass and Yo-Yoji (M.E.'s other friend who is ALSO in the Terces society.

Yo-Yoji has a TOTALLY different personality, but lets not get off topic.


But, In a way, Cass and Max-Ernest are similar. They never stop trying and they never are in doubt. They do what they do best, work for the Terces society.

All in all, the people in Cass's and Max-Ernest's school are only half right. Sure their they have similarities, everyone does. What they don't think about is how they are different. What about them is different? Many things, but the only thing that matters is they are friends and they are happy at the moment.

To Bee or Not to Bee: Following the right path

In the book "To Bee or Not to Bee", by John Penberthy, Buzz, (The protagonist) has trouble finding his own way through life, making his own decisions. He feels that he is the only bee who is different, the only one that believes things most don't.

During the story, Buzz is taught to think spiritually, though he cannot understand spirituality at all, or so he thinks.

Since he is so 'different' from the others, he is often talked about and is known as the 'rebel'.

Buzz is angered, angered by all bee's because he believes they are hypocrites. He turns all their words into lies that fuel to his anger, and then he loses his temper.

Buzz is tired of doing the same thing everyday. Wake up, collect pollen, go to sleep. Wake up, collect pollen, go to sleep.

He's tired of everyone believing what the leaders think, he believes they should believe what they themselves think.

"Great spiritual teachers speak not of learning more, but of letting go, of surrendering".

I think buzz feels that he is the only one who think life is imperfect. All the other bees agree with the leaders, that life is perfect just the way it is. Well, Buzz disagrees.

That all changes when Buzz comes across a wise bee. He teaches Buzz everything, from life, to beliefs.                                                                                                            

"It's perfect that we think life is imperfect".

Buzz had a hard time believing that everything was perfect.

My opinion is that Buzz doesn't need to learn from Bert in order to learn himself. I believe that you don't need someone to tell you what you should believe, you should choose what you believe yourself.

"We're all each others students and teachers".

When you think you have nothing, you don't notice you have everything.
When you think you have everything, you don't notice you have nothing.

I believe this saying relates to Buzz because he thought he had everything, while not noticing that he didn't know what he believed in or who. Also, this relates to Buzz because he thought he had nothing, when in reality, he had someone who had faith in him, a friend.

"Life is a journey from I to we".

Soon Bert died leaving Buzz devastated.

"Bee here now".

My opinion is that Bert dying was a good thing on Buzz's behalf, because his death made him rethink about everything, and choose his path to follow.

"The power of the mind lies in perceiving differences,
  The power of the heart lies in perceiving similarities".

I think this connect to us all because not everyone of us can choose what we believe in right on the spot. We have to learn, to be taught, and to teach what we think and what we believe. Just because someone you are close to believes something, doesn't mean you have to believe in what they think too.

No. That is for you to decide, and for you to think about.

To be Blue

 In the passage, " Am I Blue?", by Bruce Coville, I feel that Vincent goes through character development without noticing or ignoring the fact. During the beginning, Vincent felt self-conscious for being openly 'gay' even though he wasn't sure and couldn't make up his mind, he still was bullied for being 'different'. All of a sudden, a man appears out of nowhere claiming his name was Melvin and that he was Vincent's 'fairy godfather'. Vincent acts churlish to the man, not believing what he said, but once Melvin shows him some 'magic', he instantly shuts-up and watches in awe. Then Melvin takes Vincent to a coffee shop and explains his life story and that Vincent is his first case to collaborate with. Finally, after Vincent decided he should save his 3rd wish, he understands that its okay to be different, that it's okay to be gay.

Vincent was gay. Vincent was not gay. Vincent couldn't make up his mind, and although he was dumbfounded as to what he was, he was still bullied and teased. He felt like the only one who was gay, and the only one who was picked on because of it.

Later on, Melvin appears, announcing that he was Vincent's "fairy god-father". Vincent stuck to being realistic, and disagreed with the man. Oh, but Vincent was wrong, and he knew it too, for her found out that his "fairy god-father" was indeed magical. Soon, Melvin starts explaining to Vincent that there are many people in this world that are gay, including himself.

"Me being your first case. Does that mean I'm gay?"

"You may be, you may not, The point is, you're getting picked on because people THINK you are..."

Vincent is surprised, and shocked. He didn't think there were that many gay people in the world, but once Melvin lends Vincent his gaydar (a special ability whether to see if people are gay or not), he stares at everyone in amazement.

'I opened my eyes and gasped'

There were blue people everywhere around him! Melvin explains that if you see a blue person, then you know that their gay.

Finally, Vincent understands. He gets it. It's okay to be gay, you don't have to hide the truth. There are many others just like you, you just don't notice.

VINCENT EVOLVED into someone who wasn't afraid to be who they were. He wasn't sure if he was gay. He wasn't sure if he was straight. But either way, he was okay with it.

In the fifth grade, when I was 11, I hung out with four girls who were my closest friends. Or so I thought.

One day, three out of the four came up to me and asked me to talk to them in private. Of course I followed, trying not to be rude. As we arrived in a more private location, they began to converse.

They told me to stop being who I was, who I am.

According to them, I was childish, loud, unfocused, and it embarrassed them. I was to different.

They asked me to become more quiet, more serious, less talkative.  I was weird, and they didn't like it.

I was shocked, hearing what what was coming out of their mouths.

They didn't like the real me. Hearing that crushed me inside. I was destroyed, broken.

But even though there was a blazing fire burning my heart, that there was pain inside, I covered my true feelings with a smile, a sad smile. A smile that said " How could you? I thought we were friends!".
Still, I ignored everything my mind screamed at me, and I said that one word that I regretted so much at that very moment. That one word that crushed me more than the words they told me.

"Sure."

I did it, I did everything they told me to, until my closest friend from the group, the one who did not come up and hurt me with their words, told me something I was shocked to hear.

My three closest friends were in the girls bathroom talking about me.

Why?

Did I ever do something to them to make them treat me in such a way?

Was I just toyed with all along?

Of course I cried at the time. Hey, who wouldn't?

As I thought over the week why this happened to me, I came to a conclusion.

Screw it, I didn't care. Their opinions didn't matter to me. I was better then them. You want to know why?

Because I was different, because I AM different.

And I wasn't afraid to show it.

Now that I'm at M.s 51, and I have a group of friends who love me for who I am, I'm happy. I learned that its okay to be different, it's okay to be me.

At the moment, I do not regret this event that happened in my life, for without it, I wouldn't understand that its okay to be who you are.

And now that I'm brave, and I've experienced that moment, you can't break me. Nothing can.

Knowing that I have a loving family and friends, I am protected from any ones hurtful thoughts.

Everyone in this world likes to hide the truth, because they think it makes them different. Well, they're wrong. Just because you are something some one else is not, doesn't mean you both aren't human beings, the same kind.

No.

Your special when you show you are different. Why? Because you're not afraid to show your true colors.

And neither am I.

The Drummer Boy of Shiloh

        In the passage, "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh", by Ray Bradbury, I have noticed that Joby (The protagonist) has gone through some character development during an April night sometime before the war. In the beginning Exposition) Joby feels scared. Scared because he believes he will die, but he hides his noticeable fear through "lies" saying,

" Me, I'm the one, I'm the one of all the rest who wont die. I'll live through it. I'll go home. The band                                  
                                                 will play. And I'll be there to hear it."

I believe he pity's himself, for he does not want to partake in any of the war since he thinks he will die. Then, (Rising action) Joby feels even more scared since he is vulnerable. He does not have a weapon in hand, therefore, he believes he will surely die. Soon, the general appears and lectures him and the men (Soldiers) for being fools.

" Do you shave yet, boy? Even more of a fool. There's your cheek, fell night of the tree overhead. And the others here, not much older. Raw, raw the lot of you. You ready for tomorrow or the next day,
                                                                          Joby?"

The general tries to get Joby to man-up and stop crying, but then he admits that he himself was handling the situation no better.


        Next, (Climax) the general starts to convince Joby that he is indeed ver important for he is the "heart of the army".

 "You are the heart of the army. Think about that. Your are the heart of the army. Listen to me now."

Joby starts to listen, and the more he listens, the more courage he gets. He understands why he must do what he has to do. It is his destiny, to run through them, for the army, for the general, for HIMSELF.
After that, (Falling action) Joby is now not only confident, but ready to serve for everyones, including his own sake. He now knows that they cannot start nor finish without him.


        Finally, (Resolution) the general stops lecturing Joby, and ask's him the question he was destined to be asked from the beginning,

                                              " You'll run through for me then, boy?"



                                                                    " Yes, sir."


That was it, Joby was ready, and nothing could stop him. He believed in himself and the others believed in him.

" He lay next to it, his arm around it, feeling the tremor, the touch, the muted thunder as all the rest of the April night in the year 1862, near the Tennessee River, not for from the Owl Creek, very close to
                             the church named Shiloh, the peach blossoms fell on the drum"

I believe that Joby's character development relates to everyone in the world. Not everyone starts out confident, everyone can be scared. But that doesn't change who they are, who I am. We all gain a certain thing in life that takes time to receive.


                                                                      Courage.

Mockingbird

Caitlin is a 10 year old girl that has Asperger's syndrome*, and who normally does not understand things without the help of her older brother Devon, but that all changes when their is a shooting that takes place in his school, and sadly, he doesn't make it out alive. Now Caitlin has to figure things out with only the help of her textbooks and dictionaries, unless she opens up and decides to converse with her school counselor Mrs. Brook or her father, maybe even the kids lurking around the school playground.

I foresee that the protagonist (Caitlin) will open up to her guidance counselor and her father in order to understand things that Devon helped her understand. It may be a difficult task , but unless they do not try to help her constantly, their won't be any progress in helping Caitlin open up to her own kind.

           “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, Nothing is going to get better. It's not.” 
                                                                       ― Dr. Seuss, The Lorax


I also foresee that Caitlin will soon figure out how to deal with emotions and how to understand them. Even though it may be hard understanding things when you have Asperger's syndrome, you can only learn by trying hard and studying what you know countless times, such as how emotions function or what they are and how they work. Only then will she understand that she can interact with other kids her age if she knows how to  use her emotions and how others use them around her.

The scene that stood out to me the most in this book was Chapter 11: The day Our Life Fell Apart. This chapter explains what happened to not only Devon, but the reactions to his father and Caitlin also. This scene stood out to me the most, because I not only understood the pain that both Caitlin and her father, I felt it too. I also believe that this scene connects to the world because their are many families who lost a loved one that could not be saved. I have never experienced such, only people who were part of the family that I wasn't well acquainted with.

     All in all, I understand the pain Caitlin feels, even though she doesn't project her emotions at all.


* Asperger's syndrome: autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. Having trouble with social interaction and intense obsession of interest and activities. Usually the child has a higher than average intellectual ability.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

             Edward Tulane is a very fancy rabbit made of china. Edward dresses in fine silk clothing. He normally wears a suit and silk pajamas, but he's always carrying his pocket watch. Edward Tulane is very selfish and does not know the meaning of love or what it feels like, but when he is in a tight situation, he is full of fear. Edward Tulane does not talk, but thinks because he is but a china rabbit. Edward, at the moment, is feeling depressed, because he keeps on traveling farther away from each of his owners and never see them again.

             Edward doesn't really interact with others, but has a strong feeling towards them. For example, He loves Bull's singing and has a new fondness of Bull's dog. Every time Edward is possessed by a new owner, they switch his gender no matter what he wears and renames him. Everyone loves him and treats him like a human being. Even the author describes him as a rabbit who seems almost alive, not physically, but mentally. I adore Edward Tulane, even though he can be very bitter at times. He just seems like the ideal doll EVERYONE wants, even me!        

   

              In the book "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ", by Kate DiCamillo, The plot of the story is very sad but full of adventures. The plot of the story is for Edward Tulane to find his beloved owner Abilene. I believe that Edward Tulane has lots of voice. When he was a accidentally dropped into the ocean from a ship, he sank down with thoughts like " I need that pocket watch", showing he did not care he was sinking into the dark cold ocean . He then had a voice nonequivalent to the voice he had before. He was scared. He needed help, he did not want to be alone. " Help, Help!" he was screaming, he could not move, he could not talk, he just drifted onward until he reached ashore.

              Edward Tulane has different types of voice, but his most popular voice is either sarcasm or sadness. I like Edward Tulanes sarcasm voice because it adds a little humor to it. I can relate Edward to Steven from the book Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie because  they both speak or think in a sarcastic yet humorous way. One of Edwards voice's I dislike the most is the sad voice. I dislike it the most because all of his thoughts are so negative it makes me want to shout, " HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT!" In conclusion, Edward Tulane possesses lots of voice.