10.24.2007

Assignment 6: Poe and Fear EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

1. I do not like being frightened. I have a very healthy imagination and it can run away with me and I need someone to catch me (that like totally reminds me of the movie Dreamer... sorry- side tracked) to calm me down and turn on the light and show me the normal non threatening TV that is not a serial killer crouching in the dark. It is ok to be frightened in a movie when you aren't by yourself, and it’s ok to be frightened when you are with someone you'd trust with your life- like your dad.

2. What scares me? hm... spiders sometimes, but not as bad as Ron :P I get really creeped out when I’m the last person awake at night. I don’t want to turn off the light- as soon as I do all the furniture turns into scary stuff. To me all the tragedies that are happening every where are horrific. like seriously. really really hard to grapple/ come to terms with. And I’m WAY more scared about subtle possibilities than actual blood and gore.

3. A good definition for madness is when someone is no longer acting rationally. They may be able to think rationally, but that is not what is dictating their actions. Also, when someone may act relatively normally but things they say are universally nonsensical, I would have to claim that they were mad as well.

4. Anger is more than capable of driving people to madness. So is war. Politics. People go insane when they are in an extreme state that they can no longer control or they no longer have the will to control. It’s a lot like cells in hypertonic or hypotonic solutions. hyper: so much is going on inside their head that they can no longer control their actions. hypo: so much is going on outside of them, they can no longer control their environment and they withdraw inside themselves and ignore the world.

10.15.2007

Red Roses for her

I creak out of the car and get the flowers out of the back seat. The cold makes me move like an old man, but only little kids call me old. I shudder up the path, past other people's memories. There must be miles of stories behind each person here, but only a few people know each one. Finally I arrive at my memory. I lay down my blood red roses, and let the memories flood.

It’s my fault she’s dead. She was perfect. I don’t just mean beautiful, and I don’t mean she was faultless, but she was perfect. I held her and loved her- and left her. I didn’t realize by moving on I was leaving happiness behind. We Americans always think there’s something better, or newer or more exciting around the corner. Well this time I was wrong- so wrong. I thought it would be as easy for her to let go as it was for me. I’ve never made a bigger mistake.

She loved me more than life itself, I guess. There are a lot of things she taught me, a lot of things I never knew. I never knew love could destroy. I never knew I loved her until it was too late. I never knew regret until that day. And now I know I will never know light.

I’ve been bringing her roses every year on her birthday since I first met her, always a dozen red ones. The only year I ever missed was the year she died; the year I failed in life, the year my heart stopped all functions besides beating. I wish it had stopped that too. But it didn’t- I’m still here. I still have to remember.

We got married right out of college. We both thought we’d be happy forever, but I couldn’t get a job. She worked while I stayed home, looking in the classifieds for job offers. I was either under or way over qualified for everything. Her parents always had thought I was good for nothing. It turns out they were right, although I don’t think knowing they were right makes them feel any better.

We never had kids; I didn’t want any. I don’t even know if she did or not. They could have comforted her, or persuaded me to stay. But I was slowly sinking into the depths of depression and I don’t think they would have been able to stop me. She was always cheerful, always positive. She was the sun to me, but I tired of light. I wanted to be in utter darkness. So I left. I didn’t know that without someone to shine for, the sun would die.

And that’s how it happened. The sun just stopped. The world froze in its orbit. Everything is now cold and lifeless. The only color left is red, blood red. The roses.

10.11.2007

Short Story beginnings (assignment 5)

1. I slowly get out of the car and then get the flowers out of the back seat. The cold makes me move like an old man, but only little kids call me old. I shudder up the path, past other people's memories, I'm sure there are miles of stories behind each person here. Finally I arrive at my memory. And I lay down my blood red roses, and let the memories flood.

2. I watch the leaves blow past, tumbling and rolling, in tumbleweed fashion. The tree they came from shadows me as I stand still, reminiscing and regretting. This place, cold by nature, is colder still by fall. The dreary landscape is colorless like an old time photo, except for the bloody roses I placed on her blanket of dry brown grass.

3. coming soon :P

10.03.2007

My Blues; an assignment from APAL

I’ve got the blues
Oh I’ve got the blues real bad
I’ve got this terrible assignment
And my inspiration’s real sad

That’s only four lines
I’ve got to write eight more
Isn’t it painfully clear,
I’ve never written blues before

I’ve got the blues
I’ve got the blues real bad,
I’m struggling through this task
But the product’s kind of sad

I wish that I was done
I guess that I could be,
But I like to over achieve
So this’ll be the last stanza by me

Oh I’ve got the blues,
Reeeaal
Baaaaaaaaaad

Assignment 4 part two: what makes a good short story

1) a plot is very necessary for a short story to be good. with out plot, nothing happens, and if nothing happens, the characters don't change, and if the characters don't change, there is no point to the story. Thus a plot is necessary.
2) Strong interesting characters. it is important for the characters of a story to 1) exist and 2) be somewhat developed in order to keep the readers attention.
3) emotion. a story is boring with out emotion.
4) originality: people don't want to read the same thing over and over again- usually. unless they really really liked it the first time. and to like it the first time it needs to be original :P
5) relativity- people need to be able to relate to the characters and the situation
6) spontinaety- its more enjoyable if you can't predict what exactly will happen.
7) conflict- its necessary to promote change, and change= not boring.
8) suspense- keep people on the edge of their seats and turning the pages.
9) action- good way to hold suspense- fightscenes are a great action element to add
10) Love. not necessairly romance, but if the only emotion in a story is hate, its hard to love the story.

Assignment 4 part one: tales of a CREEPY CREPPY CREEPY tale

personal reaction= CREEPINESS TO THE MAX!

a) because it makes everything more creepy- just the concept of being home alone and then hearing a car drive into your driveway when there isn't supposed to be anyone there scares the crap out of me.

b) Connie's character draws the reader in because she's so plausible and real and unreal at the same time. She cant get along with her mom, all her relatives like her older sister better, her dad is never there. She's also popular and beautiful and lies constantly to her parents.

c) i just want to say i am never answering the door when I'm home alone again unless i know for sure who it is. and i think that might very well have been the purpose Joyce Carol Oats was driving at.

d) i don't know- i wish i had never read it, it makes me feel physically nauseous.

e) i think they left in the car and the CREEPY guy raped her and then he probably dropped her home after threatening her that she couldn't tell anyone. and she most likely never did.

f) well, he's so important to the story because without him there is no story. but also i have no idea how he got that way. it is sick and disgusting and it scare the crap out of me that such men exist. and like i said before it's going to take alot of convincing to get me to open the door both if i'm home alone and even more so if i'm home with my little sister.