the end

Over the course of this year, we've read so many books and written so many blogs. The blogs have been a struggle--just to remember to do them. I did remember a great deal of them, and reading through them just now was kind of cool to see all we've worked on this year and my reflections on them. I never thought I'd ever be a blogger, but I guess I am now.
I find it funny how I sound in my posts, very informed and like I have important insight on the topics we covered. While writing them I never felt like I had a decent grasp on what I was analyzing, but looking back, it seems like I knew exactly what was going on. That could be because I don't remember how I misinterpreted things now that so much time has passed since I read The Jungle or whatever we were writing about.
Sometimes I really liked what I'd written, like in a post about life lessons, I wrote, "Now when I find myself in an altercation with someone, I reflect on the wise words of my elders and re-examine my actions, which generally deflates the situation, resolving the conflict in a much more peaceful manner." My concentrated use of big words makes that voice in my head sound sarcastic, and reminds me of the many times I spent rolling my eyes at the fact that I was blogging on a Friday night.
Some posts were more serious and heartfelt, like when I wrote about my best friend Zoe. I probably spent an hour and a half trying to make it perfect.
The overall theme of my blog could be summed up with a quote from Boxer, in Animal Farm: "I will work harder!" My struggling with this blog always made me mad, so whenever I forgot to write a blog, I'd scrawl on anything I could find "DO YOUR BLOG" so I might remember next time. It's been working for the most part, just in time for the very end of the year.

...

I don't consider myself an accomplished essayist, I can write them just fine, but they aren't anything spectacular. I'd love it if they were, but I never have anything particularly interesting to say about the works we write about. And if the writer isn't excited about what they're writing about, chances are that the reader isn't either. I think the purpose of literary analysis is to have a fuller understanding of the work (novel, play, etc). To put your own spin on the work--what you got out of it, something that maybe another person didn't.
Challenges for me include having a unique point of view that I'm comfortable with writing an entire essay on. Some of my ideas I don't trust, or want to put effort into making it make sense to others. Which, yes, is terribly lazy of me. I put a lot of thought into my Romeo and Juliet essay, but I have doubts that I'll recieve all 100%. My last essays have been in the B range, but I'm fixing my essay tomorrow in accordance to why the last ones lost points.

Summer Reading

I've enjoyed reading books on my own since learning to read in elementary school. My taste in books has changed progressively since then, of course, and lately I've struggled with finding decent books I'm interested in. Reading for classes and homework have kept me pretty occupied too, but this summer my schedule will be free and my reading shall (hopefully) pick up.
For my reading list, I'm thinking of trying Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, as I read Wuthering Heights by her sister Emily this year. That seems a little ambitious though, so we'll see.
Another book I've been thinking about reading for really a long time now is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. I've liked several of her books and this one seems like it's got an interesting concept. It's non-fiction, but has great reviews (from my mother at least). Barbara Kingsolver and her family decided to live off food grown within a 100 mile radius of their home for a year, and this book is all about that, as well as interspersed with how the the agriculture industry has changed our eating habits.
As summer gets nearer, I'm going to add more books to my list, but for now, this is all I've got.

culture shock-o valencia

O Valencia, by the Decemberists is a fantastic song, and tells the story of forbidden love and an unnecessary death as a result.

"You belong to the gang
And you say you can't break away
But I'm here with my hands on my heart

Our families can't agree
I'm your brother's sworn enemy
But I'll shout out my love to the stars

So wait for the stone on your window, your window
Wait by the car and we'll go, we'll go

When first we laid eyes
I swore to no compromise
'Til I felt my caress on your skin

Well, how soon we were betrayed
Your sister gave us away
And your father came all unhinged

So wait for the stone on your window, your window
Wait by the car and we'll go, we'll go

Oh Valencia
With your blood still warm on the ground
Valencia
And I swear to the stars
I'll burn this whole city down

All I heard was a shout
Of your brother calling me out
And you ran like a fool to my side

Well the shot, it hit hard
And your frame went limp in my arms
And an oath of love was your dying cry

So wait for the stone on your window, your window
Wait by the car and we'll, go we'll go

Oh Valencia
With your blood still warm on the ground
Valencia
And I'll burn this whole city down
Valencia
With your blood gettin' cold on the ground
Valencia
And I swear to the stars
I'll burn this whole city down"

English extra cred

Previous english classes were a lot more do-what-you-want. I've found high school honors english have a much higher standard for assignments and stricter instructions. In the beginning of this year I thought english was pretty easy, but as the year has progressed our workload seems to have increased and I'm finding it hard to get things done in time.
I don't mind the reading for the most part, I used to read all the time outside of school, but now I pretty much only read what's assigned. Great Expectations wasn't as terrible as I initially thought it would be, I actually liked it by the end. Annotating takes something out of the enjoyment, but I understand that it's necessary to make sure we are actually reading.

Question

I've been understanding most everything we've read in the past few weeks. But in chapter 40, I got a little confused. Pip mentions that Herbert was gone, but was he really gone a year, and in that time, where was Magwitch(Provis?)? This was around page 338.

Photo Post

http://www.bullandbearclothiers.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/tailor_cutting_fabric_2.jpg

Ideally, this picture would include a boy holding a fistful of money, and another boy, perhaps with a broom, and somehow showed how the man acts completely differently toward each of them, but as it is just a man cutting out a suit, you'll have to use your imagination.
But this man represents Mr. Trabb, and how his respect for people is coming from how full their pockets are, rather than their character or something good-hearted people might value. Mr. Trabb's attitude was completely reversed when Pip mentioned he had come across a great deal of money. This was further reflected when you noticed the contrast between his treatment of Pip and "his boy".