Writing prompt

Daily Writing Prompts

How do family and friends influence our coming of age?

        Kids at school act differently depending on where they are and who they are with. They are two different people when they are with either their friends or family. With you friends, you want to fit in and just have fun with everything. You aren't afraid to act strange, and be weird because it's just your friends who are the same as you. But when you are with your parent, you act in a certain way. You can't  say just anything in front of your parents.

        At school, you deal with different problems with friends. Friendship issues always gets in the way of things. Maybe, your two best friends are fighting and you don't know what to do. Or maybe, you are in the middle of an argument with a close friend and you fear that they will be mad at you forever.

        At home, your family drives you crazy. You have certain responsibilities that you take care of. You may not realize it but, all of those things that you do now will affect your adult life. Things like taking out the garbage, or washing the dishes are just training.

Response: Story of a Girl

Deanna Lambert is an outcast at school, who deals with bullies, has family problems, and just wishes she could take back her past like many other in the world.

         In my book, "Story of a girl", by, "Sara Zarr", Deanna Lambert was caught up in her so called love life. At thirteen years old, she was dating Tommy Webber. A guy who was almost out of high school, apparently was the boyfriend  of an eight grade girl. Without thinking, Deanna disappears with Tommy. One day, she got caught doing something she shouldn't have been doing in the back of Tommy's car with Tommy.

          For a eight grade girl's reputation to be ruined, all you need is a scandalous moment, and a school full of people who love to gossip. The secret was between Deanna, Tommy, and Deanna's father. But of course, secrets like those find their way out to the world to haunt you. If a 17 year old is caught in the back seat of a car fooling around with a 13 year old girl, you can't expect people to forget about such a thing.

           At that age, everything seems so difficult. You feel misunderstood, and you feel like you life will end. At some point in your life, you will feel insecure whether it's about you facial features, body, or just your self in general. Some people deal with middle school drama, but some just get caught up in the situation. There are also people, like Deanna Lambert who, believe they can accept it. But, Deanna has all of these feelings. She's holding in everything going on in her life. The bullying, the gossiping, the hatred, the past, family, school, work, and Tommy, will eventually get to her and she will open up with a scream.

         "This is the thing: Pacifica is a stupid small town with only one real high school, where everyone else knows everyone else's business and the rumored never stop until some other kid is dumb enough to do something that makes a better story. But my story had the honor of holding the top spot over two years running. I mean, a senior getting caught with his pants down on top of an eighth grade girl, by the girl's father was pretty hard to beat" basically, Deanna accepts here that, that is what happened and can not take it back. She expects people to not talk to her, and probably thinks that, that is how her life was supposed to be like. I think this because, she doesn't exactly complain or directly wishes she was somebody else. She just deals with things, and her life goes on.

         Deanna faces her ex boyfriend daily. The guy that changed her life, stands by her everyday, playfully taunting her while making pizzas. Deanna's bravery stands out here. Instead of crying, she stands up for her self, and show that she has moved on. I believe that she does this because, she does not want to show any weakness torwards Tommy or anyone else. "Tommy leaned on the cash register and watched me. "You're not even going to say hi to me, Dee Dee?", his voice shot through me. It's amazing, the things your body will do just when you don't want them to: heart speeding up, fingers aching." Deanna doesn't want to admit that she is actually scared.

         Deanna's character relates to the lives of lots of 16 year old girls in the world. High school and middle school girls, suffer through the pressure to be perfect. Popularity is something that girls would kill for, but what exactly does it mean to be popular? It seems like if you are popular, you have lots of friends and you are loved by everyone. But, popular means something different in some other people's perspective. People see popular as, being pretty, having lots of stuff, dressing in a certain way, and talking to certain people. I think this is because of what people see in the media. People watch movies like, "Mean girls", and see that popular people are mean so that's how they have to be. But that's not at all what being popular has to be all about.

          All of this is normal but in the end, most of the middle/high school drama  won't mean anything to you when you are an adult. The desire to be popular is something that you leave behind as you grow older because you learn that it doesn't matter at all. Respect on the other hand, is something that all people deserves.

            

Growing Up

What does it mean to grow up?

        Growing up means, leaving behind your childhood.  As you grow older, you let go of things you wouldn't think you would let go of.  Eventually, a little girl will loose interest in her barbie, and move on to wearing actual make-up and electronics like iPods and cellphones. When you are 12, you slowly break out of your shell and explore the world. You are so close to teen hood which is where you earn your independence.  Your father no longer holds your hand and takes you to the park.

         At 13 years old, you feel grown up. You feel ready to take control, and you have ideas and plans for what you want to do. You discover your personal style, and learn new things. But before you know it, you are off to high school, then college. In a flash, you are in the adult world.  You have left behind your life as a child. There are no more cliques or, homework assignments to focus on or be apart of. You have entered the world of adults.

         The adult world, was what confused children the most. Adult hood seemed so glamorous though. You got to own things, leave the house by your self whenever, and you got to drink fancy looking drinks that kids couldn't drink. Adults didn't even need money, they had magical cards that did anything for you.

         But as you grow up, you slowly begin to face reality. You soon realize that the fabulous life you imagined, was not exactly what you expected. You have new problems, more responsibilities, and your parents won't be there for you all the time. You take care of yourself. 

Responses to student blogs

Kate M.

Kate's writing is very elaborated and just well written. I was moved by Kate's incident poem. I love the way she started it. "I saw it all like a movie". I like how she started off her poem with a simile. The rest of her poem was very emotional, but I wasn't sure what the poem was actually about though. But I actually think that, the fact that I don't understand what it means, makes the poem even better. It's almost like the poem itself has a secret, and hides it from the reader. Kate's writing was very smooth, and descriptive. I really liked it, Kate is a great writer. :)

Astrid A.

Astrid's writing is very detailed, and organized. I really enjoyed her Mother to son response. She pointed out what this poem really means, and shows what parts of the poem are most important. Astrid even quoted the poem, and gave her own interpretation on what each line meant. Something else that I admire about this entry is that, Astrid ends the post with a quote from the poem. And since the mother to son poem was mainly about a mother trying to motivate her son into going further in life, it was nice how Astrid ended the post with, "Life has been hard for me, but I never gave up on it, I kept on going, and so should you, because waiting for your problems to solve themselves will only make things worse. Just keep on living your life." Good job Astrid, you are cool! :)


Gabby G.


Gabby is a smooth and descriptive writer. Her poem called, "New friends", really stood out to me. When I read it, I felt like I knew exactly what she was saying through her writing and I felt that I had been in the same situation myself. Gabby's poem represents an issue that is seen everyday. It basically shows social pressure, and how people change themselves to get the acceptance of others and try to fit in. Gabby's poem has meaning and was wonderfully written. Hurray, this was great Gabby! :)

Independent reading book response: Falling in love with English boys

Thesis Question: How are things in the past connected to things in modern day life?    
      My book involves do different girls who happen to both be named Katherine. The book shows both perspectives, of each girl, and expresses the difference of the time period between both girls. As I read this book, I tried spotting things like, how London has changed since Katherine Percival's time. I found similarities that I thought to be oddly close. These similarities aren't necessarily about London's change in time, but they are more about their social lives and/or how a teenaged girl adjusts to new things. Basically, I scanned the book for the behavior of both girls. People in the past connect to people in the present whether it's by blood relation, or by common interests, life styles, etc.
      Since the title is, "Falling in love with english boys", obviously, there will be romance in the book. Kat and Cat both dealt wanting to fall in love with the right guy, keeping/meeting new friends, and being curious about the world. There is a historical aspect through Katherine's writing.
      "Falling in love with english boys", was written by, Melissa Jansen. This book was about a girl named Cat who, was dragged to London, England by her mother who, is conducting research at a british museum about a girl named, Mary Percival who was an infamous poet from Britain. Cat felt stranded and lonely while being in London. Sure, she could shop on Oxford street when ever she felt like it but, she just can't enjoy herself without her best friends to chat with, and her ex-boyfriend to tease.
          When Cat gets her hands on Katherine Percival's (Mary Percival's daughter) diary, Cat's mother almost forces her to read it. Cat soon learns that she has a lot in common with this Katherine girl. They both have the same name, same lifestyle and fall in love with some one in England.
          Through out Cat's adventure in London, she meets some interesting british girls, shops in new stores, learns new words/terms, and along the way meets the amazing, William Percival. Will happens to be a descendent of Katherine, the writer of the diary Cat has been reading. Will is the perfect guy. He's handsome, sweet, and polite. (I'm not even going to lie, I even fell for Will even though he's just a character from the book, hehehe)
          I must say that, I love reading books like these. I tend to enjoy clever, romantic, fun books that take place in England. But, I think something that interested me the most about this book was, the fact that Cat is from America. She came from America, all the way to England. What a transition!  I've never been to England but, I could almost imagine my self in Cat's shoes. When she first arrived she probably had that feeling where, she was so nervous that, she tried to hide that nervousness by acting like she doesn't care about anything or she's only interested in going back home. But, how amazing would it be to be able to travel far from home!
          I honestly didn't love the character of Cat. She wasn't awful but, I felt that she complained way too much. For almost the first half of the book, all she talked about was how boring her life was and how much she wanted to go back home to her friends. But yet, she's in London and eventually finds a sweet british guy. William on the other hand, was simply lovely. He was just adorable, and understood Cat.
          Overall, this book was enjoyable. "Falling in love with english boys", is the perfect book to read just for fun. You will adore some of the characters, and will feel like you are in London yourself. Something unique about this book was that, it was written from two perspectives. The way this book was written is in two formats, diary entries, and blog posts. Obviously, Cat is the one who is blogging and Katherine is the one who is writing though. This book was the perfect book for me, and I seriously recommend this book to people who enjoy clever romances that possibly take place in England.

Forward: Fashion

        Fashion plays a huge role in society. Depending on just a setting, fashions of an environment can differ from another. As humans advance, artistically talented people with potential introduce new ways of dressing and beautiful new artworks that are somewhat wearable.

       The subject of fashion is so complex. Being original, and wowing your audience takes years of training and experience. Every designer has a story, and of course starts somewhere in order to become a well-known fashion designer in this world.

       I appreciate fashion. It has always been my dream to be apart of the fashion industry, and live up to fashion legends such as, Vivienne Westwood, or Alexander McQueen. Having a mother, who illustrates fashion, is a delight! I grew up surrounded by visual arts, and watching both my parents create art. I was born with a strong, artistic vision. And so, my inspiration began there.

Poetry Project: 1st Draft

Simply a dress

Exquisite.

1930's silk,

Covered with sequined flowers.

French designer's

Original.

Jean Patou.

First worn by

A beautiful

Young

Actress.

People starred,

People complimented,

People were jealous.

It was simply a dress.

Little black dress

In every

Woman's survival kit,

There is

A little black dress.

So simple yet so elegant,

A sensational

Black

Raw

Silk

Little black dress.

My Papa's Waltz: By: Theodore Roethke

My Papa's Waltz

The whiskey on your breath Could make a small boy dizzy; But I hung on like death: Such waltzing was not easy. We romped until the pans Slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance Could not unfrown itself. The hand that held my wrist Was battered on one knuckle; At every step you missed My right ear scraped a buckle. You beat time on my head With a palm caked hard by dirt, Then waltzed me off to bed Still clinging to your shirt            When I first read this poem, I had the idea that the author was trying to express the theme of child abuse through his poetry. I believed that the author purposely wrote this poem in a way that seemed calm, but had a darker story behind it that he wanted you to think more deeply about.            But after reading the poem again and again, I realized that the author was being literal about the, "Waltz". "The whiskey on your breath could make a small boy dizzy.", This whole time, I thought that the author was implying that, the father in the poem was drunk. But if you really think about it, there is no proof that the father is drunk.            "We romped until the pans slid from the kitchen shelf; My mother's countenance could not un-frown itself", This whole time, I thought that this meant that the father was still drunk and without realizing, he destroyed the kitchen.            I believe that this poem is basically just about a father and son, waltzing around the house. They are just playing around. The father is so clumsy that, he knocks down a bunch of pans accidently. although the father didn't mean to, the other probably was upset simply about the mess. The father isn't the best dancer which probably explains why he had missed so many steps while dancing. So, this poem could be about two things. A father and son, playfully waltzing around their home, or a drunk father who abuses his own son without realizing it.

Narrative Poem: Fashion Illustration

I sketched.
Non stop, my hand maneuvered
around the white sheet,
creating shapes, and
smooth contour lines.
I was in the zone.

It was almost like a dream,
so simple yet so complex.
I heard voices,
demanding my presence down stairs.
I ignored them all,
too busy to leave behind what I have already
accomplished.

The final touches.
It was divine.
It was complete.
I pin it up to the bare wall,
to watch it from a distance.
Another piece in my collection.

An Incident

The loud rays of the sun, softened.
I watched how to sky darkened,
from a sweet baby blue,
to a pure,
deep, dark blue.

The ocean was cold first.
I slowly entered the salty waters,
simply thinking about nothing.

I was alone.
I shut my eyes, ceasing to remember
things. I floated.
Still.

Distant from shore,
I tilted my head back to watch
the dimming sky.
I listened to waves, rushing back and forth.

My mind had became conscious,
I recollected me. I felt lost,
I was too far.

A sudden overwhelming fear,
took over me.
I had forgotten how to swim.
I fell beneath the ocean waters, feeling
the waves brushing
over me.

I kicked, and
kicked as water flowed into my mouth
and nose.
I was blind under deep blue ocean,
salt burned my eyes.

I felt my hands resting on the sand.
I was still living.
I opened my eyes to only darkness.
Turning back to the sea was almost
painful.

Incident: Poem

Eight, small
He
was no larger, in
size, or
shape,
or height

Even at youth,
Bold lessons are taught.
Not everyone will
delicately greet you,
and will be as
pleasant as
You are.

Poem On An Piece Of Art

She

Is anonymous.

Distant,

Silent,

Lost in a crowd.

She is like a boiling rock,

under the loud heat rays of the sun.

Strong,

Steady,

on the outside.

Insecure,

In hiding,

Inside.

What is she thinking right now?

People avoid her,

Or does she just avoid others herself.

She's so pale,

cold,

Where is she coming from?

The Starry Night

That does not keep me from having a terrible need of -- shall I say the word -- religion. Then
I go out at night to paint the stars.

--Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother
By: Anne Sexton

The town does not exist
except where one black-haired tree slips
up like a drowned woman into the hot sky.
The town is silent. The night boils with eleven stars.
Oh starry starry night! This is how
I want to die.

It moves. They are all alive.
Even the moon bulges in its orange irons
to push children, like a god, from its eye.
The old unseen serpent swallows up the stars.
Oh starry starry night! This is how
I want to die:

into that rushing beast of the night,
sucked up by that great dragon, to split
from my life with no flag,
no belly,
no cry.




In 1889, Vincent Van Gogh painted,
“The Starry Night”, while in an asylum. The Starry night portrays a ray-less
scenery with eleven illuminating stars in the night sky. Van Gogh balanced his
painting with a combination of angry motions and serenity. While being in an
asylum, his feelings must have been conflicted. Confused with his own emotions,
he still imagined peacefulness and calmness in his mind.
Anne Sexton ingrains powerful
themes such as, life and death in her poem. It seems that she is drawn to Van
Gogh’s powerful sky, It is something that she consistently stresses in the
poem. “The night boils with eleven stars. Oh starry starry night! This is how I
want to die”. Here, The writer gives away the main image of the poem. Without
even seeing the actual painting, you can visualize the vibrant sky that Van
Gogh had painted. “It moves. They are all alive. Even the moon bulges its
orange irons to push children, like an god, from its eye”. Here, the writer
shows how she sees both the stars and the moons. She believes that the moon and
the stars in the painting are alive.
I noticed that the writer repeats
the line, “Oh starry night! This is how I want to die”. I believe that Anne
Sexton was trying to express her feelings toward death. The painting exposes a
beautiful scenery, and I think that Anne Sexton thought that taking place in
the painting and peacefully dieing there would bring her happiness. I am
convinced that Van Gogh felt the same exact way. While being in an asylum, he
probably wanted to be free. Painting was a way he could express his emotions.
While being trapped in a small room, he painted. He imagined a scene where
there were glowing stars in a deep blue sky. A bulging, yellow moon at the
corner of the sky, and a peaceful town at bottom. I think that Van Gogh dreamed
about being able to live like that. Vincent
Van Gogh and Anne Sexton both expressed their emotions through some sort of
art. Van Gogh used his paintings, and   Anne Sexton used her poetry. There are sure a lot of
ways to interpret this poem. But, what was Anne Sexton trying to convey in
her  poem? Is she trying to show that she wants to die? Or, is she trying to reveal her
feelings towards, "The Starry Night" to readers, and show how
beautiful the themes of painting are. 
This poem, and the painting by Van Gogh or both very similar, even
though one is literature   
and the other is a painting. Any work of art can be interpreted in many
ways.

What is Poetry?

Poetry is what defines your inner 

self,

an imaginative experience in the mind that can be

expressed

through 

music

love

friendship.

Poetry evokes a beautiful 

rhythm,

the nature of art and passion.

Poetry exposes the 

heart and the

shimmering light in hiding, beneath your skin.

Poetry brightens the dimmed corners of a room.

Poetry in unique.

Individuality.

Francoise Nielly: Painting: Rebecca

Observations:

1.     Uses only black, whites, and a bit of red

2.     Looks like oil paint

3.     A painting of a women

4.     One of the artist’s only painting done in black and white

5.     Soft, rough, small big brush strokes

6.     Palette knife technique used

            Inferences:

1.     Maybe her work expresses how she sees others

2.     There must be a story behind why, “Rebecca”, is in black and white, and all the other paintings are very bright and colorful.

            Interpretations:

1.     Rebecca’s sad history/background

2.     Nielly uses unrealistic colors for her subject

3.     White can represent how pale, or cold Rebecca is as a person or physically

4.     Used a knife, rather then a brush to do this painting. Maybe the shows that Rebecca’s personality isn’t so soft and smooth

5.     possibly represent blood