What kind of person are you?

                  

        Animals are often good judges of character in people. A lot can be learnt about people from the way they treat their animals or just any animals in general. I see this as a way to how they would treat other human being around them. This is how I classified it. If someone were to treat any animal badly whether it was theirs or not tells a lot about their personality. Most people would treat their pets or animal nicely but when it comes to an animal they see on the street or someone else they wouldn’t care less for it. But for one reason or another I understand it. When someone is close to you, you automatically treat them better than someone who isn’t close to you. You have a connection with them. Just like how we treat strangers the way we do.  

      Some may say animals are of lesser beings because they are lower on the food chain, and some may say there are people who look at other people as lesser beings because of wealth or social status. In some ways I think that if you are “good” you would treat everyone fairly. “Everyone” to me includes the animals around us. My father always tells me to treat other people the way you want to be treated. So why treat anyone or any animal badly? Would you like to be treated badly in return?

     But then again what is considered "good" treatment of animals is up to interpretation. We think "humane" treatment of animals is just. But think of cultures that sacrifice animals for religious practice. They are clearly religious ties into that, yet the murder of an animal is seen as "good" treatment of that animal. And what about rats or other unwanted animal? We only care for them so we can use them as lab rats or to our own advantages.

So here’s my question to you, “Can we really judge a person by the way they treat animals?” 

Is It All Hamlet's Fault?

                         

            After reading Hamlet there are many thoughts that pop into my head. What would've  or wouldn't have happen if Hamlet was committed to the act of revenge from the beginning. It is Hamlet’s inability to avenge the murder of his father that drives the plot forwards.  Because of Hamlet’s indecisiveness the deaths of Polonius, Laertes, Ophelia, Gertrude, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are resulted from Hamlet’s delay. So I couldn't help myself but think that if Hamlet had acted earlier, lives could have been saved.

            The second thought was that if Hamlet would've just killed and be done with Claudius sooner, than would he developed any mental insanity. Because Hamlet couldn't strain himself to kill Claudius he ended up thinking too much. His brain started to build an emotional and psychological complexity that backfire on him. But then again we aren't sure if the insanity part of him was just a front that Hamlets put up just to deceive his opponent. 

Are you insane?

                 

You might ask how can we know if someone is insane or not? Is it easy to distinguish sane individuals from insane?

Here’s my thought on it. When someone is insane they would never admit that they are insane. They would make any excuses or arguments to prove that they are normal. They would even go through the whole nine yields to counteract that others are crazy and different vs. themselves.

A normal person would instead admit fault or falling emotions but not an insane person. A sane person would say something like this, “Today I am not ok, and I’m acting crazy. An insane person would never say that. They hold everything inside until they explode.

So do yourself and others a favor by releasing your stress on someone or something instead of just holding it in. Ask someone for their ears or a shoulder to cry on. Don’t just hold all the emotions and angry in, you might just explode one day and go insane. 

Why do people hate poetry?

                     

                You might want to ask yourself, “Do I like poetry, do I hate poetry, or is it that I just don’t care?”.There are different reasons why people have distaste for poetry. Someone might not like poetry because they are usually very long. E.g. 1000 words are used to say something where 20 simple ones would suffice. Poetries are sometimes very deep. And there is nothing worst then having to read and memorize the content of a poem that you hate for a class or test. But, most of the times people hate poetry because it was force on them when they weren't ready for it. We are usually introduced to poems and rhyme skims in elementary school. At that young age our minds are still developing and isn't used to the basic concept of poetry yet. So when it is force on us like that, we will usually develop a hate relationship with it.  And you can’t deny the fact that maybe you took poetry for what it is, in the wrong way. So just remember this, there are different types of poetry, sometimes you might hate one type of poetry and like another. So why not give poetry another chance. It can’t possible hurt you in any way!

Crime and Punishment

                 

Do you believe in life after death? Well, I do. I recently finish reading Dante’s Inferno, about his journey through hell. People who have committed crimes when they are alive will ultimately have to pay for it in death. Most people believe that after death they will either be reincarnate (reborn), go to heaven or hell (depending on the good or bad deeds they have committed on earth), or there is no life after death (when you’re dead, you’re dead).

I am one of those people who believe that after you are dead you will either go to heaven or hell, but you can also be reincarnated (if you choose to). If you were to commit sins and crimes when you are alive you will have to answer to the devil. You will eternally decay in hell or nurture in heaven. The action that you take will decide the path that you take after your dead.  So now the question is, do you believe in life after death? 

Point of View

               

With different novels comes different point of view. This not only depends on the type of story someone is reading but also the person reading it. If you were to read from a different angle in which the previous person has read the story than obviously the results will be different. Imagine that a piece of painting is being display in a gallery. With each and every individual who walks into that gallery will come a different mindset which will result in different prospective and conclusion. So the next time when you come across an idea that makes no sense to you, just remember that it somehow in some way make senses to someone else. Different people have different opinions and thoughts, so not everything you set your mind to will always be right or wrong.

Literature and art are very alike in my opinion. E.g. when you look at a piece of abstract art like this one what do you see?

                        
                         
I see a lady holding up a circular piece of object like the sun/moon, dancing next to two trees, while a rocket is launching be hide her.
Did you see that?
This is a good example of different point of view because different people will produce different type of prospective when looking at this picture. 

Slow at reading?

Imagine that you’re sitting in class and is about to take a literature test. The teacher passes out the test papers and when it gets to you, you started reading and notice that most of the stuff you’re reading doesn't make a single sense to you. You have no idea what it’s about! You keep re-reading the same passage over and over again to no avail. What did you do wrong?

Stop talking to yourself when you read. People talk to themselves in 2 ways, by:
vocalizing, which is the actual moving of your lips as you read, and
sub vocalizing, which is talking to yourself in your head as you silently read.

Don't keep re-reading the same phrases.
Poor readers habitually read and re-read the same phrase over and over again. This habit of making "regressions" doubles or triples reading time and often does not result in better comprehension. A single careful, attentive reading may not be enough for full comprehension, but is often more effective than constant regressions in the middle of a reading. It is best to work on paying closer attention the first time through.

Vary your reading rate to suit the difficulty and type of writing of the text. Poor readers always read at the same slow rate. An efficient reader speeds up for easier material and slows down for the hard. Some things were not meant to be read quickly at all. 

Reading Style

                         

              To be an effective and good reader you must be able to identify the reading style that suit your reasons for reading. Most flexible readers adopt a reading style to make their readings both entertaining and meaningful. Some people take their time reading slow while taking in all the materials mention in that certain passages. While other might just skim through the passages with a ZAP! I on the other hand, like to read with a tone to my voice. I think that emphasis the article more and give the author more credit since we're putting some effort into reading it. If I was on the other side of the fence listening on to someone else read, I think that if they were to read with some kind of tone, it would makes it easier to understand the article. So what is your style of reading? I just hope your not one of those people who read like a dead zombie.....

Writing Style

           There are million and million of writers in the world, and each and everyone of them have their own writing style. The writing style referred to the manner in which the author chooses to write for his/her audience. A person's style reveal their innermost personality and character. This can be done by simply changing words around, rephrasing sentence structure, adding diction, and organizing figures of speech.

          Different people will ultimately have different technique in their writing style. The writers will always reflect themselves in their writing. At first you might not know what style of writing is right for you, but the more you write - the more you learn. There is a saying that goes, "It takes a true reader to be a good writer". I believed this is one-hundred and ten percent right! You have to expose yourself to different type of writing style before you know which is the right fit for you.

          Because different writer have different writing skills, you can learn from them - the more you read their writing. So the fastest way to advance your writing skill is to .....READ READ READ!

Reality and Dreams?

What if everything was just a dream? Yesterday's past, today's present and even tomorrow's future? What if this was all a movie, and we are just an imaginary characters made up to play a role? Have you ever thought of that?

I know I have. Through the good times and even the bad times, I have always thought to myself, "What if everything was just a dream, and when I wake up, will I still be here?". 

John was down on his luck, his car payment was due, and his house is on the break of foreclosure. He put all his hope on his last ten-dollar bill, and decided to buy a lottery ticket. "If he does win then that would put 117 million dollars in his bank account. But if he does lose, what differences would that make.", John thought. 

A week has pass by and John has now lost his job. His wife has left him, leaving their thirteen children unattended. He is now on the verge of losing it, when all of a sudden his twelve months old son knock over the remote control and the news channel flash on. 

Today is the day that the lucky lottery number will be announce. The news lady cheerfully announce the 6 digit number that will soon change its owner's life forever. John can't help but wish that it was he who hold that lucky ticket. The number then flash on the screen and John looks down on his ticket and tears started dripping down the floor.

He can't believed this happen. "Am I dreaming right now", John thought. 

The fact is that, John did not win the lottery. He just can't pull himself to believed that his last ounce of hope also expire on him. 

(Five minutes later the lottery winner was announce. For the first time in his life that he played, Bill Gates won the lottery.)

And yes, this was all a dream. John was just a small picture in my imagination, that became a story though writing this blog. 

So now the question is, Are we also in a story? A dream?.........May be, maybe not.

ACCENT!

                   One might ask, "Do I have an accent?", and the answer will always be "yes". Accent is the way someone sounds when trying to pronounce a word or phrase. Some people may think that they do not have an accent. Or they may think that other people do not have an accent, but in reality everyone has an accent. One might not be able to hear the accent in their native tongue, because they are so use to themselves and everyone else around them speak the same accent, but people from different parts of  the world can distinguished that one does have an accent.

                                         

                      I remember reading George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion, when I was in 11th grade. The book tells of Henry Higgins, professor of phonetics, who believes that he can train a Cockney flower girl, Eliza Dolittle, into a high class lady by changing her lowly accent into those of higher class. In the end, Henry succeed on changing Eliza accent completely! She was able to drop her old accent, pick up a new accent, and speak fluently. This tells us that our accent was learned and not born with. The area you live in is whats most likely contributing to your learned accent!

Where do word comes from? 10/3

Everyday, and every minute of every hour, the English vocabulary is shifting and changing. The "word" we are using today, just didn't exploded out of the ground. People are the one who created and deliver these words through everyday usages. I remember reading Andrew Clement Frindle, when I was in elementary school. I remember really liking the book because it make sense and in some way, it does explain where word comes from.

                            

In this book, a little boy name Nick, questions his teacher about where word comes from. He then, makes up a new word for a pen, "frindle". Everyone loves Nick's new word, so soon enough people all around town start calling a pen, frindle. His teacher was very unhappy with this new word, because she feels as if, Nick is mistreating the word-pen, by replacing it with a new word. After awhile, a new addition of the dictionary was printed, and sure enough, the word frindle was included.

                                            

So, word comes from people, people creates the word through its meaning, and the meaning comes from everyday usages. So next time when you have a chance make up a word, it might just end up in a dictionary someday, you never know!

                                       

(My new word-----"vanichoco"----vanilla + chocolate = YUMMY!!!!) What's your?????

Does our insight transfer into Literature? 9-25-12

           After reading a great book, I always have the same question in my head. How does the author comes up with this story-line? It always come as a surprise to me how such a great story come to be. I have read in many magazines and interview, that when an author is ask, "How do you come up with such a great story?" , they always answer, - "It just came to me" , "I was really inspired that day" , and even sometimes,
"I have no idea, its even a surprise to me!". What most people don't understand is that, your surrounding and background can have a huge impact in the way you write and developed. For example, a person who has never been  in poverty before, can not expression or get though to the readers ,that in desperate time a plain bowl of rice can mean the "WORLD" to them. If you have not gone though the experiences and live though it, then you can't connect with the audience and expresses those emotions.

                      
            When Stephenie Meyer was ask on how she came up with the million dollars story-line on the Twilight Saga, she told us that it came to her in a dream. At that time Meyer was just an average stay at home mom who takes care of her children. She was not expecting to land a novel that would turn her into one of the wealthiest writers in the business. This tells us that fantasy isn't always useless. People like to fantasize!
                       
            J.K. Rowling is one of the most famous author of all time. She wrote Harry Potter, which gave her enormous publicity. She has an abusive father figure and her mom died while she was in the process of writing the book. When Rowling wrote Harry Potter she was in her middle-age and an unemployed mother. These factors lead her to expresses herself though her writing. Her hard lifestyle was portray throughout the book many times (Harry Potter being an orphan). This shows that lifestyle and background does effect your writing and thoughts!

The Odyssey Animation

           While reading Homer's The Odyssey, I notice that at some point throughout the book it does get really boring. So to make it more entertaining, I sometimes go on to YouTube and watch funny video/animation of the book. By doing this, it makes me look more forward to reading the book. This for someone can spoil the book for them, but for me, it does really enlighten the story-line. I have attached an animation of The Odyssey below, if you guys are not afraid of being spoiled by it, then watch away!

         So can you believe it? This short clip from YouTube just summarize the whole story line of The Odyssey in last than 5 minutes. The clip might have left out some details here and there, but it did show most of the important events that happen in the book. Well, right now I have no idea if all of those events are true or not. We haven't read that far yet, but now that I have a just of what's going to happen next,  it makes me want to read more!

Was this video/clip entertaining?

Does it makes you want to continue reading The Odyssey?