The Unknown Ending

This past week we finished Frankenstein after about 2 weeks with the book. After class discussions back and forth, there were a majority of the class that didn't like the ending. Many cited that it left them hanging and desiring more. In my opinion the ending was somewhat abrupt with Frankenstein dying and the creature just disappearing without a trace. But what ever really happened to Frankenstein from that point on? Did he just live in peace and solidarity for the rest of his life? Or did he stay I'm trouble? These same questions can be asked about certain athletes after their playing days are over. Where did they go after they retired? Names like Allen Iverson and Antonie Walker are just a couple names that come to light when those questions are asked. These two subsequent athletes are both broke, respectively. But for some time we all had wondered where they had gone since they had retreated from the national spotlight. Both had tried to get back into the NBA numerous times but in the end it failed and they were back on the street looking for another "job". They couldn't leave the life they had lived for 15-20 years just yet without going down swinging. Could the same be said for Frankenstein? He was apart of the world but when the world saw him he was shunned. But did he keep trying to fit in or did he just move on with his life and do what he wanted to do? That's the same question we, as the readers, asked and what many sports fanatics ask now about those once blossomed superstars. 

The Imaginary Friend

This week I want to step out of the boundary of sports and talk about something different. We started reading Frankenstein this week. What I have grasped so far after 13 chapters is Victor's fascination with the creation of life. After the death of his mother, he becomes very distraught and lonely. So after years of work, he finally creates Frankenstein or Pedro, who my AP English class likes to call him. He does this to combat his loneliness and wants someone who will have similar interests as him. Now when we were all kids, we had "imaginary friends" or liked to pretend we were doing something with toys or whatever. We all had a wild imagination when we were young. Victor turned his crazy fascination into a reality by creating Frankenstein. But why did we as kids have imaginary friends or pretend to be doing a lot of things that weren't necessarily realistic? Is it just because we are in the kid state and our logic wasn't sound or is it deeper than that? From my own instances, I would pretend to be doing things when I was bored or didn't have anything to do. So Victor's reasoning can be connected the same way. He was lonely and we as kids were bored. But as kids we also pretended to do things with our imaginary friends that appealed to us. We created these "characters" to like what we liked to do. Like us, Victor had the same idea because he was out on the seas with other people who didn't necessarily have the same interests as he did. The characters were a part of us until we let them go and Victor was the same way because at some points he felt he wasn't responsible for Frankenstein even though he created it.

The Freedom Writer Part 2

This week we watched "The Freedom Writers" in class on Tuesday and part of Thursday. The thing that I kind of thought about after watching the movie again for the hundredth time was the fact that when all the kids came from different background, cultures, etc. The kids in Ms. G's class called living in Long Beach, California "a war". It was very prevalent throughout the movie to see people getting shot and jumped; in turn there was a lot of violence that these kids went up against every day. Whether it was at school, work, home; they always had someone that was out to get them. But the one place that all the kids from Ms. G's class could find peace was her class. They were all cool with each other and they had a certain level of respect for each other when they were in that class. Another place kids also find a place of peace is the basketball court or the football field. Some kids even get involved in sports to get away from trouble. It gives them a place to just forget about everything on the outside world and just focus on them and a ball or them and a would be tackler. That's what Ms. G's class did for those kids. And that's what sports can do for kids as well. As a result, some kids from her class went on to college after their senior years even though when they first started in her class as freshmen they had no intention of going to college at all. As like kids who don't have any intention of going to college, sometimes their athletic abilities help propel them to college and they become proficient in both their athletic skills and academic studies. All it takes is some place where they can have peace and quiet can do wonders for kids who are always in "a war" and that's what sports can do as well for kids like those from the Freedom Writers

Characterization

While reading the final chapters of Wuthering Heights over the past week I couldn't help but notice the subtle similarities between certain characters and their relationships with the others. For example, Cathy and Catherine both were very ambitious gals in their respective lives. Catherine was more for the mindset of being able to be rich and have great social standing, hence marrying Edgar. Cathy's ambition was her curiosity to find out about Wuthering Heights which eventually lead to her marriage of Hareton towards the end of the book. But even though Cathy was the offspring of Catherine, she had her differences as well. Just like in the NBA certain players play positions based on their skills and physical abilities. For instance, many have claimed that the closest player to replicate Michael Jordan is Kobe Bryant. His overall style of play is somewhat similar as well as his accolades. MJ has 6 rings, Kobe has 5. Michael Jordan was a clutch scorer in his day. Kobe is one of the clutchest players in the league today. But even with those 2 or 3 similarities, there are still thousands of small differences that can make them almost incomparable. Just like Catherine and Cathy, even though they were blood, they had their own differences that made them their own self.  

The Perfecting Stage

This week I'm not necessarily going to talk about something that we've learned in class, but reflect on things that we've done as a whole halfway through the 1st semester. Over the past 7-8 weeks, we have read a lot of passages and novels. Probably more than I have read throughout my 3 previous years honestly. But reading these books has developed my thinking and expanded my view of the world through literature. Many people say that to be successful in college you have to read, read, and read some more. Many of the most intellectual people on this planet attribute their success to their love for reading and I feel like in this class we almost have to love what we are reading because we are reading a lot of things every day and week. To connect this to sports,  I want to talk about how professional athletes have to love their jobs, even though its a sport. Just like the most intellectual people on this planet, the best athletes on this planet love the sport they play. They have to want to get better and become the greatest. For instance, lately in the news with the NBA season right around the corner, Lebron James has been talking to the media about what he worked on to improve his game over the offseason. Now, why would the best player in the world right now still be practicing and adding new attributes to his arsenal? It's all become of his knowledge and love for the game of basketball. James has said numerous times that he wants to "go down as one of the greatest players to play the game." To do that he has to be constantly getting better, even after his 10th season and 2 back-to-back NBA championships. There's always something to be fixed or corrected. Now take that back to reading; the smart people love to read because they are learning while they are reading. Reading helps build vocabulary and in some ways can help develop critical thinking which is key in today's world.

The Return

Recently we have been reading Wuthering Heights in class. At one point Heathcliff left WH and then returned several years later. His absence triggered indifferent reactions from all characters involved. Some were elated while others were apathetic about it. This instance in the book can be connected to one of the NBA's superstars, Derrick Rose, who is returning from an ACL injury that kept him out all of last season. 

With Derrick Rose finally making his return to the NBA after one season missed, players all around the league have their own opinions and reactions to his awaited return. His teammates are ecstatic that the 1-time MVP is returning and hopefully can accomplish their quest at the ultimate price: the NBA championship trophy. Other teams throughout the league are cringing at the fact that he has come back and he himself has stated that he has gotten better in several aspects also. The quote recently made by DRose himself was that he, "...added 5 more inches to his vertical during his time out..." So no wonder the people who have to guard him night in and night out are a little worried. 

The connection in little bits might not seem to be equivalent but when you look at the big picture between Derrick Rose and Heathcliff's returns, they are similar in more ways than one. They both, obviously, made their returns to the lives they lived before. Also, they have effected the people who they were surrounded by in some way whether it is positive or negative. 

The Spoken Literature

    For about a week now we as a class have been working on our literature papers. The first step in that process was to write our thesis statements for the paper. The directions for the paper was to, "write a paper in which you present your argument about what literature is, what it does, how and why it does that, and what it offers us...". When I first sat down and thought about what to write for my thesis I was thinking one-dimensional. I was only thinking about literature = writing, but that's not necessarily true after I got some feedback from Mr. Mullins and my mom. Literature can also be the spoken word as well. Two key example of that for me would be poetry and hip hop/rap music. But I only want to focus on how hip-hop/rap can be considered literature.

    The origin of hip-hop started in the Bronx during the 1970s among African American youth. It was their way of talking about the struggles of being an African American male in the United States during that time. They felt this was the most creative and best way to reach many different types of people especially other youth who were going through the same thing. Doing this spread the hip-hop culture around the country and today it is considered pop culture because it is the most popular culture right now. My definition of literature from my thesis was any written or spoken work which includes the author's input, reader's or listener's interpretation, and the dynamic in between. When we listen to hip-hop, we get the author's input through the music they produce to us as consumers. The listener's is interpretation is our own interpretation of the music we hear. The second part of that definition would be that literature stimulates the mind of those who come in contact with it and it somehow changes their beliefs surrounding them. That's what happens when we listen to music, it stimulates our minds changes how we think, act, everything. So the connection between my definition of literature and hip-hop is very real.