Romeo & Juliet Essay

     "It is my lady. O, it is my love!" (2.2.10). This is one of the many lines Romeo has said about Juliet being his love. This moment took place beneath Juliet's balcony; as he recited this one of many lines, Juliet was listening. Romeo walked into a party thinking about a Rosaline, but walked out the party thinking about a Juliet. This would be considered love at first sight, Romeo and Juliet have never met and their families' are enemies. Why would they fall for each other when they don't even know each other's name? They're young and can't help but fall in love.  Romeo and Juliet are brave for their age, they are willing to do whatever it takes to love each other even though there is hate toward Romeo and his family from Juliet's family.

     Love is that one word that would describe the play Romeo and Juliet because that's all that connects everyone somehow throughout the whole play. Romeo and Juliet's relationship was short lived because they were alive then the next day they were dead. They never really got a chance to really get to know one another; they're only connected by love at first sight. "Prodigious birth of love it is to me That I must love a loathèd enemy" (1.5.154-155). This is what Juliet says when she finds out Romeo's name.  Love also connects Juliet and the Nurse. The Nurse loves Juliet as her own daughter. Paris is the boy Juliet is supposed to marry. Love connects Paris and Juliet because they do not love each other. Love is this nonstop emotion/feeling/word that is throughout this play. This play has an ending to it, but the love between Romeo and Juliet will always live on.

     Hate is a strong theme you see throughout the whole play. Romeo is from a family of Montagues and Juliet is from a family of Capulets. "Uncle, this is a Montague, our foe" (1.1.69). This is what Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, says to his uncle when he spots Romeo at the party. Tybalt is a Capulet so he has a lot of hate towards Romeo. "As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. Tis he, that villain Romeo" (1.1.72-73).  Since Romeo is a Montague, Tybalt sees him as danger and doesn't want him near Juliet. Tybalt says he hates Montagues as much as he hates hell; hate is a very powerful word, but that's all he feels when he spots a Montague. Tybalt's feelings towards romeo is very strong in a bad way. This hate relationship between Romeo and Tybalt is definitely a big part of the play, it really helps create tension between the Montagues and Capulets.

     The bravery within Romeo and Juliet is shown throughout the play, this theme also connects with age. Romeo and Juliet's families are enemies; they are  are not afraid of loving each other even if their families don't like each other. That shows how brave they are, especially for their age. They are very young lovers; at the age they are in this book, they should be listening to their parents but they choose not to. Juliet is supposed to get married to Paris in a few days, but she's busy sneaking around with Romeo. They don't keep their relationship all that secretive, that shows how brave they are and they don't care about what people think. "I will confess to you that I love him" (4.1.26). This is what Juliet says to Paris about Romeo. It takes a lot to tell someone who you will soon marry that you're in love with someone else. This is an important act of bravery in this play.

     Romeo and Juliet are brave for their age, they are willing to do whatever it takes to love each other even though there is hate toward Romeo and his family from Juliet's family. If they were real people, society then would have looked down at them but society now would look at them in a positive way. 

Response to Finished Book | Torn (Spoiler Alert)

     I've just finished reading Torn written by Amanda Hocking. As I said before, it is the second book of the Trylle trilogy. This book is about Wendy, a trylle (troll), finding out her father is alive. Not only did she find out he is alive, she also found out that he is her enemy. Her father is King of Vittra, the enemies of Tryllic. Vittra, who are also trylle,  live in Ondarike and the Tryllic live in Forening. Wendy's mother is queen of Forening; Wendy currently lives there. Wendy has been repeatedly kidnapped by the Vittra, but she was always rescued by her trackers. Trackers protect Trylle that live in the human world.
     There were lots of important things that has happened in this book. One is the Tryllic captured a Vittra who tried breaking in the Forening castle. His name is Loki; when Wendy was trapped in the Vittra castle, he let her escape. Therefore, Wendy always thought of Loki as not an enemy. Wendy starts to get close to him which was bad because he is the "enemy." At the same time, while getting close to Loki, Wendy still has feelings for her ex, Finn. While all of these mix feelings are going on inside her, she is getting married to someone named Tove who she later finds out is gay.
     Another thing that is important is soon Wendy will become queen of Forening. Once her mother dies, Wendy will take her place. As a trylle, you have powers. If you choose not to use them, you go crazy; but if you choose to use them, you age fast and become very weak. Keeping Loki imprisoned for a certain period of time drained the queen and now she is dying. Since Tove's powers are very strong, Wendy must marry him so he can keep the future queen, her, protected. Tove especially has to keep Wendy protected from the Vittra. The Vittra agreed to not attack Forening until Wendy becomes queen. Tove was chosen to be the husband and guard of her mainly for her protection from the Vittra.
     I think overall this was a great book to read. It's just as great as the first book. I'm so excited to read the last book! I want to know what Wendy's solution is to end the violence between the Vittra and Tryllic. I also want to know what will happen between her and Tove. Will she marry Finn? Loki? Will she forgive her father? There are so many questions I have that should be answered in the third book! What I want to happen is her to marry Finn and Tove to be happy. I don't know about Loki though; I think Wendy was falling for him but not in love with him. I think Loki would understand and would probably be fine with Wendy marrying Finn... if she does. :)

Doomed Dolphin Speaks to New York's Vibrant Wildlife

     The article Doomed Dolphin Speaks to New York's Vibrant Wildlife written by Brian Switek is about the dolphin that died in the Gowanus Canal recently. The article talks about how sudden the dolphin's death was. The dolphin didn't survive long enough for a rescue plan to come together. The article also talks about how random marine animals end up mysteriously in New York City. "Marine mammals are arguably the most high-profile of New York City's wild residents and visitors." it states in the article. A whale was spotted about a month ago in Queens; it died a day after it was spotted. The dolphin and whale's death is unknown.
     I think one thing the author wants us to think about while reading this article is about how polluted the water can be. The article says, "The reason the marine mammal died, and why the dolphin swam up the polluted waterway in the first place, is as yet unknown." Even though no one doesn't know why the dolphin died, it is very possible it died because it was swimming in polluted water for a while.
     My thinking has been changed from reading this article because I never thought anything can survive in the Gowanus Canal's polluted water. I also never thought about how easily it is for any animal to escape and wound up in a random place like on the streets of New York. I would like to know what was the longest time something has lived in the Gowanus Canal. I would also like to know how the dolphin even got in the canal.

Torn: Relationships

     I am still reading the book Torn written by Amanda Hocking. The book is still about Wendy's life in Forëning and the Vittra. Wendy has escaped the Vittra castle and now is back in Forëning. Wendy is questioning whether she should stay as the princess in Forëning or leave and be the princess in the Vittra castle. Her mother, Elora, will not tell her anything about the Vittra king, Wendy's father. So Wendy is unsure if her father is evil or good. It is hard to believe he is good when he has tried to kidnap her many times already. At the same time I can't tell if he is evil because when Wendy first met him, he told Wendy whatever she wanted to know about him and the Vittra.
     I think Wendy and Elora's relationship will grow and they will become closer. Willa and Matt are very close and are spending lots of time together. I think they will become a very happy human couple in this troll community they currently live in. Rhys and Matt's relationship is definitely becoming stronger. Matt is becoming more brotherly to Rhys and Rhys is just happy to know who his blood brother is. I think Tove's feelings will grow for Wendy since he spends lots of time with her. If Tove likes Wendy, Wendy won't like him because she is still in love with Finn. Even though Wendy still loves Finn, I think her feelings for Loki will grow; especially now that Finn is totally ignoring Wendy. I think since Wendy and Finn are drifting apart, Loki and Wendy will become closer.

Human, Trylle, or Vittra life?

     I am currently reading the book Torn written by Amanda Hocking. This is the second book from the Trylle trilogy. Torn is about Wendy discovering her Vittra life. Wendy always knew she wasn't normal, one day a boy name Finn tells her about her life. Wendy was born a troll, Trylle, not a human. Finn takes her to Forëning where Wendy learns about her Trylle life; she finds out she's the princess of Forëning and her mother is the queen. She ends up having guards to protect her from being taken away by the Vittra. Not sure why they wanted her or who they were, Wendy escapes Forëning with no permission.
     Now that Wendy has escaped, she goes to her home where she is "human" not a Trylle. Not very long has she been home until the Vittra came coming for her. They managed to put her unconscious and bring her to the Vittra castle. There Wendy finds out that her father is the Vittra king. The reason the Vittra was hunting Wendy down was because she is ALSO princess of the Vittra castle. Her father told her that she had to basically choice to be a Trylle or Vittra.
     I think Wendy will choice both the Trylle and Vittra life. Her mother and father were once together to try to bring their communities together, but that didn't work out. But, I think Wendy, since she's princess, will be able to bring both troll communities together. I think there will be a war to fight for Wendy between both communities, both of her parents will die, and she will be the only "boss" left. Everyone will listen to her and she will have the power to bring both communities together.
     I don't think Wendy will go back to her human life because she's been too different for too long. Now she knows who and what she is, a troll and a princess. She finally found her place where she isn't different from everyone. She doesn't have friends that she can miss, but Wendy will miss her human life.

What will the resolution be for The Splendor Falls?

     I am currently finishing up The Splendor Falls written by Rosemary Clement- Moore. It is about a dancer named Sylvie Davis. Sylvie hurt her leg, her father passed, and her mother got remarried. To cope with all this, she started drinking Vicodin. Her mother sends her off from New York to her dad's old family house in Alabama where Cousin Paula pays close attention to Sylvie's actions while she recovers.
     I wonder what the resolution for this book is. I have about 50 pages left to read and I think there are a lot of conflicts that can be resolved at the end of this book. One conflict that can be resolved is something so simple, Sylvie getting closer to her dad even if he isn't physically on Earth anymore. While being in Alabama for a short period of time, Sylvie has learned so much about her dad, she learned about his childhood and his life in Alabama. Sylvie can get some closure with the Colonel ghost and not have it haunt her. She can solve the mystery with Hannah the ghost, the anonymous baby crying, and the Colonel ghost.
     At the end of the book I think Sylvie is going to solve the story of Hanna the ghost, the Colonel ghost, and the anonymous baby crying. She is going to end up with Rhys and find out Shawn is not as nice and charming as he seemed. Sylvie will find out what really went on with the TTC meetings and all the magic crap Shawn was feeding her. She will fly back home happy as ever and will be able to dance again. Most importantly, everyone will believe her when she says she isn't crazy. This book difinitely deserves a happy ending, and I think it is going to get it.

2012: Hottest Year on Record for Continental U.S.

     The article "2012: Hottest Year on Record for Continental U.S."
written by Ker Than is overall about 2012 being the hottest year of
the U.S. 2012 has also been very high in temperature. In the U.S. last
year we had a warm fall, the fourth warmest winter, a pretty warm
spring, and the second warmest summer. The average temperature in 1998
in 48 states was about 54.3 degrees Fahrenheit, and then in 2012 it
went up to 55.3 degrees Fahrenheit. Going up by just 1 degree is a big
deal though it looks like nothing.
     In the article it says, "A single degree difference might not seem
like much, but it is an unusually large margin, scientists say. Annual
temperature records typically differ by just tenths of a degree
Fahrenheit." Knowing how little the temperature is supposed to go up,
it is clear that in the future the U.S., as well as all of Earth, can
become very hot.
     The author definitely wants us to think about how rapidly the
temperature is starting to change. We can see action of climate change
happening, and it is caused by us humans. “A factor that makes the
U.S. annual mean temperature kind of jog up and down from year to
year. It won't just gradually go straight up with global warming,” it
says in the article. The author also wants us to feel cautious. By
just writing this article, they are telling people how bad things can
happen without actually mentioning what bad can happen. By reading
this article, everyone should learn that we can try to do something to
prevent the temperature going up; because after all, we are causing
the temperature to rise more rapidly.
     What I have learned from reading this article is how fast the
temperature in the U.S. is rising. What good are we getting if our
country is getting hotter and can possibly burn into ash in the
future? We all should definitely take awareness of this and try to do
what we can to fix this. My thinking has been changed on this topic
because I never really realized that the temperature rising was such
an issue. I think now we should do whatever we can to keep the U.S.
“healthy”. I want to know how far the U.S. can take this climate
change. How many degrees will the temperature have to rise until the
U.S. can’t take it any longer?