Stalker?? Not so much..

At the end of my last blog entry, I began to touch on the idea that Fermina does not truly love either Florentino or Dr. Urbino. After having read more the novel, I stand by my initial thoughts—Fermina does not love either man and Dr. Urbino does not love Fermina. I have changed my views on one thing however. After finishing the section on Florentino and his various lovers, I have come to the conclusion that he really does love Fermina in a normal way rather than an obsessive way.

I believe that Marquez used a whole section to describe some of Florentino’s relationships because he wanted to show the reader that Florentino repeatedly has the opportunity to fall in love with these women, but does not act upon it. When he meets Olimipia Zuleta, he even says, “it was the only time, since his youngest days, when he felt himself run through by the lance of love (216).” It seems that in each relationship, Florentino goes all out but then when it starts to get serious, he gets scared and runs away. I think that to him, he feels that true love is a mental thing and that he is not truly cheating on Fermina as long as he does not get emotionally attached to any woman. When Olimpia is killed he feels no sympathy towards her. Rather, the first thing that comes to his mind is, “what will Fermina think?” Florentino knows that Olimpia’s husband killed her, “he kept track of the prison term of the murderer, who knew him…but is was not so much fear of a knife at his throat or a public scandal as the misfortune of Fermina Daza’s learning about his infidelity (217).”

In our society, we see that having sex with someone other than our partner in life is considered cheating; however, because Florentino lost his virginity in such a loveless fashion, I do not think that he associates true love with sex. To him, it is just a physical pleasure that has nothing to do with love. If you look at all of his relationships, they are all based on sex. Once he feels as though the women are getting too attached, he runs away.

One thing that I have been trying to figure out is why Fermina married Dr. Urbino. The most obvious idea that comes to mind is that Urbino has the ability to provide a stable life for her; he has the money to give her anything she ever wanted. At the beginning of their relationship, I thought that the only reason Fermina even looked at Urbino was because of her father, which makes me think that her father could be another possible reason to their union. Fermina is a very insecure girl; she is always second-guessing herself. There are many times in the novel where we find her trying to decide whether she made the right choice between Urbino and Florentino. I think that she is sometimes controlled too much by the thoughts of those around her. (510)

True Love?

After finishing the third section of Love in the Time of Cholera, there are many similarities that can be pointed out between Dr. Juvenal Urbino and Florentino Ariza. First, the most obvious, they both fall in love with Fermina Daza. They both succumb to her spell, which makes them do things they don’t normally do. Florentino finds himself drinking cologne and eating flowers, making himself very sick. The doctor says that he, “did not drink coffee except for a cup first thing in the morning [and that he] did not drink alcohol (119).” However, after coming back to Fermina’s house for a second time, even though he said that he would not visit again unless something changed in her health, he gladly accepts multiple cups of coffee and anisette from Lorenzo Daza in hopes to see Fermina again making him sick.

The second similarity between Florentino and Urbino is their appearance and how they are looked at by those around them. Gabrial Marquez Garcia uses very similar passages to describe the two men in different parts of the novel. Both are regarded by women as this sort of heartthrob where the girls have lotteries to see whose turn it is to spend time with him, etc. The only difference is that Florentino does not come from as wealthy a background as Dr. Urbino does.

The third similarity is that both men attempt to serenade Ms. Daza through music. Florentino played a waltz on his violin in the middle of the night over and over again. Urbino has a renowned pianist, Romeo Lussich play various Mozart sonatas for Fermina, once again in the middle of the night.

The fourth similarity is that both men write letters to her; however, the content of the letters seem to differ a little bit. While those of Florentino continuously talk about his love for Fermina and how she is the “Crowned Goddess,” Dr. Urbino’s are less intimate and only talk about wanting to meet her and her father again. Nonetheless, Fermina refers to both of the men as a ‘poor man.’ The first time was when Florentino sees her in the market after she came back from her trip with her father. Florentino says this is no place for a crowned goddess. The second time is when Fermina is holding the doctor’s letter and is burning it.

Both men fall for Fermina Daza; however, so far, I don’t think that she really loves either of them. I think the primary reason that her love grew for Florentino was because she was young and felt as though she needed someone to be dependent on. You could see in her letters that she never had any deep feelings for Florentino like he did for her. In the end, Florentino ends up living his life waiting for a woman that doesn’t love him. Although Fermina marries Dr. Urbino, I have yet to see any passage that really shows the deep passion she should have for him. She accepts his hand in marriage very passively. It says that she, “wrote the letter as quickly as possible….it was one of her typical letters, not a syllable too many or too few, in which she told the Doctor yes, he could speak to her father (137).” This is one of the biggest moments of her life, where she is accepting a hand in marriage and she is ‘quickly’ writing a response. The way the passage is written shows no emotion in her; it’s as if this is just another task that she has to do that day. I’m not exactly sure why Dr. Urbino and Fermina get married. Towards the very end of the section it says that Dr. Urbino realizes that, “he...did not love her….[but that he was sure] there would be no obstacle to their inventing true love (159). Neither of them are completely in love with the other, so why would they decide to make a life-long commitment to each other? (667)

Is Jason Compson really a bad guy??

Granted, Jason Compson isn’t a very loveable character. As a reader, when I began his section, I immediately noticed that he is a very angry person—the first sentence of his part of the book begins with, “Once a bitch always a bitch, what I say (180).” From discussions in class, most people were turned off when they read not only this but the rest of his section. While there is much evidence to support why Jason is a bad person, I think that all of his actions can be justified.

When Jason was a child, there is a scene where he cut up all of Caddy’s dolls. I think that when he was young, he was not given as much attention as the rest of the other children. Benjy has the mental disorder, Caddy is the only girl, and Quentin is the eldest son. Benjy obviously needed constant attention. Because Caddy is the only girl, she was paid a lot of attention especially when she began liking boys. Finally, Quentin was sort of the “prodigy” of the family; they sold Benjy’s pasture so that he could go to Harvard. Jason only got attention from Mother and Damuddy. Mother constantly talks now, about how Jason is the only Bascomb of the family, the rest were all Compsons; however, I feel as though she doesn’t say that out of motherly love for him. I think she says it because he was the only one that didn’t completely mess up his life.

Another scene that displays Jason in a negative way is when he agrees to show Caddy Quentin but only lets her see the baby as he passes by in a car. Then as Quentin grows up, he and Mother burn all of the checks that Caddy sends Quentin. I think that the reason Jason is so hostile to not only Quentin but also to Caddy is that it’s Caddy’s fault that he has to look after Quentin all the time now. He already has the pressure of supporting the rest of the family and now he has to be responsible for a wild teenage girl too. His anger towards Quentin comes from the fact that she is beginning to act just like Caddy did when she was younger except to a worse degree. He loves the both of them and I think he is just trying keep Quentin from ruining his life like he thinks Caddy did.

I think Jason is very misunderstood. He cares a lot about his family, or else he would have abandoned them like the rest. He keeps a job that he doesn’t really like so that he can provide food for everyone. I think the reason that he acts out and is so angry is because he under so much pressure; he has a lot of stuff to take care of. In my mind he didn’t have that great of a childhood and now, when he should be enjoying life and living on his own, he is somewhat held down by his family. (514)

Quentin

An interesting aspect of the second portion of the novel, Quentin’s memory, is finding out that Quentin is going to commit suicide. Faulkner provides us with many clues in Quentin’s section that foreshadow Quentin’s suicide. His weird obsession with time is one thing. He’s always thinking about the ticking noise. He is obviously agitated; he breaks his watch with his fist and then goes to the watch store but doesn’t get it fixed. I think that he had the whole event planned out in his head—a specific time for when he was going to drown himself. While he is at the watch store, he sees all of the clocks and asks the man if one of the times was correct and when the man begins to tell him the time, Quentin stops him. I think that he is having an internal struggle—he wants to end his life but at the same time is a little scared and doesn’t want to face the fact that it’s getting closer and closer to the end. Another clue is the two letters that he writes—one to his father and one to his roommate Shreve. While Quentin is in town, he meets a man named Deacon and gives him the letter for Shreve and tells him that he has something for him but he can’t go and get it until the next day. At the beginning of the section Quentin puts out two dress suits and then packs up his stuff into a trunk and puts the key into the letter and seals it. One other major clue is when he buys the two weights and says that they were small enough to look like he was carrying a pair of shoes—meaning they wouldn’t bring unnecessary attention to him. He has a lot of dark memories on his mind. For example, the incest situation is brought up. There is the part about Dalton Ames and Quentin saying that it wasn’t Ames, it was him (Quentin). Quentin is obviously dealing with a lot.

The obvious question now, at the point of the book where I’m at, is why does Quentin want to commit suicide? Right now the first thing that comes to mind is the incest situation involving Caddy, which still remains to be a little unclear as to what really happened. The name Dalton Ames is continuously being brought up as well as dialogues from Caddy’s wedding. One possible explanation might be that he can’t face the fact that he might have done something really bad with Caddy. In some of the scenes regarding Caddy’s wedding, Quentin is shown trying to discourage her from marrying Herbert. There could be an underlying reason as to why Quentin didn’t want her to marry Herbert, besides the incest. Maybe he knew something bad about Herbert. This novel is kind of like a mystery novel, in that we are left with so many loose ends and it is our job to try and connect the clues and figure out what happens. (508)

The Things They Carried

I found “The Things They Carried” to be very similar to a novel that we read sophomore year, All Quiet on the Western Front. One of the main themes in that novel was that the men in the war slowly became detached from the world they existed in, prior to going to battle, including losing their families. The soldiers were no long normal teenage boys, but men who had gone through one of the most dehumanizing events in life—war. The men turn into savage animals. As seen in “The Things They Carried,” the men cut off the thumb of a dead VC boy and then proceed to kick his head. The war has changed their perspectives of what is right and what is wrong—it is all a blur to them.

Jimmy Cross, the main character in “The Things They Carried,” blames himself for the death of one of his men, Ted Lavender, because he believed that he was not paying 110% to the safety of his soldier. Rather, Martha, a woman who he barely knew was occupying all of his thoughts. I think he thought he loved Martha so much because she was his last connection to the “normal” world. Unlike the other men, who had completely detached themselves from the civilian life, he was trying to keep himself from turning into a savage by tightening his bond with Martha.

Once Ted Lavender dies, Jimmy Cross finally realizes that there was no future between Martha and him. Martha is incapable of realizing the reality of what war and what he is experiencing. War has become his whole life, and anyone who has not lived through it cannot appreciate what he feels. Martha is a creature trapped in her own world, blind to the atrocities occurring in Vietnam. Lavender dying is the turning point for Jimmy. He finally lets go of the one thing that was holding him back—Martha. I do not think, however, that it was Jimmy’s fault that Lavender died. Jimmy puts extra blame on himself, because he thinks that if he was not so preoccupied with Martha, he might have been able to save Ted.

Dehumanization is a major aspect of war and has a very powerful impact on the psychological state of anyone returning from a war. Vietnam was particularly difficult for returning American soldiers because it was a very unpopular war and many civilians showed contempt or even down right hatred to the veterans. It is difficult enough for soldiers returning from war to reenter mainstream society, but after putting their lives on the line in war and they are treated terribly it becomes even more unbearable. Many soldiers were never able to make the transition from wartime back to normal civilian life. They either dropped out of society or left America and never returned. I think that all these ideas can be seen in “The Things They Carried” through the various characters. (491)

Loneliness and Alienation

In “A Clean Well-Lighted Place,” Hemingway successfully captures the essence of loneliness, and the terrible impact it can have on various people’s lives. He focuses on the differing attitudes of the older and younger waiter towards the old man. It is apparent that because of the generation gap between the two waiters, they cannot see eye-to-eye on the importance of the café to the old man and to others.

Hemingway expresses the theme of loneliness and alienation through the images of lightness and darkness. The lighting of the café represents a haven for those who fear the darkness or the unknown. Because the old man is deaf, he is already separated from the world on one level. To add to his suffering, he has also lost his wife. He and the older waiter prefer the “clean, well-lighted café” to bodegas because it provides them an escape from their worlds of pain. Bars are normally dirty and dimly lit, inviting in the darkness, reminding the old man and the older waiter of the “nothing” that consumes them. They stay up through the night because, “[They are] lonely (35).” Unlike the younger waiter, they have nothing to go home to other than an empty bed. When Hemingway first introduces the old man, he is sitting, “in the shadow of the leaves of the tree…against the electric light (1).” Although the man finds comfort in the lighting of the café, I feel as though he sits in the shadows of the tree because they hide his old age, and the suffering he is experiencing.

The younger waiter represents a generation that is utterly self-consumed and living for the present. He has a wife, a job, and above all, youth. When talking about the old man to the older waiter, he cannot understand why a man with so much money would try to kill himself. He implies that the only thing that truly measures one’s happiness or success is money. When the older waiter asks the young man why the old man attempted suicide, he says it was nothing. The older waiter questions how he knew it was nothing, and the young man responds with, “He has plenty of money (7).” The younger waiter does not see past the material world. He cannot sympathize with the old man because he has not experienced his pain. The younger waiter represents those who discard the old as being an annoyance and inconvenience when he says to the older waiter, “An old man is a nasty thing (42)….”He should have killed himself last week (17).”

The older waiter recognizes the differences between him and his counterpart. He realizes that the younger waiter will not be able to understand the full capacity of loneliness until he has experienced it. He says to the young man, “We are of two different kinds….It is not only a question of youth and confidence …Each night I am reluctant to close up because there may be some one who needs the café (71).” The older waiter stays up through the night just like the old man because he too, prefers the light. He was not afraid of the darkness, he simply could not handle the emptiness in his life—“it was a nothing that he knew too well (76).” Both he and the old man realize that there is nothing waiting for them in their futures other than more pain, loneliness, and alienation. The old man tries to temporarily suppress his pain by drinking his nights away. He cannot rest peacefully without the pain of loneliness eating away at him. We see at the beginning of the story that he tried to escape the pain by committing suicide but was prevented from doing so by his niece.

The older waiter understands loneliness and the terrible toll it can take upon people. He wants the café to be a refuge for the lonely, and be there when they need help. The café represents a place where people can come to escape and provide them an antidote to their suffering. The older waiter rises above his status, and in his own quiet way is a representative of a higher being that is there to serve when needed. The older waiter suffers just as the old man does, however, he does not let it drive him to the point of suicide. “After all,” he says at the end, “it is probably only insomnia (85).” (747)

Short Stories

Having already read part of “A & P” in Ms. Garagiola’s class last year, I liked having the opportunity to finish the whole story. John Updike does a remarkable job in painting very vivid pictures for the reader. “…the kind of girl other girls think is very “striking” and “attractive” but never quite makes it…(2) and “the whole store was like a pinball machine and I didn’t know which tunnel they’d come out of (11)” are just a couple of the descriptions that I found very witty, which stayed with me after reading the story. Updike describes not only the people but also the grocery store so well that he makes ordinary objects seem very interesting. I liked that he told the story through Sammy’s eyes; the reader is able to take a look into the mind of Sammy. We notice first what catches his eyes first—like when the girls walk in, he notices her legs and the bathing suits; it brings in an interesting perspective. It was interesting to see the different reactions of the people in the grocery store to the girls. Sammy and his friend couldn’t keep their eyes off the girls. The women in the store, however, had a very different perspective. They were not happy, and their reactions could certainly be mistaken for jealously. I think that one of the reasons that Sammy quit his job was because when the girls left the A & P, I think he realized that there are so many other interesting things that go on in the world other than working in a grocery store. I got the sense that Sammy was very bored with his job; once the girls walked in, that was all he could pay attention to. When the “queen” of the three girls stood her ground when the manager was telling her she was not properly dressed, I think at that moment, Sammy finally worked up the courage to quit his job and move onto something more interesting.

In “Revelation,” I was taken aback when Mary Grace suddenly threw the book at Mrs. Turnpike and then proceeded to try and bite her. My first reaction was utter astonishment; I did not pick up any clues before the incident occurred that might have foreshadowed it. There was one question in class that I thought was interesting, but ran out of time before an answer could be given, which was “Do you think Mrs. Turnpike is a changed woman?” One aspect that was apparent in the story was that she thought of herself as a giving woman who was thankful for what she has; however, I think that when she gives to charity, she is just going through the motions without putting any sincerity behind it. I think that she believes that if God sees her giving back to the community, then she will automatically go to Heaven. She is helping those who are less fortunate for the sole reason that she hopes that it will benefit herself. I do not think her “revelation” will change her. Initially, I think that she will try to be really good and not judge people as harshly as she did in the waiting room, but after a week or so I think she will return to her previous behavior.

There are many parallels that can be drawn between “Revelation” and “A Good Man is Hard to Find.” Both stories have a main character—Mrs. Turnpike and the grandmother—who categorizes people by their social status. All Mrs. Turnpike does while she is in the waiting room is judge those around her, referring to one woman as “white trash.” The grandmother, when talking to the Misfit mentions how he probably isn’t from “common blood.” Both characters like to talk a lot. There is also a theme of violence in both stories—Mary Grace attacking Mrs. Turnpike and the grandmother and her family being murdered. Both stories begin with a lot of description, which leads to a surprising turn of events and a sad ending for the characters. In both stories, I was left at the end wishing that Mrs. Turnpike and the Misfit would turn into good characters but O’Conner never made that happen. O’Conner states in her Excerpt from “On Her Own Work” that, “violence is strangely capable of returning my characters to reality (pg. 398).” In both stories I was hoping that everyone would have a happy ending that is so common in the movies but instead I was left with a sadness for the characters. One other parallel is that the characters in both stories are heavily into their religion. Mrs. Turnpike constantly thinks about how God could have made her into a less fortunate woman, but because she gives to the poor and has a good heart, she was blessed. The Misfit talks about Jesus and raising the dead. I think that Christianity prevails throughout the stories because O’Conner herself, was, “a devout Roman Catholic (pg. 357).” (829)

Thoughts

The first time I read through “A Rose for Emily” I was very surprised to find that Emily had killed Homer Baron; I had not taken note of all of the foreshadowing clues throughout the story that led to the climactic ending. I remembered reading that she was mentally ill but had not realized how sick she really was until the ending. I feel as though Faulkner purposely hid the clues so that he could hopefully surprise the reader at the end. I remember reading about Emily buying arsenic, the house’s strange smell, and Homer’s mysterious disappearance, but Faulkner strategically placed all of these key clues so that I was not able to connect the dots before the ending. After reading through the story a second time however, I was able to see just how many clues Faulkner had given the reader.

By the end of “Everyday Use,” I pitied Dee. The way she treated Mama and Maggie, her own family, was so disrespectful. I was very pleased to see that Mama finally stood up for Maggie at the end of the story and put Dee in her place by refusing to give her the quilts. It was obvious that Dee only wanted to use the quilts for materialistic purposes. She said herself that the quilts could be worth a lot of money. In the story, it said that every time Dee took a picture of her family, she would make sure the house was in it too. I came away with the feeling that Dee liked to show people where she came from, but not in a proud manner. I think that she wanted to commend herself on how far she has come on her own—torn down, lower class house to flashy, high money objects. She automatically places herself on a pedestal high above Mama and Maggie, and has no shame in putting down her family.

In “Teenage Wasteland,” it was apparent that Donny had problems. The problems began once Amanda was born, which Daisy tells us; Daisy says that the baby was a lot to handle, and she couldn't give Donny as much attention as she did before Amanda was born. I think the underlying reason that Donny had so many problems—drinking, smoking, cutting class, etc. was due to the fact that he was trying to get back at his mother and show her how he felt when he was growing up. Donny ended up taking it to the extreme however, by running away, but I think that he wanted Daisy to feel the pain that he felt when he was younger.

I thought Cal was one of the more interesting characters in “Teenage Wasteland.” I find it odd that he came so well recommended by Donny’s school, because every time Donny was at Cal’s house, it seemed the only thing they were doing was messing around. As the story moves on, Cal and Donny become closer, while Donny and his mother grow further apart. I thought it was interesting that Cal had already been divorced at his young age, because his wife was too “controlling.” I think that Cal sees a little bit of himself in Donny and tries to live through him. I think Cal feels as though he was being suppressed for so long under his wife that when he saw a young boy (Donny) going through the same thing, he wanted to save him (Donny) from the pain that he (Cal) went through. At the end of the story, when Daisy finally listens to her heart and stands up to Donny, I think Cal believes that he has lost the game. I think his goal was to completely separate Daisy and Donny, so when Daisy finally takes control of the situation, Cal thinks Donny is a lost cause and gives up on him by saying Donny is emotionally ill.

One thing that I have constantly seen throughout the stories that we have read this week is that many of the characters wish they led different lives. So many of them—Daisy, Mama, Donny, Mr. Kapasi, Mrs. Das—wish they could change themselves, or those around them. Both Daisy and Mama are self-conscious and wish their lives turned out differently. Daisy is constantly second guessing herself and never follows what her heart tells her. She does not like the way she looks and worries too much about what others think about her. Mama, in the beginning of “Everyday Use,” talks about how she wishes she were skinnier and more feminine. Donny wishes that he could get his mom to trust him and pretty much just stay out of his life. Mr. Kapasi fantasizes about his future with Mrs. Das, and how he would rather be with her than his own wife. Finally, Mrs. Das confesses that she doesn’t even love her husband and children anymore. She wishes that she could leave them and start over with her life. No one is happy with the way they live. I think the purpose of making the characters appear this way is to have the reader sympathize with them. (853)

Human Qualities

Humans are naturally very complex characters, which challenges an author to successfully portray a recognizable human being to the reader. Emotion is a key element that brings fictional characters to life. The reader is able to identify with an author’s characters when he or she can relate to the emotions described in the novel. The author needs to develop multi-dimensional characters that experience the same triumphs and hardships as humans. Fictional characters need to be believable and demonstrate the same elements found in everyday life. Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones, utilizes colorful language to describe the emotions that flow through each character in response to Susie’s death, particularly Abigail Salmon.

The Salmon family learns that in a second, your whole world can be turned upside down. Learning that one of your children has been abducted and will not be coming home again is a thought that is extremely hard to digest. Abigail represents parents in the world today, who cannot accept the horrible truth that one of their children is gone forever. Her reaction is in sharp contrasts from her husband, who eventually learns to accept that he will not be able to see his Susie grow up. Each morning Mr. Salmon felt, “the hand of God pressing down on him” but for the sake of his family, he concealed his grief and kept it suppressed underneath a mask. Abigail, however, could not handle the incessant pressure weighing down on her. She isolated herself from Lindsay and Buckley when they needed her the most. Mrs. Salmon had gone from a busy housewife who worried about what to make for dinner, to a stranger who could not bear the sight of her own children without being reminded of Susie. She no longer associated herself as a mother; in fact, she became a stranger to her own family and learned to “despise the word” (62) mama. While the rest of the Salmons pulled together to help ease their collective pain, Abigail sought an escape and took leave by moving out to California. Filled with anger, despair, and angst, she slowly isolated herself from her family. When news came of Mr. Salmon’s heart attack, the first thought that entered her mind when she saw her husband lying helplessly on the bed was, “…she didn’t know what she was supposed to do anymore. How long would she have to wait, what would have to happen, before she could leave again?” (275) Abigail was no longer connected to the world she used to know. Sebold continuously reinforces the fact on how Mrs. Salmon became an outsider and how awkward she felt around her family.

Similar stories to the Salmon family are seen each week on the news or in the newspapers. Tragedy ripping apart families has become an all too common occurrence, which provides believability to The Lovely Bones. We see the emotions and situations described in the novel and can unfortunately relate to the Salmon family with ease. Essentially, Abigail represents the human trait of running away when things get tough. Part of the essence of being a human being is having faults; however, the object of life is to be able to cover them up as well as possible. Abigail’s weakness is exposed and she cannot bare the pain associated with it, which not only hurts herself but also her family. (561)

Introductions

Dear Mr. Coon,

Pleasure reading is one thing that I do not devote enough time to. During the school year, I will read all of the required novels; however, between soccer, which takes up most of my free time out of school and homework assignments, I have very little time left over to read the novels which interest me most. I love reading mystery and adventure novels. Harry Potter is definitely one of my favorite series. I have read all of the books multiple times and just cannot get enough of them. With that said, I would not be able to explain to you how disheartened I was when I finished the seventh and final piece of the Harry Potter dynasty, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this past summer. One of my favorite mystery novels would be The Dante Club, which was my ID book that I read for Mr. Martin. I loved the fact that Matthew Pearl, the author, kept me on my toes and continuously threw curve balls my way with new twists around every corner. Personally, I feel as though my reading habits have changed dramatically through the years. Whereas in the fifth grade and the sixth grade I may have read books just for the sake of getting through to the end, I now enjoy them more and actually think about the characters and their point of views. Several books that I have enjoyed have been made into movies, and it is always interesting to see how different my initial images of the story are from those chosen by the movie producers.

Besides essays and writing prompts that are assigned at school, I do not typically write on my own. My mom always tried to get me to write about my everyday life and feelings in a diary, but I never got hooked onto that idea. I looked at it more as a chore that I was required to do, rather than something that I could use as a release for everything that was going on in my life. Being heavily involved in soccer, I use sports as an outlet rather than writing; however, that is not to say that I greatly dislike writing. I have taken great pride in a number of my research papers. As I have progressed throughout PCDS I have grown greatly as a writer, particularly between freshman year and the present. I recently wrote a piece for the Scottsdale Rotary, Youth Salute to leadership on leadership, and I think that it was one my best pieces of work. One of my strengths as a writer is my ability to conduct thorough research. One thing I could work more on is strengthening my vocabulary. I hope this year I will be able to not only find the time for more pleasure reading, but also grow as a writer. (473)

Sincerely,
Michele