Poetry= good times

                 I have been fortunate enough to have some extremely positive experiences with poetry, leaving a lasting impression that I still carry with me today. Now whenever I think of this important extension of creative writing, I undergo the echoes of those childhood memories, transporting me to a period of Earl Grey tea and toast with butter and jam. Gathered like a flock of partridge, jammed like a pack of sardines, my siblings and I would nestle peacefully around our mother as she read from our poetry compilations at breakfast.

                During those moments, wrapped in that nascent cocoon of familiarity and essential warmth, I felt my own individual sun brighten. For the first time the sky came closer, but didn’t fall. I was equipped with the inspiration to write my own rambling limericks, haikus and more. Like a bear in winter, I dreamed my way through the writing of great figures of literature like Shakespeare, Blake and Dr. Seuss. Floating up within my thoughts, I found a solace within the power of words, a place and identity that I could truly call my own.

                Like most kids, I nagged a lot. “The Tiger” drove me and my brother and sister into fits. We hated that poem so much; I suppose its old timey language alienated us. And yet, perhaps through some outside intervention, this exposure to poetry yielded a positive change within us. We had a vast range of diction for kids our age, an equally vast imagination and endless literary aspirations. My sister finished her first hundred page book when she was ten. My brother and I also attempted (and failed) to complete such an accomplished saga.

                However, while I might not be able to write a full novel, because of this poetic exposure I now have a passion for poetry as not only a form of writing but as a part of human expression. I have won online poetry competitions for my work, and I know I have my old poet friends to thank for that.

Diddy/Opening Song

Commercial Revised

Conflict

 

I believe one of the most prevalent conflicts within Romeo and Juliet is based around the conundrum of individuality. Within the play, the characters are specifically attempting to define themselves from their families, fighting against extreme conformity, manipulation and influence to establish themselves as unique adults. Juliet in particular struggles with this conflict, manifesting within both her actions and the subtle nuances of her behavior. For instance, in the balcony scene, between professing her love for Romeo she frequently indulges impulses to go inside of her house. This quiet detail shows her as an immature individual, too naive and innocent to be faced with the difficult and mature decisions she will soon be presented with. However, as the passion between her and her bold counterpart intensifies, deepening their connection through a cycle of dependence as an extension of social desperation, she slowly liberates herself from this urge, breaking through this proverbial wall and allowing herself to embrace womanhood. 

Obviously, I have never experienced anything quite so indicative of my emotional evolution as Juliet in the play. However, I believe that there is always evidence of a psychologically viable maturing and defining within all teenagers. Faced with a transitional period within our lives, we embark on a process of establishing ourselves as individuals beyond our families. We embrace new social groups, habits and more that aid or degrade this process, evolving into a pattern of mistake and triumph. This developmental period has been scientifically proven to be imperative for the social and emotional growth of the individual, allowing us to develop our maturity and nurture our wisdom through an arduous pattern of learning from repetitive mistakes. I think this conflict, essentially a tangible moment where one realizes that childhood has culminating into adulthood, and that furthering one's development involves separating oneself from one's family, is always an integral part of the human development, and as an extension, our continuing connection with this Shakespearean story of growing up.

Everywhere!

Shakespeare's work as a whole has been a substantial authority over all facets of the media, theatre and more. Romeo and Juliet in particular conveys the structural mastery and ingenuity of content to extend itself to all reaches of culture, silently influencing the way we percieve and express love. I grew up on Shakespeare comic strips, condensed, abbreviated replicas of these literary giants. Because of this, I was uniquely posed to find their interpretations within the world around me. Of course, what I found was largely affected by what I was exposed to, reducing my observations to a plethora of classics and Pixar films, dominated (of course) by the ultimate big "D". Its true, the way I saw the world was through the eyes of the Disney cartoonists, nurturing a comprehensive imagination and a rich love for all things fiction. Disney also hosts a unique reputation for borrowing from Shakespeare, perhaps most extensively so within the Lion King movies. While the first is a clear paralell of Macbeth, the second reflects Romeo and Juliet. Here's the link, I apologize in advance for the music:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEiE7GDDEB0

There are also Romeo and Juliet "esque" themes in Pocahontas, the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. Ooh, Walle too. The whole "forbidden love" thing is ripe with use.

Connecting With Romeo and Juliet

While it has clearly cultivated a mass following amongst the teenage youth of the world, I feel absolutely no connection with Romeo or Juliet. Knowing the story and just a little about cerebral development, it is difficult to perceive their actions and emotions as anything less than hormonal. While the writing of the story is undeniably beautiful, with lilting and captivating prose, I find the protagonists unconvincing, little more than silly caricatures of people with equally shallow perspectives. As dignified by Romeo's hopeless love for Rosaline, their drastic and melodramatic feelings make me more irritated than anything else, abandoning the plot as a horrible teenage cliche rather than an epic Shakespearean tragedy. Give me Macbeth or Twelfth Night any day. Those stories we can at least appreciate beyond their contemporary remakes and interpretations.

As for the reading, I think its definitely easier than I expected. It helps to be taking foreign language, because those skills can really be applied here. The more I read, the more I am able to appreciate the intent and nuance of Shakespeare's technique. I am unable to define whether the in class reading is redundant or not. There hasn't been a day yet where we haven't read in class. However, I believe our time might be more efficiently directed towards comprehension activities, where we would be able to exercise our provided roles that have seemed a little underused thus far. Because students are so confident about being able to read in class, some might not even be reading on their own, which could be seriously detrimental later in high school where AP English classes assume their students know how to interpret difficult language without classroom review.

Wrapping Up Great Expectations

Like so much literature, Great Expectations is undeniably complex. So, as an extension, it also harbors equally complex themes. Perhaps even fitted with multiple greater messages, these perspectives are largely based upon personal opinion and experiences. One student, equipped with an entirely individual childhood and upbringing, could take something away upon the novel's conclusion that entirely contradicts the greater message that another peer settles upon. So, without labeling my interpretation as the "correct" one, I will extend my perspective with full knowledge that it is absolutely and completely subjective.
Throughout the novel, Dickens makes his study of people quite clear. They are a diverse bunch of miscreants that defy conventionality and evade prediction. And yet, we come to love and appreciate each of them. Like the foundation of a building they provide texture and complexity to the story, in turn making it both fascinating and multidimensional. It is for this that I believe Dickens was trying to portray the social aspect of happiness. True happiness lies within one's acceptance of his equality to those around him. Once we see everyone in this light, we are able to appreciate their individualism and their potential. If you think about it, every single one of us is extremely special. We have each been snagged from millions of other hypothetical existences, and so (in extension), harnessed and overcome the most daunting odds of them all. Thinking about the bleak future of those nonexistent people makes you appreciate being alive a little more, huh? No matter our personal differences: intelligence, melanin content, humor etc, we are all composed of the same matter and of the same potential energy. When we deny our similarities with those around us; fail to appreciate the global power of human possibility, we become isolated and unhappy. When we learn to see ourselves within others, and their traits within us, we can see that the Earth is made of an extended family, and we can truly achieve happiness.