Pages From My Journal

I haven't blogged in a while. Okay, I haven't blogged in a long, long time. I am really sorry, but my life these past two weeks have been insane. F irst, I spent last week in Florida! The school I take part time classes let me join their senior class for senior trip, and I had a lot of fun. I'm barely staying awake now, but it was a lot of fun.  Disney!  Day 2! Not quite tired yet.  They barista didn't hear my friend's name correct. Turns out, it wasn't a bad thing.  They got my name right! Also, my online college class finishes next week, so my work load is heavy.   And, I sprained my thumb falling down the stairs a week and a half ago. I know I'm clumsy, but this time it actually wasn't my fault. My youth group had an all-nighter, and the first game we played was capture the flag in the dark all over the church. As an opposing player tried to tag me, they sort of knocked me down a couple flights of stair...

Me and my freshman brother.   Dear High School Freshmen,             High school isn’t scary, confusing, or intimidating. It’s the four years of rapid change and growth that are going to surprise you. Four years isn’t really that much time compared to the rest of your life, and in these four years you’re expected to start as an innocent, young teenager who doesn’t really understand how the real world works and become an adult who is ready to face the world with your intellect, communication skills, and work ethic. That’s a lot to learn in a little amount time.             I have not learned everything there is to know about life, but I do know what I wish someone would have told me as I entered those scary four years.             Learn to Learn . You’re not just in school to learn vocab words, calcu...

                  Finding the meaning of literature is a personal conclusion not a definite destination.  There is nothing wrong with reading a book and contemplating what the “deeper meaning” is. There is nothing wrong with analyzing symbols and metaphors, searching for their relevance to an underlying theme. But looking for these things in an attempt to find the author’s intentions for the story is a futile cause. There is a value to analysis, but it is a personal matter. While analysis will not lead to absolute truth, there is an importance to evaluating how a story affects a particular individual.  1.     The author’s meaning, underlying theme, true intentions are rarely clear to the author himself.  It would be very simple if a story was born because the author considered what he wanted the story to mean, brainstormed how to get this meaning across, and commun...