Sunday, September 28, 2014

6 Words, 6 Stories


Once a child, always a child 

Sorry Helen; there's no light switch

Lucy size 2; gown Size 10

"6 million dead; R.I.Pain"

Lipstick stains; so does cheating  

"Fear not" -unknown; Written: 9/11





Thursday, September 18, 2014

John Proctor: Hero or Stooge???

Hero
noun: a person who is admired for their courageous deeds and imperial qualities. 
 John Proctor is a man of many faces. Like a hero, he has his weaknesses. He had an internal conflict with being honest and upfront with Elizabeth about the affair with Abigail because he could be tried for adultery if he confessed. Clearly, honesty wasn't his best policy in this case. 
When Danforth asked him to sign a written confession, he refused calling it "signing the Devil's book" because he didn't want to be put in that sudden position of being forced to become another follower of their theocracy per say.  Like a true hero I believe he stuck to his individual values of nobility and self-accountability even in life or death situations. It's fair to say that Proctor had a guilty conscience not confessing in the beginning when he had the chance to but he was indecisive between the choice of pleasing Elizabeth or pleasing Abigail. To be able confess to adultery for the greater good is a heroic act, one that could take Abigail down rather then the whole town. 
Considering that many people lied when confessing in order to live, this is an act of righteousness. In the end, he proves his heroic characteristics by possessing the courage to give a verbal confession while standing his ground. 



Sunday, September 14, 2014

Early Arrivals; There Goes the Neighborhood 


I stand by the belief that humans are born with nurturing habits. For this reason, I tell this story...
Iv'e been sitting for hours upon hours at the shoreline as soft quick sand binds its way between my toes and small seashells beneath it. My old wooden stick I use as a weapon for catching fish is beside me. I concentrate on the sun descending upon the fiery horizon converging with the clear turquoise waters. Being the attentive and vigilant person that I am, I notice a small moving object nevertheless smaller than one to be of the ocean. I realized not long after, that this contrivance was a boat. Though,a prominent figure of great extravagance standing to what looks to be 100 feet tall and 100 feet wide. Looked to be a few boats of innumerable folk that could never compare to our small rafts used for hunting, gathering and trading. Suddenly, the subtle boat seemed no longer small. It headed straight for our land.    

I anxiously ran til' no energy remained down to my tiny village. I explained to the chief of the situation. He brought me along with his few men back down to shore. 

Once at shore, we noticed these people weren't of our kind. Where could they have come from and what is their purpose? They certainly weren't here to harm, showing not to be armed nor aggressive. They also were not inhabitants of neighboring islands. One particular man, possibly ruled as chief, came up to us and offered up some of their finest treasures such as red caps made from fine blue, red and white cotton, strings of beads and trifles. In return we offered up our strings of beads and hawk bells. It dawned on us, what kind folk they seemed to be!...

I'm going to stop here and save the few minor details. When Christopher Columbus comes to the Americas I can only assume that the Natives knew this was going to be a big change. The Natives knew they wanted nothing to do with the Europeans and for this reason weren't to be trusted.They destroyed or took hold of land, enslaved and manipulated. They took hold of anything they thought was easy to take.  

This relates to the present day society because many people apply this concept of "There Goes the Neighborhood" to their own complications of sorts. Some others are caused by the accusations and oppressions linked from few things like racism, gender, and sexuality. These are things we can easily fix if our communities come together and work as a team to accept trying new, and  unexplained things that typically no one would ever think of going near. 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

It's either Cece or Cici, your choice

Hi, my full name is Cecilia Bedolla. I recently turned 16 BUT sadly not licensed to drive yet. I live in Bridgeport Village in Chicago. I have no choice but to be a sox fan because I live next to U.S. Cellular Field. I have an insane addiction to dance "rave" music, old Disney movies, and writing. If there's ever a song playing by famous DJ's such as Diplo and Calvin Harris you'll catch me dancing or singing. I live for volleyball and sewing is my favorite hobby. I've played volleyball as a setter for 5 years and I'm currently on the Varsity team. One thing I've kept in mind from playing all these years is "never let the fear of striking out, keep you from playing the game" because feeling like you're going to fail won't do you any good. I realize that this is with any sport but I know volleyball isn't just about knowing the basic mechanics you have to be mentally tough to take risks that can cost the game. Yes, I did get this quote from the movie "A Cinderella Story" but what can I say I love Disney movies. I've been designing and sewing for the past year and a half now. My family and friends mean everything to me because they're my life supporters and I owe as much of my time to them for that.
Aside from all these facts about me, I believe this quote in particular defines me: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." This quote by Dr. Suess is completely cliché but it's a quote I've always lived by because I love Dr. Suess and his philosophies. Knowing this helps me through my day (currently I'm applying this to my summer of concerts and festivals).