My Birthday

New York, the city that never sleeps. There’s only one weekend besides Christmas that I get amped up for. Turning a year older is always exciting no matter what. You get closer and closesr to being “grown up”. Each year New York seems to be more alive. The rush of the city is what I live for. Under the starry night, Kendall and I stare up at the towering tree in Times Square. The oranments sparkle off the bright sun during the cold winter days. Being in NYC while the wind blows slowly and the while fluffy snow falls doen is like a Hollywood movie. It was something people dream of. We walked down block after block. The stores gradually got bigger, towering over us. As we worked our way into the heart of the city, the stores were three stories tall. Merchandise covered the stores left to right. Our eyes wide, as if we just jumped into an ice cold pool. We observed everyone and everything that went by. In the hotel, we lay ourselves out on the bleach white sheets. We shopped until we dropped. Falling asleep in the city that never sleeps. People rush block to block. All you can this is; where could all these people be going?

Some Nights by Fun

        "Some Nights" by Fun is an emotional song that shows the struggles musicians go through daily. Every song has a deeper meaning. This song has two interpretations. One is about love and the second is about war. Many hidden literary devices are used in the song.
        In the beginning, "Some nights, I stay up cashing in my bad luck. Some nights, I call it a draw. Some nights, I wish that my lips could build a castle. Some nights, I wish they'd just fall off" has a deeper meaning. The struggles musicians go through, the writer wants to leave the fame but he wishes he could make money. The line "here they come again just to jack my style" could be a reference to how music producers don't let artists sing their own songs and try to change who they are. The line "but I still wake up, I still see you ghost" can be related to his music career. The singer left his family for the fame and he doesn't know what he stands for anymore. He doesn't know who he is anymore. He never knew what the big deal was over the fame but now he understands. "I found a martyr in my bed tonight" represents how he changed once he got famous.
       Many literary devices are used in the song. "Some nights" can be an anaphora. The phrase repeats in four lines. The whole song can be considered a synedoce. The whole song stands for a larger meaning. The line "...I found a martyr in my bed tonight" is a metaphor. It really means that he changed as a person when the fame got to him. He didn't actually find a martyr in his bed.
      The tone of the song is powerful but calming. The beat is slow but then get deep and loud. It has a gospel tone to it.Many people start out singing in the beginning like a choir. The mood set in the song is empowering. It gets the point across the way it needs to. People can relate and portray the lyrics in different ways. It doesn't just have one meaning.
       Some Nights by Fun has more of a deeper meaning than people would think. Everything has a deeper meaning and if you look deep enough into it, you will find it. The real question is, what would any of us stand for if we are willing to risk loving relationships for our selfish actions?

Diary Entry

Dear diary,

My name is Amanda and right now I'm living in Paris with my family.My family has low wealth and we have trouble paying for food. The rich people decided to make the poor people pay higher tax just so they can have more stupid dinner parties. My daddy has been away ever since the French Revolution began and mommy will not tell me why, which makes me worried! The country is split in two since the rich people are taxing us. The fighting is terrible outside. Mommy and I are hiding in the house. I'm worried about my friends that I play with after my mom is done teaching me. I wonder what they're witnessing. It's the same thing everywhere, anyways. This guy Robespierre is starting to take over and it looks like everything is starting to get back to normal. Right now anything is better than the fighting. Robespierre is one of the rich people too. Now, he's beheading all the rich people. If that's his way of getting things "back to normal", he better quit this whole ruling thing. Mom and I are starving since we can't go out and get food. If we left the house there's a big chance of death. Going outside at this point is like suicide.

-Amanda

Epic hero

         An epic hero over comes obstacles, is courageous, intelligent, and honorable. Odysseus carries these characteristics but can be seen as an unheroic figure, also. A hero isn't selfish but Odysseus put his men in danger when they were in the cave.
           Odysseus is a hero at some point but he does get greedy and selfish. During the War at Troy he was protecting his people and being intelligent with it also. In books nine through ten, he is not playing the role of a hero. He makes several selfish acts throughout the four books. Odysseus refused to leave the cave of the Cyclops. He risked the lives of his men which was a selfish act. In book ten, he was unfaithful to Penelope and fell under the spell of Kirke.

            Odysseus would be considered an epic hero since he protected his men through the war. Yet, he was also selfish at some points. He always tried to do the right in order to protect his men which makes him an epic hero. 

Hero Analysis

The characteristics of a good hero are courage, intelligence and pride. Odysseus shows many of those characteristics throughout his journey. Odysseus goes through many obstacles on his journey and how he deals with them determine how heroic he really is.

            Odysseus is wise and strong when he faces obstacles on his journey but every hero has a flaw. Odysseus gets sentimental when he comes face to face with Telemachus. Odysseus proves he’s courageous with his endurance. At the beginning of the poem it says he’s weeping alone which shows bravery. His Hubris or pride is another characteristic he posseses. Odysseus's glory makes him reveal his identity to the Cyclops and bring Poseidon's wrath down on him.

            Odysseus's intelligence helps him out in some obstacles throughout his journey. When he escapes from the cave of the Cyclops or when he hides his slaughter of the suitors by having his minstrel strike up a wedding tune. He is also a convincing and can manipulate his audience easily. When he first approaches Nausicaa on the island Scheria, he wins her trust with his comforting approach.

            Odysseus is a hero at some point but he does get greedy and selfish. During the War at Troy he was protecting his people and being intelligent with it also. In books nine through ten, he is not playing the role of a hero. He makes several selfish acts throughout the four books. Odysseus refused to leave the cave of the Cyclops. He risked the lives of his men which was a selfish act. In book ten, he was unfaithful to Penelope and fell under the spell of Kirke.

            Odysseus would be considered an epic hero since he protected his men through the war. Yet, he was also selfish at some points. He always tried to do the right in order to protect his men which makes him an epic hero. 

Odyssey

The Trojan War has ended and Penelope's husband, Odysseus, is still not back after 10 years.Yet, all the other Greek warriors are home. A group of suitors will work their to her and try to convince her to marry them. The name, Paoyos, comes from the Greek word for "success". Paoyos will take a journey to marry Penelope in Ithica. By beating the other suitors, Paoyos has a large chance in being able to take her hand in marriage. Telemachus, Odysseus' son, told all of the suitors to go home. One of the suitors acted suspicious about what Telemachus said.There was a ceremony the next day where Telemachus would announce the proposition of the suitors leaving. The son said if we wanted Penelope's hand in marriage we would have to go to Icarius and ask him properly. Antinous reminded us that Penelope paid a ruse in order to pay off marriage. He also said that she would be sent to Icarius and he would choose a husband for her. Halitherses speaks about the coming home of Odysseus and says that if we did not leave immediately we would be massacred.

Writing

            Just a normal guy, living in the world, and trying to get was absolutely clueless on what was going on around him. Jack has been protected by his “uncle” his whole life. His “uncle” is actually a close family friend to Jacks parents. Ever since the day Jack was born there have been people after him. Jack never knew since his uncle kept it a secret in order for Jack to live with himself yet, Jack knew his uncle. His uncle has been there his whole life. Jacks uncle and Jacks parents have been family friends since his parents were young. Jack has always been a hardworking guy in everything he tries to do.  He’s about 17 years old and is half way through his senior year. Once he turns 18 he gets to move out and go to college of his choice. Becky, his best friend, came over to hang out one day. They got bored and decided to go on a walk. On the walk, Becky noticed a car following them. She told Jack about the car and he looks over his shoulder. Once he turns his head all the way around, the car immediately stops. Jack notices two suspicious men in the front seats and he sees a shadow of someone in the back on the car. The two of them start to walk back to Jacks house and begin walking a little faster then they were before. After they get back to the house and get up the stairs, Jack begins to tell Becky how he has more feelings than being just friends. She’s unsure at the fact of dating her best friend at first but then decides to give it a try. He then proceeds on asking her to prom in a few months. She starts crying of excitement and says, “OF COURSE!” The next couple days, Jack realizes his uncle hasn’t been around as much as normal. After Jack realizes this, his uncle sits him down and starts explaining to him what their job is specifically. His uncle then says, “Our job, as a family, is to protect the immortal world from coming onto Earth. We make sure mortals never even find out about the immortal world.” Jacks mouth drops.  His uncle goes on,”....I have been your protector since you’ve been born. There are people after you because only a few people have the power to open the portal, which lets out the immortals. There are around two immortals trying to let the rest of their kind into the world.” Jack thought to himself about the car he saw when he was with Becky. He lets his uncle know about the car that was following them. The people in the car were not human beings. They were immortals they were in human skin. Over the next couple weeks, Jack went through intense training. His whole world was about to change. He learned how to use a monster gun and how to prosecute different kinds of immortals. They were going to war. Jacks uncle took him to the warehouse were they would prepare for the war. Jack began to put his gear on when out of nowhere his uncle starts transforming into an immortal monster. The war begins. It’s Jack against the whole immortal world. The war goes through the portal. Jacks uncle ends up being the leader of the whole immortal world. Jack defeats the immortals that came after him. The war finally ended and Jack lived protecting the mortals. 

Archetype

An archetype is a universal symbolic pattern in a story,book, or movie. In the movie, Snow White and The Huntsman, a common archetype used is The Child. The Child archetype represents new beginnings, and that it is possible to regain paradise. In the movie, Snow White is trapped away for years and years after the new queen kills her husband. The Queen put the whole town in darkness. The Queen completely changed the way the whole region looked and even the way the people’s outlook on life. The people in the region thought the princess was dead but she wasn’t. The manages to escape out of her cell one day. On her quest she finds many new friends. Towards the end of the movie, she creates an army to conquer the Queen. The princess wanted to put the palace back in her control. She was the only one that was able to defeat the Queen. The Queen wanted the princesses soul since the princess is pure. Having the princesses soul would let her have eternal beauty. In the end, the princesses army defeats the Queens army. As soon as the princess kills the Queen, the whole village was taken out of darkness. A new beginning for the village arrives. Then, the princess continues her fathers reign.

Mythology

      The role of myths in society have changed in time. Myths are stories that were told in ancient Greece and Rome. Normally part of the story would be true but in some cases that is not always true. Myths can explain simple questions about life and the world people live in.
      In ancient Greece people looked to the gods for everything. The people trusted in them and believed that they are real are real and helped them with everyday things. They put everything they believed in, into the gods. They hoped that the gods would help them win wars, have babies, etc.
     Mythology today is studied in school. People usually don't worship the gods or even believe in them. Myths in todays day in age is used to explain simple questions. Questions that little kids ask like, "Why does it rain?", or "Why is the sky blue?". They answer questions with the word, "Why?".

About Myself

My name is Amanda DiBiase. My last name's italian and means "of love". I'm a sophomore at Lake Mary Prep. Many people think I'm 16 or 17 but I'm still a baby at 14 years old. I can be shy at times but once you get to know me and I get comfortable, I'm crazy, just ask my friends. I've always wanted to go explore Europe and see what the culture there is like. I've also always wanted to go to tahiti and learn how to surf. I heard the water is GORGEOUS. 

Music is my life. I don't know what i would do without listening to music. It really lets you escape into your own world. I normally listen to Drake the most but I also listen to Meek Mill, The Weeknd (yes, it is spelled correctly), Kid Cudi, Trey Songz and also country music but i have to be in the mood for it. Tumblr and Twitter is where I pour my heart out to people who don't really care.  Also, I have an older brother, Nick. No one really knows or thinks we are related until I tell them or they see him at my house when they come over. We look absolutely nothing alike and don't act anything alike. At school we pretend we don't know each other. It's for the best. Some people say I'm one of the guys since I hang out with my "bros" a lot but thats only because I don't like to be involved in girl drama. Well, that's all i can think of for now. Time for a nap. My bed is calling me. I WANT SUMMER.