August 28, 2012
Dear Diary:
Let me preface this entire entry by saying this: Katherine (Katy, Kate, etc.) is really beginning to grow on me. I like her much, much better now than I first did, and it has been lovely watching her grow and mature throughout the course of her journal entries.
That being said, Chapter Seven began with Katherine and her mother having a conversation regarding the merits of being able to indulge in "frivolous pleasures," such as piano playing, singing, and drawing; and whether or not they detract from the ability to be spiritually attentive. It was an interesting discussion, and I liked her mother's response---that it is vastly importance to find a good balance between pursuing God through studying and indulging in fine arts/other healthy pastimes. I do wish, however, that her mother (or pastor or friend) could have brought up the idea that creating art and playing music and other forms of creativity are some of the best ways we as humans are able to glorify God, because we were made in His image and our impulses to create are an echo of His own creation of the universe. In this chapter, we were also introduced to Katherine's aunt (who is a lovely woman, by the way), and a reappearing man who has now been given a name: Dr. Elliott. I sensed that romantic tension was very likely near on the horizon for our narrator, and sure enough; my thoughts were confirmed by a declaration of affection by the end of the chapter.
Chapter Eight began by revealing Katherine's wild, emotional confusion after Dr. Elliott's declaration of love, which I think was a perfectly normal response of shock for her to have. She is at first very much confused and vexed, but then she slowly---even as she returns home to her mother, and does not see the doctor very often anymore---realizes that she erred in speaking so quickly and rashly. Katherine's slow shift in perception of Dr. Elliott reminded me very much of the relationship between Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett in Pride & Prejudice, and I enjoyed it a lot. This chapter also described Katherine's continuing struggle to live like Christ and give in less to worldly emotions and reactions, but it made me happy to read that she was feeling as if she were on a deep sea of peace.
Chapter Nine set the stage for future dramatic events by starting with Katherine explaining that her aunt and uncle are to go on holiday for her uncle's health, so she and her mother are to mind their home and care for the children. This allows for some very awkward/heightened tension between Katherine and Dr. Elliot, and it even comes to the point where both respond hurtfully to the other (Katherine was rude to the doctor regarding her mother, and Dr. Elliott made a jab at Katherine's compassion and empathy). The way in which Mrs. Embury approached Katherine with the matter of a relationship with Dr. Elliott also reminded me of Pride & Prejudice; except that in this scenario, Mrs. Embury was encouraging a relationship and wasn't quite as scathing as Lady Catherine of Jane Austen's novel. It was interesting to learn that Dr. Elliott was a very good speaker, but even more interesting to observe Katherine's reaction (and how it causes her to yearn for the doctor even more). A poor little girl, one of the Katherine's cousins, gets badly burned from a fire, but she ends up being okay. Katherine finds out that the woman she was jealous of seeing on Dr. Elliott's arm was his sister (I honestly expected as much), and I thought the last bit of the chapter (in which Katy/Kate have discussions on everyday moral choices and obligations), was done very well.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
"Stepping Heavenward" Diary Entry #1
August 22nd, 2012
Dear Diary:
"How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen! Well, I don't see as I can help it."
Chapter One of Elizabeth Prentiss's novel Stepping Heavenward began with the line above, and I was immediately intrigued by the sheer queerness of the statement. I am sixteen years, eight months, and nine days old, and I assure you that I do not feel "dreadfully old." I do, honestly, feel quite tired some days (in a poetic, soul-wearied way), and there are small moments here and there where I long for the innocent sun-drenched days of childhood laughter and vivid imaginings; but I never feel dreadfully old. Nevertheless, I do understand that young adults grew up much faster and assumed heavy responsibilities at a much earlier age during that time period, so her opening statement does, in fact, make sense. In this chapter, I found the narrator and protagonist, Katherine, to be a bit shallow and trivial; I was especially annoyed (and even mortified and a little taken aback) when she was complaining about her mother tending to their sick neighbors, and the little boy she had just been whining about died the next day. However, I did like her honesty and her hot temper, because they made her seem very realistic.
Chapter Two began with Katherine and her experience at church with a pastor named Dr. Cabot, and I really liked reading through their conversations concerning God and how we are supposed to love (or express our love to) Him, because Katherine asked genuine questions and Dr. Cabot gave good examples. I especially liked when he explained how obeying God really is a way to prove your love for Him, by saying: "If you had no love for [Him] you would gradually cease to dread [His] displeasure, whereas it is in the very nature of love to grow stronger and more influential every hour (Prentiss16)." I was, however, highly annoyed yet again with Katherine when she ignored Dr. Cabot's visit because she was vexed with her mother (RUDE!). But then I was a little shocked and very sorry for her when her father died suddenly, although I admire her mother very, very much for the way she handled his death.
Chapter Three delved into Katherine's life about half a year after Chapter Two ended, and she had graduated from school. I liked reading of her novel addictions and her conflicted jealousy regarding her best friend Amelia being "stolen" by a girl named Jenny Underhill, because I've experienced similar things to both situations before in my own life. Katherine also does end up falling for Jenny's handsome older brother, Charley. I was caught between snorting with laughter and smiling without irony at Charley's Greek love note, although I had a sense that it was very likely a doomed and trivial affair of selfishness as soon as Charley was disrespectful towards her mother (really, he asked Katherine why she [her mother] couldn't be sick once in awhile!). Turns out my super-novel sixth sense was correct: by the end of the chapter, I was sincerely ready to slap some of my slightly feminist policies on How To Be the Kind of Man a Woman Needs/Wants into that whining boy-child. He made her half-strangle herself because of his comment about being scared of consumption, when really he should have made her a pot of tea and kissed her forehead before leaving if he was really that scared of germs. But overall, I am looking forward to finding out what happens next.
Dear Diary:
"How dreadfully old I am getting! Sixteen! Well, I don't see as I can help it."
Chapter One of Elizabeth Prentiss's novel Stepping Heavenward began with the line above, and I was immediately intrigued by the sheer queerness of the statement. I am sixteen years, eight months, and nine days old, and I assure you that I do not feel "dreadfully old." I do, honestly, feel quite tired some days (in a poetic, soul-wearied way), and there are small moments here and there where I long for the innocent sun-drenched days of childhood laughter and vivid imaginings; but I never feel dreadfully old. Nevertheless, I do understand that young adults grew up much faster and assumed heavy responsibilities at a much earlier age during that time period, so her opening statement does, in fact, make sense. In this chapter, I found the narrator and protagonist, Katherine, to be a bit shallow and trivial; I was especially annoyed (and even mortified and a little taken aback) when she was complaining about her mother tending to their sick neighbors, and the little boy she had just been whining about died the next day. However, I did like her honesty and her hot temper, because they made her seem very realistic.
Chapter Two began with Katherine and her experience at church with a pastor named Dr. Cabot, and I really liked reading through their conversations concerning God and how we are supposed to love (or express our love to) Him, because Katherine asked genuine questions and Dr. Cabot gave good examples. I especially liked when he explained how obeying God really is a way to prove your love for Him, by saying: "If you had no love for [Him] you would gradually cease to dread [His] displeasure, whereas it is in the very nature of love to grow stronger and more influential every hour (Prentiss16)." I was, however, highly annoyed yet again with Katherine when she ignored Dr. Cabot's visit because she was vexed with her mother (RUDE!). But then I was a little shocked and very sorry for her when her father died suddenly, although I admire her mother very, very much for the way she handled his death.
Chapter Three delved into Katherine's life about half a year after Chapter Two ended, and she had graduated from school. I liked reading of her novel addictions and her conflicted jealousy regarding her best friend Amelia being "stolen" by a girl named Jenny Underhill, because I've experienced similar things to both situations before in my own life. Katherine also does end up falling for Jenny's handsome older brother, Charley. I was caught between snorting with laughter and smiling without irony at Charley's Greek love note, although I had a sense that it was very likely a doomed and trivial affair of selfishness as soon as Charley was disrespectful towards her mother (really, he asked Katherine why she [her mother] couldn't be sick once in awhile!). Turns out my super-novel sixth sense was correct: by the end of the chapter, I was sincerely ready to slap some of my slightly feminist policies on How To Be the Kind of Man a Woman Needs/Wants into that whining boy-child. He made her half-strangle herself because of his comment about being scared of consumption, when really he should have made her a pot of tea and kissed her forehead before leaving if he was really that scared of germs. But overall, I am looking forward to finding out what happens next.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Copyright
Copyrighting. Like the wrath of your mother when she is coming down hard on your case and you do not agree, the copyrights preventing you from certain things can often be annoying, hard to understand, seemingly unjust. But when your mother's wrath is upon someone else who has wronged you, it resonates with the sweet satisfaction of justice and serves-you-right. Personally, I have been frustrated with copyright laws and prohibitions when it comes to things like being unable to skip songs on Pandora or being unable to watch movies for free online (legally). But when it is your creativity, your hard work, your sweat and blood and tears, your idea that is stolen or illegally downloaded, well; suddenly copyright laws don't seem like such a bad thing after all. The laws, like your mother's wrath as your advocate, suddenly stand for something that is universally approved of and cherished: the protection of rightful ownership. Now, by no means are copyright laws in America currently perfect; in fact, the whole concept of copyright infringement is in multiple shades of gray and has many side roads of almost and not-quite-stolen. However, there are also clear and definite HE/SHE CROSSED THE LINE rules currently established, and as an aspiring author and person of creative means I suppose I am quite thankful for that.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Questions & Answers
What are your thoughts on writing?
I thoroughly enjoy writing, mostly of
the creative variety. I love writing poetry, prose, short stories, analysis,
reviews, and I hope to one day complete a novel (if not many). I currently keep
a creative journal and a regular journal, and I have a book review blog that I
try to keep up with at least once a month. Writing is my favorite way to creatively express my thoughts and ideas.
What are your thoughts on reading?
Reading is pretty close to breathing for me on the list of life's important activities. I love the beauty of words and the stories they weave, and
I am usually content to lose myself in a book in almost any place at almost any
time. While I do appreciate books on history and other
non-fiction subjects, I normally prefer fiction (fantasy, contemporary, science fiction, YA, dystopian, etc). My voracious reading habits began when I was a little girl and first picked up Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House in the Big Woods, and I have read hundreds of books since. Among my favorite novels are The Host by Stephanie Meyers; Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly; the Iron Fey novels by Julie Kagawa; My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares; The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger; and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I am currently reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
What are your thoughts on technology?
I think that technology is, like most other things in this world, an extremely valuable tool that can either be greatly utilized or horribly abused. I personally have a great appreciation for technology in general, with special appreciation for things such as my Apple iPad or HP desktop that serve to make my work that much easier and more productive. I am currently only a gamer of the Angry Birds and Dragonvale iPad app variety, but I hope that someday I will find time to become a Skyrim player. I am currently active in Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Goodreads, and Tumblr. I am not overly or unusually paranoid about my identity and security, but I also understand the necessity for precautions and discretion while on the Internet.
What are your thoughts on learning?
Learning is something that I deeply appreciate and thrive
on. I love learning my favorite subjects, learning new things every day, and
learning things that I can apply to my life both at the present and in the
future. I believe that education is also the key to success in both a healthy
society and a healthy capitalistic government, and that without education
people would be miserable and in a state of acute dissatisfaction. Human
curiosity demands that we be educated and constantly understand as much as we
can. My personal learning style is actually a pretty even blend of audio,
visual, and kinesthetic methods, but I think visual rises a bit over the others
in the way my mind is able to absorb information. I do believe in projects as a
way to creatively express one's thoughts on a matter and also view it in a new
light, and I believe that tests/quizzes help a great deal in allowing one to
retain information.
Why do you want to take this course?
Last year, I had the privilege of being able to take Honors British Literature, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really appreciated learning how to apply twenty-first century skills to learning and appreciating British literature. I also really liked the flexibility and interaction components of the online class, and so for the wonderful experience I had in last year's course alone would I have taken this "companion" course. But, as I mentioned above, I am also an avid reader and lover of literature; so a class where I to get to read books, discuss them with others who love literature as well, and get credit for it sounded like just the kind of class I wanted to be in.
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