I have not logged in to the Honors English board for a while now. There was a time last year when I was actively involved in some of the discussions going on and I was sure that I would continue to be (just like I was sure that I would continue to blog), but that has not been the case.
I have been going to Layton High for almost a year now and I am surprised to see how much things have changed in that time. I spent yesterday with a friend that I had not seen since October of 2007. I was surprised the second I saw him just to see how different he looked. We spent about six hours walking around, just talking about our lives. It was great. It made me think about how different thing are now.
So, this morning I found myself logging on to the Honors English board to read some old posts. I got to the log in screen and I had a second of memory loss. I could not even remember whether I had used Madie or Madison as my screen name. After that I logged in and went straight to the section titled "Honors English 2008". I read through my introduction and my answers to questions number one and number 2. Then I got to question number 3, which is going to be the main topic of this blog once I get around to it.
Question number 3, due on October 14, 2007 says this:
Write a discussion question you would like to see posted in this forum, and then write your response to the question.
My answer was very basic. It is pretty obvious that I had not actually spent very much time thinking about it at all and just ended up throwing something on there. However, at the very bottom of my post I said this:
Is there anyone other than me and Carley that just want to answer everyone's questions? Because I have the strongest urge to do so.
Now, about a year and a half later, I am going to try to answer these questions.
SB: I'd ask what people think of The Count of Monte Cristo. Do you enjoy it? Why? Is it interesting? What do you like and dislike about it? Also who is your favorite character and how can you relate to them or why are they your favorite character?
Oh, wow. And the first question stumps me. I know that I loved The Count of Monte Cristo. It took me a long time to get into it, but once I did I thought it was absolutely great. I remember thinking that the story line was so original and so interesting. I know, that since it was my first classic, I did not like how difficult it was to read at first, but eventually I did not mind that so much. The part of this question that I can not really answer is my favorite character. I do not honestly remember who I liked or why. Maybe I will have to read it again sometime soon.
NL: I would ask: Do you think spelling is important (all the time, including when you write notes to others, posting in blogs and discussion boards, or even writing notes to yourself, etc.) and why or why not?
As a writer, I think that spelling is very important. Even when I am instant messaging or texting my friends I use proper punctuation and spelling. I believe that if I let it slip too much I will start putting the 'text speak' into my writing and make myself look like an idiot (or a typical teenager who does nothing but text). I think that many people do not think that spelling and grammar are important in informal settings. I think that is both very sad and very bad for our society.
BS: Well, I think I would ask," What is your favorite genre of literature? Why is it your favorite? How much time would you spend reading it if you had time? How much time do you spend reading it?"
My favorite genre of literature is definitely fiction. However, fiction is so wide a genre that it is not a very specific answer. I can not give one more specific though. I love fantasy, mystery, romance, horror, and historical fiction all alike. I love getting into a good book with interesting characters and a good plot. If I had all the time in the world I would probably spend about half of it reading. As much as I love reading a good book, I would still want to spend time with my family and friends. However, I am not very social and so I can honestly say that I would not mind spending half of my time reading if I had new books to read. Sadly, I do not spend nearly that much time reading. Lately, I have not had very much time at all to read. That is something I do not like. The problem is that when I have a good book I am hooked on it. I can not concentrate in class or on my homework. So I do most of my reading in the summer. I always have. However, I do get some reading done during the school year.
BB: How far are you in the book? What part are you on? Do you get it? Who is your favorite charactor and Why? Are you reading the regular one or abridged?
The first part of this question is outdated. I finished the book at the very end of that term. I had put it off for so long because it was more difficult reading than I had encountered before. I understood it pretty well. I had my mom help me a bit when the reading got difficult because she had read it before. I read the abridged version. However, I had my dad buy me the unabriged and I am thinking that I might try to tackle that this summer.
JC: I would ask what their favorite book is? why is is your favorite? and what, in your opinion is a good book?
I have so many favorite books. This is one of the most difficult questions to answer (along with my favorite author, movie, song, band, etc.). For a long time my favorite book was The Talisman by Stephen King but, while that is still pretty high up on my list, now I have read so many other great books that I can not honestly say which is my favorite. In my opinion a good book can be so many things. It does not necessarily have to be well written. The Twilight saga would be my first example of this. I do not believe it is a well written book, but I enjoyed it. The series is far from being one of my favorites. But they are good books. I think a good book has to have an interesting plot. Otherwise, what would be the point in reading it? I think that a good book can not be too descriptive. The reader has to be able to imagine it themselves. I think I will leave it at that. Though, I will put this topic on my list of things to write a full blog post about... Eventually.
CR: Have you ever read a certain book/poem, or maybe even an essay that changed the way you think, feel or act? I bet if you really take the time to think about it then you'd come up with not only one occasion, but with possibly several.
This is a really really good question. I have read so many books that have shaped the way I think now. The first that comes to mind is The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank. I read this book in seventh grade. I remember how hard it was for me to get through it because it was real. Anne Frank really existed and really went through the hardships that her diary describes. Her father really was the only one from the family to survive. It really happened. It was a hard thing to realize as a 13 year old. I had studied World War II before and I had known of the horrific things that had happened during that time, but I had never really imagined them really happening to a girl who, at the beginning of it all, was my age. There also fictional books that have changed the way I thought. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King is one of them. It was the first real novel that I read (not including the Harry Potter books). In the book, nine year old Trisha gets lost in the woods. It was a story of fear and survival. I was about ten or eleven when I read it. There are many other books along with these. I believe that the way that I think about the world, the universe, has been shaped by the books I have read even more than my own experiences. I have not experienced much. I have read a lot.
MM: "When reading examples of "classic" literature, do you notice any similarities between "classic" writings and the writing of today? If so, what are they? Give some examples."
The main similarity that I have noticed between classic literature and modern literature is the emotion. The basics of the human characters. I guess that is simple. It is not very hard to guess that human nature is going to be the same in literature... But to me that is the basis of all literature. Plus, I think that the basics of almost any plot can be found in more than just one novel. I do not know. I guess I am probably not explaining it right... I do not really know how to explain it.
HH: I would probably ask what genere of book is their favorite, and why is it their favorite.
I have already said that fiction books are my favorite, but I did not really explain why. I guess the main reason is that I can start reading a fiction book and get totally pulled into it. I forget whatever else I should be doing (because I am a procrastinator) or anything that is worrying me and just get lost in the story and the characters. It is absolutely one of my favorite things in life. Without good books I would probably be way more stressed than I am most of the time.
MLH: What do you think the most important part about writing a short story is? Why do you think that it is so important? Is that the most important part in a book as well?
I think the most important part in the actual writing of a short story is not worrying about whether or not it will be liked. I think it is important that before worrying about how much it will be read and liked by other people you have to first get your story out. You have to put it on paper and create the plot and the characters before you can worry about all of that. Then once the story is written the writer can edit it and make sure that it is readable and likeable. I definitely think that this is important in a novel as well. I read a book by Stephen King titled On Writing. He said that it is always important to write first with the door shut. Then when the first draft is done you can let people see it and worry about whether or not they like it.
IH: What would you do if you had to escape from some horried prision like Edmound Dantes? What would you do in your spare time?
I honestly do not think I read this question last year. Ha ha. Uhm.. If I had to escape from prison like Edmound Dantes... I would most likely get my ideas from a book that I had read because that is where I get my ideas anyway. In my spare time... I would contemplate escaping most likely... Uhm... I do not really know. It has been sooo long since I have read that book.
MM: I would probably ask "Where is your favorite place to read and do homework; in the house, in the yard, in a tree, and so forth? Why is this your favorite place to read or do homework? Does it stimulate your brain cells? Or does it remind you of good times? (It doesn't have to be the same answer!)
My favorite place to read is outside anywhere that is sunny. My favorite place to do homework is in my room, usually at night when I know that there is nothing else going on in the house that I could be missing out on. Ha ha. The reason I like to read outside is that I like the air. I think that the air outside is just... Good for reading? Ha ha. It is something that I really love. I can not really explain it though. The reason I like doing homework in my bedroom is that I can not concentrate when I think there are fun conversations or anything going on in my house. I have so much fun with my family that merely thinking about it distracts me.
EO: What do you think about this whole honors english thing?
Well, looking back on it now I am so glad that I stuck with it for the entire year. I really enjoyed the board discussions and the ready and the blogs. I also enjoyed the two parties we had... The one that was really successful and the one that really... was not. Ha ha. I loved reading other people's blogs even though I hardly ever commented on them. I also liked having a reason to read those classics. I probably never would have read The Count of Monte Cristo, Dandelion Wine, or Great Expectations had it not been for that class. I loved all of those books. The whole year was just so great. It also helps that Mr. T was the greatest teacher I have ever had.
AW: What is your favorite part about Honors English. Is is the blogs, the discussion board, or the reading assignments? Why?
My favorite part of Honors English was a combination of the people and the reading. I loved reading the books and then talking about them to other people in the class or Mr. T. I thought it was great that at the end of a lot of the conversations Mr. T and I had he would say "Blog that." and sometimes I would and sometimes I wouldn't. I loved so many parts of that class that it is hard to choose one specific favorite.
JW: O.K., here's the question; Do you have any pets?
Uhm... Kind of a random question. Yes, I have four pets. I have two dogs, both Shib Inus. One girl and one boy. And I have two leopard geckos. One girl and one boy. The dogs names are Koda and Breezy and the lizards names are Starsky and Hutch (we named them before we knew that one of them was a girl).
TB: Hmmm....my question would be what do you think of grammar punk?
I actually did not mind grammar punk. I thought it was fun to write the sentences and what was even more fun than that was brainstorming the words for the sentences. It was really a lot of fun because all year I was lucky to have some really funny people in my class.
MR (me): My question is: What is your biggest problem with writing and completing stories, novels, and just writing in general?
(And I'm just going to post my answer from before)
My biggest problem with writing stories is that I have way to many ideas coming to me. I'll think of an idea, and then I'll start writing. I'll have a good couple of pages written in my notebook, and then I put it down for the night and go to sleep. Going to sleep is what kills the story. I tell myself that I have to keep writing, and then a month or even a year later I'll find the notebook I started writing the story in. The first few pages of the notebook are written on, and then the rest is empty. I write a little bit more of the story if the idea was good enough to still be interesting, and then I put the notebook down again. It would take hundreds of years to finish a book this way. It makes me sad, because Carley has written and completed several stories, and she always tells me that I need to finish one so I know what it feels like to finish a story, and I will. Hopefully one day I will find a plot line that will keep me interested until the very last punctuation, but until then I think I'll keep to short stories. I've got one posted on my blog, and I'm going to try to continue it, but I would love it if some people would read it and tell me what they thought so I could have enough reason to continue.
HS: Why do you think reading is important?
There are so many things that make reading important. To me one of the more important ones is knowledge. I think that without reading a person puts a very real limit on the knowledge. They hold themselves back from being as smart as they can be, from being the person they can be.
MP: Think of a good book that you've read recentley. Did you feel that it was one that you could really enjoy? Did it paint a vivid picture in your mind as to what the character is doing, acting, and feeling? Could you imagine yourself standing along side this character, fighting their battles?
I just finished reading a book called Nightworld. Nightworld itself is the name of the series, but the books come in threes. So Nightworld 1 contains three different books in it. It was a really good book. I think it was another one, though, that I liked more for the story than for the writing. It was not terrific writing and it did not really paint a picture in my head. Mostly I just thought that L.J. Smith's ideas were really good and really interesting.
SZ: If you could go anywhere in the world for one week where would you go? Why would you go there? And what would you plan to do?
If I could go anywhere in the world for a week then I would go to the United Kingdom. I would start out in Scotland and make my way down into England and maybe Wales. I have wanted to go there for so many years now. It is my dream to visit England and Scotland because I think that it would be amazing to see how people live there and even just to explore. I do not really know what I would plan. Probably just a lot of sight seeing. I would definitely see Stone Henge because I have always wanted to see that.
AT: Who is your favorite author and why? Why do the books this author writes appeal to you more than the books of other authors? Name some characteristics of the author's writing style that keep the reader entertained, help make the book interesting, and why they make that person a good author.
It is really hard to pick a favorite author, but for now I think I will go with Stephen King. I love his writing because he creates real characters. Often when reading his books I like to think about what I would do if I were to meet him. I would probably ask him if he actually has to try to make his characters sound so real or if it just comes naturally to him. His plots are definitely interesting, and they always hold my attention. He has an incredible imagination and I admire his writing style.
BW: Which University is better, U of U, or BYU? State why? Is it a strong opinion?
Uhm... Well I do not really care. Personally if it were which I would rather go to then I would choose U of U. I am not LDS and so I just would not go there mostly because it is more expensive. Other than that... Go George Washington University! Ha ha. Or even Southern Utah University.
AB: Who is your favorite author and what kind of books do they write? Why do you like reading those books.
I think we will go with James Patterson this time. He writes fiction. Some mystery/action and some fantasy/action. He has even written a couple of romances that I really like. I like reading his books because they are interesting. They have good plots and good characters and I even like how he writes short chapters. It makes it easier to put them down when I absolutely have to. I do not have to stop in the middle of a chapter when reading his books.
SO: Have you ever had a life changing experience? What was it? In what way did it change your life? Have you benefited from this change or not?
I think everyone has had a life changing experience. Several of them I am sure. They are part of life. Uhm... Well the experience that comes to my mind first is something that happened during last year... I think it was the beginning of ninth grade. My cousin has cancer. She is... four years old. One weekend in November of 2007 we planned a benefit concert for her. The singer was Brenn Hill. There was also a silent auction before hand. My sisters and I brought suckers and hot chocolate and helped set up and clean up. It changed me because I had never seen so many people come together to help one person. And to see that happen, to be part of that, was the best feeling.
LS: What is your favorite instrument and why?
Hmm... I play the viola and the guitar so I love both of those instruments. But my absolute favorite instrument ever is the Cello. I love that it can create amazingly beautiful sounds both in a group and alone. I think it is a gorgeous instrument (is that weird?) and I think that it would be the best instrument to play and I regret not learning to play it.
CH: What is your favorite movie(s)?
I have soooo many. My sisters are currently talking about movies so I think I will just mention a couple of movies that they are talking about that I love: 10 Things I Hate About You, Dark Knight, Miss Potter, Little Women, City of Angels, Practical Magic, Titanic, Because I Said So, and like... a million more.
RW: What is your favorite kind of music, band, andwhy are this your favorite.
Wow. Ok. ^^ Grammar. I am just copying these questions exactly as they were on the board.
I love all kinds of music. My favorite band right now is Paramore. I do not really know why. I just like their music. I have loved them for a very long while now.
DA: When you enter a book store, lets say Barnes and Noble, what section do you go to first? Why?
I go straight to the young adult section that is like... One aisle right in front of the kid section. I check out books there first before going to the shelves of my favorite authors. I do this because I just think that the books there are books that can be really good but not for adults... I do not really know how to explain it...
PB: What do you take for granted? life? house? money? clothes?
I definitely take my family for granted. They are so amazing and I know I do not appreciate them enough or what they do for me. I try, but sometimes I just do not do so well with it. I know that is something I should work on. I am a very very lucky person to have what I do.
ZH: I would ask what books do you want to read? Are they long? Do you have time to read all of them? Are you required to read other books?
There are so many... I think I want to make a list sometime and post it up here. They are very different. Some short, some long. Some immature, some more mature. I will read most of them eventually. I wish there was enough time in life to read everything. I am not really required to read anything for school this year... Which is weird.
CR: What do you think is your hardest subject this year?Why is it your hardest? What is your easiest? Why is it you easiest?
My hardest subject this year is AP European History. It is my hardest because it takes a lot of work. A lot of studying and a lot of reading and a lot of memorizing. My easiest subject, sadly, is Honors English. The reason for this is that we have hardly read anything, we have only written three essays, and she says that for the rest of the year we will be focusing on poetry. I just wish we had been able to read more. It was supposed to be world literature but we have only covered Africa, Greece, and now Asia.
AS: Where do people who write books get their ideas from to put in the story and come up with the story?
I think this question is very basic. Any writer gets there ideas from their heads along with the people and things around them. I know I get my ideas from everywhere. Anything can get my imagination moving. I think most writers are that way. I think they have to be.
LH: What do you think is the most important part of life? What makes it so important...so special?
I think that the most important part of life is going for your goals. Knowing what you want to do and doing it. I can not think of the words to explain why this is important. It just... It just is. Ha ha.
IU: If you could have any series of books on your shelf what would it be and why?
There is this series of my mom's that I have read recently. It is by Diana Gabaldon and I absolutely love them. They are the reason that I really really want to go to Scotland. I own the second book but the rest are my mom's. One day I hope to own them all. If I could have my mom's book collection I would be so happy.
Alright, so toward the end I skipped a lot of questions because they got very repetitive. But here they are. A lot of these answers would have been very different if I had answered them the week of this discussion. Time has changed a lot. It is good, but it is strange.
