Lauren Carbone 11-2
English III
Mri Fiorini
The Soloist Chapters 23-31

It is said that everything in life happens for a reason, and you learn from the things that occur throughout your life. In reading the soloist, Steve Lopez has provided me with multiple positive outlooks on why things happen as they do. The last few chapters of the book in my opinion were the most intriguing due to the drama and almost fairy tale like ending. It is the occurrences in these chapters that led me to dwell upon how in this story’s case, all people get what they deserve.
Nathaniel Ayers was a man who spent a great deal of his life homeless, living on the streets of skid house row. The conditions of this area were extremely poor and did not in anyway provide positive aspects of living. After Ayers developed a close relationship with Steve Lopez, a writer seeking a story for an article, things began to take a turn for the better. Lopez used the opportunity for an interesting article of a now homeless former Julliard student, as a way to speak out and create a message from the story of this man. His article on Nathanial Ayers earned a great amount of money and provided the homeless musician with a home of his own along with a studio to continue his passion for music. Although being homeless must have been a negative part in Nathaniel’s life, something good did come from it and I believe that this hard time in his life was to prepare him for struggles that can possibly come to face him further in life’s winding road.
Being provided with a home and studio of his own is the start of a new beginning for Nathaniel Ayers. I personally think he deserved this happy ending after living as he did for so long with such promising talent as a musician. It is also interesting to see how it seemed as if no longer being a student at Julliard and living on the streets was the end of his musical career, but now a whole new way of living was provided which is allowing him to take his music to a whole new level. In general I really enjoyed the truth and story line of The Soloist and I would like to think the friendship between Nathaniel Ayers and Steve Lopez shall remain strong.

Lauren Carbone

English III

Mr. Fiorini

The Soloist, Chapters 13-22

 

            In reading The Soloist, I was greatly interested in Lopez’s overall presentation and narration of the story. Along with the intriguing story line of a unique friendship, the presentation of the story is what allowed me to continue reading. It was written in a different point of view than I as a reader am use to, which made me more anxious to experience a new style of writing. Now that I have come to a more compelling point in the story where the plot thickens, I have found a new area of interest and discussion that dwells much deeper than the relationship between two completely different people.

            After meeting the character of Nathanial Ayers, a man who once attended Julliard but ended up living on the streets as a result from schizophrenia, Steve Lopez spent an abundant amount of time learning and understanding his life style and the reason he lives as he does. As he studied and developed a friendship with Ayers, he would write about this man and his living conditions. After reading the descriptive writings of Lopez, the mayor of Los Angeles had decided to take a tour of skid house row where Nathanial was residing. The shock of what he was witnessing, the terrible conditioning and living arrangements, inspired him to dedicate $50 million to housing facilities like that of skid row.

            This point has left the greatest impact and created the most important message for me in the story thus far. It left me with the belief that it is possible to make a change regardless of how large the project or task is you are faced with. Steve Lopez never gave up on the story of Nathanial Ayers, which resulted in $50 million being provided to housing. A simple article on a talented man with no home now has capability of changing the lives of many unfortunate people. Lopez’s article bringing upon change led me to believe he was creating a greater message to all readers that change is possible. This area of The Soloist created a deeper meaning to the story, which makes me excited to see what else Lopez’s article is capable of doing. 

Lauren Carbone 

English III 

Mr. Fiorini 

The Soloist Chapter 7-12

 

 

 In continuing to read The Soloist I have found that the story line has grown to be much more intriguing and the relationship between Ayer and Lopez is also being taken to a stronger level. Lopez was also developing a greater understanding of the hardships and difficulty Ayer is faced with in his living style, as well as beginning to question Ayer’s reasoning for living as he was. Lopez was beginning to see things in a new light as he began to spend more and more time with his new friend Nathaniel Ayer. 

All of these Qualities Lopez had discovered in developing a relationship with Nathaniel Ayer had changed his desire to help him from a simple job to a commitment. For someone to spend the night on skid row with a mentally ill man shows something much deeper than a story to write, but signifies true care and devotion. It is possible that there is a stronger meaning to Lopez’s interest in Nathaniel, which is leading him to take this unique friendship to a whole different level.  

I am curious to see how the rest of this story unfolds and see if this friendship is able to remain together or fall apart. In my opinion and interesting twist is still to come that will change the friendship Lopez and Ayer have built up. 

Lauren Carbone

English III

Mr. Fiorini

The Soloist Chapters 1-6

 

 

            In reading The Soloist by author and reporter Steve Lopez, I have taken an interest not only in the extremely unique friendship that has developed between characters, but also the first person point of view the text was presented in. From what I have currently read of the Soloist, I have found it to be a fairly different piece of writing compared to the literary styles of the previous authors we have studied thus far. The unique writing style of Lopez and the rare relationship between Nathanial Ayer and Lopez himself, has created a sequence that intrigues readers to continue further into the story.

            Steve Lopez delivers his story as a reporter seeking to find a new and interesting story. His first person perspective and non-fictional genre separate his writings from the others we have read in class. Lopez in my opinion has a fairly simple style of writing and also portrays things exactly as they seem to happen, opposed to using fictional imagery as many authors do to provide a mental picture to their readers. The simple and relatively modern text style makes The Soloist an easy read that doesn’t drag on or involve a complicated storyline.

            Another aspect of the first few chapters I found interesting is the friendship between Nathanial Ayer and Lopez. This kept me interested in the story because of the situation with Ayer’s unstable mental condition and how Lopez was so willing to put forth an effort in helping him. In my opinion deciding to write and article on the homeless and mentally ill musician was an extremely bold act. I say so because not many reporters take the position on writing to help someone of that nature and can be rather risky to their career. In general I think he is providing a positive message by writing a book involving the relationship between himself and this less fortunate man. It sends across the message that everyone has potential and sometimes just need help to reach the standards they are capable of reaching. 

Lauren Carbone

English III

Mr. Fiorini

 

The Catcher In the Rye

 

 

            Author J.D Salinger was extremely successful in portraying the troubled and outspoken character of Holden Caulfield and his vivid expressions towards life. Salinger’s book The Catcher and the Rye, presented the life of a boy and his struggles to over come the problems he finds within people, as well as the difficulties he is covering up deep within himself. The way the book was written brought multiple characteristics of Holden Caulfield to my attention. Salinger made it extremely clear to the readers what thoughts and opinions were processing in the mind of protagonist Holden Caulfield. These writing characteristics the author had brought into the reading experience of the book provide a greater depiction of the mindset and actions of its main character.

 Holden was seen as an agitated young man who took the frustrations he had for himself out on those who surround him. The frustrations towards people were shown as Holden would often speak of his hatred of “phoniness” and his agitation towards his roommates in Pency Prep. I found the author to be successful in portraying how Caulfield felt in situations throughout the book by making the speaker, Holden Caulfield, tell the story. He spoke as if he were writing his emotions in a journal therefore presenting each idea with intricate detail. This detail allowed the reader to pick up on minor characteristics of Holden that could later reveal more about his mindset. An observation I have found due to the descriptiveness of Salinger’s writing was that the character of Holden Caulfield was extremely observant. An event in the book the confirmed this thought for me was where he compared the behaviors of his two roommates Stradlater and Ackley. He speaks of the small things each character does in strong detail to contrast the hygiene habits of both roommates. Including minor details such as this one about the character, allows you to learn more personal aspects and behaviors of the people you are reading about.

In conclusion, the detailed writing style Salinger had used in The Catcher in the Rye had a very effective way of bringing more thoughts and idea of the main character into the story. Knowing more about Holden Caulfield provided a greater understanding for his disruptive and arrogant behavior as well as allowed readers to relate to him on a more personal level.

 

 

- I would like the creativity, organization, and the general understanding of the book to be focused on 

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

 

 The Death of a Salesman

 

In reading The Death of a Salesman by writer Arthur Miller, one of the most interesting aspects of the story I have come to find was the relationship between Willy and his son biff, as well as the possible intended symbolism. Willy often spoke of the disappointment he found in the manual labor farm jobs his thirty four-year-old son Biff has had. He found the job of Biff to be that of a slacker, which in his opinion made him less willing to obtain a steady career. After expressing his criticism that portrayed Willy’s obvious disappointment in his son’s career choice, he would contradict himself and completely turn his opinion in the opposite direction. He would then remark that Biff was anything but lazy and a hard worker. Taking a deeper look into the behavior of Willy, it is possible his contradictory was symbolism for two separate opinions, one showing his true feelings towards his son, who is working to earn a living and the other depicting disappointment within himself.

            When Willy shows disapproval of the way Biff is living his life, I found it to be a reflection upon the disappointment Willy has found in his current position. He can no longer provide for his family as the successful businessman he had once been. The character of Willy in both the movie and the book had presented a tremendous amount of anger and frustration towards money and anything pertaining to work. These outbursts would sometimes involve the work position of his son biff. I found that rather then actually having disapproval towards his son, he was using it as a cover to reveal the frustrations he has within himself for not fulfilling the position expected of him.

            In conclusion, I found a deeper meaning to the actions of Willy and the reasons he had for acting out in such an angry manner. I believe his life had taken a turn towards a negative direction and he had handled it by lashing out against those who had cared for him the most. Although Willy hadn’t successfully portrayed an image of someone who overcame a difficult time in their life, I still believe deep down he was proud of his son for who he is. This can also provide inspiration for the readers to be happy with the person they are regardless of the mistake they have made.  

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

Blogger Questions

 

 

Blogger has been extremely valuable for me as a student as well as a developing writer. It has helped me form my own style of writing and have the opportunity to experience the methods my fellow classmates have used to express their opinions. Blogger is also very convenient and provides a simple method for keeping assignments in order and organized. Aside from the website itself, using blogger and having that Friday to spend the class on the laptops is such a great way to end the week. It provides us with the chance to get a head start on our assignments or make up things we have missed.

 

As a junior in high school I can say up until this year I have never done English assignments in this way before. It has always been the same type, print, and hand in routine, which is why I really enjoyed this change. I am really looking forward to continuing the use of blogger and the assignments to come.

 

For you as a teacher my opinions are extremely positive because I like your expectations in our writings. I say this because you allow us to be creative and write in whatever style is suitable for us opposed to a standard format.

 

Using this site has certainly changed things within the community of the 11^th grade classes. Using blogger has given all of us the opportunity to read and comment on each other’s work. This has let me learn more about people that I haven’t gotten to know all that well. Reading someone’s writings can help you learn more about them as a person and get to know all different kinds of people.

 

Lauren Carbone 11-2
English 111
Mr. Fiorini


The Great Gatsby

“Life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat...the redeeming things are not 'happiness and pleasure' but the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle.”
–Letter, October 5, 1940, to his daughter, Frances

The Great Gatsby was a novel that created a new mindset for its reader, making them change their outlook on the true meaning of life and what it is to want something so strong and loose it. I found that the quote taken from one of Fitzgerald’s letters to his daughter held a great representation for that of the character Gatsby, and the path his life had taken. When the quote states, “Life is essentially a cheat and its conditions are those of defeat” I found it to portray the life of illegal bootlegging Gatsby had and how it didn’t exactly provide him with the reward a hard earned living could. I say this because throughout the story I never found Gatsby to be truly happy with the fancy parties, extraordinary mansion, and material items this illegal job provided him with. His happiness was obtained by receiving the love of a woman he desired, which is something he had to truly work for and no bootlegging job could ever bring him. This also ties into the next statement of the quote, “The redeeming things are not 'happiness and pleasure' but the deeper satisfactions that come out of struggle.” This also represent that happiness and pleasure did not come from his illegal job but from the love he had for Daisy.
In general I found this quote to portray a very valuable life lesson that was depicted in the story as well. It represents that sometimes life is not always fair such as how Gatsby was killed in the end of the book, but also that the best things in life are those that are earned. The Great Gatsby was diffidently a book that contained many life lessons that the reader could take on in their own lives to learn from as well as develop their own opinions on why things work out the way they do.

  
Lauren Carbone
English III
Mr. Fiorini
March 16, 2009 
The Great Gatsby Notes
  
--"'Whenever you feel like criticizing any one,' he told me, 'just remember that all the
people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.'"

  This was an early statement that the main character and narrator Nick had used in
the story The Great Gatsby, which was said to him by his father as a child.  I found this to be an extremely intriguing way to begin the story because it leaves the reader with an insight into the mind of the main character Nick and how he was taught to not criticize others. This may help us have a greater understanding of the person Nick is and how his mind works around certain situations in the future chapters of the book. I also found this to just be a great form of advice in general that has the power to give readers the motivation to continue reading the book with the curiosity of finding more life lesson quotes the author is willing to pass along. 
Besides the quotes in The Great Gatsby I also took an interest in the characters, Gatsby in particular.  The idea of Nick moving across the street from a beautiful mansion that is known for throwing exciting parties is enough to draw the readers to the character of Gatsby and have them anxious to learn more about him. I also saw Gatsby as a mysterious figure  because most of the appearances he makes are extremely brief or completely unknown at all. There were also rumors heard floating around about a murder he had committed. All of these aspects make Gatsby an interesting character I am anticipating learning more about.       
      

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

March 8, 2009

 

Poetry Supermarket, Emily Dickenson

 

http://www.poetry.com/GreatestPoems/poem.asp?id=66  

1.)    Emily Dickenson the writer of the poem 712, was not only known for her great works of writing, but her life style of imposed social seclusion as well. She lived in almost complete isolation from the outside world, but was still prominent in her intelligence as a young student and had an extremely deep devotion to the religious aspects in her life. Religion was a very crucial issue during the 1830 era Dickenson had lived it. One of the greatest beliefs of this time was Calvinism, which basically concluded that the majority of humans were to be damned to hell with few saved. Emily saw religion reflection more upon the beauty of nature with a brighter outlook, opposed to people being punished for their wrong doings. These were all aspects of Emily Dickenson’s life I found to tie into her poetry, as well as pose questions regarding her life style and how it came out in her poetry.

 

One of the first things I realized after reading Emily Dickenson’s poem 712, was how she mentioned a wide range of places she had passed while on this carriage ride. I found this to both contradict and tie in with her life of seclusion because the poem named many things she has seen such as the sun setting and fields of grain, but these aspects all seemed so limited which brought my attention back to her life of isolation.  Another thing brought to my attention was the opening line in her poem “Because I could not stop for Death—
He kindly stopped for me—
The Carriage held but just Ourselves—
And Immortality.” I think this brought in the religious aspects of her time because it’s as if it’s signifying that death is coming but she can not stop it, and in her real life situation she could not stop Calvinism but she could live on her own beliefs.

 

 

2.)    In reading the Poem 712, I found that although Emily Dickenson lived a life of Simplicity and seclusion, her poetry was very powerful and delivered a message that could be dwelled upon and also left some uncertainty for me personally as the reader. Another thing I noticed about her writing was how she used small phrases, but these small phrases obtained a lot of powerful thoughts like in her statement “I first surmised the Horses' Heads
Were toward Eternity“, which can invoke multiple different ideas and theories as to what she is implying. When I read this poem I imagined her tone to be rather soft but also relatively eerie due to how she is speaking of death. I’m sure that there could be numerous interpretations of the theme of Dickenson’s poem, but in my opinion it was about what eternity after death could be. I say this because of how she opens the poem with basically walking into death and ending with eternity.

 

Hope is the thing

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

 

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

 

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

 

3.)   After reading this poem I took great interest in the message being delivered, which is how hope is something that dwells inside of everyone and it is capable of getting you through even the most difficult times life brings on. People should reach out for this hope for inspiration and motivation to never give up for whatever it is they are fighting for.

 

4.)   In my opinion not much of Dickenson’s work seemed to make me think of her as a distinctly American poet other then the sense of freedom I personally felt as I read her poems. What brought upon this feeling of freedom to me was how she openly discusses things in her own manner with no imposing judgments of others. I often relate American culture to freedom, which is what brought upon this thought. In general I don’t really find much of an American style in the writings of Emily Dickenson. 

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

March 1, 2008

 

Kate Chopin Reading Journal

 

The writing of Kate Chopin, Lilacs, had both its similarities and differences in comparison to that of the American romantics we have read. In contrast, her pieces of writing show us a more realistic atmosphere opposed to the fantasy depicted in romanticism.  She speaks of a real life situation, such as that in the story lilacs, while the romantics portray a more out of the ordinary scenario. On the other hand, one thing Kate Chopin and the other American romanticism authors shared in common was the usage of nature in their story. In the romantics writing, it seemed as if nature was often used as symbolism or a way to express ones outlook on life. In Chopin’s story she uses lilacs as a way to show the past of Adrianne Farival. Chopin was also extremely descriptive with statements regarding nature such as” the notes of birds, just as we hear them now, and the humming of insects”.

 The story, for me, was a bit difficult to understand, so a theme is extremely unclear for me to decipher. However, this story did propose a question for me pertaining to the significance lilacs had in the symbolic meaning of the story. I found the lilacs to represent the two different lifestyles Adrianne was living. Whenever lilacs would come about Adrianne would make a presence at the convent. Lilacs blooming could show the new beginning for her at the convent. When the lilacs would fade away she would leave. The lilacs dying could symbolize the end of one lifestyle and the start of a new one.  This was a way for me to take the story to a new level and explore all the possibilities Kate Chopin was trying to get across to her readers.

 I believe the writings of Kate Chopin were not generally directed to a specific audience, however her work seemed to have a more feministic appeal to it. In Chopin’s stories Lilacs and A Pair of Silk Stockings, both were revolved around the story of a woman who seemed to have more than one lifestyle. Due to the large role women and society play in her stories I find that females would take greater interest in her work opposed to a male.

 As a reader, there were certain characteristics of Chopin’s writing I enjoyed and others I wasn’t exactly fond of. I didn’t particularly like how unclear the reason why Adrienne had left the convent was. I found it difficult to understand and wasn’t exactly sure of the “reading between the lines” that was suppose to be done to uncover the reason for Adrienne’s banishment. On the other hand, I did like the general idea of the lilacs in the story and the possible symbolic meaning they could have had. In general this isn’t my own personal reading style but there were aspects of it I did enjoy such as the double life idea she had used in her story Lilacs.

 “The play was over, the music ceased, the crowd filed out. It was like a dream ended. People scattered in all directions. Mrs. Sommers went to the corner and waited for the cable car.A man with keen eyes, who sat opposite to her, seemed to like the study of her small, pale face. It puzzled him to decipher what he saw there. In truth, he saw nothing – unless he were wizard enough to detect a poignant wish, a powerful longing that the cable car would never stop anywhere, but go on and on with her forever.” The previous passage ending A Pair of Silk Stockings, was what made me want to read more on Kate Chopin’s work because of the way she ended leaving the idea of change and how all people are capable of it. I also liked her descriptiveness, which gave me a mental picture to build upon as the story progressed. 

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr. Fiorini

February 23, 2009

 

Does writing have the power to enact social change?

 

 

“Don't tell me words don't matter. ‘I have a dream!' Just words? 'We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal.' Just words? 'We have nothing to fear but fear itself.' Just words? Just speeches?" - Barack Obama,

 

            Just words? Is that all the compelling speech, I Had A Dream, Martin Luther King delivered spoke to us, just words? No, His single speech alone inspired the civil rights of people that are still in power today. It is words that bring meaning into peoples lives and gives them the motivation to bring upon changes and better the world surrounding them.

            One of the obligations of a writer is to say all that he or she can to invoke change in the minds of their readers or listeners, as well as to deal with as much of the world as possible in language.  It is possible for powerful statements and words coming from the deepest void in the heart of a person’s body to inspire others to act forth on resolving issues and providing them with the motivation to do all they can to make a difference. The statement by Barack Obama, presenting the idea that the words of multiple powerful speakers are indeed more than just words, is a strong example of how writing can enact social change. His statement portrays the crucial role things that are said have on individuals and how it allows you to express yourself in ways actions cannot. Great achievements have come to be due to the competence of speeches and effectiveness of the messages delivered from them. They have brought upon people’s freedom, rights and also provided hope that a difference CAN be made no matter who it is that dares to take that vigorous step forward.

Words are extremely powerful. Words being produced with a small drop of ink upon a thought produces that which makes thousands or even millions think. The words that produce these thoughts are what inspire the insight to develop what starts out as a single thought into an action. These actions have the ability to do wondrous things and allow people to find a voice deep inside of them they have yet to hear. 

Lauren Carbone 11-2

English III

Mr Fiorini

January 30,2008

 

 

                               The Price of a Child, Letter to Pryor

 

Dear Pryor,

            I beg of you from the deepest plea of my heart, as a former slave and caring mother, for you to bring the youngest of my children back into my life. Although receiving my freedom meant leaving behind one of the greatest joys of my being, as a mother I had to provide a greater life for my two other children. A life of freedom by which their young deprived souls had so greatly deserved and yearned for throughout their short but experienced lives. Children should not live a life where day after day they witness the tired hands of their mother work as a slave and follow the commands of a master. Is it fair for the eyes of those young innocent children to see time pass with no opportunity for them to live there lives or experience the joy of anticipating a bright future? I gave my children that burst of hope by receiving freedom for them and myself as well. Now I ask of you, my former master, to allow me to provide that same burst of hope for my son Bennie.

            I live each day seeing the face of my Bennie reach out for his mother, but she is never to be found. Leaving my son in Virginia as I live as a free woman in Pennsylvania haunts me for I am living the life I wish for him. A cloud of depression follows the path I walk upon filling my days with sorrow and remembrance of the moments I was able to attend to my baby boy. Although I have become familiar with the tears I shed for him, I will never give up until he is safe in my arms. I don’t want Bennie to grow up asking questions of his mother and why she had abandoned him. Here, in Pennsylvania, a loving family waits for him, as well as siblings that so desperately wish to play a role in his life. I am willing to do anything in my power to see that he receives the hope and inspiring future that I could provide him with if he was here with me.

            I may not have a pocket full of money or anything of your value, but what I do have is a heart full of love for the child I brought into this world. I will do anything necessary to obtain the money required to purchase him, or do what is needed to meet your desires. However I am no longer a possession of yours, nor am I obligated to do as you say. As far as I am concerned any debt I might have owed to you has been long over paid. So now I ask you as a human being to complete my family and reunite us all to improve our lives together and work to become the family we had always hoped to be.

                                                                                                  

                                                                                                   Yours Truly,

                                                                                                   Mercer Gray