My Best Friend

The closest friend I have I met in the sixth grade, and now looking back to just three years ago, I remember how instantly we became friends. While sitting by her in block, it was literally minutes before we were able to talk as if we had known each other for a long time. I knew right away we were going to be great friends.
This friend I am talking about happens to be named Rachel. Her appearance is an athletic build, most likely because she plays goalie in soccer. She has meduim length blonde hair that is very curly and she had greenish blue eyes, and one of them had a large brown spot in it. Usually, she enjoys attending movies and talking to people all the time. Overall, after talking to her it is easy to tell that she has a wide variety of interests from video games, reading, watching shows like Glee, and excelling academically in school.
Rachel is a very outgoing person with a huge span of friends, making her an extrovert. She is also hardworking because she always tries her best on all tasks she is faced with. Although she is hardworking, she is definitely not serious all the time, but quite the opposite. Constantly she is a goofy and exciting person to be around. We have countless inside jokes and so many great memories and I hope there will be many more to come in the future.

Earliest Memory

I am in the front row on the end on the right side. :)

This is me!

When I was four years old, ballet, one of the things I still enjoy today, came into my life. It was 1999 and I started taking lessons at the Johansen’s School of Ballet. We learned many things, such as first, second, third, and fifth positions, and also some different types of leaps. This was probably the most important year of dance because it gave all of us a foundation of ballet technique so we could continue learning in the future. All of the girls were so excited to come to dance each week so we could learn all types of new things, and get to know each other better.

By the following spring, all of the little girls, including me were ready for our first recital. The dance was called Ribbon Candy. We wore a little tutu and a top that had layers of ribbon in pastel colors, it was a very cute costume. In the routine, we had to use little flowers and perform to a song where the lady would tell us what to do, such as “run across the stage, pick up your flower, smell the flower, now throw the flower to the audience.” This was an audience favorite because even though the routine was simple, all of us would still make little mistakes. After this performance, I remember feeling so happy and joyful because of the exhilarating feeling of performing at the Washington Center for the first time. This was the first time of many performances for me, but it is still on of the memories that is very important to me.

The Metamorphosis/Imagery

Franz Kafka, the author of The Metamorphosis, heavily uses imagery to describe Gregor, the main character. Imagery is used to provide the reader with an insight of the struggles that Gregor must face while living his life as a cockroach. The images give a deeper view, create a connection with the main character, and because he is a cockroach this was a very important element of the novel.

It seems like it would be impossible to build a reading connection with a cockroach, and it would have been without all the intense struggles stated in such a graphic way. In the beginning, Gregor receives help from his caring sister in many ways imaginable, such as food and a clean room, but eventually she begins to deprive him of those things, which obviously are necessary for him to survive. After this occurs, the furniture is removed from his room, and the hateful feelings that come from his father are more greatly expressed. Throughout all of these negative events, imagery is the main literary element that makes everything make sense on an emotional and realistic way for the reader. Without the images, this particular novel would only be about a man who turned into a bug, but when his life is so vividly described, it has the same storyline, but a much deeper connection and thrilling story is created.

Outside Reading

The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka was an extremely intriguing novel to me, which explains why I chose it for the outside reading assignment. This book immediately drew me in, even after the first sentence. The author wasted no time when beginning to describe the life of Gregor, the main character. It’s rare for a story to begin without any background information, but Franz Kafka did an amazing job of instantly drawing you and having it be possible to understand everything that was taking place.
Imagery is the absolute most prominent literary element used in The Metamorphosis. Within the first ten pages, every kind of element was imagery, and without it, the book would be extremely confusing. Sometimes a book that has a lot of descriptions, can seem boring and slow, but this statement is definitely untrue in this particular novel. I believe the author used this kind of element to simply enrich and give the reader a more graphic image of the challenges and upsetting events Gregor is forced to endure while living as a gigantic bug.
Although I have not fully completed with the story, so far the tone has been somber and dramatic. Gregor is having to deal with both internal and external struggles, and his family is of little or no help. It’s actually almost frustrating to read at points, because you feel for Gregor, and just want to help him through the tough situation. The tone is obvious throughout what I have read, because it’s a very depressing story line with many intense events and descriptions.

Writing About Reading

Reading is a captivating and wonderful experience. When you open the pages of a book, you enter a fantasy world and can become enthralled with the life of another character. You can forget about what is happening in your life for a short amount of time, and worry about the problems of someone or something else. It’s especially great to read when I am feeling stressed, because it is a very relaxing kind of activity.
Reading on my bed and snuggling in my blankets, is my favorite way to become fully into the experience and completely fascinated with my book. This is a great location, because there are few distractions, and I can put my full concentration into the words written on the page. On the other hand, reading in the car is something that is not possible for me to do, because I get nauseous. So definitely, a nice, quiet comfortable place is the best for me.
Usually I enjoy reading books of my choice, but if there is a book that I have trouble getting into, I set personal goals for myself on how many pages I will have to read a night, in order to finish the book. Even if I have trouble becoming engrossed in a book, I try and remember that I need to do my best to stay focused, and have a full understanding of the intentional meaning of the novel. Fiction, is obviously my favorite type of books, but of course there are good and bad ones. Certain times, a book is so amazing you can read a mile an minute while retaining every minor detail, and there are the times, when it is necessary to read slowly, and occasionally even reread a page to get all the information. There is a reason for me being in honors, and it’s because I love to read and write, and when a class offers a challenge while doing these things, I am definitely up for it!