Fiction-Assignment

Body English. Write a “conversation” in which no words are said.  This exercise is meant to challenge you to work with gesture, body language (or, as a baseball announcer I heard once misspeak it, body English), all the things we convey to each other without words.  We often learn more about characters in stories from the things characters do with their hands than from what they say.  It might be best to have some stranger observe this conversation, rather than showing us the thoughts of one of the people involved in the conversation, because the temptation to tell us what the conversation is about is so great from inside the conversation.  “I was doing the opposite of Freud,” Desmond Morris says, of his famous book The Naked Ape that first studied the ways humans speak with their bodies.  “He listened to people and didn’t watch; I watched people and didn’t listen.”  Because of Morris, according to Cassandra Jardine, “when politicians scratch their noses they are now assumed to be lying—and the sight of the Queen [Elizabeth] crossing her legs at the ankles is known to be a signal that her status is too high for her to need to show sexual interest by crossing them further up.”  Autistic children cannot understand human conversation even when they understand individual words because they cannot read facial expressions, which is clear evidence of how important other forms of language are.  600 words.

I'm totally in the same place with this prompt that body language is sometimes even more important than actual words when communicating, especially with emotions. 
I'm planning to write a story based on my experience when I was 9 years old. I have an experience of witnessing a ghost inside a car around 11 in front of my apartment. It was so shocking that I still remember exactly how I felt then. 
I'm going to change the point of view from me to "a girl." In that way, I could be able to illustrate my emotion through gestures.

Relating to the author, Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde

Throughout three chapters, we can easily find the common characteristics of Oscar Wilde and the main characters in Dorian Gray. While some experts claim that we should analyze literature within itself, not relating it to the life of the author, it is necessary to think of the relationship between the author and his works.

The very first thing that struck me was the issue of homosexuality. Both the demeanors and words of Dorian Gray, Lord Henry and Basil are not the expression of mere "liking," but more of romantic feelings toward each other. When Lord Henry asks how often does he see Dorian, Basil answers, “Every day. I couldn’t be happy if I didn’t see him everyday. He is absolutely necessary to me.” Dorian, on the other hand, is totally charmed by Lord Henry, who is a magical speaker burping out witty saying every time he opens his mouth. Dorian is so in love with him that he asks Henry to “promise to talk to me all the time.” Other than these, there are numerous quotes in the book that indicate the cheesy, romantic sentiment. Furthermore, the love between men and women are almost ignored, especially by Lord Henry. He defines marriage as to be short-lived and temporary, and asserts that women are a decorative sex. This imparted comparison between homosexual and heterosexual love emphasizes the homosexual romance among three guys. Lastly, Sibyl Vane, the actress of Shakespeare plays, is portrayed as a foolish young woman who is enthralled by "Prince Charming" whom she doesn't even know the name of. She instantly falls in love with Dorian, and in later chapters, forsakes her whole career just for him. How foolish is that? This stupidity of Sibyl Vane also indicates the triviality of love between different sexes.

Homosexuality, the prevailing thought of this book, was one of the characteristics of Oscar Wilde; he was a gay. During his time, the Victorian Era, it was difficult to express this feature of himself because of the zeitgeist of the time. In my opinion, instead, he expressed this feeling in his literature.

Other common factors are instilled in Lord Henry's personality and his views on certain subjects; Oscar Wilde and Lord Henry are awfully similar to each other. First one is hedonism, the appreciation of pleasure more than anything else. Lord Henry actually insists that one’s life should be spent appreciating beauty and seeking out pleasure rather than searching for ways to alleviate pain and tragedy. Oscar was also a believer of hedonism as well. Second common factor is the idea that art and life are not only closely related to each other, but also interchangeable. Thus, Lord Henry claims that vice and virtue are only the subsidiaries of aestheticism; they are merely the tools to create beauty. Oscar talked about this a lot in his preface of this book; he is into aestheticism. Moreover, Lord Henry loves social comedy and satire, so did Oscar. 

Motivation Speech

Mr. Tweedie's English Composition Class

Would you take a look at this miniature eagle? Do any of you girls know how the eagles learn to fly so high and for such a long time?

When the baby eagles grow into a certain age, the mother pushes her own babies down the steep cliff, when she has not even taught her children how to fly. The baby eagles, having no choice but to desperately try to fly, try all kinds of methods within a couple of minutes while falling down. Those give up during the process die. Those try until they succeed, live. Of the eagles that try frantically until they reach the very ground, there is not a single eagle that dies.

YOU are my baby eagles, and I really want you to keep that in mind. You have been practicing for 6 months! That certainly is a lot of time, and you did not waste any of it. Nonetheless, you were practicing with real passion, and I watched you girls with actual admiration. During the ten years of my career of giving children ballet lessons, you were the youngest, and the most talented kids I have ever encountered, and I mean it. I know that if you keep going with this amount of passion and this amount of practice time, you WILL be the best ballet dancers, even entering the "The Bolshoi Ballet" at some point. Believe me, I can see it in you, and I can FEEL it in you!

I know I've been excessively harsh on you girls, and never complimented throughout the whole 6 months, but you should really know that I acted in such a way because I wanted you to exert your capacity to the fullest. Now, you girls are ready to go out there and demonstrate what you have!

I know you have been peeking out and freaking out of the size of the audience just a few moments ago, and I know you're all very nervous inside. You were making mistakes on the routine not because you weren't good enough, but because your mind isn't set up for performance yet. Actually, I also had the exact same experience when I was your age. I got to perform in a much bigger stage than this place, and my show was more of a formal audition than an informal talent show like what you're going through right now. So, you can imagine how nervous I was. Besides, I wasn't performing as a group; I was all by myself, since it was a solo performance that I did. Watching some of the previous participants leaving with luggage along with tears, I was already shaking with fear even before going on the stage. Finally, it was my turn to perform in front of the frowning judges, but I was too afraid to go up there, and unfortunately, I gave up. I have regretted that, like, for the rest of my life, until today.

Now I do NOT want you talented girls to regret your sweating blood for precious six months, especially if you don't want to spoil your peers' hard work. As I have been trying to tell you, you guys are extremely talented, worked so hard for this day, and even your parents are coming to watch! Aren't you guys excited to show your parents what you've got? Now, people will probably come to this performance, thinking "Well, how good can little girls dance? They're just cute, small girls who happen to have little talent shows, for the amusement of their parents." Girls, this would be a great chance to demonstrate how good and professional you can be even though you're little girls. I know you can nail this, and so do you.

A girl changed my life.

I'm now sitting on a bench at the Yuldong Park. The breeze, it is gently sweeping my face and my hair while I'm writing this on my lap. I gotta tell you, the world is happy all over today, with children laughing and running around, joyous couples strolling through the beautiful flower paths, and blissful families having a nice little picnic here and there. Oh, it's time to go to my music class! I love my music class so much that I'm willing to take the class even when I'm dying. 

I used to attend Iowa State University until just yesterday, although I'm 31 by the end of this month. I know it is ridiculous, but my brother made me attend this school, trying to convince me that I've got some kind of disease, which I don't remember the name of, schizcco something. As usual, I walked into the school gate into up the stairs into my Basic Psychology classroom, with my eyes meeting the floor, afraid to meet someone else's eyes. Walking into the classroom, I cautiously looked around the room and noticed a shocking thing; I was amazed by the presence of a new member sitting in the front row, on the very right corner. 

She looked… absolutely AMAZING. She was a typical beautiful blonde, not like my horrible reddish hair, she had such beautiful blue eyes, skin as white as a snowflake, not like my burning cheek, and had stunning body, not like my short, stumpy body. I really wanted to talk to her, but I just didn't have enough guts to do it. She must have noticed that I was always on my own, because during the five minutes of break, she walked up to me and asked if I could lend her notes of the previous lectures. Of course, I didn't have any notes to lend, since I never take notes. Maybe that's why I get F every semester. 

Anyway, one thing led to another, and I found myself eating lunch with her, the experience that was half pleasing and half strange for me. To tell the truth, I've never eaten with a stranger before, or even talked to one. At first, when she asked me to eat with her, I was really worried that it might turn into an utterly awkward lunch. 

Well, my worries turned out to be completely useless, because she was not only beautiful, but also so funny. I was laughing every second we were together, and when she was around, I could forget all the things and not notice the time anymore. She, like me, didn't have cell phone. She said it deterred her from her studies, but I think she doesn't need one since she can get along quite well with others, even without cell phones. In this and every other way, she was a perfect match for me, so we became best friends on the very first day we met, which was just yesterday. It seems like I've known her for years now. 

After lunch, when we went outside, rain was pouring all over as if it were trying to sweep out everything that exists on the Earth. We stared at each other in awe, not knowing what to do. I quickly suggested if she wanted to stay at my house for some time before the rain stops, since my house was really close to that place. Without a word, she ran ahead of me through the rain, and I quickly caught up with her.

It felt so cozy and warm being with her, having a hot cocoa with five marshmallows in each of our cocoa. Like when we had lunch, she was making me laugh again for the whole time, and I was laughing my head off, seriously. Her jokes made my stomach muscles ache. The time, again, flied so fast that it was now time for dinner. I knew exactly when we should eat dinner, because my stomach always rumbles at the exact 7 o'clock.

The ordered pizza arrived, and while she was paying for it at the door, I washed my hands in the bathroom. As usual, I was unconsciously, but passionately, singing the "Take a bow" of Rihanna. I finished the whole song in the bathroom and came out to eat pizzas, but was startled my Sarah standing right in front of the bathroom door. I stared at her in amazement, and she said she had something to talk to me about. I had no idea what she was going to say, so I went over to the sofa with half anxious and half anticipated minds. She seemed so serious when she finally opened her mouth, and that was the first time she was talking to me without making me laugh.

"Clara, I gotta tell you this, and you SHOULD listen to what I'm saying very carefully, all right? Umm… All right, here goes. Clara, You. Are. An amazing singer. You really are. I just heard you sing just one song inside that bathroom, but I can totally tell that you are. I know you've been hiding your own identity probably because you are an extreme introvert or because your brother prevented you from exposing yourself. If you hadn't been hiding yourself so much, you would have already been a well-known singer by now. I think you should try now. It's not too late, Clara"

"Wha,, what, what? I am?"

I couldn't even say the correct words because of the shock I got from her.

"Try what?"

"Try on the auditions of entertainment companies and become a singer! You love singing, right? Just by the voice of yours inside that bathroom, I could just feel your passion."

"Yeah, sure I DO love singing, but I'm not even trained or learned a thing about music, Sarah. It's impossible. It's too late now. I'm 32 soon."

"No, I'm telling you. Remember when I told you that you should always choose to do what you love the most? This is it! You are to enter a field that you're actually passionate about! This is really rare, even for normal people, because it's SO difficult to find a field that matches what you're passionate about, and what you're actually good at. You just did! Well, you were born to be, I'm just the one who found that for you right now, but… The point is, you should at least try performing in front of others, the strangers."

I was completely enthralled by the idea, but I was kind of uncertain of performing in front of others, because I've never done it. I always had to hide from other; I had to sing while taking showers, while no one was at home, or while I was alone in the street at 5 in the morning. I was too afraid. I've never even TALKED to another person before. I told Sarah the truth, but she was too clever to get out of it. She came up with another brilliant idea.

"Hey, why don't you try uploading your own video on Youtube? I know that's how Justin Bieber was casted by Island Def Jam, the entertainment companies that produced many famous figures such as Usher or Mariah Carey. You definitely have the talent, so you SHOULD try this, otherwise I know that you'll regret it for the rest of your life, Clara."

THAT's how
a girl changed my life.

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray: Reading Journal up to chapter 2

Theme: Character Analysis

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" begins with Lord Henry Wotton and Basil Hallward arguing about a charming guy, "Dorian Gray," while Basil, the painter, enjoys the view of his own painting. In chapter 1, the author quite explicitly describes both the characters while giving the reader an anticipation of Dorian Gray. According to the first chapter, Basil Hallward is an inflexible, serious artist and rather dull moralist, the primary characteristics that can be shown when Basil says, "Oh, I can't explain. When I like people immensely I never tell their names to any one. It is like surrendering a part of them. I have grown to love secrecy. It seems to be the one thing that can make modern life mysterious or marvelous to us…" Basil here is so enthralled by Dorian Gray, whom he chose as a model for his painting, that Dorian is often described by Basil as "an inspiration for his art," or "the reason he continues to paint."

On the other hand, Lord Henry is a fantastic talker who possesses such a great humor in his words. He is a bright, open-minded genius, charming others using his witty sayings. His theories are often very radical, and they are to shock the conventional ideas. Thus, Basil frowns on Henry's words now and then, trying to contradict his ideas, but fails to do so. Especially when the subject of Dorian Gray came up, Basil almost beseeches Henry not to influence Dorian at all when he fails to persuade Henry not to meet Dorian. Again, Basil's love towards Dorian is shown here, and as he begs more and more while complimenting him, Henry desires more and more to actually meet this Dorian guy.

In chapter 2, Henry finally meets Dorian Gray, and despite Basil's request, Henry charms Dorian at first sight, eventually influencing him to great extent. Here, Dorian is described as an ideal, who is perfect in all sense and a prime model of a human being. Especially in terms of outer appearance, Dorian is a perfection. However, the acute questions and comments from Lord Henry reveal the real, inner qualities of Dorian Gray as the story goes on. In this chapter, Henry starts to impart his unusual theories into Dorian's brain as a process before revelation, telling him that "you have the most marvelous youth, and youth is the one thing worth having." Basically, youth is an ephemeral phase, but quite wonderful, so Dorian has to enjoy and get out as much joy as possible when he can. This idea greatly confuses Dorian, who develops his own notion, thinking that it is unfortunate of him to stay very short time in his youth, and at the same time admires the painting that Basil drew of him.