Author: Ximena

PR “Romeo and Juliet”

Through this movie adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, I was touched by the actors who took on the roles of the characters, and I could relate to them on a personal level. Romeo and Juliet are embodied by young actors, helping to capture the madness of the young in love, the rush of their passion for each other, and their rashness and recklessness.

Regarding the characters, I did not like the parents of the main characters because of their profuse, unreasoned hatred of each other, which was the main cause of the family grudge. Friar Lawrence’s deeds were ambiguous, but he was sincere and well-motivated that it was inadvertently destructive of the tragic people.
The plot continued to make sense in general, as it was the popular story of “two star-crossed lovers” in particular. They both were presented as being very much in love, without remarkable reasons about why, and it’s told in an instant. Therefore, the entire concept of love at first sight is being amplified rather than giving depth to the characters.

The dialogues strictly kept the language Shakespeare had originally used. This lent formality and added a suavity of literary quality. From time to time, the dialogues were forced, as they felt separated from personal experience. However, it didn’t work out exactly as I had hoped, but it captures wonderfully the same timeless and lyric-dominant themes through the use of old-fashioned language.
The pictures purely addressed the ideas of the balcony scene, the crowd scenes with blissful and violent moods, and the climax of Romeo and Juliet looking for each other a tombs.Key images like Juliet awakening to find Romeo dead and their entwined lifeless bodies were powerful and devastating in their tragic romanticism.

IRJE #6 – Murder case

I finished my last book right before spring break, so I decided to buy a new one at the airport and read it during the flight. I’m currently reading “Killing Floor” by Lee Child. The plot is interesting so far. It’s not the first time I’ve read something related to murder and crime. I like these kinds of plots because they keep me on the edge of my seat, wondering what’s going to happen. In this quotation, we meet Chief Morrison, an arrogant man who will be essential in investigating the murder case.

“My name is Morrison,” he wheezed. As if I cared. “I am chief of the police department down here in Mar-grave. And you are a murdering outsider bastard. You’ve come down here to my town and you’ve messed up right there on Mr. Kliner’s private property. So now you’re going to make a full confession to my chief of detectives.” (p. 12)

The chief is introducing himself to Racher, the main character. So, his hostility toward Reacher comes from a mixture of anger and fear. He is understandably upset that a homicide occurred in “his” town, and he also labels Reacher as an outsider, which immediately classifies him as a threat. In a city as isolated as Margrave, it is rare, if ever, that someone new arrives, and Morrison reacts as if Reacher’s presence is an infection he means to eradicate.

IRJE #5: Pride & Prejudice

I have nearly finished reading “Pride and Prejudice” by Jane Austen. It’s been a unique experience for me, as I’m not used to reading books with such advanced vocabulary. However, it has also helped me learn new words and expand my vocabulary, which is fantastic. In the following quote, Elizabeth is introduced to Mr. Darcy’s magnificent estate at Pemberley.

They gradually ascended for half a mile, and then found themselves at the top of a considerable eminence, where the wood ceased, and the eye was instantly caught by Pemberley House, situated on the opposite side of a valley, into which the road with some abruptness wound. It was a large, handsome, stone building, standing well on rising ground, and backed by a ridge of high woody hills;—and in front, a stream of some natural importance was swelled into greater, but without any artificial appearance. Its banks were neither formal, nor falsely adorned. Elizabeth was delighted. She had never seen a place where nature had done more, or where natural beauty had been so little counteracted by an awkward taste. They were all of them warm in her admiration; and at that moment she felt that to be mistress of Pemberley might be something! (p. 163).

Elizabeth’s visit to Darcy’s house is a major milestone in her feelings towards him. While conversing with the housekeeper, Mrs. Reynolds, Elizabeth catches the glowingly admiring word of Darcy’s generosity and kindness as a master. The change, however, comes when she meets Darcy himself, unexpectedly, while she is walking through the grounds of his estate, Pemberley. His former haughtiness appears to have decreased, and Elizabeth now perceives him in a different way. The elaborate description of Pemberley’s construction and grounds are a symbolic representation of Darcy’s personality. That stream is actually his pride, being natural it also represents his honesty. Elizabeth’s joy and quick realization about the pleasure of being the mistress of Pemberley foreshadow her subsequent bliss as devoted wife of Darcy.

PR: Dystopian Societies

I recently finished reading Huxley’s Brave New World and Postman’s Amusing Ourselves to Death. Upon completing both, I had the overwhelming feeling that people today do not discuss these issues much and that more should be said about the problems they presented.

Huxley’s novel painted a dystopian world that sounded uncomfortably realistic; humans were now systemically conditioned through technology, bred to pursue the extreme delight of pleasure and promote consumerism. Such ideals made me think, “What if that happened in real life? It would probably be a disaster.” (After thinking about it for a while, I realized that it really wasn’t that far from reality). The plot was intriguing, but the cruel and confusing social engineering coupled with the lack of personal responsibility was uncomfortable and, at times, a little more than shocking. The idea of having artificially generated human beings, gestated in laboratory tubes, with assigned functions and without a normal birth, sounded terribly dystopian, but not impossible.

Postman’s book, “Amusing Yourself to Death,” was a strong critique of the influence of television on society. What the author said about the trivialization of data and the decline of critical thinking made me stop and analyze for a moment. The world we live in is not at all far from the world presented by Postman, there is quite a bit of superficial content, this and sensationalism seemed to rule the day. If I don’t like something about this, it is that when tragedies or controversial issues occur, the media works to create a smokescreen (using the resources mentioned previously) so that society downplays it. These books made me think about the possible implications of prioritizing entertainment instead of quality interaction and the consequences we can suffer if something is not done about it.

PW#5 – Thanks, Canada.

The feeling of being lost always overwhelms. While walking through the corridors, thoughts of giving up came to your mind. It was the first time you were away from home.  “Imagine being on your own”, you thought. You stood up and walked towards the classroom where the beginning of something amazing awaited for you. You sat down and opened your computer, sitting next to you was a girl with bright blonde hair. She offered you some sweets. Her kindness made you feel a lot better, meeting her was like finding sunlight in the middle of a storm. Without thinking it twice you asked, “Hey, can I hang out with you?”

That day, the school planned an event. You walked outside the classroom with your new friend and then, you met them. A tall girl with gorgeous green eyes; another with incredible dark wavy hair; one more with shiny dark red hair; someone with asian features and one who loves unique earrings.

You all walked to the court where the event was taking place. The girl with green eyes was in the same house as you. She was really nice, and curious about the country you grew up in. You talked a lot and time passed really quick. After playing games for a long time, you two walked towards your group of friends. You sat down to rest for a little bit and the girl with unique earrings approached you. You started talking, and you told her you were a boarding student from Mexico City. As soon as you stopped talking, she asked the question that would be the beginning of everything: “Entonces, ¿hablas español?” (So, do you speak Spanish?). Finding someone in an English speaking country who speaks your mother tongue always makes you feel happy and relieved. She said you were the first person she met of her age who spoke Spanish. You both talked for a long time about a lot of stuff. Maybe the two of you were really excited.

A few months passed, December arrived and the time to go back home too. You made tons of good memories with your friends. You lived happy, sad and beautiful moments together. It was then that you realized, you were never destined to be alone. You just had to wait for the right people to come into your life.

Guess the only thing left to say is

Thanks, Canada.

IRJE#4 Brides case.

I enjoyed reading the book I wrote about in my past journal entries, so I kept reading the sequel for my next book due to its incredible story. The book I’m reading is called “Heaven Official’s Blessing 2” (天官賜福) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (莫想童秀). In part of the story, we have three heavenly officials trying to solve the case of the missing brides. Whenever a couple decides to marry at Mount Yujun, the bride disappears during the wedding procession. People say that the reason why this happens is because a ghost groom kidnaps them. They plan to catch this creature by sending a heavenly official disguised as a fake bride. They started the procession by entering the woods at the mount, but when they were already in the middle of the forest, they were attacked by a creature called binu. Xie Lian told them to leave and that he’ll take care of it. When they left, he met someone unexpected…

Yet, unexpectedly, what came wasn’t the anticipated attack or any murderous intent but something else.

The curtain of the bridal sedan was lightly lifted, and from underneath the bright red veil, Xie Lian saw the person had extended a hand to him.

The fingers were well defined. A red string was tied on the third finger, and on that long, slender, fair hand, it looked like a bright and colorful affinity knot.

Should he give his hand, or no? (p.88)

I chose this quotation because it introduces a relevant character for the storyline. While reading this part of the book I was really intrigued, I tried to figure out who the person mentioned was before the author said something about they on the story. 

PW#4 – Winter’s warmth

In the midst of a winter wonderland, where snowflakes gracefully pirouetted, there stood a village nestled in a landscape covered in frost. The air was brisk. The tall trees wore a glistening layer of snow. As the village slumbered beneath a blanket, a young girl ventured out into the night, guided by the moonlight that shimmered on the snow. Each step she took created a crunching sound, adding to the wintry symphony.

In the heart of the village, she stumbled upon a sled. With delight on her face, she dragged it to the top of a hill. Taking in a breath, she launched herself down with exhilaration as the wind playfully kissed her cheeks. She whirled through the snowy landscape. Reaching the bottom, her laughter filled up the stillness of the night as she lay in the snow and gazed up at the starlit sky. She felt embraced by winter’s enchantment—a world momentarily hushed in awe of this wintery spectacle.

Content and brimming with joy, she made her way home, leaving behind a trail of footprints etched into the snow’s canvas. Climbing into bed, she drifted to sleep with dreams filled with snowflakes and boundless adventures. Winter had gifted her enchantment—a reminder that there is warmth and wonder awaiting discovery during chilly seasons.

IRJE #3: Crimson Rain Sought Flower

I continued reading the Chinese novel from my past entry. It’s called “Heaven Official’s Blessing” (天官賜福) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (莫想童秀). The story is really interesting. I always enjoy reading about deities and this book is not the exception. In this quotation, we have the main characters talking. The one referred as “the youth” is young man who was friends with the main character, the one who is a God who was fallen from the heavens multiple times.

In the mortal Realm, it was easy to find books on lore that spoke of the stories of gods and ghosts, the subjects ranging from their kindness and grudges to trivialities. Some were real and some fake. It wasn’t odd that the youth knew so much.

Xie Lian put down his scroll “Then, my friend, you know about gods, but do you know about ghosts too?”

“Which ghost?” the youth asked.

Xie Lian replied, “Crimson Rain Sought Flower, Hua Cheng.” (p.172)

I chose this fragment because of the philosophy it is talking about. Is everything that we read about the gods real? How can we know when it’s not?

This quotation contains the first mention of Hua Chen. He’s relevant for the novel since his first apparition. We could say he’s also one of the main characters.

PR “All Quiet on the Western Front”

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque, is a novel that narrates the story of a WWI soldier named Paul Bäumer. One thing I find interesting about the author is that he was in combat during World War I himself. This could mean that the war novel he wrote was based on his experience and the things he lived on the front lines. Also, I consider that the author is a very skilled writer. He managed to describe everything in a way that the reader could feel part of the story and sense the emotions and tension of what was written.

Now, let’s talk about my thoughts on the book itself. I’m not a reader who usually reads history novels. The reason why I liked this one is because of how well-written it is. The history was narrated realistically. It described how the lifestyle of people was back in the times of WWI. It focuses on the people who were living on the front lines. The characters had interesting and relevant backgrounds for the story. This was useful to explain why the characters felt what they felt and did what they did. An example of a scene where we can appreciate the human behaviour of Paul is the one in which he kills an enemy soldier and realizes that he’s a human, a human just like him and his friends.

As soon as I finished reading the novel, I had the awful feeling of wanting a longer story. I enjoyed this book a lot. It made the study of WWI easier for me. As mentioned in the first paragraph, I’m not the kind of person who is interested in history. Somehow, this novel captured my undivided attention. I would recommend this book to my friends. It gives you an accurate idea of how terrible WWI was for everyone. WWI’s impact was so devastating that we can see it in some aspects of today’s society and lifestyle.

PW#3 – Dreams of a winter night.

The clouds looked like fluffy cotton, and the moon shined like a beautiful diamond. The ground was covered with a thick, soft layer of snow, and there we were, lying down and laughing while we held our hands.

How did we end up like this?

I’ve loved you since the very first day. I’ve tried to confess my feelings many times, and then there we were. We found ourselves lying down on a pile of doubts while I wondered if you’ll ever be mine.

You stood up and extended your hand, asking if I’d like to dance.

I grabbed your hand and stood up, replying with a smile that I’d be glad to.

A minute later, there we were, moving smoothly through the cold. We left a trace of our steps on the snow as proof of our loyalty to the other. We both knew we had no time left. I loved you, and you told me you did too.

I told you the future scared me, but you held my face with both hands to make me feel better. Soon after, an annoying alarm sounded.

It was 7 am.

I woke up from the sweetest dream ever, confused by how real it felt.

I decided to change my clothes and went to buy some groceries. At the entrance door, I saw something similar to a letter with a heart drawn on the cover.

Was it you? Perhaps I’ll never know.

IRJE #2: “Body in the abyss, heart in paradise”

I’ve recently started reading a Chinese novel that a friend of mine recommended to me. It’s called “Heaven Official’s Blessing” (天官賜福) by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu (莫想童秀). So far, I think it’s pretty good because it contains various elements of Chinese culture that turned out to be interesting. In this quotation, the ones talking are a simple cultivator and the crown prince after he defeated a powerful ghost that devoured whoever answered his questions incorrectly.

 

After the ghost vanished, the crown prince planted a flowering tree at the head of the bridge. As he did so, a cultivator passed by and happened to see him sprinkle a handful of dirt to consecrate the grave and send the ghost off.

“What is this?” he asked.

And thus, the crown prince replied with his now famous line:

“Body in the abyss, heart in paradise”. (pp. 15-16)

 

That final phrase was the line where the whole plot started. A few pages later, the crown prince ascends to heaven, becoming something similar to a god. But, due to his unconscious actions, he falls from the heavens and ends up in poverty, being a clear example that “the heart could not be in paradise if the body was in the abyss”.

PW#1 – Just another love letter.

We tried to prove them wrong, but at the end, we forgot we are just teenagers. Your feelings were as confusing as a riddle, most of the time, even your own thoughts were like a puzzle for you. I won’t blame you because I can’t. If someone’s fault it is, it’ll be mine. I knew since the beginning who you were. I was aware of the fact that loving you could hurt more than falling from above to land on a field full of roses and thorns. Even though, I did not care about that; I was willing to bleed until I breathed for the last time just to be by your side.
Time was never a friend of us. Before we knew, we ran out of It.
You were never sure of what you wanted and that was hurting me worse than you could ever imagine. It was only matter of time for me to get tired of it.
If we ever meet again, please don’t treat me like a friend. I’m afraid I might fall for you again. Perhaps once we used to be close, but now, we are just strangers who know everything about each other even though “they’ve never met before”.

Pretend It’s a deep title :D

Greetings dear reader!

My name is Ximena. I’m from the capital of a very beautiful country, Mexico.

While seeking for a new challenge, I ended up here at Brookes. Since I was 6 years old, one of my dreams was to someday study abroad. I thought that it would remain as an unreachable goal, until February of this year. For me, being now a boarding student in Canada is a dream come true. It feels like my efforts are finally giving results.

Talking a little bit of my interests, I love playing music. The instruments I play the most are piano and violin.

I’m really into law and debates. I realized I liked it the first time I attended a Model of United Nations in grade 6. The idea of fighting for a good cause in a polite and diplomatic way caught me instantly. Two years ago, I participated in my very first MUN in English. I don’t even have words to describe how incredible and exciting it was, I participated as Canada, and I won as best delegate!

Now, let’s talk of me as a reader. I realize it’s difficult for me to be consistent with my reading because I often get distracted with silly things. But, when I get to read something, it’s usually romantic novels, murder mysteries or things related to mythology and the divine. These kinds of literature easily catch my attention and I enjoy them, so it’s easier to focus while reading. I also love reading poems because for me, they are like a window to the soul of the writer. You get a better understanding of someone’s background, ideas, and perspective by reading their wonderful texts.

Last but not least, now that we’re talking about writing, I love writing poems and stories in my mother tongue. I think of myself as a very skilled writer: I’m creative and I always have stories in mind to write about. My writing style is mainly based on using big fancy words to give my creations a more deep and dramatic meaning, then when I’m done writing something, I share it with my friends to receive a little feedback. I appreciate their comments and observations, but the thing I like the most about sharing what I write is the expressions my friends make while reading. This means that I’ve reached my reader’s feelings and heart through a bunch of words arranged in a certain way to give them a pretty meaning.