Author: Penelope

PR- A Midsummer Night’s Dream Unit 2

I personally enjoyed watching this movie. I have read “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” before in grade 6, but I’ve never seen the movie based on it. I liked to notice what differences there were between the book and the movie, which there weren’t many. I think that the movie was more entertaining than reading the book.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” made me think about how easy some things can spiral into chaos. An example of this is when Lysander and Hermia plan to run away together and Helena tells Demetrius. Just by Helena telling Demetrius their plans made everything confusing as they went into the forest with the fairies. Yes, everything worked out in the end because of what Helena did, but to get to that everything got chaotic. As Puck and Oberon tried to help Helena, they ruined Hermia’s and Lysander’s relationship, which also disrupted everyone. It has also made me think about how different things were back then. Women barely had any rights, they were described as their father’s property.

I feel that the story was wrapped up very nicely, I also like the ending. The sets that the movie was filmed on were very nice as well. But I wonder if Demetrius remembers what happened before the fairies made him love Helena. Does he remember hating her and not wanting anything to do with her or does he and just not care? Did any of the four main characters have any questions why they were feeling different towards someone than before, or is the an effect of the love potion, make them not care or forget?

Overall, I enjoyed watching the movie, and it made me think about how one thing can cause another and the difference between the time it was set in and now.

IRJE #8- The Women in the Window

Lately I have been reading The women in the window, I am on page 257 right now, and I have been really enjoying it. It is written by A. J Finn, whose writing in this book is really good. The book is a suspense thriller/mystery, it is very engaging.

Space had opened up beside us, beneath us, a vast chasm gutted from the land below, a huge bowl of nothing; thatched evergreens at the bottom of the void, rags of mist caught in midair. We were so close to the edge of the road that it felt like floating. We could peer into the well of the world. (p.135)

I added this quote because I like how A. J Finn made it feel like the reader was actually there in the story. All throughout the book he is very descriptive, and writes very well. This quote was also in a flash back from an important moment in time leading up to the start of the book, later after this quote gives us key information of the book that had been leading up to for awhile.

PR- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Unit 2

I honestly really enjoyed this book, the story was very interesting and engaging. I especially liked how Robert Louis Stevenson, the author, presented human nature as two clear sides, good and evil by using two different characters (one character?) with clear difference in personality and perspective.

While reading this book, it felt like there was an uneasy feeling that would follow me through the entire book, on every page. The way that this book was written is very interesting to me, and I am curious how Stevenson makes the book feel so unsettling at some points. This book also made me wonder what was going to happen next, like why is Dr. Jekyll acting strange towards his friends and where did Hyde disappear to? Each page gave me curiosity to see what happened next.

This book also made me reflect on how people in real life can’t really be divided into good and evil (with exceptions) and there is always another side of people then they are showing or leading on. What stood out to me also was how the novel suggests that denying or hiding the ‘bad’ side of us humans doesn’t make it go away, but to work to improve or accept it is the true good thing to do.

 

IRJE #6- Diary of Anne Frank

The quote that I have chosen is from the Diary of Anne Frank, and was written on July 15 1944 by Anne during the Holocaust. Anne and her family, and a few others were hiding in the Secret Annex for over two years. They lived in constant fear, surrounded by World War II. During the years she stayed in hiding, she kept a diary, where she wrote about her life in hiding.

It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel that suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too will end, that peace and tranquility will return once more. In the meantime, I must hold on to my ideals. Perhaps the day will come when I’ll be able to realize them! (Anne M. Frank, July 15 1944, p. 332)

I chose this quote because it captures how Anne’s mind worked. It shows the despair that she (and millions other at the time) felt during that dark time, but also that she recognizes how broken the world had become, but also shows how she was able to stay somewhat positive. She refuses to not let the negativity of the world destroy her values and beliefs. To me, the quote represents the strength of Anne’s spirit. Her belief is that ‘everything can and will change for the better,’ which shows how brave she was.

PW #6- Chloe’s Luckiest Day Ever

Chloe once again jolted awake from her sleep, but this time it was from her alarm which read 7:30. Chloe remembered the day before, when everything went sideways and she had her unluckiest day ever. She had started that day by waking up late and missing the bus, maybe today was going to be different? Chloe took her time getting ready, just before the school bus pulled up outside her house, she remembered to grab her lunch, then she was off to school on the bus that she had missed the day before.

As she walked into math, her teacher slammed her quiz up-side down from yesterday onto her desk, she slowly turned it over to see… An A+! Chloe didn’t know how it was possible but she was having her luckiest day ever! To make her day even better, during History later in the day, her teacher had announced that they were just going to be watching a movie all class! Later, at lunch, Chloe pulled out her lunch, starving, as she opened it she saw that her mom had added her favourite snack as a surprise for Chloe.

Chloe had a great rest of her day, and it got even better as the final bell for the day rung, and Chloe walked outside to see her mom waiting for her. This was weird, she always took the bus back home after school. Her mom soon told her that they were going on vacation with their whole family just the next day. Wow, today really had been Chloe’s luckiest day!

 

PR- A Christmas Carol

I wouldn’t saw I didn’t enjoy A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, but it isn’t a book that I loved. I have heard this story many times before reading this book so I knew what was going to happen, so it ruined that interest in the book for me. I do really like purpose and message of the story though, showing that a selfish heart like Scrooge’s can transform through empathy. It makes me think about how your actions can affect others, like how when the Spirit of Christmas Present showed Scrooge the Cratchit’s family home, and told him that Tiny Tim would die if Scrooge didn’t change. I feel like it’s important for me and others to remember this, about how you change yourself can help or affect others in different ways.

I also liked the originality of the story, like how the way the Scrooge changes is from three spirits visiting him showing him the truth behind things. I’ve never watched or read anything with a similar story with those characters. A Christmas Carol had a very interesting story with a clear message, that personal transformation is always possible, and I think that made the book better.

PW #5- Do I Believe That Everything Happens for a Reason?

I’ve heard that saying “everything happens for a reason” all throughout my life. For along time I didn’t think I believed it. Life at some times feels so random, so it’s hard to imagine that everything has a purpose for later in life. But over time, I felt that I have started to believe this saying.

For example, when I joined hockey, it had been because skating lessons were full. If I had been able to sign up for skating lesson that year, I have no idea if I would’ve joined the sport that is such a big part in my life. Maybe I would’ve joined hockey later, but I wouldn’t had meet all of my teammates that are so important to me today.

I honestly don’t really think that everything that happens to us in life is apart of a plan, and some things just happen because the world and life is unpredictable. But I do think that the important stuff and difficult stuff that happens to us does happen for a reason, especially the times that feel terrible. Even though I do believe things happen for a reason, I still believe that we can choose how we respond to things, like being kind or learning from challenges. It also seems like the “reason” for something happening only really shows itself long after the event in the future.

So, in a way I think that a lot of things do happen for a reason, but we can still change things by how we react to events in our lives.

PR #3- Our Town Unit 1

Reading Our town made me think about how people move through life without honestly paying much attention. Thornton Wilder, the author of Our Town, shows how the simple moments like eating dinner with family or talking with someone before school can shape our lives. It feels like many people go through life not appreciating those moments until to late. The play reminds me that even though our lives are short, our memories and relationships with others leave lasting marks.

Who are we? The play shows that even though we are ordinary people, our lives still matter and reflect on other people. The characters living in Grover’s Corners aren’t really famous but the play treats their simple actions with respect. With Emily’s death and regret at the end of the book, it makes we appreciate my life more.

Where are we? Even though the story takes place in a small town, Grover’s Corner, where everyone knows everyone, it feels like the things that they do or happen to them could happen everywhere. This made me realize that my own life isn’t defined by where I am or something big, it’s defined by me living each day in my life.

What are we doing, and what should we be doing? The play doesn’t give obvious advice, but it hunts that people should be doing is noticing the world around us, appreciating the people we love and paying attention to the moments that seem ordinary and normal but are what mean the most.

IRJE #4- The Brutal Telling

I have finished the book The Brutal Telling. In the scene that my quote is, the investigation of the murder that the book is set around, has almost concluded.

He set off the dirt road, giving Beauvoir a final wave. A few wasps buzzed in the autumn air but were no threat. They were fat and lazy, almost drunk on the nectar from apples and pears and grapes.

It felt a little as though the world was on the verge of rotting.

As Gamache strolled, the familiar scents and sounds receded and he was joined by John the Watchman, and Lavina who could fly, and the little boy across the aisle on Air Canada. Who also flew, and told stories. (p. 469)

I chose this quote because of its vivid descriptive language. Like Penny’s imagery of autumn, with its sweet fruit and “fat and lazy” wasps, shows that even peaceful moments carry an undercurrent of rot and change. The line that stands out the most to me is, “it felt a little though the world was on the verge of rotting,” because it captures the mood of the point of the story that we are at. Even though that the case had been almost solved, there’s still a sense of unease and sadness that is still in Three Pines. This quote shows the emotion and theme of the book, using descriptive language.

PW #4- Hockey

I started skating lessons when I was 8 years old, and had joined hockey after a couple months of skating. The reason that I had first joined was because my skating lessons were full , my dad has asked me “want to join hockey instead?”. I remember feeling unsure with joining because I felt that I would be behind everyone else due to the fact that I was joining in the middle of the year. After my first practice, I asked my dad why I hadn’t been playing hockey years before.

Playing hockey has been a way for me to do what I love and meet new people. I have met so many great people through hockey. It is my favourite sport in the world and I am forever happy and grateful that my dad had got me to play hockey, without it I don’t know where I would be.

PR #2- The Story of Joseph Unit 1

While reading The Story of Joseph, I thought deeply about Joseph’s patience and faith throughout the book. Joseph’s life was full of challenges, like how his brothers sold him into slavery or how he was accused of something he didn’t do, which led to him being thrown into prison. Through it all though he stayed faithful to God and stayed true to his own values. He even forgave his brothers even after what they had done to him. This taught me to remember to be more understanding with others and that challenges are there to help me improve myself.

This story has also taught me about myself, I’ve learnt that sometimes when I get frustrated I just need to know to stay patient because everything happens for a reason. I now know that difficult moments prepare us for something greater in the future.

IRJE #2- The Brutal Telling

I am on page 362 in the book The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny. In the chosen quotation, Armand Gamache walks towards the old Hadley house, a building full of dark memories from previous books.

Armand Gamache climbed the hill leading out of Three Pines. He carried his tweed jacket over his arm and kicked a chestnut ahead of him. The air smelled of apples, sweet and warm on the trees. Everything was ripe, lush, but in a few weeks there’d be a killing frost. And it would all be gone.

As he walked the old Hadley house grew larger and larger. He steeled himself against it. Prepared for the waves of sorrow that rolled in, flowing over and into anyone foolish enough to get close.

But either his defences were better than he’d expected, or something had changed. (p.95)

In this quotation, I like how Louise Penny uses descriptive and vivid words to set this scene in the book. I also like when she writes “the air smelled of apples,” and “in a few weeks there’d be a killing frost,” (going from a positive tone to a cold one) it links back into the book to when Gamache was thinking about how Three Pines everything felt safe, but so many tragedies had happened before (before being from earlier books) and is happening again. This shows us how the story unfolding, and how the environment and character perspective can work together to create tension and anticipation.

PW #3- Chloe’s Unluckiest Day Ever

Chloe’s eye’s shot open, the light blaring into her room brighter than other school mornings. She jumped out of bed realizing that her alarm never woke her up, she turned to her clock to see it was 8:13am! School started at 8:30! She quickly threw on two mismatched socks, grabbed her backpack and ran out the door just to see that the bus she needed to catch for school was leaving without her! With Chloe’s parents already being at work and the bus was her only ride to school, she was forced to walk. To make it even worse, it started to pour rain, soaking her clothes and every bit of hope she had for the day.

When she finally got to school she was greeted by a math pop quiz first block. To make it even worse, she had missed the class when they had learned about what was on the quiz! After math she had history, her least favourite class. It felt as if the clock was moving slower than ever, like Chloe had been in that class for at least a couple days! Finally when the bell rang and it was lunch time, she sat down starving as she had forgotten to eat breakfast, she opened her bag to see… nothing. She had forgotten her lunch at home on her kitchen counter.

Chloe pulled herself through the last two blocks of the day and finally she was able to go home. As She got out of the front doors of the school she once again saw the school bus driving away. She couldn’t believe it, she had missed the bus again! When Chloe finally made it home, exhausted from her terrible day, all she did was eat dinner and fall into bed. As she looked up at her celling in her room, tired and broken from the day, all she could hope for was that tomorrow was just little luckier for her.

PR #1- Master and Man Unit 1

While I read Leo Tolstoy’s Master and Man novella, I found it a boring book. I probably wouldn’t ever read such a short book like Master and Man on my own. But it did lead me to notice how much greed could change or impact someone. In my life I have never met someone who is truly greedy like Vassili Andreyich was, I mean I have always known that people like that were out there but reading about someone who was so greedy was eye-opening. I don’t understand how someone (Vassili for example) could steal from a church for their own personal reasons (p. 63), also how he could dismiss someone’s life just because they would be considered a lower wealth class than himself (p. 99). But at the end of the book, he does a selfless thing, Vassili ends up dying while saving Nikita’s life (p. 108).  

When Vassili lays on top of Nikita to keep Nikita warm (p. 106) even after trying to leave him in the snow but having to come back, it leads me to ask, can someone truly change at the end of their lives? For the whole book Vassili was greedy and selfish, but in the end, he did something for the well-being of someone else which ended up costing him his life (pp. 106-108). Which makes me wonder, if someone like him (greedy, cold and someone who believes that a peasant’s life would be lower than his own) could really change, or if they would only shift their actions in extreme moments (facing death in this moment)?  

Even though I didn’t truly enjoy this book, it still made me think deeper about how Vassili could look at Nikita (who is a lower wealth class than Vassili) like a tool rather a real person. Also, if someone who could act similarly like Vassili could or would only change their actions towards others before it’s too late. I may not read this book again, but it did help me understand more about how greed and power could take over someone’s ability to see everyone as equal.  

  

PW #2- Palm Springs

My favourite place in the world is my grandparents house in Palm Springs, California! Every spring break, my parents, cousin and I go to Palm Springs for a week, and we always have the best time enjoying the weather, swimming in the pool and being together as a family!

My grandparents house in Palm Springs is what makes the trip, I have so many happy memories in the house. The house has a small putting green and a pool, it is even on a man-made lake where we go for boat rides everyday!

I also love what we do to pass the time when we are in Palm Springs, every time we go we go to this place called Old Town. In Old Town there are a lot of shops, our favourites being the ice cream place and the restaurant that we always go to get pizza! My whole family and I love Old Town and is always a must to go. Everyday we also go for boat drives on the man made lake that the house is on, during these boat rides we all create memories all of us will remember.

Lastly, my overall favourite thing about Palm Springs is seeing my grandparents. For 6 months of the year they are in Palm Springs, so when we get to see them it has been awhile. They make Palm Springs special for my family and I, and I am forever grateful that we are able to have such a great place to go and a great family to spend the place with.

IRJE #1- The Brutal Telling

Lately I have been reading the book The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny, I am on page 103. This book follows Chief Inspector Armand Gamache who lives in Three Pines, a small village in Quebec. A dead body had been found in a bistro in Three Pines, and Gamache, Beauvoir (Gamache’s second in command) and Dr. Sharon Harris (the coroner) are discussing how the victim could’ve died. They conclude that he died from a single blow to the head. As they established that, Gamache thinks to himself;

It was the best news Gamache ever heard at a murder scene. Death he could handle, even murder. Terrible murders. It was a great relief to find one swift and decisive. Almost humane.

He’d once heard a judge say the most humane way to kill a prisoner was to tell him he was free. Then kill him.

Gamache had struggled against that, argued against it, railed against it. Then finally, exhausted, had come to believe it.

Looking at this man’s face he knew he hadn’t suffered. The blow to the back of the head meant he probably hadn’t even seen it coming.

Almost like dying in your sleep.

But not quite. (p. 32)

This quote was significant to me because it showed the emotional aspect of Gamache’s job. You would need to be okay with death to be an inspector but that doesn’t mean that you have to be detached to your emotions. This quote also tells us a lot about who Gamache is, that he is compassionate and thoughtful. Telling us more about Gamache’s character also allows us to be able to show empathy towards him. He thinks more about how the victim died, and tries to imagine what they felt before they died. Knowing that the victim didn’t suffer as he died seems to give Gamache a sense of comfort in the dark job he has.

PW #1 – If I could instantly learn any skill, what would it be?

If I could instantly learn any skill for academic purposes, I would choose to be able to memorize anything I read, hear or see, to magically have a perfect memory.

Having a perfect memory would make things much easier, I wouldn’t haven’t have to re-read a page in a book, or ask someone what their name is again just because I couldn’t remember the first time. I would also be able to instantly remember topics for tests, learn new languages much faster, and understand more in a shorter amount of time. I would be able to think about things in different ways, instead of worrying about forgetting them and having to remember.

Being able to memorize everything would have some downsides too. I wouldn’t able to forget about every embarrassing or hurtful memory, making it difficult to forget and forgive. This skill would also make your brain feel cluttered in a way, you would always be remembering something, even when you wouldn’t want to.

Though there are downsides, the upsides would be a great deal for school. In school, I feel that I always have to put so much energy into memorizing. Memorizing flashcards, handouts and important information. So, having a perfect memory would take off a lot of stress in school and allow me to have more time, where I could even learn another skill!

Penelope’s Introduction

My name is Penelope and I am a 14 year old student at Brookes Westshore, I have been at Brookes since grade 6!

What I like to do in my free time is playing sports! I play hockey for the U15A Reign team and softball for the U15B Lakehill team. Other than hockey and softball, I also enjoy running track/cross country and playing volleyball! Sports have given me opportunities to meet new people, try my hardest and travel to new places! I enjoy sports so much because it allows me to push myself both physically and mentally, which always gives me a sense of accomplishment.

Right now, I am learning to step out of my comfort zone in places other than sports, like with school. This year I hope to become a more confident public speaker, either participating more in class discussions or asking more questions. Hopefully by the end of the year I can look back and agree that I have improved my public speaking!