This is What's Up!

Escape existence with "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson.

"If I weighed 10.00, I wouldn't be happy until I got down to 005.00. The only number that would ever be enough is 0." Lia wants to disappear with her weight and to get there, drugs, puking, cutting, and anorexia are all open options. How far can she go until she again meets Cassie; her dead winter friend.

New and Blue

Jessica C.

Mrs. Zurkowski

Honors English Purples

October 27, 2010

New and Blue

Blue is the first color in the abbey that Prince Prospero owned and it is the first stage of life. Blue represents water, which is full of life. Hundreds of different plants and animals live in water, and humans need water to survive. Naturally, most people associate life and blue together. In “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar Allen Poe, Poe briefly describes the room that is blue. He only says that “vividly blue were its windows”. He calls the color vivid, or lively. Edgar Allen Poe, wanted his readers to see that in his story “The Masque of the Red Death”, blue is representative of life.

            Blue also be known as the beginning of life. In the story, the blue room is placed in the far most Eastern side of the abbey. The rooms are arranged east to west. It is commonly known that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west. This symbolizes life starting in the eastern room, the blue room, reaching its peak, in the orange room, and ending with the setting sun in the black room. Blue is representing the beginning of life, infancy. Infants are dependent. So in the beginning stage of life, humans are young and dependent. Babies are also lively. They are literally alive in the fact that they can carry out all of the functions of a living thing which includes a specialized way of getting food: crying. Babies are very lively because when they need something, they cry and use all their energy to get food, while grown humans will simply open up a refrigerator. Infants have moved on in their time of existence where they can survive without being inside the womb and they are happy and lively. They still can’t do much for themselves, so despite being dependent, they are vivid and jubilant.

            The color blue and its symbolic meaning of life are important to me because I have three new baby cousins. By seeing them grow I can see that this point in their life is important because what they see and hear now is going to greatly impact them later. This period of time when they depend on others, by the help of parents and other people, they learn everything. It is through this point in a human’s life that their central ideas and beliefs will reflect. I have seen my cousins learn good behaviors and bad behaviors through those that assist them. Part of life is learning the difference between things that we should and should not do. In the earliest stages of life, young children learn that. Through this they are truly living. In “The Masque of the Red Death” the blue room is the first room to be entered. This is where the guests are taught how to behave in their environment and react to people, including Death. As they travel these rooms, they learn more and more.

All About O. Henry

1. O.Henry's real name was William Sydney Porter.

2. He usually wrote about ordinary people in New York City and his stories usually ended with situational irony.
3. Porter was raised  by his grandmother and aunt because his mother died when he was three.
4. He left school at the age of 15.
5. He was convicted on embezzling money although he may have not been guilty.
6. Writing short stories was his way of making money for his daughter while he served five years in prison.
7. In a two year period, he wrote a story every week.
8. The closing years of O. Henry's years involved alcoholism, medical issues, and financial problems.
9. He was married for a year to Sara Lindsay Coleman.
10. On June 5, 1910 he died.

Image and Information cite : http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/

Edgar Allan Poe Webquest

Image site: http://poestories.com/gallery.php



In reading "The Masque of the Red Death", our class learned more about Edgar Allan Poe by participating in a webquest.

1. Provide the following biographical information: birthdate; birthplace; death date.
1. Edgar Allen Poe was born January 19, 1809 in Boston and died October 7, 1849
2. What tragic childhood events influenced his writing?
1. Poe's mother died when he was 2 years old and his father abandoned him.
3. There are 13 theories on what caused Poe's death. List five of them.
1. He had tremors and kept relapsing until death
2. He might have had brain lesions and died of brain fever.
3. Possibly death due to an enzyme disorder
4. On the day Poe died it was election day in Baltimore so Poe may have been beaten, intoxicated, and had his clothing changed so he could vote various times.
5. Poe may have been beaten to death 
4. According to the Edgar Allan Poe Museum, what state did Poe call home?
1. Poe's home according to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum was in Virginia with his adoptive family.
5. What does the Poe Society of Baltimore think about this claim?
1. The Poe Society of Baltimore says that Poe's hometown is in Baltimore with the Clemms.
6. What famous military academy expelled Poe in 1831?
1. In 1831 Poe was expelled from West Point.
7. Who did Poe marry? How old was she?
1. Poe married Virginia Clemm when she was 13 years old.
8. What do you think about the marriage?
1. I think that it's very odd that Poe married his cousin especially at such a large age difference.
9. When was "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" written?
1. "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Black Cat" were wrote in 1843.
10. When was "The Raven" published?
1. "The Raven" was published in 1845.

I haven't read much of Edgar Allan Poe's works. I have only read "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Masque of the Red Death" because of English last year and again this year. I don't particularly like his writing because I find it really creepy especially the way he describes things. Although I do appreciate "The Raven" because of the Baltimore Ravens football team.

Source cites:

1. http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/person/timeline_play.asp
2. http://www.eapoe.org/geninfo/poedeath.htm
3. http://poestories.com/view.php?photo=42bfacea44500
4. http://www.poemuseum.org/index.php
5. http://www.eapoe.org/papers/misc1921/quinnc09.htm