Why Child Stars Go Crazy... (IR)

        Have you ever noticed the trend of child actors that grow up to be troubled people? So many actors and actresses that go into TV careers become corrupt and do incredibly foolish things. Many of the young stars we come to know and love turn out so different. Miley Cyrus, Amanda Bynes, and so many more celebrities that started acting when they were young have made some very bad decisions. The actress I always think about is Lindsay Lohan. She was one of my two favorite child actors. I loved her role in The Parent Trap and it became one of my favorite movies. When she grew up, the choices she made that messed up her life made me feel sorry for her. I really do hate how almost all children with acting careers go bad. So, I got to thinking, why is it that so many child stars go crazy in the first place? There has got to be a reason.
        I did some research and found an article written by my other favorite child actress, Mara Wilson. She is proof that not all child actors decide to make bad choices. For those of you who don't know her, Mara Wilson started as a child actress (I know her best for her starring role in Matilda) and once she started growing up, she left hollywood. The article she wrote was titled, "7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy (An Insider's Perspective)". She made a lot of good points and it was very interesting to read about.
        For Instance, one of the things she wrote about was the parents of the child who is acting. This is something I have wondered about as well. Sometimes it's not the actor's fault, but the parents. Mara explained that when she was little and she decided to start acting, her parents tried their best to change her mind. They were very protective of her, and this probably saved her from getting too pulled into the acting life. Many child stars go into acting because their parents want them to, and it's not the choice of the child themself. Then when they turn 18 and are declared an adult, they can make decisions for themselves rather than for their parents, and they can make bad mistakes.
        Also, being in an acting career means that throughout your entire life, people will be just waiting for you to make a mistake, observing your every flaw. That's enough to drive anyone crazy. Child actors who continue acting until they are adults never have a chance to go through a rebellious stage in their life. Almost all teenagers have a point in their life when they question things and make mistakes, but then learn from those mistakes and become a much better person. Well, would you want to rebel like that with a million eyes watching your every move? I didn't think so. Therefore, young actors miss out on that part of life, so they can't help rebelling at a later point in their lives, which causes mass consequences.
        Another point Mara brushed on was the truth that child actors get used to the attention and then they lose it all. By growing up in such an environment as acting, many children get spoiled. They get used to so many people paying attention to them and they love it, so they keep on acting and forget about the reason they were acting in the first place. They forget about their love of acting and focus in on the people who want them to act. And eventually, those people lose interest in them. And then they don't know what to do with their lives. They don't know if they should take up a different career or if acting is all they really know how to do. So, many young actors do things that they will later regret in a state of confusion. Mara gives the advice that all child actors should get out of the business as soon as possible to avoid corruption.
        The #1 reason that child stars go crazy, in Mara's opinion, is that they can't escape it. She only acted when she was a little girl and sees it as an old hobby, but people still recognize her as the girl who was in Mrs. Doubtfire or as the girl who played Matilda. She has a different life, but many people can't seem to grasp that. Once a child gets into the acting life, it is incredibly hard to leave. Imagine if Miley Cyrus had suddenly decided to quit acting in the middle of filming Hannah Montana episodes. A lot of young girls would be furious and the producers would not be happy. Young actors also have to put into account the feelings of their fans. Once you are involved in acting, it's nearly impossible to escape.
        There are many more reasons as to why so many young actors do what they do. I only elaborated on a few of the reasons. There are many factors to be taken into account with the question of why child stars go crazy. I guess what gets me is the number of them that make huge mistakes. If it were only a few actors who messed up, it wouldn't be nearly as big of a problem. But with the fact that almost every single one of the child actors I grew up with has made terrible life decisions, I can say that this is definitely a problem. Of course, some young actors are able to escape the grasp of the acting life. Some are able to heal from their mistakes and turn their lives around. Others are able to escape it all completely, just like Mara. However, the past will always be there. Even if child actors do stop acting, people remember them. That can be a good thing, but it can also be bad.

This is a picture of young Mara Wilson next to the Mara Wilson of today.

Here is the link to her article:

http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-reasons-child-stars-go-crazy-an-insiders-perspective/

Amazingly Awesome Alliterations! (Rhetorical Device Post)

        If I could pick my favorite rhetorical device, it would be alliterations. The idea of recurring consonant sounds have always intrigued me. I think that the reason I love them so much is because they are just so much fun! As someone who loves acting, I have always appreciated the wording of things, especially in scripts for plays or musicals. For example, in "The Wizard of Oz", I always smile when I hear "The Wicked Witch of the West". I love alliterations because they make everything so much fun to say. They open a whole world of tongue-twisters and nursery rhymes that have that special ring to them. One of my favorites is a tongue-twister I heard in choir class in middle school: "Two toads, totally tired, trying to trot to Tilbury". Now, imagine singing that while trying to get the words exactly right. It was one of the songs we used in our warm-ups and it was a vocal exercise that helped with diction - the ability to enunciate all of the words in an effective way. Alliteration is an extremely useful rhetorical device, and I feel as though we use it all the time but never really notice. Alliterations allow sentences and phrases to flow with a distinct rhythm. They make the words pop out more in a way that sticks to your mind. This is another reason that I love alliterations. They are so easy to memorize in literature because they stand out so much. Phrases with similar consonant sounding and emphasized wording tend to be much easier to remember than common, everyday speech.

        This picture is a very hard-core example of alliteration. Almost every word starts with "P" and the vowel sounds "ee", "eh", and "ah" are combined and mixed up into a variety of phrases that all have to do with one general idea. This tongue twister is tricky to say very fast. There are all sorts of alliterations. Some are extremely rhythmic and obvious, like the one above, while others are more suttle and still have similar consonant sounds, but are much harder to identify.
        Alliterations add a very bright touch to the English language and without them, literature would be much more dull. Their rhythmic sounds and strategic wording add a spark of creativity to common speech. I may have chosen to write about them because I love to speak them in plays and sing them in choir, but I am pretty sure that I am not alone when I say that alliterations are pretty awesome. They make writing and speaking incredibly enjoyable and therefore, I can say with confidence that they are my favorite rhetorical device.

                                To sum things up, all alliterations are amazing and awesome!

The Draft (Class Connection Blog Post)

        In class we recently finished reading The Things They Carried. I have to say, I have not read many books about war before, so this was a very interesting concept for me. I've never had to deal with war in my life. I know that my grandfathers both served in WWII when they were alive, but no one ever really talked much about their experiences. I honestly don't even know much about the wars that have taken place throughout my own lifetime. War just seems so far away that I tend to put it out of my mind. So, after reading this book, I started thinking about how lucky my generation is. We never had to experience drafting. When the draft was going on in the story, I began to wonder how the new generations would handle the idea of drafting - taking men from all over the place and taking them to serve in a war. I'm not saying that drafting is wrong - sometimes hard times call for drastic measures. But I have two older brothers, both between the ages of 18 and 25, and the idea of them being suddenly pulled into extremely dangerous situations honestly terrifies me. I don't know what I would do. Family is an essential part of life, and I absolutely hate seeing them pulled apart. Therefore, the idea of sons and brothers being pulled into a war and not knowing if they will ever come back gives me a hollow feeling inside. I hope that our country doesn't break into a bad enough war that drafting is required, but the world is unpredictable and we never know what may happen. Well, I hope that we don't have to experience drafting anytime soon. I've never been very interested in the idea of war, so The Things They Carried got me curious about things like the draft. Thanks for listening to my wandering thoughts! (:

A Rant About Book Deaths... (Class Connection Post) (WARNING: Spoilers ahead for The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, and The Awakening Readers)

        Let me start with saying, I get very attached to the characters from the books I read. I'm sure that most people do. Books take us into an entirely different world, and we start to feel the emotions from those books rub into us. Therefore, after reading The Awakening, I can honestly say I am disappointed. Edna was truly engulfed in depressing emotions, but that is no reason to give up on life entirely. Some people may argue that it was the only way for her to escape, but I strongly disagree. Escaping from life is no way to solve problems! It will just make life worse for those around the victim, as well as a terrible end to anyone's life. Edna could have found another solution. In the worse case scenario, she could have left her town and started a new life, away from the people causing her distress. Still, she should not have given up on the rest of the people in her life.
        Pondering Edna's suicide, I started to think about all of the other books I have read where some of the best characters have died. I understand that sometimes it is necessary to kill off an important character, but it really tears at my heart when my favorite characters die. For instance, in Mocking Jay when Prim dies, I could not stop crying. Although it was in fact necessary for this to happen in order for Katniss to move on with her life, I was thoroughly angered by the book. After all of the other significant deaths like Finnick (in Mocking Jay) and Rue (in The Hunger Games), Prim was the final straw. Another book riddled with death was the last book in the Harry Potter Series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows. What about Fred? Who could have ever wanted one of the Weasley twins to die? Who could have wanted Remus Lupin or Dobby or Hedwig to perish? I'm guessing that most people cried A LOT during the last book. Deaths like these truly leave a mark. It's hard for me to go back and read books with deaths in them over again. Every time I re-read novels, I carry a hint of sadness with me by knowing what will happen to characters who are currently alive but won't be for long.
        Deaths within books frustrate me. I understand why the characters need to die, but it breaks off a piece of the story. Every time a character is killed off, a fraction of the love for that book is ripped away. Books with suicide are the worst. At least when characters die from other factors, there is a valid reason. When characters go so low as to take their own life, I am very tempted to throw the book at the ground in frustration. This is the main reason I did not enjoy the end of The Awakening. Even when there are misunderstandings in novels or even plays like "Romeo and Juliet", I can't erase my frustration with the characters. I mean, I know that Romeo and Juliet loved each other and could not bear to face life without the other, but still! There are so many alternatives to death. Just think about what would have happened if Romeo had not killed himself when he saw Juliet's body? She would have woken up and they could have run away and lived a happy life together. Unfortunately, many stories do not end with happy endings.
         To sum things up, I strongly dislike book deaths. If it were up to me, all books would have a happy ending. Still, I know that if all literature had happy endings, there would not be nearly as much creativity in writing. Therefore, although I want all of the characters to live wonderful lives, I acknowledge the fact that not all stories from real life are essentially happy. Everyone lives in their own way, and we have no right to judge others on their own styles of living. I'll try to keep an open mind whenever I read books containing death. I may not agree with it, but there's no harm in giving them a chance. Who knows? Maybe one day I won't be as bothered by book deaths!

Making a Statement Through Poetry (Independent Reading Post)

       Poetry is an incredible form of writing. It allows us to portray our deepest emotions and thoughts through a true form of art. When I read the online article, "Dangerous 'truth': The Kabul women's poetry club", I realized just how much I take things like poetry for granted. For me, poetry has always been there. I can simply pick up a pen and start writing without any hesitation. In Afghanistan, however, woman are not allowed to do this. In their country, writing poetry is considered a sin that should be avoided at all costs. Now, women throughout Afghanistan are silently fighting back. They are forming poetry clubs in secret and writing to their hearts content. They generate words hidden deep within their hearts and fill the paper with their personal feelings about everything going on in their lives.        

       It makes me so happy to see women standing up for something that they believe in. Things like freedom of expression are essential to a true society. It takes a great deal of courage to go against the common beliefs of society. Imagine living in a country where you have to hide your writing pieces from your community as well as your own family and friends. Personally, I would be screaming in the inside. That's why it's such a pleasure to hear that these women are disregarding common belief and standing on their own two feet.       

       The situation in Afghanistan shows that women have the ability to stand up for what is right. Although they are ridiculed by those around them, they don't give up on their dreams. In the article, Karima Shabrang humbly explains, "I would prefer a dignified death to a life lived as a hostage in silence". The words of these women are small, but powerful. The women within Afghanistan support what they do with all of their hearts. When it comes to living life without the freedom to express your self through creative forms like poetry, it is better to follow your own beliefs rather than those declared by authority. I hope that soon, they will no longer have to live a life of secrecy. These poetic women deserve to be heard, whether it be through speech or writing. Since it is doubtful that the women of Afghanistan will give up in their pursuit of expression, I am sure that they will one day accomplish their goals.

Here is the Link to the article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24608666

A Review on "One Man" (TA Post)

        After watching the video on the "One Man" Movie Trailer Supercut, I was astonished. I have never really thought deeply about movie trailers before. I mean, we see them all the time, everywhere. They just kind of play through the back of your mind, and you don't really analyze the mass effects that they can have on society. The whole video took short clips from trailers that follow the "one ____" theme. Almost all of the videos filled in the blank with the word "man". In the trailers with women as the main character, the blank almost never read "woman". Instead it was filled in with words like "stranger", "person", and "thing". These kind of words make you wonder if the producers of these movies are actually trying to avoid using the word "woman" in the trailers. It sure seems like it. After all, the vast majority of trailers with male protagonists use phrases like "It's up to one man to save the world" and "Only one man could restore peace".  When woman are brought into the picture, why is it that they are more often than not referred to in ways that transform them into something that can be put into one's possession rather than an actual person? By declaring loudly that the main female character was "the one thing that he needed", trailers are becoming questionable on the terms of gender equality. Even at times when it would be perfectly acceptable to say, "The rest was up to one woman", the producers insist upon saying things like "The rest was up to one person". Why is it that men can be referred to as "men", but woman cannot be referred to as "woman"? Until these past few weeks, I had never observed the hidden messages of movie trailers and TV shows. It frustrates me that the writers of screenplay tend to portray woman as weaker characters than men. By avoiding the term "woman" in trailers, it suggests that they are not meant to have the best roles in stories and that they don't have as much character development as men do. This is, of course, not true in the slightest. All people can have strong characters, regardless of their gender. It truly amazes me that anyone would think otherwise. If someone is making a movie trailer about a woman, why not just say "woman"? It really makes no sense. Well, I think that concludes my long rant about gender equality!

"Les Physz": The Combination of "Les Misérables" and Foxtrot (Independent Reading Post)

        Normally, I'm not a big fan of cartoons. I occasionally find a few ones that are exceptionally funny, but other than that, I don't really read them. Well, yesterday morning I happened across a Foxtrot cartoon that made me literally burst out laughing-something that should happen when I read cartoons but didn't until I read this one. You see, I love the music from the musical Les Misérables, just like so many other people who declare themselves "Les Mis" fans. It is such an emotional play with so many amazing characters. Therefore, when I saw that Bill Amend, who wrote this Foxtrot cartoon, had combined the ideas of Les Misérables with physics, I just could not stop laughing. I took pictures of the cartoon and pasted them below so that you can see what I am talking about in the first place.

        In order, the physics phrases refer to "I Dreamed a Dream", "Do You Hear the People Sing", "Empty Chairs at Empty Tables", "On My Own" (my personal favorite), and "Who Am I?". If you have ever seen Les Misérables, you can see why this is the best cartoon I've ever seen. It relates the emotional music from songs like "I Dreamed a Dream" to physics, of all things. I think what makes this cartoon so hilarious is that it combines two totally unrelated things together. I mean, who thinks of something like physics when they are singing songs powerful enough to bring tears to your eyes? I know for a fact that this is the first time in my life that I have connected these two completely different ideas. I have to give the writer credit for having such a creative mind. Not many people can take two random concepts and combine them into a piece of writing that looks and sounds good. 

        I also like this cartoon because it shows how sometimes people do some crazy things when they are bored. I admit, even I have on occasion bursted into song after working on homework for so long that I can't think anymore. Sometimes I sing random things about what I am working on. It's just something that happens when your mind is so dead that you have words and equations running through your head and you don't know what to do with them. I can also relate to this cartoon because I have a problem with distraction, as many people do. I'll be working on something when I'll get distracted and start working on something else. Then, once I finish that task, I'll forget what I was doing in the first place! As you read through the cartoon, you can tell that as the scenes progress, the character gets more and more distracted. He starts out with a kind of multi-tasking attitude and eventually ends up belting out "Les Physz" and forgetting about all the homework right in front of him. 

        To sum things up, I now know what happens when you combine Les Misérables with physics. I honestly can say that I have never actually questioned what would happen with this combination, but now I know. We are all learning new things every day, whether they be character-building, educational, or just plain random. In this case, I'm perfectly fine with learning something random. After all, sometimes the random things are what we remember best!