Childhood best friend

Friends no matter how close usually get into fights. Jen and I have known each other for about four years and have never fought once. We were different best friends, ones that no matter what would never get tired of each eachother. Spending almost every day together, sitting outside talking, and eating family dinners with each other were only a few things that brought us together. We were the closest friends a sixth grader could ask for. Sometimes after a ling day of school we would go to the tree in-between her house and her neighbors and climb to talk for what felt like hours.

Jen and I first met in sixth grade at lunch when one of our friends had introduced us. When we figured out we had science together and started to talk and become better and better friends. Jen and I decided to try out for cheer and both loved it, it brought us even closer. We were two little inseparable best friends that thought it would always be that way. Even though things change we still love each other like were family.

We don't talk to each other as much as we used to but that will never come between how close we were. She is still like a sister to me like four years ago. Every time I see Jen, its like we are as close as we were in sixth grade.

The Story by Brandi Carlile

          The story by Brandi Carlile is a story composed as a song that has many emotions in it. These emotions are brought out through the was the singer sing the song. Hidden meanings are made with many literary devices like metaphors. The story is about how one person understands her and can relate to her problems.

           Brandi's song has hidden meanings that were expressed with different literary devices. "All of these lines across my face tell you the story of who I am" has a hidden meaning perhaps that all of the pain and feelings she's had is shown through her appearance.  The verses " and they don't know know what I've been through like you do, I was made for you" shows that they know each other like no one else can see. "And how I got to where I am" tells that she has gotten through tough times. "But these stories don't mean anything when you got no one to tell them too" makes a point that stories have no meaning or worth when no one else is able to know them. Like many songs The Story tells a story an has hidden meanings within the song.

          Like many other songs, The Story uses many literary devices to show a deeper meaning. "I climbed across the mountain tops" is a metaphor used to show that she went through obstacles. "I crossed over lines..." is metonymy because there were no physical lines that she crossed over. The lyrics "you made me feel like a million bucks" is a simile because it is a comparison to her feeling special in a time when she was not viewed that way by many people.  "My mouth is hiring the words that don't come out" is a metaphor for her being speechless. In this song the lyrics are mostly made of metaphors to express Brandi's feelings.

          This song has a sad feel when it is read and not put into a song form. The Story has a good  interpretation when it is put into song. Songs are poems, most change when they are put into a musical form. The artist has the ability to change the feel of the song with the tone in their voice. Brandi expresses her lyrics in a positive way majoring the feel of her song more comforting.

Odysseus, an epic hero?

          Odysseus has one main goal, to get back to Telemachus and Penelope. His long journey consists of overcoming many obstacles and getting to the next one. Odysseus is very confident in himself and believes he can achieve almost anything. He leads his crew with courage and not showing doubt when facing a problem. In chapter nine, when stuck at he is quick to think when Polyphemus asks about Odysseus' name he finds a response that will work in his favor. While the crew was worried Odysseus stayed strong and comforted his crew. Odysseus is highly intelligent, he is quick to think in tricky situations. 

          In tough situations, Odysseus occasionally consoles to the gods. Occasionally Odysseus is given insight to his journey ahead. He is not a very loyal leader in chapter twelve when he does not tell his crew of the syclla. Odysseus was right and wrong about not telling his crew because he did not want to start an  uproar amongst the crew, but the death of six men might have been able to be prevented. Odysseus is an epic hero, but has his flaws like many other heros.

Hero Analysis

           Odysseus is very confident in himself. He is not as modest as he maybe should be. Sometimes his confidence gets him into trouble. In The Odyssey chapter nine, If Odysseus had not called out to
Polyphemus, he and his crew wound not have had to face Poseidon's wrath. When Odysseus was
taunted by a prince in the games, he was quick to stand up to him and beat him. Odysseus is not like
many other heroes, he is very cocky. An ideal hero would be humble, and try to stick to his main goal or journey instead of taking longer than the journey should have.
          Odysseus does not try as hard as another hero might in his situation. When on the island with Calypso, he did not make it his best efforts to move on with the journey. Odysseus wants to return home to his family, but he might not have as much of a drive because he might fear what he will come back home too. He is not certain that his family is still even alive until chapter eleven when the ghosts tell him. Odysseus has his flaws that make him weaker as a hero but he still holds heroic characteristics.

Heroes

        The heroes today are very similar to those in history. Most heroes follow the same story line having to go through a journey. In a story,  a hero always has at least one villain that they have to battle. The heroes usually over come the villain in both history and modern day tales. In modern media today, sometimes the heroes will loose against the villain unlike in history the were the triumphant ones. The Journey that modern heroes go through involves achieving a goal, or self fulfillment and saving humanity. With the heroes in history, they fight for people and a balanced system in society, and to try and keep everyone in their best interests.

Characteristics of modern stories have not changed much for centuries. All modern heroes go through a journey and a way of finding their strengths and weaknesses. There is something a hero is good at and all have a weakness that has the ability to change the story. Many heroes have an alliance or sidekick that helps them through their problems. When there is a super hero, most have concealed identities to protect themselves and people associated with them. A hero if likely to make sacrifices for a good cause in the story. 

Traits have also changed in modern media. Heroes in history were godlike and most were invincible, with eternal life. In modern media, most heroes were human and had an object that protected them. Old heroes have protected themselves with powers given to most by gods. People have looked up to heroes almost since they have existed. Heroes have the ability to inspire and push people to make a change. 

Most modern heroes are not very attached to people or family unlike in the Odyssey, the story is driven by Odysseus and Telemachus fighting to make the family a whole again. Family plays a larger role in older stories than in modern media. In both the Odyssey and modern media, there was always a weakness to a hero wether it is a power of a person. Most stories have the same story outline, and many similarities. Over time stories of heroes have not changed as much as other things have. Many good stories have the same story line to please their audience.

Penelope

              Penelope’s husband Odysseus had been away at war for twenty years now, there is no saying if her is dead or alive. There are suitors that have been waiting to be chosen to mary Penelope. Penelope is still faithful to her husband that has been away for several years. The suitors pressure Penelope to remarry, which stresses Penelope. Athena comes in her dreams to comfort her.Telemachus is the son of  Penelope and Odysseus, he tries his best to keep the suitors from marrying his mother. Penelope is distraught deciding to carry on her kingdom, or to stay loyal to Odysseus. 

Fairy Tale

                   Once upon a time a little girl named melody lived in a far away land. She had a gift, a gift that many people called, “a voice of a singing bird”. She had lived with her parents and sister ever since she could remember. Melody was not treated the same as her sister Violet, Violet was treated better. Melody's mother and father made her stay in the opposite side of their cottage I n the woods, away from everyone and everything else. 
                   One day melody decided to ask her mother to be in a room with the rest of the family. The mother was angry of the request, decided she was fed up with her daughter once and for all, and banished Melody. Walking away from her cottage with only her pet mocking bird Brooke, she started to sing to make herself feel better. Slowly birds started to hover near her, getting closer and closer. They stayed flying by her singing along with her tune. The flock of singing birds started to grab people attention in villages. Melody found people bowing down to her and calling her princess, soon after a peasant told her that she was a long lost princess that was taken by the people she had been living with all of her life and hidden in the woods. She was told to go to the Kingdom to find her real father and mother the King and Queen. 
                   Melody started her journey through the forest to go to the kingdom, on the way she was startled by a horse, but this was not like any other horse. This horse had wings, it could talk and would watch over Melody. Melody rode her new guardian to the kingdom to find her real parents. As she arrived at the castle walls, people acknowledged her presence and bowed. The king and queen did not recognize her as they have not seen her since she was a baby. Melody's bird brook that had been with her the whole time they did recognize. The bird had been sent to go find the location of Melody and was their way of telling if it was actually their long lost daughter. As soon as they realized it was really her they had a large ceremony in the kingdom. The kingdom was now together again and the family lived to be happy forever.

Archetypes

                An archetype is a universally known symbol, something that most people will see and get a general feeling. One example of a shadow archetype is a forest, many people will be able to look at a forest and get an erie or dark feeling. In the movie Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, the shadow archetype is used as a forest. Snow White gets lost in the forest and it brings out her fears. Without the forest the story would have changed, because if she did not get lost she would not have found the seven dwarfs. Archetypes give a story feeling and makes it relatable to most people's lives.
                Archetypes bring together a story and makes it relatable to most people. An archetype has a way of giving a certain emotion to a person. Most stories have to have archetypes,like they have to go through the twelve steps of a hero. Without the archetypes people may not be able to get the same feeling or relate to the story.

Change in Mythology

        Much of mythology is told through written and unwritten stories. It has changed as the world had advanced, because people are able to find a logical reason for most things. Every time a myth is told it changes in some ways. Every country has it’s own versions of myths and stories. When people didn’t have a scientific explanation for something, they made something up, creating myths. In ancient Greece people believed in mythology more because people had less knowledge, so it was easier for them to believe what they were told 
        Over time when technology developed more and more, myths started to become just stories. Myths in ancient Greece were like a religion to people, they based their lives off of them. They would worship their composed gods because they believed it would affect their every day lives. In Mexico’s version of creation, they sacrificed people to fulfill their god’s needs.Greek mythology played a big part in Greece with gods and goddesses. The more developed an are was, the less the myths were important to them because they had more knowledge about things.

Similar myths evolved around the world because people did not have the scientific knowledge about how the world came to be. It was easier for people believe in the myths rather than to disprove them. Myths are hard to argue with because they can not be proven either true, nor false. Depending on the culture and society, a myth could have either no affect or great affect on peoples lives. Myths have now faded in to just stories as the years go by and the world becomes more and more developed.

about me

              I have lived in Florida for seven years now. I have two younger brothers and a younger sister. The sports I like to play the most are lacrosse and soccer and i love to dance and cheer. Winter is my favorite season because I love when if gets cold outside. My friends and family mean everything to me and I don't know what I would do without them. I love listening to music and watching movies. I could eat chick-fil-a every day for the rest of my life.  My favorite quote is “when you wake up in the morning you have two choices, to go back to sleep and dream your dreams or wake up and chase those dreams”., and “if you want to feel rich, just count the things you have that money can’t buy”. Blue is my favorite color because it reminds me of the ocean and water. I love the the beach and ocean because I think its the most peaceful place that you could ever go. The prayer by Kid Cudi is my favorite song and he is my favorite artist. Before I die I want to go to Plitvice, Croatia.