Andrea’s Angel

Edgar Allen Poe's poem, A Dream Within A Dream, is startlingly true. How are we really supposed to know the difference between dreaming and waking? A quote from one of my favorite books, Frostbite , by Richelle Mead,  really reminds me of this poem. "Dreams, dreams. I walk them; I live them. I delude myself with them. Its a wonder I can spot reality anymore." This line is said by a nineteen year old character that is a little crazy, but still very smart for a person his age. In a later book in the same series as Frostbite, Blood Promise, the same character also says this: “If your eyes weren't open, you wouldn't know the difference between dreaming and waking.” Sometimes, I have dreams that come true, and it is really scary. Other times, I have a dream that seems so real, that it is hard to wake up and know that it wasn't. 

I recently read a story, Young Goodman Brown, by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and my teacher wanted me to write a thesis on it. So here goes: I don't believe that Young Goodman Brown actually met with anyone in the forest. I think that he got so scared, as soon as he got into the forest, that his mind started hallucinating things, and all the devilish things he encountered were only made up in his mind.

We have spent weeks trying to perfect these stunts. Never did it. One of them is pretty good, but the rest, well, can't say the same about them.

The Socratic Method is a conversation among peers that asks and answers questions. It is an opportunity to learn from each other, and I enjoy doing them. Last year, my teacher had us do some, and every time, I learned something new I didn't know. When you learn from people your own age, you tend to remember what you learned more because they use comparisons that involve things that you are all interested in. I really enjoy Socratic Seminars, and would enjoy doing more of them in my English class this year.

One thing I have done in my English class this year, that I am proud of, is my effort in making my blog posts. Usually, if a teacher doesn't grade something, I don't do it. If it is not required of me to do something I am the type of person to not do it. The only exceptions to this are when I like to do the thing, or I feel that it needs to be done to help others. I truly like writing on my blog, which is why I try to keep up with the schedule.

Today, we were asked if we knew the people in our community. Now that is a loaded question. I do know a lot of people, all along the Central Coast, but only specific types of people. I know people involved with softball, cheerleading, and football. If you ask me if I know a certain adult, I probably don't, but I do know hundreds of girls from the age six to age fifteen. I enjoy meeting new people and getting to know them, and I love helping people. I don't many people in my classes, but I recognize most of them. At school I am more of a person that hides in the back. Usually, by the end of the first semester though, I know most of my classmates.

I was asked to memorize a poem. It is called Richard Cory , and its not exactly short. It was very hard, but I made it happen. I was asked how I memorized it, and my answer was this: I first wrote it down on a piece of paper, and then I would memorize it line by line. I continued to do this for three days, and by Friday, I had it memorized. I recommend you read Richard Cory .