Antigone

Antigone, by Sophocles, is a classic Romeo and Juliet story but it also has other themes. The main character, Antigone, takes a stand for what she believed in and knowingly risked her life doing so. Creon, the leader of Thebes, is faced with a decision that will cause him to put away his pride to make the right choice. Lastly, Hameon, Antigone's fiance and Creon's son, must persuade his father to spare Antigone's life. This play is great for a short read with twists in the plot that will keep you at the edge of your seat.

Listening

When you take a stand for yourself, the outcome is not always what it should be.

When I spotted my mom's white CRV rolling into the pick-up line in front of the junior high school, I slid into the passenger seat and threw my bag in the back seat. As we pulled away from the school and drove through the streets, I reminded my mom of the upcoming band concert.

At this, she whipped her eyes from the road to me, and said in that annoying I'm-fed-up-with-you-voice,
"Why didn't you tell me before now!"

This really pushed my buttons! I had told her two days before about the exact same event and, as always, she didn't remember. I could not take her anymore! I had to take a stand for myself!

"You never listen! I told you already," I blurted a little too loudly.

Now my mom is not one of those parents you talk back to , and after I said this, I wished I could rewind the scene and draw the words back. A fiery look entered her eyes and I had a moment of fear in which I thought she might slap me, but to my relief she just yelled,
"I always listen! I must have been doing something important when you told me!"

My first reaction was to stop talking but then I thought,
"I'm already in trouble, I might as well get my point across," and tried to calmly reply, "You were sitting in the living room and shopping on your lap top."

There was a moment of silence as she realized I was right and searched for a recovery.
"Well, you are grounded!"

And that was that; there was no explanation why and I knew better than to say anymore. That was the first time I had been grounded and all I was doing was standing up for myself.

My mom still does not listen.

Thank God It's Over

Thank god it's over!

As I jumped from my seat at the sound of the final bell, this was my first thought.  It was Christmas break and the end of the first semester of my sophomore year. 

With only five more semesters, I'm one step closer to college.  At first this was a relief.  After all college is going to be a blast!  

But now a slight panic is creeping up on me.  

I don't have a clue what I want to do or where I want to go.

Well thats not true... I actually have several clues, but can not pick just one!

Should I go to my dream college which is out of state or stay close to home?  Should I dream big and take a risk or follow the other safer smaller dreams?  Should I be a pianist, a physical therapist, a writer, a dancer, a journalist?

But I've got a while to decide.  After all it's only the end of the first semester of my sophomore year.

Julius Caesar- friends

One of the underlying themes to Julius Caesar that William Shakespeare tried to convey was friendship.  The point was:

Be a good friend and you'll achieve more than someone who is the opposite.

Mark Antony is the first example.  He was a loyal and good friend of Caesar. 

 When Caesar was killed he grieved and made sure Caesar's murder was not falsely presented.  Antony made sure Brutus didn't make Caesar out to be any less of a man than he was. 

 Antony went on to win the battle. 

Cassius was the opposite.  

He was deceitful and two-faced to Brutus.  Cassius used Brutus to gain more power, and never truly had what was best for Brutus in mind.  

Cassius died in the battle.

Julius Caesar

In my opinion, people with high power should put their subjects before himself in order to be a great leader.

In the tragedy, Julius Caesar, by William Shakespeare, only one character did this, Mark Antony. All the others were just interested in power and would do anything to gain a higher status. Including deceiving the entire population of Rome and manipulating friends.

Antony never became power hungry or mad for revenge after Caesar's betray and death. Speaking at the funeral, he gave only facts and let the Romans decide for themselves whether Cassius and Brutus were traitors or doing what they had to for the benefit of Rome.

Antony, displaying genuine interest for Rome, showed real leadership.

Relationship Bank Account

I remember a day that I had the perfect opportunity to make a major RBA deposit and didn't.

One of those deposits that doesn't seem that major, but when you get caught with your fly down or spinach in your teeth, you really appreciate someone letting you know.

I was eating lunch with three friends and an older couple with kids my age. The cafeteria was serving pipping hot cookies, chocolate chip ones, that we were scarfing down.

Then the couple's son strolls up with a hand full of cookies and starts chatting with the group. He begins telling some story and eating his cookies all at the same time.

Bad move, buddy!

Chewing with his mouth open, chocolate began coating his teeth and lips! Now I'm not exactly sure how you don't feel half a cookie on your face but I guess he found a way.

He continued to deliver his story but by this point I had no earthly idea what he was yakking about; all I could do was stare.

I jerked my eyes away to see if anyone else had noticed this oddity. As luck would have it, my three acquaintances had noticed and turned to look at each other with bewildered eyes.

That was it! I busted out in giggles and had to cover it with fake coughing.

We tried subtle hints and desperately tried not to laugh but he plowed on in his story. No one told him, not even his parents. As far as we knew, he could have walked around all day that way.

So my entreatment is this:
The next time something like that happens, just tell the person. I'm sure you would want them to do the same for you.

This quote is the perfect explanation for my title, Insides Out:
"All art is a kind of confession, more or less oblique. All artists, if they are to survive, are forced, at last, to tell the whole story; to vomit the anguish up." -James Baldwin