"The End Of Poverty?"

Recently we have been watching a film called "The End of Poverty?" and it's very interesting so far. Poverty has always been something that intrigued me because I felt that it was a matter that always was unanswered and wasn't always shone upon. This movie shows exactly what poverty is and how people are struggling with and how they go through it everyday, and it makes me want to help them even more. If I had the essentials and a ton of money a big chunk of it would go to charities and the less fortunate because I know that it would be going to a better cause. Poverty needs to be one of the key issues that we look into because it is a very serious matter and we shouldn't take it lightly. The movie is very good so far and I can't wait to watch the rest of it.

Reflection

In class we continued watching "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury and it was very suspenseful. In the section of the movie we watched last class it had a ton of action and suspense. The boys got caught sneaking into the carnival after it closed and was spying on the magician and some of his coworkers torturing a man electrically. Since they got caught the magician has been trying to find them since, because they know about what goes on after carnival hours and it's supposed to be secretive. This was my favorite part of the movie yet because it had a lot of drama and it made me want to keep watching, so I can't wait to watch more.

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, the award winning author of the novel Something Wicked This Way Comes is a very influential writer. His writing and theater career spanned more than seventy years, and in those seventy years he had over 500 published works including 100 short stories and close to 50 novels. Some of his work includes: "Fahrenheit 451" "The Martian Chronicles" "Dandelion Wine" and "The Illustrated Man". Not only that but 65 of his stories were adapted for televisions hit show The Ray Bradbury Show, but his work did not go unrecognized. In 2000 he was awarded Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an the National Medal of Arts in 2004. What sets Ray Bradbury apart from other writers is his creativity. Once you read one of his stories or sees one of his movies you will never be able to forget it. His writing changed the way people thought and had an impact on various audiences, which gave him an even bigger appeal and made him one of the 20th centuries most notable authors.

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a scientific novel that was written in 1962. The story combines fantasy and horror together and also analyzes the conflicts of good and evil. I'm very excited to watch this movie because it seems entertaining and a little more scary.

Film Studies

A memorable film from my childhood is Finding Nemo. It was probably one of the most classic child animated films ever. The scene that automatically comes to mind when I think of Nemo is when he is being snatched up by the scuba diver and taken into the doctors office fish tank. It struck me when I was a kid because I thought it was so sad and suspenseful. My favorite movie currently is The Last Song starring Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth. It's my favorite because it has so much drama and it always kept me interested throughout the entire film. I also love movies that are romantic because they're just so cute to me. But both movies are still my favorite.

Karlamarie and Aleah's Critique On Edward Scissorhands

In Reading and Writing for Self Discovery class we viewed the movie Edward Scissorhands directed by Tim Burton. It shows how Edward struggled trying to be normal and trying to fit in with his new environment. Tim Burton cast Johnny Depp to play the lead character of Edward Scissorhands, and we both agree he made the right choice. It was a smart choice to cast him because Johnny Depp’s eyes were very mysterious and his parts had such limited lines so he spoke with his eyes a lot. He also was able to speak in a monotonous tone that added to his character even more, showing his dark shy side.

            Tim Burton, the writer and director of the film is a very creative and distinct man. Most of his films usually have some dark features to them and a lot of them are animated, but not all. I especially think in Edward Scissorhands that he was creative because of the scriptwriting. He distinguished each character with their own little quirk, and also gave Edward minimal lines. He also made the main character Edward stand out from all of the others, which made his importance even more evident. All of the characters in the local neighborhood wore bright colors and were very outspoken, but Edward always wore black and was very shy. The costume choice and differences of scenery differentiated the people of the community and Edward.

            One useful technique was shot vs. scene. Every once in a while when Edward wouldn’t speak they would close in on his face, which portrayed even more emotion and added drama to the shot as well. Another important technique that was very relevant in the film was montage. They would constantly flashback to when Edward was with the inventor trying to get his own pair of hands, but then would transition back into present time in the neighborhood. So the technique of transition also tied into montage.

            But we can both agree that scenery was a very important aspect of the film. The color choice of the houses and the whole community helped with the characterization of the characters. Since their houses and whole neighborhood were so bright they were all connected and cheery and all resembled the same values and that sort of thing. But then Edwards home is referred to as the “Haunted House on the Hill” and is dark and twisted and eerie looking. So it only made sense that he wouldn’t be like everybody else coming into Peg’s household.

            Costumes also linked ideas in the movie. Edward’s knack for leather, all black attire and his pair of scissor hands made him very unique and out there. While in the community the girls wore skirts, neon colors and 90s clothing. The costumes set the two people apart because they didn’t look at all alike and made them even more of an odd pair.

            This film used a lot of techniques and elaborated it’s costumes and scenery, making it a must see film. While watching this film you have to dive deeper than just enjoying it, you have to look at it’s visuals and its choice of speech and character. We both recommend this film because it is a classic, creative and very well-written movie.

Broken Families

The root cause of poverty and income disparity is linked to the absence of marriage. Broken families are becoming a common occurrence in inner-cities as well as in impoverished places. But what people really don't know about these broken households is just how much they affect the children. It not only affects them, but they will have a high chance of having a broken family of their own, continuing the cycle. It also has an affect on the economy and on their education. Broken families not only earn less of an income, but they experience lower levels of education as well. Children from fatherless homes make up:
85 percent of youth in prison
71 percent of all high school drop outs
85 percent of children with behavior disorders 
*40% of children growing up today in America are being raised without a father*

Divorce has a huge effect on children. Half of all American children will witness the break up of a parents marriage. We need to understand that the youth and children are in our hands. Teenagers in these single-parent families are 3 times more likely to need psychological help. Divorce can be prevented by communication, as in talking about your problems openly. And never bring your children into you, heated discussions need to be said when the kids aren't around. For the kids sake don't rush into marriage or having kids if you aren't ready to commit and be together to raise them. Just remember that the youth is our future, so lets raise them right.

Chew On This

The investigative journalism novel Chew On This by Eric Schlosser and Charles Wilson was a very interesting story. I learned a lot about the food I was actually consuming, and that it isn't all that I thought it was. First off I learned that french fries were cooked in beef oil, so they technically used meat as well. Which upset many vegetarians, which is no surprise. But what I was most disturbed about was the slaughterhouses.The way they man-handled the animals and the way they had them in captive. Some of the chickens were thrown against the walls and stomped on, and that was how they were killed. I doubt that I will ever ever stop eating meat, but I am now more aware and educated on this issue.

Edward Scissorhands

The movie Edward Scissorhands was directed by the very famous man Tim Burton. He has directed many films including:
The Corpse Bride
Alice in Wonderland
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Coraline
Charlie and The Chocolate Factory
And etc.
His movies tend to be animated a lot, but not all the time and they usually are dark movies. He cast Johnny Depp to play the part of Edward. Not only that but he was also then later cast in Tims later film Alice in Wonderland.
I think that watching this film will make us pay attention to all that goes into film making and might spark new ideas into our creative minds :)

Soul Food

The steam rises from the surface of mama’s fine china,

Gospel music rings from wall to wall,

As the smell of rich, tender food fills the entire room.

You look down at my plate and see food,

Mac n cheese, collard greens, corn bread and ribs.

But when I look at my plate I view different things.

I view culture,

I view morals,

I view a sense of identity.

 The food mushed together on this single plate,

Represent a community.

A place of coming together.

To rejoice on all of the good times,

And to reminisce on all we’ve been through.

Get to know me :)

Hi!
My names Aleah, and I live in Upstate New York. I live with both my parents and my older brother, and I am the youngest of five. My hobbies include listening to music and dancing, playing the piano, cheer leading and of course writing. I also love going to the movies and shopping! If you know me you know that I have an obsession with the rapper Drake. I love listening to his music and I think he writes about real genuine things, that's why I probably like him because I'm a writer as well. I hope you enjoy my blog and posts and feel free to comment your opinions, but all nice please :]