"The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory."-Unknown

This quote is funny, but it makes a lot of sense. When the person says it's unfamiliar territory, they mean that a lot of people don't think before they do or say things. Usually, the not thinking causes a lot of conflict. 

Source: coolfunnyquotes.com, 2010. Web. May 17, 2012

The perfect man? I wish.

"While creating men, God promised women that a good and ideal man would be found in all corners of the world. He then made the earth round."-Unknown

I like this quote even though I don't believe in God. It shows that there is no ideal man in this world. As much as every woman wants to believe there is, and squanders life searching for him, he does not exist. However, there may be a man in a woman's life and she may think he's perfect but in reality, he has flaws. Therefore, he cannot be perfect. I mean, just look at that beautiful picture (below) of teen heartthrob Harry Styles. He's got perfect blue-green eyes, perfect beautiful curly hair, perfect lips, perfect chiseled abs...I could go on for days. Anyways, despite all that stuff, Harry has flaws. So he's not perfect.

Source: coolnsmart.net, 2006. Web. May 15, 2012

from "Walden"-Henry David Thoreau

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."-Henry David Thoreau

At first, I was confused by this line because he said he wished to live "deliberately." I thought and thought and wondered what Thoreau could possibly mean by that. I came to the conclusion that Thoreau meant that he wanted to live his life purposefully. When he says, "and not when I came to die, discover that I had not lived" it makes me realize that going to the woods was his way of living.

Source: Thoreau, Henry David. "Walden" 1854 Web. May 14, 2012

"I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now."-Edna Mode (The Incredibles)

If you're constantly bringing up the past, you're not fully focused on the present. The past already happened and you can't change it, so there is no use in dwelling on it. Edna Mode has the right idea in focusing on the present rather than living in the past.

Source: Mode, Edna. The Incredibles, 2004. Web. May 14, 2012

"The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up."-Timothy Mouse (Dumbo)

I think when Timothy Mouse made this statement, he was referring to Dumbo's large ears, but he probably had no idea how it relates to the real world. There are things in life that will hold you down, but those very things can as well be what makes you stronger. Who said Disney movies can't be inspirational?

Source: Timothy Mouse. twitter.com/disneywords, 2010. Web. May 14, 2012

Brilliantly insane.

"You're mad, bonkers, off your head. But I'll tell you a secret; All the best people are."-Alice in Wonderland

What do Edgar Allan Poe and Einstein have in common? Could it be that they are both historically famous, brilliant people who were looked upon as crazy? The quote is true and represent these two men because even though society did not approve of them, they made major accomplishments in their life time and are now remembered for them.

Source: Alice. twitter.com/disneywords. 2010. Web. May 14, 2012

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them."-Walt Disney

Often people are too afraid to pursue their dreams for fear that they might fail. But how will we know if we never even try? Walt Disney's message here is that we have to at least try to achieve our dreams or we will live with regrets.

Source: Disney, Walt. brainyquote.com, 2001. Web. May 14, 2012

"I do not like the man who squanders life for fame; give me the man who living makes a name"-Emily Dickinson

I think what Dickinson means is that she does not have much respect for the man who wastes his time trying to become famous instead of using his time more wisely and doing something more sensible. I used the picture of Martin Luther King Jr. because I see him as a man who did not do what he did to get fame, he did it because he had a dream that the world would be a better place. Martin Luther King Jr. didn't squander life for fame, he, living, made a name.

Source: Dickinson, Emily. famouspoetsandpoems.com, 2006. Web. May 14, 2012.

Beauty

"Beauty--be not caused--it is."-Emily Dickinson

I think this quote means that you can't make something beautiful; either it can't be beautiful or it already is. Then again, everyone has their own opinions on what is beautiful and what is not. Beauty is everywhere, but everyone sees beauty differently.

Source: Dickinson, Emily. americanpoems.com, 2004. Web. May 14, 2012

from "Brave New World"-Aldous Huxley

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley uses imagery to describe Linda's unpleasant looks, as shown in the quote below:

"...And the lines in her face, the flabbiness, the wrinkles. And the sagging cheeks with those purplish blotches. And the red veins on her nose, the bloodshot eyes. And the neck-that neck; and the blanket she wore over her head-ragged and filthy. And under the brown sack-shaped tunic those enormous breasts, the bulge of the stomach, the hips."

It really makes you picture in your mind the way this woman looks and it seems repulsive. The author wanted readers to create a mental image in their minds of this apparently very ugly woman.

Source: Huxley, Aldous. "Brave New World" 1932 Web. May 14, 2012

from "Fences" by August Wilson

Troy: "Death aint nothing. I done seen him. Done wrassled with him. You can't tell me nothing about death. Death aint nothing but a fastball on the outside corner."

This quote tells me that Troy does not see death as a serious threat; he does not take death seriously. He personifies death and says that he's already met death. When death comes for him, he will put up a fight.

Source: Wilson, August. "Fences" 1983. Web. May 14, 2012

"Dignity"-Bullet for my Valentine

This song is for those who are different; ones who society refuses to accept. This song tells us that it's okay to be different and that we should be proud of who we are. We don't have to change to fit in with society because society does not have the right to tell us who to be. My favorite lines out of the song is where Matt Tuck sings, "So society just can't just let us be. Please don't be ashamed; we are not to blame. The future's our to take, we will make mistakes. Scream this loud and proud: We will not back down!" I like how he uses the word "we" instead of just saying "I" because it shows that he wants all of us as a group to stick together and be proud of who we are.

Source: Bullet for my Valentine. "Dignity" 2009 Web. May 14, 2012

"A Toast to the Future Kids"-Emarosa

This song happens to be one of my favorite songs of all time. First of all, Jonny Craig has the most amazing voice known to man and the lyrics in this song are some of the greatest lyrics I've ever heard. When Jonny says, "Well, I'm about to spend my cold life cutting corners, placing blame. Any moment this could catch fire, erasing all the stains. So, here's to starting over, we could be the same. We'll change it all together. The future's mine to claim" it makes me wonder what exactly he's singing about. I would assume that he is singing about trying to make it somewhere in life and doing whatever it takes to get there. It makes sense that he would sing about something like that because he's done some terrible things. That was all in the past and now he is making efforts to turn his life around and get back on track.

Source: Emarosa, Jonny Craig. "A Toast to the Future Kids" 2010. Web. May 10, 2012

"Across the Universe"-The Beatles

Across the Universe sung by The Beatles is, to me, a very metaphorical song. One example of a metaphor is the very first line which says, "Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup. They slither wildly as they slip away across the universe." This line has both a simile and a metaphor. This song also features a lot of similes like the one that says, "Limitless undying love, which shines around me like a million suns, it calls me on and on across the universe." 


Source: The Beatles. "Across the Universe" 1969. Web. May 10, 2012

"The City in the Sea"-Edgar Allan Poe

The City in the Sea written by Edgar Allan Poe uses personification to talk about death. An example of personification is in the line, "Lo! Death has reared himself a throne..." I think what he means here is that death is waiting to take more victims. As shown in the picture below, death is sitting on his throne...waiting.

Source: Poe, Edgar Allan. poestories.com, 2005. Web. May 10, 2012

from "Angels & Demons" by Dan Brown

"The goal of terrorism is to create terror and fear. Fear undermines faith in the establishment. It weakens the enemy from within...causing unrest in the masses. Write this down. Terrorism is not an expression of rage. Terrorism is a political weapon. Remove a government's facade of infallibility, and you remove its people's faith."

This quote is important because a lot of people think that terrorism is bombing people and crashing into buildings. Terrorism is using the fear tactic. Anyone can be a terrorist, not just a specific group of people. I learned this last year in AP History and I didn't realize how much sense it made until I read Angels & Demons. This book changed my view on a lot of things, i.e religion vs. science.

Source: Brown, Dan. Angels & Demons, 2000. Web. May 8, 2012

"A Dream Within A Dream"-Edgar Allan Poe

Poe used a lot of figurative language in this poem and that is what makes it such a beautiful poem. The line "Take this kiss upon the brow and in parting from you now, thus much let me avow; you are not wrong who deem that my days have been a dream" makes me think that Poe was living in a dream world. Every thing that was good in his life was too good to be true. I also like the line where he says, "I stand amid the roar of a surf-tormented shore, and I hold within my hand grains of the golden sand." Poe uses figurative language here by saying "surf-tormented shore." I think that if he would've kept it simple and said something along the lines of "I stand on the beach and play in the sand," the poem would not have been as powerful as it is. Poe knew this and that is why he said "surf-tormented shore" 


Source: Poe, Edgar Allen. poestories.com, 2005. Web. May 4, 2012

Carpe Diem

"Carpe Diem quam minimum credula postero" is Latin for "Pluck the Day; putting as little trust as possible in tomorrow."


This quote comes from the poem "Carpe Diem" written by Horace.

"Ask not—we cannot know—what end the gods have set for you, for me; nor attempt the Babylonian reckonings Leuconoë. How much better to endure whatever comes, whether Jupiter grants us additional winters or whether this is our last, which now wears out the Tuscan Sea upon the barrier of the cliffs! Be wise, strain the wine; and since life is brief, prune back far-reaching hopes! Even while we speak, envious time has passed: [seize] the day, putting as little trust as possible in tomorrow!" 

My favorite line out of the whole poem is the last line. It basically means that you have to live in the moment and not fret over what will happen tomorrow or the next day or the next week etc. I also like when Horace says, "How much better to endure whatever comes, whether Jupiter grants us additional winters or whether this is our last..." The connotation of that is even if there are no more winters to come; as in even if this is our last winter, we should life life to the fullest. We shouldn't trust the future because it hasn't happened yet. We don't know what the future holds, so we have to live for today. 


Note: The literal meaning of Carpe is pluck but some would rather use the word seize. I think it makes the poem more powerful to say seize. 


Source: Horace. epicurus.net, 2012. Web. May 4, 2012

Without music.

"After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music."
-Aldous Huxley 

Did you ever listen to a song and think, "Wow, these lyrics totally relate to me."? It feels as if the song was written just for you. It just goes to show that music is a way of expressing yourself when you can't find the right words to say. Without music, what would the world be? My opinion would be that the world would become a vapid and depressing place. If there was no music, what would be stuck in our heads all day? How would we be able to say the things we're too afraid to simply speak? Would we ever have our first slow dance at prom? Think about it. Think about a world without music. Without music, there is no other way, besides silence, of expressing yourself. I wouldn't know what to do with myself if there was no music. I can't go through a day without listening to music. When I listen to music, I dream of a better world. Music is my escape from reality, even if it's for a little while. 




Source: Huxley, Aldous. brainyquote.com, 2001 Web. May 4, 2012

from "Breathless"-Shayne Ward

My sister is always making me listen to things. I usually don't like what she makes me listen to but when she made me listen to Breathless by Shayne Ward, I was captivated by the lyrics. I didn't really like the melody or his voice very much and I usually don't like love songs, but the lyrics I did like. When me and my sister were watching a lyric video of the song, I made her pause it several times so that I could make screen shots of some of the lyrics and make them into quotes. I saved them to paint, worked my magic, and voila:

These were my favorite lyrics out of the whole song. I usually hate pick-up lines; I find them annoying and gross. However, if a guy said one of these lines to me, I'd be screaming on the inside. Actually, no. I'd probably roll my eyes at him. But I'm not denying that these lyrics aren't cute. They are. It's just that I'm not the type who falls for these things. 

Source: Ward, Shane. "Breathless" youtube.com, 2007. Web. April 4, 2012