Quotation Blog Five

'Salem's Lot Stephen King

"If a fear cannot be articulated, it cannot be conquered," (King 302).

The only way to get over a fear is by acknowledging, addressing, and facing it. If one keeps their fears and phobias bottled up, they cannot conquer them. Like most issues and emotional problems, keeping them to oneself can be very harmful and show through bad habits, behavior, reactions and more. Phobias fall under the category of anxiety disorders and are likely triggered by abuse or trauma. Traumatic experiences will stay with people forever, but there is a chance to move on and live a normal life with the right treatment. Jaycee Dugard, a woman who spent eighteen years locked in a shed where she was sexually abused daily was rescued in 2009. She now is the author of two sensational memoirs in which she says she was able to live happily, conquer her fears and let go of her past. I can only imagine the amount of fear she lived with everyday, for her life and those of her children that her captor fathered. The only way she was able to move on was by accepting and articulating her feelings to a therapist and those around her. If she had kept them to herself, she would not have been able to function in the world. This goes for everyone, not just people who are victims of unspeakable abuse. 

It is not unusual to have weird fears or even phobias that interfere with everyday life and functioning. Phobias are usually irrational fears of a particular object or situation that lasts for a long period of time. The fears can be mild, moderate or extreme, it is a spectrum. Some common phobias are arachnophobia, fear of spiders, acrophobia, fear of heights, claustrophobia, the fear of confined spaces. Those are very common, but they can be very random and weird such as chromophobia, the fear of colors, octophobia, the fear of the figure it, or Scolionophobia, the fear of school. It is okay to have phobias, as long as you face them and are able to live a normal life. As Stephen King said, the only way to overcome a fear is to talk about it. 

I did research to figure out what treatment is recommended to people who suffer from phobias. Apparently the best way to cure or treat a phobia, one must go to psychotherapy. With a professional, one who suffers from phobia will generally receive Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. In CBT, one learns how to master their fear by changing the way they think. One learns different beliefs and views on their phobia which may take away the overwhelming feelings they have about their phobia. Once one begins to talk about their fears, that is the beginning to conquering it. 

Vocabulary Blog Five

1. Page 194- Dissolution: the closing down or dismissal of an assembly, partnership, or official body

2. Page 199- Demarcation: the action of fixing the boundary or limits of something

3. Page 200- Variegated: exhibiting different colors, especially as irregular patches or streaks

4. Page 201- Cyclic: occurring in cycles; regularly repeated

5. Page 203- Ditty: a short simple song

6. Page 203- Ruddy: (of a person's face) having a healthy red color

7. Page 206- Credo: a statement of the beliefs or aims that guide someone's actions

8. Page 208- Missal: a book containing the texts used in the Catholic Mass throughout the year

9. Page 213- Spadeful: (plural spadefuls or spadeful) The amount held by (or moved by) a spade (shovel) at once. A shovelful

10. Page 214- Rivulets: a very small stream 

This is a variegated leaf: 

Analytical Blog Four

Essential Question: What is the history of Halloween? 

Since I am interested in scary stuff, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays. Not necessarily because of the candy or costumes but I love horror movies and novels. Last year around Halloween I saw It in theaters which furthered my interest in Stephen King. My topic is about suspense, mystery and horror, so Halloween falls into that category. I have briefly learned about the history of Halloween, why its celebrated and how its evolved, but I wanted to do more research. 

Halloween began two thousand years ago by the Celts, the people of modern Ireland, United Kingdom, and northern France. They considered November first the start of a new year, so on October thirty-first they banded together celebrate what they called Samhain. They associated the day with death and the entrance into a cold winter. They believed ghosts and spirits were wandering the earth this day, so they wore costumes to scare them away. They lit bonfires and sacrificed animals and crops at their celebration. They tried to tell one another's fortunes and thought they could communicate with the dead. This annual celebration continued into the Roman Empire forty three A.D. They conquered the Celtic territory, so they combined Samhain and the  Pomona, the goddess of fruit and trees. They called the holiday Feralia, and that is where the tradition of bobbing for apples originated because Pomona's symbol was an apple. These two holidays evolved into All Soul's Day on November second. All Soul's Day is also known as All-Hallows day, which would later evolve into "Halloween." This celebration began around one thousand A.D when they would honor the dead by dressing up in costumes, having bonfires and parades. 

Halloween was brought to America by European immigrants who celebrated it and it began in Maryland. They would throw parties and tell ghost stories, dance, sing and even tell each other's fortunes. At this time, Halloween was not widely celebrated until the influx of Irish immigrants during the potato famine. What we know as trick or treating started when people went to their neighbor's homes to ask for money of food. After newspapers and people of authority pushed citizens to stop adding eeriness to their Halloween celebrations, the supernatural beliefs in the holiday were lost. Years later in the 1920's and 1930's, there was tons of vandalism and even violence on the Halloween, which was limited by the 1950's. Now, the Halloween is a beloved, fun holiday celebrated by people of all religions and ethnicity. 



https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-halloween

Quick Burst Four

The following article gives recommendations for the best horror novels ever written. If you are interested in reading a creepy book for Halloween, check it out!

 

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2018/08/the-best-horror-novels-of-all-time.html

Quotation Blog Four

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

 

"His father had told him many times that book learning was not the secret of running a successful business," (King 66).

 

This quote comes from Hal Griffen, the son of a successful business man. He works for his father in their dairy farming business. He also has a younger brother who is fourteen and feels similar to him which is ironic because my brother is fourteen and relates to me. Griffen finds school very mundane and enjoys working with is father. He feels like an outcast at school and considers it a waste of time and energy. His father does encourage him to get his high school diploma, but knows that is not the key to success. 

 

I chose this quote because I can relate to it. I have never enjoyed school in the thirteen years I have been going. The character, Hal Griffen is eighteen years old just like me. I share some of his feelings toward school and life. I always envy people who do enjoy school and wonder why they do. It is stressful, and often times boring for me. I have trouble paying attention to lecture and participating in class discussions due to anxiety, focus issues and sometimes a lack of interest. There are certain subjects I do well in and enjoy more than others, such as hands on and independent learning. A consistent struggle of mine is motivation. I have tried to get to the root of my motivation problem, and have come up with a few reasons. For years I concluded that laziness and lack of passion was my issue, but I finally realized that is not the case. I love to work, I have worked in waitressing and in the demolition field. I enjoy hands on work and have a lot of passion in my life for animals, law, writing and art. A lot of people who do not succeed in school feel like they are incompetent and will fail in their future endeavors, and that is unfair. Every person is unique in the path that they are going to take. I am not against or above education, but I do not believe that one needs to go to college for extensive years to make a decent living. Many people who do not feel education is needed still go to college because it may believe they will fail in life if they do not. There are many ways to be successful, as long as one has the will to do so.

 

My dad is a very intelligent man, but more importantly the hardest worker I have ever known. While he values education and pushes me and my brothers to succeed in school, he made a career off of his passion and work ethic. He hated school because he had a lot of trouble with boredom and sitting still. Everyday after school and through the weekend, he worked jobs with heavy physical labor because he found it as a outlet and something he excelled in. My parents dated briefly in high school and met again after graduation. He was introduced to the demolition business through my maternal grandfather and his father. With ridiculously long hours, horrible  conditions, demolition is one of the most dangerous, physical jobs there is. From starting as a laborer, he branched off years later into developing his own business. He is now the sole owner one of the largest demolition businesses in New England. He continues to work on job sites almost everyday of his life and does office work as well. Along with my dad, my younger brother, Jake, is fourteen and struggles with severe dyslexia. This dyslexia was likely inherited by my maternal grandfather who was also in the business. School is horrible for him and counts the days until his graduation. Taking after our dad, he works with him and does other odd jobs as much as he can. He wakes up at four or five o'clock in the mornings on the weekends just to go work with him. He plans to follow in our dad's foot steps because demolition work has been his passion since he was young. He very mature and smart and will go on to do great things. He and my father are living proof that school does not define your smarts, abilities or chance at success.

 

 

Vocabulary Blog Four

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King

152-215 pages

1. Page 169- Pernicious: having a harmful effect, especially in a gradual or subtle way

2. Page 170- Tracery: ornamental stone openwork, typically in the upper part of a Gothic window.

3. Page 172- Abeyance: a state of temporary disuse or suspension

4. Page 171- Defloration: the taking of a woman's virginity

5. Page 177- Probe: a blunt-ended surgical instrument used for exploring a wound or part of the body.

6. Page 182- Teleplasm: a hypothetical emanation from the body of a medium that serves as the means for telekinesis

7. Page 182- Beacon: a fire or light set up in a high or prominent position as a warning, signal, or celebration

8. Page 185- Hasten: be quick to do something

9. Page 189- Cynicism: an inclination to believe that people are motivated purely by self-interest; skepticism

10. Page 192- Sedentary: (of a person) tending to spend much time seated; somewhat inactive

 This is a probe!

Analytical Blog Three

How can writing be therapeutic?

Writing is universally regarded as a coping strategy. There is even something called "writing therapy" that is recommended by mental health professionals and even practiced in and out of psychiatric hospitals. Writing therapy helps patients gradually express their trauma or struggles through journalling and expressive writing. It has been proven to even help with physical symptoms of illnesses such as Irritable Bowl Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and asthma. It also helps tremendously with mental illness, addiction, trauma, abuse victims and other emotional problems. I have found that talking face to face about issues is a lot more difficult than writing them down. Writing is sometimes a better choice for those who are not ready to talk out loud. It can be easier to be articulate, calm and honest. People may have issues talking to a therapist about their problems, because they are hard to explain, they fear judgement, they find it hard to open up, or they simply do not have time. Even if you do not suffer from any mental or physical illnesses, journalling and expressive writing has proven to relieve stress from everyday struggles. Nobody has a perfect life, and everyone needs an outlet. A safe, positive coping strategy is writing.

 Half the books that we read are by people who are venting and releasing some sort of hidden emotion in their writing. We may have no idea while we are reading it, but authors create characters and settings that showcase their own emotional state. Sometimes an author's inspiration comes from their dark pasts and experiences in their personal life. The books can be fiction or nonfiction, indirectly relating their experiences through a character or writing a memoir. Writing about an alternate reality is stress relieving and therapeutic. Jeanette Walls wrote The Glass Castle, a memoir about her tumultuous childhood. It is a true story and it is so compelling to read about her crazy upbringing. It is a form of therapy, even if the author themselves does not realize. People have always told me that bottling up emotion is a terrible habit that can lead to anger issues and even violence. Even if one is not directly addressing the problem and talking openly about it, releasing some of the anguish is a important. 

Quick Burst Blog Three

When reading Steven King's incredible writing, I was curious about the way he talked out loud. I found some of his direct quotes online. I picked a few that really stood out to me. 

"Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win."

"Books are a uniquely portable magic."

"The most important things are the hardest to say, because words diminish them."

"Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work."

Quotation Blog Three

'Salem's Lot by Stephen King 

"Mark Twain said a novel was a confession to everything by a man who had never done anything," (King 160).

I love quotes that are open for interpretation to the reader. I love that there can be so much depth behind a simple sentence that may seem meaningless to some people. This quote was taken from Mark Twain, the sensational writer of Huckleberry Finn. He is well respected for his work as an author. 

To me, the quote is saying authors show their hidden dreams or desires through their writing. Sometimes we are unable to accomplish all our dreams for financial, physical, social or emotional reasons. Sometimes they are irrational or even impossible. Passion is key to writing a good novel, so when an author feels strongly about a goal, dream or desire it makes their writing captivating. Authors will write a fictional story disguising their unaccomplished dreams and desires within the story. They create a character or setting can make them feel like they are living it. For example, if an author wishes they were a traveler, they will make a character who travels to many locations and use imagery to make not only the reader feel like they are there, but them self as well. Anytime I am reading, I become so invested in the story that I feel like I am there myself. But when I write my own stories, I feel like I am truly lost in the world I am writing about. Writing is an escape, for many to a better place. The characters may reflect what the author wishes they were as a person. A lot of times authors give characters traits that they wish they had themselves, like contentment, success or happiness. People build images of what they want to be, and writing about it may help them achieve their goal to change. At the same time, showing failed goals and dreams through writing is definitely a coping strategy to ease guilt, pain or unfulfillment. Even just pretending to live one's dreams is temporarily therapeutic. Mark Twain's words are very accurate and have a lot of important meaning. 

Vocabulary Blog Three

‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King 

152 pages read 

1. Page 65: Trough- a long, narrow open container for animals to eat or drink out of

2. Page 66: Artesian- relating to or denoting a well bored perpendicularly into water-bearing strata lying at an angle, so that natural pressure produces a constant supply of water with little or no pumping

3. Page 66: Sullen- bad-tempered and sulky; gloomy

4. Page 68: Twinge- a sudden, sharp localized pain

5. Page 74: Molder- slowly decay or disintegrate, especially because of neglect.

6. Page 78: Skivvies- underwear, especially a set consisting of undershirt and underpants, or just the underpants

7. Page 81: Dray- a truck or cart for delivering beer barrels or other heavy loads, especially a low one without sides

8. Page 83: Pantheon: all the gods of a people or religion collectively

9. Page 84: Falsetto: a method of voice production used by male singers, especially tenors, to sing notes higher than their normal range

10. Page 87- Ruination: the action or fact of ruining someone or something or of being ruined

Analytical Blog Two

Essential Question: 

What does the mind of a horror author look like?

As I have discussed in a past blog, I consider writing a therapeutic way to express myself and my feelings. Creative writing is suggested by many mental health professionals to people who suffer from mental illnesses as a positive coping strategy. A lot of famous writers and poets were mentally ill, such as Sylvia Plath who was bipolar and depressed. A lot of people do not like to talk about themselves, so writing down one's feelings can go a long way. It is shocking what one can truly express through writing, whether it’s journalling or creative. I personally believe that people who have inner demons or struggles are better writers. They are relatable, and generally more creative because their minds have more depth. Not only horror authors, but most great writers or poets have some sort of dark history or trauma. Edgar Allen Poe's father left him at a young age, then his mother passed away a year later. Throughout the rest of his life was surrounded by constant loss while battling severe alcoholism and disease. All his poems are extremely depressing which show a lot about how he was feeling inside. Poe is widely regarded as one of the best poets in history. The intense darkness of his work is alluring to many people, who sympathize or even relate to Poe. People are interested in what his life must have been like to lead him to the dreary poetry he wrote. Poe's life was full of tragedy and nobody deserves to experience the loss he did, so writing was his outlet. This can be said for many other world renowned authors as well as regular everyday people. I know children with anger management issues who write in a journal every night just to release some pent up anger that their day brought, and it really helps them. 

 Everytime I read, I find myself pondering on the author’s life. I analyze their writing, trying to imagine what their lives have been like. Written words usually have pain and deeper meaning by those who wrote them. Their personal experience is reflected through writing, even if is subconsciously. Often times I go as far to research their upbringings and writing inspiration online. Being someone who enjoys horror, mystery and creepy writing, I am attracted to books by Stephen King and poems by Edgar Allen Poe. Both of them have dark pasts that affect their mind and writing.