1)Thesaurus.com

This source will help me with writing my novel because it’s basically a website that helps you figure out better word choices . In my novel i can use this website to find words that will fit my dialogue and the tone of story. Also it will help me use better vocab. Some of the characters in my book will need an advance vocab and that will help me.

2)https://authority.pub/steps-to-writing-a-book/

This source is basically a guide to writing and completing a book.  It will give me

Ideas on how to write it and  give me writing strategies to finish the book efficiently and make it actually good .

3) Figment.com

This source is basically a way for people to read what i written and give me honest feedback on it .they can rate each parts of my novel as i continue writing. It’s safe and efficient.

4) Wattpad.com

This source will help me because it’s basically another way for readers internationally to read each part of my

Novel that i have written and give me honest feedback on it.  

5) writingprompts.com

This source is helpful to me and my novel . It’s helpful because whenever i get writers block or stuck on any piece of my writing i can use this site for ideas or whenever i'm unsure about an idea or feel like changing it.

6) https://www.infoplease.com/popular-kids-names

This source will help me decide names for the characters in my story. Since i have to focus on the actual writing part i don’t have time for the names and minor parts such as that . The source will easily give me names and help me not stress .

7)https://www.bookbrowse.com/bookclubs/advice/index.cfm/fuseaction/moderating_meetings

This source basically gives me tips and advice on how to have a productive book club. Sometimes book clubs can get boring or people don’t comfortable enough to share at first but there are so many things I can do to prevent that.

8) https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/teen-book-club

This source helps me because it gives me a million different books that I could use for my book club. Each book they have is very different, which expands my variety on books I can pick for my book club. It gives me the overview and genre of the book and tells me what age groups would best fit this book.

9)https://www.janefriedman.com/writing-ya/

This source helped me figure out which types of books fits best for each age group. Since my book club is going to be sophomores in high school, who are mature for their age I needed to find a balance for them to enjoy and be really interested in.

10)https://www.bookshopsantacruz.com/advice-book-groups

This source gives me fun activities to do in my book club. Since just reading for the entire book club meeting could be boring or too tiring, this source gives me fun ideas and activities to do during breaks to wake up the readers in my book club and keep them refreshed and attentive.

Tai-Monae Bailey

Air Stream

04/13/2018

Honesty and deception in relationships

Cruel Intentions- directed by Roger Kumble is a movie about romance, honesty, and deception at its finest. Briefly summarizing the movie, it's about two step-siblings who enjoy  plotting and scheming on other people's lives just for the fun of it. Sebastian and his step-sister Kathryn devise a plan to hurt Kansas city Resident Annette Hargrove whose morals differentiate from Sebastian and Kathryns. Annette wants to stay a virgin until marriage and Sebastian and Kathryn bet that he will or will not be able to break the morals of Annette slowly but surely to win the ultimate prize of having intercourse with his very own stepsister. Comparing Cruel Intentions to Taming of the Shrew which is about two siblings- Bianca and Katherina who both need to be married but Bianca feels the need to marry first. Throughout the book, Katherina is verbally abused but her two suitors but only solemnly loves her servant.  Both the play and movie, show that siblings negatively affect each others relationships & views on real love because they aren't able to experience it themselves, which is why they act out and perform ploys  & stratagems.

Act 2, Scene 1

Bianca ¨Good sister, wrong me not, nor wrong yourself, to make  a bondmaid and a slave of me. That I disdain. But for these other goods-- Unbind my hands, I´ll pull them off myself. Yea, all my raiment to my petticoat, Or what you will command me will I do, So well I know my duty to my elders.¨

Katherine ¨Of all thy suitors here I charge thee tell, Whom thou lov´st best. See thou dissemble not.¨

Bianca ¨ Believe me, sister, of all the men alive I never yet beheld that special face Which I could fancy more than any other. ¨

Katherine ¨ Minion, thou liest. Is ´t not Hortensio?¨

Bianca ¨If you affect him, sister, here I swear I'll plead for you myself, but you shall have him¨

Katherine ¨ O, then belike you fancy riches more. You will have Gremio to keep you fair.¨

Bianca ¨ Is it for him you do envy me so? Nay, than, you jest, and now I well perceive You have but jested with me all this while. I prithee,sister Kate, untie my hands¨

*Katherine strikers Bianca*

In this scene Katherine ties up Bianca. She threatens her, hits her and attempts to make her do things because she´s ultimately jealous of her. Kathrine is jealous because men don't find her appealing but are head over heels for Bianca who is ultimately happy with life and grateful with the people who are affectionate of her.  I can compare this to the scene in Cruel Intentions because Kathryn saw how happy Sebastian was and how unbothered he was with the fact that he had major feelings for Annette so she took it upon herself to do something that would ruin that out of jealousy. Readers can see that Katherine wants Bianca´s life from personality, suitors and her fathers love.

Monolonge-

Kathryn :  ¨Ronald ?¨

Ronald : ¨Whats up ? Is everything okay ?¨

Kathryn : ¨No its Sebastian, He's out of his mind.¨

Ronald : ¨What do you mean ?

Kathryn : ¨He hit me and then took off…  There's more, it involves Cecile¨

*Two Scenes, first two pictures is Kathryn & Ronald talking & second picture is Sebastian forcefully coming clean to Annette*

Monolonge-

Sebastian : ¨I have something to tell you¨

Annette :  ¨What is it ?¨

Sebastian : ¨This isnt working out for me anymore… It's me not you . Im completely fu*ked up.¨

Annette: ¨What are you saying ?¨

Sebastian :  ¨ I thought I was in love with you but it's just a lie.. I wanted it to work but I feel nothing¨

Annette: ¨ Why are you doing this ?¨

Sebastian : ¨ I just wanted to see what you were like in bed¨ -lies-

In this scene from Cruel Intentions, Kathryn came to a realization that Sebastian was falling in love with Annette and completely obliterating the bet they had in place. She called Ronald- another innocent person muddled into their bet, lying and making up stories about Sebastian and Ronald´s significant other, knowing how Ronald would react.Kathryn lives for ruining peoples lives and dallying with their happiness. So she made a few calls and sabotaged Sebastian´s relationship with Annette by making it known about their little speculation that was made in the beginning of the movie. I can compare this to the scene in Taming of the Shrew because both Katherine and Kathryn can´t stand to see each other siblings happy. They both have the same characteristics which include jealousy, supremacy and  insecurity. Viewers can see that Kathryn does not like the nonchalance attitude that Sebastian possessed,when she realizes that the bet is meaningless to him; she wants him to care and react and show interest in her since before Sebastian knew Annette genuinely he would devote his time and attention all to Kathryn. All that change when he fell for Annette slowly than all at once. Lastly When Kathrine ties up her sister and is pressuring her to give her all her suitors and do this and do that it also relates to Cruel Intentions because In that moment Sebastian had no other choice but to come clean about the bet and be honest about the relationship he has with his stepsister, which changed over time when he started caring for Annette. Both Kathryn and Katherine blackmail their siblings in different ways.

Act 5 : Scene 2

Kathryn : Fie, fie! Unknit that threat’ning unkind brow,

And dart not scornful glances from those eyes

To wound thy lord, thy king, thy governor.

It blots thy beauty as frosts do bite the meads,155

Confounds thy fame as whirlwinds shake fair buds,

And in no sense is meet or amiable.

A woman moved is like a fountain troubled,

Muddy, ill-seeming, thick, bereft of beauty,

And while it is so, none so dry or thirsty 160

Will deign to sip or touch one drop of it.

Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,

Thy head, thy sovereign, one that cares for thee,

And for thy maintenance commits his body

To painful labor both by sea and land, 165

To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,

Whilst thou liest warm at home, secure and safe,

And craves no other tribute at thy hands

But love, fair looks, and true obedience—

Too little payment for so great a debt. 170

Such duty as the subject owes the prince,

Even such a woman oweth to her husband;

And when she is froward, peevish, sullen, sour,

And not obedient to his honest will,

What is she but a foul contending rebel 175

And graceless traitor to her loving lord?

I am ashamed that women are so simple

To offer war where they should kneel for peace,

Or seek for rule, supremacy, and sway

When they are bound to serve, love, and obey.180

Why are our bodies soft and weak and smooth,

Unapt to toil and trouble in the world,

But that our soft conditions and our hearts

Should well agree with our external parts?

Come, come, you froward and unable worms!185

My mind hath been as big as one of yours,

My heart as great, my reason haply more,

To bandy word for word and frown for frown;

But now I see our lances are but straws,

Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare, 190

That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.

Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,

And place your hands below your husband’s foot;

In token of which duty, if he please,

My hand is ready, may it do him ease

In this scene from Taming of the Shrew, Katherine finally lets go of all her emotions and anger that she's been holding on to and just speaks what is truly on her mind. She stops fighting everyone else and basically tells them what they want to hear. Readers can see that  Katherine is actually very genuine and loving under that alleged crazy shell everyone sees and knows of. They can see that someone like the author labeled her as in the beginning is capable of love. And that she was jealous of her sister (Bianca) because she just wanted love and to feel and have the same experiences as she did. I can compare this scene to the scene in Cruel Intentions because at the end of the book and movie both Katherine and Kathryn finally let go and let things be. They accept their predicament and stop running from it.

No monolonge

In this scene, after Sebastian passes away he and all the other victims of Kathryns games help expose her true self by giving copies of Sebastian's journal to the entire school and faculty. Which include every interaction and conversation he had with every person he came in contact with. Kathryn is finally exposed but this scene isn't about just that but finally she reached her breaking point and her cry for help has been heard. Throughout the book Kathryn has been doing cocaine not because she wanted to but because she needed to she relied on it so she wouldn't feel how she really felt. Viewers can see that, Kathryn will finally become sober and face her real world problems instead of hiding behind chemical messenger dopamine. Lastly she will take the advice of her parents and finally let go of all that anger and just be her true self and accepting it. I can compare this scene to the Taming of the Shrew scene because Kathrine finally accepts herself and she lets every thought and feeling out, basically she's letting her faults just be and making them known, coming to reality with how she really feels.

In conclusion, the antagonist may have seem to win in both the novel and movie since Kathryn is finally free of Sebastian and able to help herself from her addiction and Katherine who finally knows what love is and will do anything to have it even if it means bettering herself and accepting herself and her faults. Nevertheless the protagonist in this story- Sebastian and Bianca both won in reality. Sebastian may have passed away but he still felt that intensifying love that he deeply desired and broke out of his phase of having intercourse with a manifold of women; he learned to not treat women as if they were a game. He could finally say that he was happy and for once didn't allow his step sister to control how he felt about a person. For Bianca she was finally free to live and love and be herself without having the anxiety and stress of her once jealous sister who now is happy and at ease with life and leaving her alone. To conclude, each character won, but also each character took a loss in order to gain their happiness, struggling with themselves mentally and taking it out on the people who care for them , when in reality it was just cruel intentions that turned out good.

WORK CITED

Cruel Intentions -  March 5, 1999,Roger Kumble.

Taming of the Shrew- March 8, 1967, William Shakespear.

The clock strikes a minute after midnight. January 1st 2016. As the music from my parents annual party blast from the floor under me.  I stick my head out the window and inhale the fresh 2016 air. It’s cold and stings my skin but I don’t care. I hear a knock on my bedroom door,

“Come back down and get something to eat before I eat it all.” says my little sister before I hear her running back down the steps. Before I go, I turn off all my lights and get down on my knees to  pray,

“Heavenly father please make these 6 months go by fast so I never have to be in this horrible school again. These last 4 months were the worst months of my life. Thank you for sending my abusers away forever. Amen.” I finished my prayer and walk back downstairs to the party. It’s bright with life.   Relatives catching up by the silver fireplace. Family friends sip on Merlot and rock their body´s to the slow beating music. My parents are in their own world because this day 22 years ago was the day they made their love official.

“Happy anniversary babe.” My dad says, kissing my mom intensely. She replies “Happy anniversary Dave, 22 years down , a lifetime to go.” They kiss again. I watch the setting and become unusually happy. I come back to my daunting reality and realize less than 72 hours from now i'll be back in the place that caused me more pain then a lifetime.  A dark cloud parks himself on top of my head. They may be gone but their souls, words, and actions will always linger in the halls. The rest of the night is a blur and when it's almost over the last dance of all the couples begin.  As their wedding song comes to an end so does the party

“What are you doing New Years? New Years Eve.”

3 days later I’m back in the hallways of building 21 scared lonely and anxious. I don’t go to class because I know  I won’t learn anything and don’t want to be subjected to the verbal abuse. I need to be a quiet spot.  I walk down the hallway eyes on the floor at all times. The observers talk about the events that transcended. They will not forget. I can feel my peers burning their eyes into me. They see right through me.

“I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy.” a muttered voice says.  I finally exhale, someone sympathizes me.

“That bitch deserved it. She’s dumb as fuck. Next time instead of letting her fake ass friends pipe her head up she shoulda walked away. She bout it but she ain’t bout it.” They both laugh. I keep walking and finally find a quiet enclosed place. My emotions are so mixed up and confused and so I begin to write. Writing has always been my source of tranquility, my escape from whichever sad predicament I face at that moment. It helps me think but sometimes I drown in my thoughts. My “friends” told me to be tough or I couldn’t hang with them. So I was tough.  I remember that day exactly.  My friend and i were sitting at a hallway table doing our homework. Suddenly Gina appeared,giving both my friend and I the evil eye. I look at her and remember when we first best friends.How did we get here?

“Do you want to fight?” I asked sitting up straight in my seat.  

“Tai if she touches you Imma fuck her up” my friend says looking back down at her phone carelessly. Gina laughs.

“You won’t do anything , we can fight after school” she states, rolling her eyes and storming away. My friend and I both laugh, because in remembrance the last time Gina fought someone she lost without even thinking about.  Later that day, school is out and Gina & I are fighting. Kids circle around us, recording laughing and yelling. How did I get here? We keep fighting and I win. Suddenly , her aunts appear and they all decide to fight me at once. All of them well beyond 20 years of age. Where were my friends now? I look and see they’re sitting down on some person’s step observing. Then it was over. I left with a migraine and temporary blindness in my right eye. Later on that night, I lay in my wooden bed and drown in my endless thoughts.

“Why did  I fight her? I don’t even like to fight. In times of need why didn’t the people who I worshipped and thought would be there for me weren’t?” I only fought that girl because that's what my friends told me to do. A year before that I would never really fight anyone because I thought it was unnecessary but the people who I was friends with last year never wanted to fight. That's when I realized that the transition from going to middle school to high school didn’t just change physically. But the people, settings and feelings did. Around my middle school friends fighting was not a thing. We were having too much fun to be fighting but when I got around different people in high school all they cared about was fighting. They loved it, they gained a high off of it. Watching two people fight for no apparent reason. Or in my case fighting multiple people at once. I knew some things had to change. Not them but me.

“You can’t sit here, go find a empty classroom to sit in ma’am.” Says a hallway monitor. I come back to reality. As I grab my stuff and leave the small corner area I was sitting in trying to avoid any human interaction. I realize the change I speak of is already happening.  I isolated myself from everyone. I ignore everything whether its positive and negative. It's wonderful. The remainder of the 6 months until Im gone from that place goes by slowly at first, because I’m not used to isolation and being quiet all the time. Friendless and alone wasn’t me but then overtime it was. It felt good. Observing everyone else’s unnecessary drama unfold and it was unfolding what seemed like every day. As the year comes to an end and I regained happiness and anticipation that I will never have to step back into building 21 again.  

Curious Case of Dreams.

Dreams are stories and scenarios that take place in a person’s brain during times of slumber. Although dreams aren't  real, Dreams do have an impact on how humans feel when they wake up. Humans can feel sad, happy, scared, or even anxious.  Dreams can feel very real at times, so real that people wish they were a reality. When humans dream, the images may seem weird and bizarre,but dreams are actually an expression of what humans truly want and can't have.  

Overall  studies show that whatever the human mind intakes or wants and need will show up in their dreams. In the book “The Interpretation of Dreams” written by Sigmund Freud; he quoted “our dreams are representations of our unconscious desires.” Meaning that what we truly desire will be in our dreams. Considering most people’s dreams are uncontrollable and not lucid, what can’t take place, in reality, will occur in our dreams. For example an individual could dream of something but in reality could, be something very different. Which questions :why do this? When desired that.

¨Dreams can be very personal, and it’s entirely up to you to figure them out.¨ The distinction between want and desire is that what humans desire will always transcend what humans want.  Since wish fulfillment is the meaning of each and every dream, what humans actually desire will only be in dreams that it might come as a surprise because they had no clue they desired but what they wanted. Furthermore, a girl could want to be with her boyfriend for the rest of life but will continue to see the boy in the back of the class in her dreams. It would be bizarre for him to keep appearing in her dreams but it would mean she wants something from him. Their love.

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung are two psychiatrist who devoted their lives to find the meaning of dreams. Both Freud and Jung had different hermeneutics on Dreams.  Where Freud believed that dreams are sacred sexual desires and Jung more so that dreams had a meaning behind it.Furthermore, it's not all about sexual desires, it's about what the human wants.   As Carl Jung  said, “Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who looks outside dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”   Which means not only what humans want remains in their heart but also in their dreams as well.

As the author of Seven Pillars of Wisdom  T. E. Lawrence said “All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity…” . Which means that people dream differently because humans need and desire differently. Conclusively regardless of what humans do in reality, dreams will tell what is really desired.