Test Prep --> #1 Poetry and/ or Song Lyrics

"What Makes You Beautiful" One Direction

You're insecure,

Don't know what for,

You're turning heads when you walk through the door,

Don't need make-up,

To cover up,

Being the way that you are is enough,

Everyone else in the room can see it,

Everyone else but you,

Baby you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,

But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful,

If only you saw what I can see,

You'll understand why I want you so desperately,

Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful,

Oh oh,

That's what makes you beautiful

So c-come on,

You got it wrong,

To prove I'm right,

I put it in a song,

I don't know why,

You're being shy,

And turn away when I look into your eye eye eyes,

Everyone else in the room can see it,

Everyone else but you,

Baby you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,

But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful,

If only you saw what I can see,

You'll understand why I want you so desperately,

Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful,

Oh oh,

That's what makes you beautiful

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na,

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na [x2]

Baby you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,

But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful,

Baby you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,

But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful (Oh)

If only you saw what I can see,

You'll understand why I want you so desperately (Desperately),

Right now I'm looking at you and I can't believe,

You don't know,

Oh oh,

You don't know you're beautiful,Oh oh (x2)

That's what makes you beautiful

      One Direction is a British-Irish boy band that has taken over music and stolen most of Justin Bieber's fans.

Louis Tomlinson, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Niall Horan, and Harry Styles all auditioned independently for the

"X Factor UK" in 2010 and got put into a group by Simon Cowell. Over the course of two years their music has infected many people around the world, they have published two books, sold out many concerts, and have released an album. I will admit that I have Direction-Infection and that I am  true directioner. The song,"What Makes You Beautiful", is the most popular song on their recently released album. Most of the songs on the album are about girls, relationships, and love. However, this song stands out because the message that's trying to be delivered is that everybody is beautiful.

    
      To begin with, in the first verse it mentions this girl's insecurities and what she considers to be her flaws which are an example of reasons girls don't feel beautiful. Girls are always finding their flaws and stressing out about them instead of showing off what they love about themselves. In the first verse they say:                

"You're insecure,

Don't know what for,

You're turning heads when you walk through the door,

Don't need make-up,

To cover up,

Being the way that you are is enough,"

In the first two lines they are telling this girl that she shouldn't be insecure and if she is that they don't know why because to their eyes she is flawless. In lines four through six they are talking about how this girl doesn't need make-up and should accept who she is not try to cover up her flaws with make-up. The beat that they also start off with a beat that would make anyone stop what they are doing and listen to them. In the music video too. They are at the beach and Liam Payne starts off the song looking into the camera singing very persuasively. It's like he is talking to every single person watching the music video or listening to the song that they are all beautiful.   

       Next, the chorus of the song mentions various times in different ways that everybody is beautiful. The chorus repeats many times times throughout a song. The effect that the chorus has on a song and especially this song is tremendous. Especially the way that the beat changes gives it the catchy but not corny effect to the song. For example, the lyrics to the chorus are: 

Baby you light up my world like nobody else,

The way that you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed,

But when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell,

You don't know,

This entire verse is talking about how this special girl makes them feel and how beautiful she is. The first line talk about how just one glimpse of her can put a smile on their faces. The words "light up my world" are comparing this girl to the sun and saying that she is now their sun. Then they start singing about how when she flips her hair they get butterflies in their stomachs. Its saying that when she does things, even the littlest things, get them nervous in a good way. Then it ends the verse referring back to her insecurities by noticing how this girl looks at the ground when she smiles. This shows insecurity because people only do that when they hate their smile or think their laugh is discordant. One Direction created and amazing chorus to go along with the song and the theme; everybody is beautiful.

       All in all, One Direction's song is a very inspirational song and it's one of those songs a person puts on replay when they need a bolster in self esteem. Personally, I think that this song is amazing and is currently my favorite song along with the rest of their album. Truth is this happens in life everyday to somebody in the world. They find what they don't like about themselves and torment themselves until a point where you just need to be reminded that they are beautiful. Everybody is beautifully whether it is internally or externally.

Water in Baz Lurhmann's Romeo and Juliet

            Baz Lurhmann's version of Romeo and Juliet was a great introduction into William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Even though he kept the script the same he changed the settings and made them more modern. While watching the movie, I didn't catch a lot of what the characters were saying, but the setting and what was happening in the background would help me infer what was going on. For example, when Romeo and Juliet got married there was bright lighting, cheerful singing, and smiles on their faces. Also the wedding dress kind of gave it away too. I also liked how he changed the Capulets and the Montagues using swords to the Capulets and the Montagues using guns in the movie.
            Throughout this movie I took notes on the symbolism of water. Water was everywhere in this movie. There was water when somebody would die, or when Romeo and Juliet would meet. It was like water played another obstacle to their love other than their families. Then again, I think that it is because water was everywhere in Verona. There were fountains, pools, beaches, fish tanks, tubs, sinks, and continuous storms. Water plays a huge role in this movie and it symbolizes how tragic and pleasant life can be.

            Water represents the enchanting things in life because that is how Juliet is introduced, it's how Romeo and Juliet meet, etc. In the beginning Juliet is introduced with her head plunged into a sink of water, her hair is floating, and her eyes are wide open. With her hair floating around and the fact that she has no make-up on gives off this feeling that a lot of her image has to do with beauty and sexuality. But then again it makes her seem so pure. I think in that scene, Juliet is trying to escape the world outside of her sink of water. She's looking for a way to leave this party without actually leaving. Later on, we find Romeo also doing the same except he's not trying to escape. Earlier, Romeo had taken some kind of drug which was making him hallucinate. He had gone into the bathroom to try and wash his face to see if that helped a little bit. In this part he is positioned exactly like Juliet. His head is in the sink of water, his hair is floating, and his, clear ocean blue, eyes are opened wide. I think that here Baz Lurhmann was trying to show the little similarities that Romeo and Juliet had. It was like he was using the saying that, "your eyes are the window to your soul." I felt that you could actually see a tiny piece of Romeo and Juliet's soul. Also, when Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. I thought that was a magical moment. It was love at first sight. What appealed to me was that their figures were distorted through the fish tank. I interpreted it as if Romeo and Juliet's family think so big of themselves that it would be impossible for them to ever have a relationship. Like their pride is worth much more than shaking hands and letting their children have a relationship.

            Water also symbolizes the tragedies that happen in life. For example, Tybalt dies, Mercutio dies, Romeo is depressed, and Romeo is banished. Tybalt and Mercutio both die in the same scene, first Mercutio dies and then Tybalt quickly follows him. Tybalt is killed by Romeo and Mercutio is killed by Tybalt. These deaths both happen near water. Romeo and his friends are at the beach when Tybalt and his friends drop by. Tybalt was furious because Romeo was at the Capulet party that he was not invited to and therefore Tybalt had come to get his revenge. Unfortunately, Tybalt ends up on the ground but quickly grabs a piece of glass and stabs Mercutio, Romeo's best friend. While they were fighting there was thunder rippling out of the dark, gray sky. When Mercutio dies it starts to pour and that's when Romeo loses it. He jumps into his car and steps on the gas to catch up with Tybalt. He wasn't going to let Tybalt get away with it. When he catches up he collides into Tybalt's vehicle, tumbling it all over the place. It was currently pouring like crazy and somehow Romeo gets Tybalt at the top of the stairs to the fountain. That's when he pulls the trigger multiple times on Tybalt. As Tybalt dies he falls backwards into the fountain behind him. He leaves an enormous splash behind him. I think that this part of the movie is where Lurhmann tried to include water as much as he could. He was trying to get his point across to the audience that water doesn't only symbolizes the clear, pure moments in life but also the fatal. And he absolutely got that point across to me.

             Baz Lurhmann did an amazing job with this movie. To convert the play from an old english time to modern time is difficult to do. Not only that but he incorporated color, the use of weather, camera angles, light, and sound to make this movie amazing. I also think he did an astonishing move by casting, heartthrob, Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo. He accomplished the difficult personality of Romeo and also Romeo's ravishing beauty.  

You Can't Learn How To Love

            I am currently reading the book Lovetorn by Kavita Daswani. Shalini, the main character, is from India and just recently moved to L.A. Like most Indian children, Shalini has an arranged marriage, and has been forced into "love". She has been engaged since she was three-years-old with a boy named Vikram that's about four years older than her. They have gone out on dates, e-mailed each other, talked on the phone like a regular couple and think they feel love for each other. Shalini doesn't figure out that she has been living a false relationship until she meets Toby. 
             Shalini has an arranged marriage, and has been forced into "love". I put love in between quotation marks because the kind of love she thinks she has found is one that she has been taught to feel since she was three-years-old. It's not the true feeling of love that you feel when you first see that someone. The butterflies in your stomach. The feeling of your lungs suffocating for air. And your heart beating so loud, it's about to break through your skin. All of this is the true feeling and meaning of love. And I might be wrong because all of my information is based off of my parent's relationship, television shows, movies, etc. I might not be a hundred percent sure but I'm confident that I'm close.
             I think that arranged marriage is a crime and it should be illegal. The family of the two "lovers" should go to jail and the "lovers" too, for pretending to feel something they don't to please their families and fulfill their traditions. Love isn't a feeling that you learn to do, it's a feeling that comes naturally from the soul. I predict that Shalini goes through these feelings and questions in the book. She's going to ask herself the purpose of these marriages, the meaning of love, and something about herself along the way. I also predict she's probably going to put her parents through a nightmare when they find out about . From the minute that I read the blurb on this book I knew that I needed to read it. The fact that it was about how an Indian girl with an arranged marriage finds true love told me to check it out. I still haven't finished the book but I have a feeling that it will be great.
                           

The All Star Mentor

          My nomination of the all-star mentor should be Elsie. In this blog post she has everything well thought out and written. Also her paragraphs show how much thought she put into this. Her first paragraph was her retelling, but it wasn't the kind of retell that made you want to fall asleep, it was the kind that made you want to go a library and check-out the book.She also did a good job of elaborating on her paragraphs. Another reason she deserves this award is because not only does she put effort in her posts but she also made her background very amusing and she has these slide shows about things she loves. My point is that her blog is eye-catching and jaw-dropping. All in all, I nominate Elsie for the All Star Mentor award.
--> http://kewlkidinbrooklyn.blogspot.com/2011/11/truth-about-dreams.html 

BOYS, BOYS, BOYS

     The book The Summer of Firsts and Lasts is all about boys, boys, boys! The story is narrated by three sisters, Calla, Violet, and Daisy. They all have boy problems in different ways. Unfortunately at the end it doesn't work out for either one of them.
     Calla is the oldest and it is her last year at camp before she goes off to college. She is also a people pleaser. She has to have everybody on her side or as a friend. She likes this boy, Duncan, whom she has been friends with since she her first year at this camp. Violet is the second oldest she is the complete opposite of Calla. She's a senior and boys are the least of her problems. She's one of those people that can get over a boy easily and ask one out herself. During the summer she meets James, a counselor at camp. She has never taken any boy seriously except for him. unfortunately the relationship doesn't last long. Daisy is the youngest of the three and she's a freshman. This is her first year at camp and she's kind of nervous. She doesn't have any friends here, that is until she meets Joel, a freshman. On the first night at dinner they hit it off and their next big encounter is the swing dance.  Things go nice at first but then Joel isn't the nice guy he was anymore.
     I think that this book portraits a really good example of girls these days. The development of girls is really different then what it was a century ago. Girls aren't being taught manners or having the talk with their parents.The rate of teenage pregnancy, drug addicts, and alcoholics has gone up a lot over the century. Anyways, also the perspective of how girls have to look like is part of this whole dilemma.  All in all, I would consider myself to be half Violet and half Calla. I'm like Calla because I let boys come to me, i don't go after them like they're some sort of chew toy and I'm a dog. And I'm like Violet because I'm also not so shy to talk to boys.

Should We Give Up A Dream Or Love?

            When The Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer is about Soledad Reyes. All her life al she has thought about is dance, dance is Soledad Reyes’s life. She's in her senior year at Miami’s Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts and plans to spend the summer teaching a dance studio, saving up money to audition for dance companies. However, Jonathan Crandall, a musician at Biscayne High School for the Performing Arts, proposes Soledad with the opportunity to play the role of Carmen. Also, part of his proposal is to spend more time with Jonathan, who makes her feel her something no boy ever has before. But when she thinks things couldn't have gotten any better she meets Taz, a boy who plays for a Spanish soccer team. Soon they start flirting with each other which leads to an explosive encounter which Johnathan witnesses. Then at the show that night Johnathan does something unbelievable which breaks her leg and threatens her career as a dancer.
            Soledad had her life pretty much planned out, after she graduated she was raise up money to go to New York City and audition for dance companies.  Ever since she put on ballet slippers she realized she wanted to be a dancer, that is until Johnathan stepped into her life. She started to feel things a girl does when she's with her crush but at the time she didn't know that. Apparently no guy ever in her life had made her feel like that. Johnathan even started to make her rethink her decisions about New York. Soledad even got offered to work with a dance company but she rejected it only to end up with no legs to dance with anymore.  I don't know what I would do if a doctor told me I could never dance again. I would probably commit suicide! My life would be over!
            I think that Soledad had to make a really tough decision on whether to follow her heart or her head. Well, actually, her heart was telling her to dance and to be with Johnathan. So I guess she had to make the tough decision of whether to follow love or her dream. Honestly I would have chosen my dream, especially knowing that I'm with a guy that has past issues. It would be better to just leave him and it alone before things got complicated. Then again, I don't know what's like to love a guy with such intensity so I can't really be giving my opinion. But what it comes down to is if we should follow our dreams or our love.    
          

Dancing

            Dancing is all little Marie van Goethem, a fourteen-year-old ballet dancer in the famed Paris Opéra, can think about in the book Marie, Dancing by Carolyn Meyer. It is the only thing in her life that brings her joy. Unfortunately, she has lived a life of poverty. Along the way having to deal with hunger, her mother's drinking, and her selfish older sister. Then when things could have gone worse she finds an artist, Edgar Degas. He demands Marie's presence in his studio where it appears that her life will change in a big way. He is willing to pay her to pose for his new idea for a sculpture and he promises her to make her a star.
              I can relate so much to this story because I know what it's like to love dancing but not have the money to pay for the classes needed. The difference between me and her is that I'm not a model for a very famous sculpture. Marie van Goethem is the model for the sculpture, Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer. This year for the dance concert since the theme was artwork, the sculpture was used as one of the artworks. The thing about this dance was that it was open to anybody for a solo. I love to dance and I think she is very lucky to find an artist that was willing to pay her for modeling. What surprised me is what Marie van Goethem planned on doing with the money. Instead of paying for more advanced private lessons, she used the money to pay her family through poverty.  
              I would have used the money for selfish reasons, especially since my mother was a drunk my sister was a selfish meanie that made me go through hunger for days and starve me. After that, I wouldn't have given them a single cent of my money. Luckily for Marie's family she still had a big kind heart and must have been raised with somebody wise. Then again I love dancing and would do anything to dance just like Marie van Goethem.