ATU (:

Throughout Across The Universe, Max Carrigan undergoes many changes due to being drafted and conforming to the U.S. military. An example of one such change is that previous to the war water represented peace and happiness for him, and post serving in the war water just represented violence and what he had seen. One hour and fifty-four minutes into this movie, he is sadly sitting by a body of water and it no longer means what it previously had to him. All he sees is the violent acts he committed while in Vietnam and the bodies that were once floating in it. After enduring all of these events he is changed psychologically and politically.

Fifty-three minutes into the movie Max’s change begins when he goes to get his check up before leaving for Vietnam. This scene also reveals a lot about the politics and issues of that time. The government wasn’t content enough with the willing soldiers, they had to draft the unwilling. They wanted them, ‘they wanted them so bad’. During this scene the soldiers are all synced physically. When the new drafts get put into the boxes with the already conformed soldiers this symbolizes that only their parts matter, and not in fact the man as a whole. Each box that shows a new body part or procedure represents a box that is being checked off on a checklist.

In this same scene, right before they roll off into Vietnam, they are thrown on their backs and they cover their eyes. Leaving them vulnerable and blind to what is going on in Vietnam. Once in Vietnam the soldiers are stomping on trees, representing the United State’s size in comparison to Vietnam, but yet nothing got done in Vietnam that truly made any change. They are carrying the Statue of Liberty which symbolizes that we were trying to force our views onto them. The smaller version of the statue that Max picks up from the desk represents the fact that each soldier had their own burden to carry. At the very end, he is wrapped up and labeled as a product. Then directly after you see him opening up a Twinkie, a mass produced product, such as conformed soldiers being mass produced from the draft.

During the song Strawberry Fields the television shows what the media presents and deceives the world with, and then the reality of what is happening to soldiers in Vietnam, specifically Max. The deceptions are always shown in black and white, and the reality of what is going on is shown in vivid color. The strawberries stand for blood and the loss of innocence. In the American flag, the red represents blood. At the end of Strawberry Fields, Jude is washing the strawberries off of his clothes but the government and soldiers cannot wash the blood and lost lives from their hands.

By the end of this movie Max is completely changed, water no longer is peaceful to him. All he sees is the bodies that were once there and all the women and children he killed. When he is in the army hospital bed he sings about his ‘fix’ which could have a sexual undertone. The pain killers that were given to them back then sometimes caused addictions, the ‘fix’ could also be a pain killer addiction. Max sings about how he’s happy with a gun. He doesn’t feel safe without a gun after his experiences.

Narrative (Second Draft) :)

On a brisk winter morning, in Biology class, we were planning the fun night ahead. ‘We’, being Dionna and I.
“I can’t wait for tonight! It’s going to be the best by far.” I said excitedly.
“Me neither. You can come to my game tonight and then come home with me or my parents can pick you up from Donna’s afterwards.” Dionna replied.
I had no interest in basketball and the directions she gave me to her house completely confused me, so I chose to be picked up afterwards. Both Dionna’s physical appearance and personality are difficult to explain. At this time, she had long blonde hair with brown highlights and braces. She’s tall and sort of pale, but not extremely. Her emotions are fairly easy to read. Whether she’s upset or happy, you know it. She’s extremely upfront and will tell you exactly how she feels whether it’s harsh or not. Some could see that as a bad thing. But I personally see it as just being honest.
It was the first night I was spending at her house and we were sure it was going to be a blast. I sat on Donna’s porch in the cold weather waiting for Dionna and her parents to pull up. Eventually they did and I happily got in since I was freezing! Her sister, Kylie, was one of the most hyper kids I’ve ever met. She kept saying ‘My parents are hippies’ and I think she talked about liking to hool-a-hoop a lot but I don’t quite remember. The car ride was quiet for the most part, probably because it was late and I assume everyone was pretty tired from a long day.
When we got to her house we watched some television and talked about Guitar Hero. It sounds boring but it was fun. Usually, I feel awkward around my friends families until I get to know them. But I felt right at home in her house and around her family. I think it had something to do with the fact that her parents made me think of my own. Once her parents went to bed the childish fun began.
“We should totally duct tape our legs together and then walk around!” One of us said, I don’t remember which. Our minds both work pretty much the same. That’s one of the reasons we’re so awesome when we’re together.
“I’m in. Give the camera to Kylie so she can take pictures” I said.
As we began to tape our legs together we realized that it couldn’t have been a good idea. But, we were having fun so did it really matter? We waddled around her house for a good half hour. Laughing uncontrollably, falling over, and taking tons of pictures. We were lucky that the tape was on over our pants so we didn’t feel much when we ripped it off. I can’t say we were that lucky when we taped our arms together. Nor that it was as fun. When we taped our arms together it didn’t obstruct any common movement. We could have stayed like that for hours without any inconvenience. When we decided it was time to rip the tape off it was pure pain. I’m almost sure we each lost a patch of our arm hair. But, it was so worth it!
Eventually, after a long night of fun, we crashed. I don’t think either of us budged the entire night. The next morning we woke to pancakes and sausage that her Dad had made. Now, spending the night at her house is almost a weekly occurrence. Every time is just as fun as the first.

I Don't Think So...(Heroes of America essay)

Merriam Webster’s Dictionary defines a Hero as a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities. I’d have to disagree with Merriam. Who are common assumed heroes? The president? Football or Basketball Players? ‘Hot’ actors? Those people, in most cases, are not even close to what a hero is. They’re just people who earn big salaries for having small skills that aren’t useful in the real world. I mean no disrespect to those people. They are smart, respected men and women who pursue their dreams. Just far from my definition of a hero.
There are many heroes in America, and in any other country for that matter. Just not your usual, clichéd heroes. Our heroes are the single parents, who do what they have to do to take care of themselves and their kid(s). Our heroes are the men and women who have crap jobs, but continue to show up to work so they can support their families. Our heroes are Pastors who overall get paid less than minimum wage, and only put up with it because they‘re doing something they love and believe in. Our heroes are the teachers who attempt to teach us things, when majority of the time, we don’t care. Our heroes are the parents that when their children do totally stupid, irresponsible things, they refrain from smacking them. Our heroes are labor workers. The people who fix our sinks, toilets, roofs, fences, etc. because we don’t possess the skills to do so. Those are our heroes, America.
Why? They are our heroes because they care about themselves and others. People who own and operate soup kitchens are our heroes because doing what they do does nothing for them except give them the satisfaction of knowing they are doing something good for unfortunate people, unlike most Americans. Our heroes are not the ‘rock stars’ who help people and then brag about it, but the celebrities who help people when no one is watching. Our heroes are the men and women who fight for our country. They risk their lives to ensure ours. People fighting a war they had nothing to do with, and usually, don’t agree with. Those are our most important heroes, America.
Our heroes are public transportation employees. In all seriousness, driving a bus around for eight hours, picking up a lot of rude riders, cannot be a good day. But yet they put up with it. It could be for the paycheck, or it could be for the better of the community. To benefit people who don’t drive. Superheroes, from films, are a perfect example of a true hero. A masked person, who genuinely just likes helping people since no one knows who it truly is. No credit, just honest help. People like that our are heroes, America.
Everyone has a hero figure in their life. Whether it be police officers, firemen(or women), parents, teachers, or someone different. Each one of them are special in their own individual way and we all appreciate them in different ways. Heroes are here to help, and we all have to remember that.

Rough draft of narrative..

So, Dionna and I are pretty much inseparable. She is the best friend a person could ask for. I really have no clue how we even became friends but this night definitely made the friendship final. It was a Friday night, and it was the first night we had ever spent together. Which we had planned to be total and utter chaos. Translation: complete blast. Speaking of planning, we had been planning this for weeks. Anywhere from Biology to via text message. This was going to be THE best night. Her parents picked me up that night from Donna’s house and the night had started.
We just hung out for awhile at first. Talking, laughing, and such. But then the real fun began. Our minds went crazy with ideas, which is never a good thing when we’re together. We decided that duct tape would be the item of choice that night. Her parents had went to bed and it was just me, her, and her sister, Kylie, left up. That meant pure fun and pure trouble.
We got the camera and started with the arms. With the camera in Kylie’s hands, Dionna and I began taping our legs together. My right to her left. It was a mess. Even know we had the tape on over clothing it hurt so much when we pulled it off. We stumbled around the house for a good twenty minutes while Kylie snapped pictures and videos every other second. We almost fell over many times and rested many more. After all of this, it was time to remove the tape.
After many quick rips of tape from cloth, it was all over. And the arms began. Being the people that we are, we never even begun to think about the consequences of having arm hair, which we had very little of after the process. It started off fun and stayed that way until time for removal. That part was so not fun. We laughed and cried while getting a free arm wax. Hahahahahah. The end!

It's a party in the usaaaaaaay!

I need to have something in here Very soon so I'll write about random things that come to mind. Halloween is closer and closer. It's beyond exciting! I think I might just pass out candy this year instead of dressing up and hanging out with friends while having a fantastic time. It's also getting super duper cold. Which I love and hate at the same time. The cold and I have a love hate relationship, always have. I tried to watch Sunshine last night, for the second time. But I fell asleep! All I want to do is understand that freakin' movie. I love it when all the leaves are falling, it's beautiful. And wonderful for pictures. That is all for now. :)

:)

"The most wasted of all days is one without laughter."