Wood Gatherer

 Authors Note: After being at the Art Museum I didn't really know what to write about, but then I remembered this painting called the Wood Gatherer. In it there is an old man carrying a pile of sticks he looks so sad. He is surrounded by trees and flowers and ahead of him is a carefree child.

Sore back and aching legs, each step feels like its own harsh journey. The weight on my back is unbearable, and the wood is a small part of the huge weight upon me. How I would do anything to be rid of this, this weight of sorrow, guilt, past. Ahead of me the child dances through wild flowers, laughing at their tickling sensation, the happiness across her face makes me wistful. I think to myself There was  time when I was like that, but I can't remember, this life has taken everything and anything happy. The girl, my granddaughter has such joy on her face, her carefree skip makes her look like she is floating above the unworthy ground. Her joyous face turns to me and I see her looking into my eyes, I try to smile back, but can't. My sad expression troubles her, but only for a moment, then she is off again racing a pair of butterflies. Her life so full and solid now will not be for long, life is like a rock on a seashore, constantly being washed over by waves, until finally its tiny pieces float through vicious waves. Her soul makes her fly above clouds in golden sunshine, my soul in the dark and cold barely drags itself across the dirt. Nothing can be felt, because while her's sings the songs of birds mine lies in the cold coffin dead.

The Issue WithTwilight

Author's Note: I wrote this when I was supposed to be doing a social studies project but got bored, so after reading a my life is average post about someone finding a website about "How Twilight is Destroying America and Harming our Nation's Youth"  I decided to check it out, and from there I decided to write a post about it. I tried not to go to an angry place, and I don't think I did, but if I did I'm sorry.

Many teens especially girls are obsessed with two things Justin Bieber and Twilight, but honestly just thinking about Justin Bieber gives me a headache. Twilight is another matter all together, it has won many awards, and has often been compared to the Harry Potter series. This saga has engulfed many readers dazzling them and leaving them thirsty for more. For me personally Twilight has no appeal, I have read the books but didn't really like them because of the way the author portrayed many things.

The first thing that caught my attention in this series is the characters, Bella in particular. She is a girl who claims to not be attractive, but yet when she goes to her new school the boys are falling over her. When she meets Edward she falls in love with him within days, she is not even creeped out about the fact that he STALKS her and watches her while she sleeps. When they are finally together she isolates her self from family and friends to please him. What's more is Bella has no character, by the end of the series I couldn't tell you what her favorite color was. The author really doesn't give her any character traits other than her obsession with Edward, she is not a happy or sad character, to me she seems kind of dead. Edward on the other hand is just creepy, in mythology vampires are portrayed as almost demon possessed and to make a romance story out of them is weird. Even the Devil has been used as a synonym for Vampire, also the fact that a vampire consumes blood is symbolism for holiness and life.

The second aspect of Twilight that creeps me out is the relationship between Bella and Edward. In the beginning of the first book the only reason Edward will have anything to do with Bella is the fact that he can't read her mind and he wants to drink her blood.  This particular relationship resembles an abusive relationship because Bella withdraws herself from family and friends in order to keep Edward's secret. She also holds back things, so that she will not upset him. “I worried that it would provoke the strange anger that flared whenever I slipped and revealed too clearly how obsessed I was.” Bella also tries to do impossible things so as not to upset Edward “my blood was racing and I wished I could slow it, sensing that this must make everything so much more difficult” Edward does half of the things on the domestic violence abuse signs list put out by the National Domestic Violence Hotline.  A major one is the fact that he in New Moon he leaves her in the middle of a forest that she doesn't know, in addition he leaves her heart broken and not exactly in her right mind. As I stated before Edward controls whom she does and doesn't see, especially when it comes to certain friends of hers.

The third part in the book that really bugs me is the way Bella portrays the female character. She is very weak, and doesn't really seem to think things through, when she thinks her mother is in danger she rushes off to save her without even considering the fact that it could be a trick.  Also Bella doesn't even try to get a hold of Phil to see if her mother really went home. Another thing that she does is she doesn't tell any of the vampires and goes to get her mother alone, even though the vampires are far more powerful and capable than her.  The fact that Bella so easily falls in love with Edward, and then so easily falls into depression after he is gone shows that it was never really love, but obsession. She cannot get over Edward and continues to obsess over him despite the fact that he is gone, and she will be better off without him.

To be honest I agree with Steven King who said this when comparing Harry Potter and Twilight "The real difference between J.K. Rowling and Meyer is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephanie Meyer can't write worth a darn. She's not very good" To me Twilight is disturbing, and while I can understand the appeal of forbidden romance to some people it has no appeal to me.