Capulets and Montagues United Over Death of Romeo, Juliet, and Paris

Sir John Everett Millais, The Death of Romeo and Juliet (1848)

There was a great tragedy in Verona yesterday. Three dead because of a silly family feud, which they have now finally ended after all the bloodshed and the loss of noble County Paris, beloved Romeo of the Montagues, and dear Juliet of the Capulets.

      Late last night Paris was said to have been in the Capulet's tomb with the page going to see Juliet's body, when he encountered Romeo who was doing the same. There was a fight between Paris and Romeo and Romeo emerged victorious. After killing Count paris he went to Juliet's tomb and was found dead with a cup of poison that was given to Romeo by the apothecary. It was said to have been a suicide because he couldn't live without Juliet. Juliet however was not really dead, but when she saw her true love Romeo she had kissed his lips and killed herself by drinking the poison. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues has ended, but at what price.  

Media

http://www.wix.com/evilspirit423/gravitybringsmedown

Character Analysis

The two characters I chose to interview were Sioux Smith and Mabel because they are the two main characters of the book. Sioux doesn't care much for school even though she is an A plus student. She just wants to finish school so she can get out of the town and have a better life. She believes she has high school figured out and thinks about suicide a lot. She likes to smoke and hang out with her friend Sharon. She hangs out with the “people in black” when she is at high school. She has a very pessimistic view on high school and how she is above everyone else. She is fairly popular at her school, but doesn't make a big deal of being noticed. She also likes to change people's names into homonyms like hers was Sue, but she didn't like it and made it Sioux.

“But high school is just a primate zoo, a giant Barrel of Monkeys with intricately balanced chains all swinging independently of one another”

“People think it's morbid to talk about dying but, personally, I find it very liberating”, says Sioux.

“What more incentive do students need to cash in their chips”

Mabel is an old woman who is suffering from dementia because of a stroke she had. She has been left behind by her family and mistakes Sioux for her daughter Marie. She has a very laid back lifestyle and like to have fun and spends her money without a care. She has an interest in Shakespeare. She is very wise and helps Sioux with her problems at school and. She is also very religious and goes to church regularly and takes part in the choir

“Of course it's easier to just give up. But that's the coward's way. Life is what you make it.”

“The best thing to do is to pretend that nothing has happened. If you don’t give it a second thought, nobody else will either.”

“There’s always a glimmer of hope in the darkness if you look hard enough.”

Interview

Sioux's Questions

Why did you feel the need to help Mabel and stay with her even though you don't know her?

I felt the need to help Mabel because she is all alone and her family has abandoned her without any help. She is also a very interesting personally and insightful. She gives great advice on how to cope with some problems that I am having in high school and I feel a lot better when I am with her.

Do you like the place where you live?

No I don't this town is very boring and I am hoping to do good in my education so I can get out of here and start a new life in a better place like Toronto or New York.

What do you think about suicide?

I think it is a way to release yourself from all the stress of life and it actually a very creative way of dying. It is good to know that you have an option to end it all and just relax.

Mabel Questions

Do you feel angry at all that your family has not even bothered to contact you all these years you have been living by yourself?

Yes I do, but I still have my sweet daughter Marie, who loves me very much and would never do such a thing. I am sure that my family has a good reason for not calling me or keeping in touch.

Do you regret not going with the other man you had an affair with?

Yes I do because I wouldn't be living like this and I would have been much happier because I had my daughter Marie with him.

Do you feel angry that you aren't part of the church choir anymore?

Yes I think it was rude of the choir leader to kick me out because I couldn't keep up with the music. It wasn't fair because I had always been there since the start and never missed one practice.

Contemporary Relevance

      A teen issue that is explored in my novel “Gravity Brings Me Down” is Teen Stress. The main character Sioux Smith is going through Grade Eleven in high school. Sioux doesn't like high school because of all the work and the people. She is a grade A student and hangs out with the people in black (PIB). She has a very pessimistic view on high school and life, she is constantly thinking about suicide and different ways to die.
      She has a lot of stress because she has to do like a major project on Cultural Paradigms, has to deal with a crazy teacher who has naked pictures of girls in his house, take care of Mabel an old lady who is losing her memory due to a stroke. She also has to put up with guy named Biff who is a jock and keeps harassing Sioux. She fells so stressed out, so she is constantly smoking.

      I think the teen years of a person's life is the most stressful part because they have to deal with school and all the work they get and trying to choose the right path for university/college. They have to deal with what clothing to wear, peer pressured into trying alcohol, drugs, sex, fitting in groups, family problems, changes in their body, etc.

      There is a real life story that came up on the news about a boy who had killed himself because he was under too much pressure at school. He used to stay up late at night working on projects and assignments. At school he was also trying to fit in, but he was hanging out with the wrong people and doing drugs and started smoking to deal with the stress. He had done drugs like marijuana and cocaine just to deal with the stress. His parents were also divorced which made things worse, since he didn't have a stable house and couldn't ask both his parents for help because they were too busy fighting. One day he was just tired of all the stress and he had hanged himself. He was sixteen when he had committed suicide. This had taken place last year in U.S.

      The story about teen stress relates to my book because they both the boy and Sioux were going through high school and were trying to complete assignments on the last minute. Secondly, both of them started to smoke to cope with the stress and to feel relaxed. Finally, they both are sixteen and both have thought about suicide, except the boy killed himself, Sioux just thinks of it as a way to be released from all this stress and her boring life.

      There are many teens across the world who have to deal with these problems through their teenage life and if they need information or advice they can go to the following sites or call the following numbers:

Kid's Help Phone- 1-800-668-68686
http://www.lifespan.org/services/childhealth/parenting/teen-stress.htm
http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_mind/emotions/stress.html

Most Memorable Moment

The most memorable moment in the book “Gravity Brings Me Down” was on page 178 – 179. In this scene Sioux Smith the main character and her sister Peggy are in Sioux's room. Sioux returns from taking pictures for her CPP (Cultural Paradigms Project). When she gets home she sees her sister Peggy at her desk in her room.

       ”What the hell are you doing?”

        She spins around, her tinsel teeth flashing. You b****! I am not stupid!”
Peggy throws Sioux's journal at her, rips out her drawers, throws her paper and pens around the room, and completely wrecks Sioux's room. “I hate you, I hate you!” she screams.
      “Stop it! You psycho!”
      Dad runs into my room. “What the hell is going on here?”
      “She's a lying b****!” Peggy shrieks.
Peggy bolts from the room, crying at the top of her lungs. Dad turns to me. “What did you do?”

       This was my favourite and most memorable moment of the book because it was the most interesting part. The book wasn't as captivating as other books I've read because there isn't much action or fun parts, it is mainly just walking around and smoking and going to the coffee shop, which isn't as exciting to me. I liked this part because the two sisters are fighting and swearing at each other and things are getting violent between them. I also thought it was the most memorable moment because this is the only part in the book where there is a big conflict.

CPT Discussion Questions

1) What kind of perspective does Sioux Smith have of her peers in high school? Do you believe this is the case in other high schools?

2) Do you think popularity matters in high school? Does it matter to you?

3) What could you do to stop bullying or harassment in your high school?

4) In the book Sioux is always smoking. Why are things like cigarettes or drugs so easily accessible to kids? How do you suppose we make it inaccessible?

5) What message was the author of this book trying to get across?

6) Do you think euthanasia should be provided at hospitals?

7) There is a lot of talk about elder abuse in communities. Why does this happen? How do you suggest we stop this?

8) What causes some teens to think about suicide? Does this have anything to do with school?

9) Do you think it was okay for Mabel to be left all by herself that apartment?

10) Is it okay for a person like Chocko to teach teens when he has tons of pictures of naked girls glued to his walls at his home?

Romeo & Juliet Newspaper

Tybalt Slain! Mercutio Dead! Family Feud Gets Worse

Verona, Veronian Times
Published on Monday, June 26, 1595

 "Park Playhouse Teen Theatre, 1999"

Mercutio vs Tybalt

The family feud between the capulets and the Montagues has been going on for many years, and just today it got a lot worse.

The fights that break out on the street have been terrible and have wreaked havoc on the streets of gentle Verona. The citizens are always complaining about the disturbance in the community.

Just today a fight broke out with the Capulets and the Montagues. The fight included Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, and Tybalt's men. It started out as Tybalt who asked for a fight, but Romeo offered peace, instead Mercutio jumped in and fought Tybalt. Romeo intervened, but Tybalt killed Mercutio. Then Tybalt is said to have fleed and then fought Romeo and was presumed dead.

The prince furious had  Romeo exiled for killing Tybalt. The family feud is at its worse and people on both sides will be angry and more fights will break out. Citizens are worried about the peace in their communities and for their lives.  Citizens are outraged by this violence and want to see the prince put an end to it once and for all. This fight will only trigger more fights from both sides

 

 

McGivney's Best Poetry

Friday, 8 April 2011

Soccer Shoes (Limerick)

There once was a man named Joe

Who had a big fat toe

He loved to play soccer

And bought his shoes from foot locker

Oh, what a lovely place to go

Spring Flowers (Haiku)

Rejuvenation

Plants bloom, animals wander

Colours embrace life

City Life (Cinquain)

Cities

Busy, crowded

Walking, driving, talking

Work during the day, party at night

Metropolis

Winter’s Day (Tanka)

Hanging icicles

Shovelling mountains of snow

Flakes gently falling

Cups full of hot chocolate

Brings families together

Life Brings Hope (Palindrome)

Never ending

Developing hope

Faith Growing

Replacing generations

Life goes on

-Reflect-

On goes Life

Generations replacing

Growing Faith

Hope developing

Ending never

First Impressions

When I first read Natale Ghent's book "Gravity Brings Me Down" I was kind of bored because it was an ordinary book about a girl who is trying to find her way in high school. I found it kind of weird that Sioux the main character in the book kept thinking about ways of dying. The setting is a typical American high school, except there is a dam nearby. The characters are typical high school kids with all of the groups like the jocks, nerds, losers, skaters, goths, etc. The story is kind of interesting because Sioux is a bit different than any other person in high school. She is witty, bold, interesting, and has a different perspective on things and hates most of her teachers and doesn’t really care about fitting in. Sioux believes life is worth living because it is just a miserable of waste of time where everyone suffers and wonders why people keep on living their lives. I think the book is going to be about her discovering how important life is and why we cherish it. Overall I don’t believe I am going to enjoy the book because I like more action packed books, but the story might get more interesting.