Drawing of Merida from Brave

I felt quite inspired after I saw Brave for the first time, so I thought I would sketch Merida! She is, admittedly, a lot harder to draw than she looks! LOL

My Drawing Utensils

I just thought I would share with everyone the utensils that I use to draw with! Rather than taking a picture though, I decided to sketch them real quick!

Book Analysis: The Catcher in the Rye

So I recently read The Catcher in the Rye in school, and after some symbolism analysis, I decided to talk to you guys about the symbolism of windows in the book. Hope you enjoy, agree with, and hopefully take some more information away from my writing! 

In the allegorical novel The Catcher in the Rye, Holden struggles to find closure with the death of his brother, Allie. He has difficulty maintaining a close relationship with most people because of his failure to reach acceptance with Allie’s death. As Salinger exhibits in many scenes, Holden craves companionship but constantly finds himself pushing away opportunities to befriend others. Throughout the story, Salinger utilizes the symbol of windows to portray Holden’s longing for intimacy and interaction with the people around him. The windows also signify a barrier – all he can do is gaze out the window and watch the seemingly sparkling lives of everyone else go by while he suffers on the inside.

            The windows first appear in Holden’s dorm room, then once again in his hotel room. Both times he stares out the window, longing for things that he cannot obtain without first accepting the death of his brother. Holden gazing out the window in his dorm room is reflective of his desire for friendship with the boys at Pencey. He can see the closeness between students, but is unable to attain that interaction due to his inability to reach acceptance; hence, creating a barrier. In the next scene, as Holden watches the flirtatious couple through the window from his hotel room, he longs for the affection of a romantic relationship. He admits that their amorous behavior is “sort of fascinating to watch,” (62) therefore displaying his genuine feelings about his yearning for companionship.

            Holden’s longing for various relationships is made clear through the examination of the windows. Despite Holden’s wishes for intimacy, his failure to come to terms with the loss of Allie ends up as a barrier preventing him from the closeness he wants and needs the most. 

You Are Special Updates!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to give you guys a couple updates on my film, You are Special. So after it was released, it has been sent off to many film festivals, and I just thought I would mention a couple of them!

Burbank International Film Festival
Ottawa International Animation Festival (placed 11th out of 1900 submissions!)
My Hero International Film Festival (won 3rd place in student films category!)
Peace on Earth Film Festival 

I never thought that a small competition would give me the opportunity to enter all these amazing competitions! I am forever grateful to Cartoon Network for allowing me to continue to expand my film!
Thank you all for continuing to check in! 

Book Review #33 ~ The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald is considered such a great classic due to the brilliant combinations of individually captivating elements that the story possesses. Everything from Fitzgerald’s buttery and elegant writing style to the widely relatable issues that dictate the story provides the novel with its gripping nature that makes it the unforgettable classic it has been recognized as for decades. 

            The simple choice of the time period itself was an ingenious choice and one that highly contributes to qualifying it as the Great American novel. The time period of the 20s, the Roaring 20s, is an intriguing and widely discussed period. It is a time of excitement and freedom filled with indulgence, pleasure, and parties that many Americans only dream of one day being able to experience. The Great Gatsby is filled with extravagant parties where “men and girls [come] and [go] like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars” (Fitzgerald 31). Events such as these, which can only be described as somewhat magical, allow the reader to experience a time period filled with an opulence beyond one’s imagination. As Jeff Nilsson, a historian for The Saturday Evening Post remarked, “the 1920s is the most fascinating era in American culture.” This allows the reader to be wholly captivated by the story and the playing-out of the outrageously luxurious lives of the elite in this decade.

            The Great Gatsby’s ability to strike a connection with readers’ minds and hearts is also another reason that it can be constituted as such a great classic. The character of Jay Gatsby himself, although foolish at times, is one that demands the reader’s full attention and inspires intense emotion. His passionate love for Daisy is a quality that reveals the very human and very imperfect nature of Gatsby. His fairytale-like love for Daisy is one so deep that it makes all readers hope to one day experience something similar. Gatsby’s love is especially displayed in the way “He [doesn’t] once [cease] looking at Daisy, [revaluing] everything in his house according to the measure of response it drew from her well-loved eyes” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 5). The fact that he is so deeply in love with an unforgettable admirer from his past arouses compassion and further lures the reader in until he becomes completely immersed in the storyline. As author Michael Westwood states, “Gatsby, in a transcendent sense, touches the imagination with his idealism.” Gatsby’s intense and heartfelt emotions that are so clearly revealed cause the reader to be wholly engrossed in the novel, making one both feel for and feel with Gatsby at the same time.

Yet another element that provides the book with its unique and definable quality is Fitzgerald’s use of universally experienced issues throughout the book. His elaboration on the beauty of the past, the high of anticipation, and the pursuit of the American Dream are all issues that people have personally experienced or have witnessed. These then allow the reader to not be a simple bystander to exciting yet irrelevant events taking place in the novel, but to be involved and connected as he draws comparisons from the characters’ plight to his own.

Take the example of the beauty of the past: it has been universally accepted over hundreds of years that people look back on the past with rose colored glasses. The past, slightly faded, is a nostalgic and often peaceful time that many draw back to in times of hardship. Gatsby’s desperate wish to turn back the time and live “just as if it were five years ago” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 6) is a common feeling experienced by almost everyone. Because of a very human tendency to reminisce and to regret, the past can seem to be a splendid and mystical place and can leave people with a sense of intense longing. These feelings towards the past are ones that Gatsby constantly struggles with throughout the book and are ones that very understandable to readers everywhere.

 The beauty of anticipation is also addressed many times throughout the book, and can also be a relatable topic for many. Often times the excitement leading up to the event is much more enjoyable than the event itself. It has been widely known that grandiose expectations can lead to an immense letdown, and it is these huge expectations that cause Gatsby to suffer greatly later in the novel. For example, after spending long-awaited time with Daisy, Gatsby realizes that “the colossal significance of [the green] light had vanished forever… Now it was again a light on a dock. His count of enchanted objects had diminished by one” (Fitzgerald, Chapter 6). This realization shows that although Gatsby got what he had desired for so long, he still felt some sense of sadness at the end of it. Because the process of waiting allows us to let our minds wander to imagine the greatest scenarios possible, anything that strays from our expectations can result in great disappointments. This realization is one that strikes a chords with all readers.

The pursuit of the American Dream is also a greatly relatable issue. The Great Gatsby is the classic rags-to-riches story of self-made success. As scholar James L.W. West states, “The Great Gatsby is a story of a Mr. Nobody from Nowhere who rises from obscure poverty to immense wealth.” This classic story is one that almost everyone has dreamed about. It captures the American that all Americans want to be. The novel “embodies the American spirit and the American will to reinvent oneself,” as author Maureen Corrigan recognizes. The fact that the story revolves around such a central, American theme that has been discussed for hundreds of years further makes the novel one that the reader can easily relate to and be absorbed in.

Finally, Fitzgerald’s iconic, entrancing writing style is a key element in making The Great Gatsby such a classic recognized all around the world. The book is written with Fitzgerald's lyrical prose that is brimming with imagery and symbolism that delight the senses and minds of readers. Symbols such as the green light, the white and gold that are applied to Daisy give greater meaning to her character and the theme of the greed and corruption of the wealthy class in the 1920s. From the very beginning to the famous last line of the book, there is not one flimsy sentence in the book. Any line out of any chapter can be considered a small work of art in itself.

The Great Gatsby can be considered one of the greatest classics of all time not because of certain separate elements such as universal themes and a beautiful writing style, but because of the way in which these aspects are seamlessly woven together. The way Fitzgerald has shaped his characters, and structured his plotline makes the novel so memorable and absolutely timeless.

College and Finding the Silver Lining

A man named Anatole France once said, “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another.” It was quotes like these that pacified my fear of moving to the United States from my hometown, Vancouver. When my parents sat me down and explained to me that we would be leaving Vancouver, I was simply dazed. I didn’t know what to think. I was troubled, for I wasn’t sure if this move was something to look forward to, or something that would give me more problems than rewards. Just when I thought I had learned the way to live, my life changed drastically.

As time went by and the realization set in, I became torn between the two nagging thoughts inside my head; to anticipate or to anguish. I was excited for the fresh start that awaited me there. Nevertheless, I could not bear the fact that I would no longer be able to take those much loved strolls right by the shimmering sea just minutes from my house or hiking in the lush green mountains that stood towering over the city. But I eventually accepted the fact that I had to leave it in order to start a new chapter of my life. And so, we said goodbye to the place that we had called home for years and started the 1,300 mile journey to Los Angeles.

After seven days of driving down from Vancouver, we finally reached our long awaited destination. The streets of Los Angeles were overwhelmingly different from the streets that I had grown up in. It was rush hour every hour here; there were so many people powerwalking down the street, every single one of them looking as though they had somewhere to be but not enough time to get there. Cars were bumper to bumper in the streets, blasting their horns impatiently and, on top of it all, mounds of trash littered the sides of the road. There was such a variety of everything, from people to cars. I felt as taken aback as the country mouse that had come to visit the big city.

As the days dragged on and we finished up unpacking the mountains of boxes piled up to the ceilings of our house, it came time for me to start middle school. If I had to sum up the whole mixture of feelings I had in a single word, that word would be afraid. I was afraid of being the odd one out. I was afraid of being looked down on and not being received very well. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to be myself. There were so many different things I was fearful of. And to say the least, getting used to middle school was no picnic. It made me that much more uneasy coming from a city where middle school didn’t exist. The time to start school had finally come, and it was an arduous experience for me. I had left behind all the friends I had made over the past 10 years, and coming to a whole new place and starting all over again was beyond intimidating. I was absolutely bewildered by my new surroundings, and I thought that because of my obvious confusion, I would be rejected by everybody else right off the bat. However, I was delighted to find that the students were very friendly and welcoming of the “new girl.” I was glad to feel accepted and realized that this experience had made me a stronger person.

On a final note, I’ve got to say that although it was tough to start the journey and difficult at times throughout it, I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. My trip through the dark tunnel taught me a priceless lesson. I learned that storms in life can either make you or break you, and deciding to persevere through tough times can make you a true successor, no matter what the outcome. After this experience, I am confident that whatever challenges college may throw at me, I can grit my teeth brave through them. Now I understand that although change can be scary, it is what makes me grow, and college is one of the best changes that can happen to me. Through college I can live out my dream of becoming a doctor, and march down the path of life with my head held high. 

Superman Drawing