Monica's+Page

There are many forces that have shaped me into who I am as a person. My mom and dad, my sister, Chelsea, my best friend, Miranda, music, my guitar teacher, my grandpa, tennis, and musical, have all shaped me into becoming who I am today. My mom is the woman who inspired me to be a better person. I’m so proud of all she has accomplished. I know that going back to school at age 40, while taking care of two teenage girls was not easy. She did it all for me and my sister. I know that we may not always agree on everything, but she always steers me in the right direction. She always tells me to do my best, and that’s all I can ask for. My dad always knows how to cheer me up. To some people, he may seem like a serious man, but to me, he’s the wackiest person I know. He supports me in everything that I do, which I am thankful for. He inspires me to be as strong as he has been through all of the hard times. My sister, Chelsea, has always been the person I have looked up to. She works incredibly hard in her academics, music, and athletics. I am so proud of her for all she has accomplished. She inspires me to be a better person, and student. She and I have been through a lot together, but our relationship has grown as we got older. She always knows how to make me laugh no matter what. She is the wittiest person I know, and the smartest. Since the very first day of seventh grade, my best friend, Miranda, has always been there for me. She and I are like sisters. I know that some days we may not always agree on everything, but I know she’s got my back no matter what. We’ve been through so much these past couple of years and through all of the experiences we’ve had, we can always have a good time. Music is the major thing in my life that has shaped me into becoming who I am. I’ve played the guitar since I was seven years old, and it’s definitely helped me get through all of the hard times I’ve had. The best part is sharing my music with others. It’s something that I’m passionate about, and continue to work at throughout my life, whether it be through singing or playing the guitar. My guitar teacher has known me ever since I was little, and he’s always told me that I have a gift. Since then, he has taught me so much about the guitar and other music. He inspires me to play like him one day, and I am very thankful that he is my teacher. Even though he is longer with me, my gramp is the person who inspired me to play music. He was the most talented man that I knew. He was always proud of me for everything I did. Ever since he left, things haven’t been the same without him. I know that my grandma is a lucky person for being married to such an amazing person. The musical has helped me grow as a person. It helped me open up more to people, and challenge myself at something that I didn’t really feel comfortable with. I got to meet some amazing people during the musical. We all bond as a family because we spend so much time together rehearsing. Putting on a great show for people and getting a standing ovation has got to be the greatest feeling in the world. Playing for the Central York Girl’s tennis team was such a joy. Through all of the grueling practices, we all came together to work as a team. I met a lot of friends on the team, and built relationships that will last a lifetime. I’ve never seen coaches that care so much for their team as much as Coach Werner and Coach Meanor did.

Wiki Novel Posting #1

Wiki Novel Posting #2 In the beginning of the novel, The Kite Runner, the author introduced the characters and the setting. However, the beginning did not exactly tell about the characters themselves. For example, what their personalities are like. Furthermore, into the next section of the novel you really start to see the characters’ true colors. The story begins to unfold what the characters are really like, and it gives me a sense of some of their insecurities and strengths. The first part of my section began with an explosion in Afghanistan, with gun shots that were firing all night. The people who lived in Afghanistan were not used to this. The fact that there were guns firing was all because of economic development and reform, and from what was a constitutional monarchy is now a republic. In years to come, people spoke of nothing else than the change in government. As mentioned earlier, the author really starts to show Hassan’s character more, and show the reader what he is really like. Hassan is the servant of Amir. The two are really good friends, practically brothers. But Amir feels somewhat ashamed to be his friend. He never includes him whenever he sees his other friends, and he feels embarrassed to be around him just because they come from two different worlds. We are introduced to the character, Assef. Assef is a neighborhood boy, who is cruel and mean. He begins bullying and picking on Amir and Hassan. Hassan shows no sign of weakness, and shows nothing but confidence. Amir is jealous of the fact that Hassan is so confident, and he wishes he had that same confidence. He also looks for special attention from Baba, but he discovers that Baba favors both boys equally, even though Hassan is not his son. Amir also introduces the exciting game of kite running. Kite running is a popular activity held in Afghanistan throughout the winter season. It’s also an activity that Amir wishes he was better at. Both Amir and Hassan make a great team. Throughout this entire section, we were able to learn more about Hassan, and how pure he really is. I really enjoyed this section of the novel. It’s more exciting and it allows you to discover more about the characters themselves. The author also gives some clues as to what may happen next in the story. I can tell that something horrible may happen to Hassan based on the author’s context clues throughout the section I read. Thus far, it is a really powerful story so far. The beginning part with the gun fires and explosions reminded me of current happenings in Iraq and Afghanistan. It’s interesting to be able to see what life is like in Afghanistan and learn more about kite running. I had no idea what kite running was until I read this section of the book. Overall, I really enjoy the premise of the story. This part of the book relates to the course essential question in a variety of ways. Some basic human characteristics are found within this part of the book. Greed was a huge part of this section when Amir wanted all of his father’s attention. He was jealous when he got an extravagant gift for Hassan for his birthday, even though Hassan is just a servant to him. Amir also wants to win against Hassan and impress his father in kite running. So greed is definitely a human characteristic that is found within this part of the story. Self -esteem is another human characteristic that is found within this section. When Amir and Hassan were getting picked on by Assef, you could tell how Amir was afraid to say something back at Assef to defend himself. But Hassan was not afraid to stand up for himself and had the self-confidence to overcome his fear of Assef, even after all of the cruel things that Assef was saying to both of the boys. You can tell that Amir would love to have the self-esteem that Hassan has. Hassan also shows good morals and values. He is very pure, and real which is such a good human characteristic to have.