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Post by Dr. Toodles on Jan 5, 2004 20:19:36 GMT -5
[shadow=blue,left,300]yay..good job! [/shadow]
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Post by fantasyfan1 on Jan 11, 2004 21:14:24 GMT -5
Hey guys!!
Sorry I won't be able to write a post for another week (breaks down crying) actually i'm not going to be able to post here much at all, because I got finals and a whole other load of crap to deal with. However, hopefully by the end of this week i'll be able to start posting again. But maybe some time off will bring some brilliant ideas... lol you can only hope ;D
~fantasyfan1~
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Post by fantasyfan1 on Jan 18, 2004 18:55:11 GMT -5
Hey
I'm going to go against my word and veer very much so off topic, because, hey i'm stressed out, and this is my column, and i feel like ranting to people very much outside of the situation who could possibly give me advice/comfort/support. Alright, here's my story.
I'm having friend troubles right now. I'm basically in a group of 5 people, all of whom I really care about- 2 guys, 3 girls. (I'm going to abbreviate names with letters because its easier). There's my best friend, M, who really is not as outspoken as I am, but i can basically talk to her about everything. Then there'sO, who i'm also very close to, but she has another group she's apart of, so she's always really really busy, but i can always count on her. Then there's T, who is kinda quiet and i really don't know what he's thinking ever and he doesn't like to cause waves, which is frustrating because he's like not honest with me, but i guess i've gotten used to it. And finally there's G, who's probably one of my best guy friends, and he's very extroverted when you first meet him, but as you get to know him you find out he's actually really insecure. Anyway, so I've been super good friends with these people ever since entering high school, say a year and a half now. We've had our ups and downs and traumatic moments, but I thought we basically could get through anything.
This is where the problems begin. First off, T got mad at me over a stupid school assignment, so much so I was crying about it for a period, and neither T nor G even so much as noticed or comforted me until an hour later which just completely pissed me off. But then, as always, I forgot my fury (and my pride) and did what I could to smooth things over, and things seemed to be getting better. However, then, G lied to M and O, which made them mad, a lie that specifically concerned me, but I didn't get mad about it because I know that getting mad at G over it wouldn't do any good, and he was stressed out with finals on top of it, so I decided not to make a big deal about it, because underneath it all, I just wanted to be happy and move on with my life. Then ontop of this, T keeps on acting like he doesn't want to be friends with me, M, and O anymore, which is frustrating because we don't know what we did. He doesn't instant message any of us, and when we make plans, he comes up with excuses not to come. As much as I would love to approach him about it, confrontation just makes him REALLY nervous and he won't give me a straight answer so I'm further from the truth then I was before. Then O and G got into another fight because G won't apologize for being an ass to O, and on top of that, G is now pissed at the greater part of our surrounding social. On top of this, M wants to basically give up on this group and try to merge ourselves into another group. G is trying to figure out if his loyalties lie with T (because they've been friends since elementary school) or with me, O, and M, though we don't think we did anything wrong. Then we were supposed to all go to the city tomorrow and hang out, but now both T and G aren't going for lame excuses, when they basically were the ones we were trying to figure out where we stood with them.
Basically, I feel like I'm at a crossroads with some of my friends and I don't know why or how, and I don't like that this little world I created for myself is suddenly crashing down.
A lot of this could have been the stress of finals; I'm not sure. I'm just really stressed out about it because I don't feel like haphazardly lose a few of my really good friends when my birthday is less than a month away. If you guys could offer any words of comfort or advice, its appreciated, and I'll try to get back to essay writing next time or give you an update on this lovely issue when a resolution for the good or the bad seems to arise.
~Fantasyfan1~
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Post by musicchc43 on Jan 18, 2004 21:53:33 GMT -5
Wow! I know what you mean it's really sad when friendships fall apart...this looks like a job for elysium to answer...she's good with advice!
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Post by Ginny Potter on Jan 19, 2004 12:55:24 GMT -5
Yeah, elysium, answer.
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Post by fantasyfan1 on Feb 22, 2004 14:51:58 GMT -5
Hey guys, after a really long absense, i'm back... eh... hopefully. School and stuff has been stressful and well, i just got my driver's license, meaning i'm home less, and online less, but i'll find time more often.
Back to the topic i promised AGES ago...
[glow=red,2,300]Harry... A Classic? Part 2[/glow]
Why you don't want Harry Potter to become a Classic
For any of you who have sat through a year of english class, it should be almost obvious. Think about all the books that you have read, and how very few of them that you actually liked. The forced analysis, supposed symbolizism, and stupid comments of others can often ruin a book, no matter how much you would have liked had you read it on your own. There are so many books that in their time were loved by everyone, but years later are hated by middle and high school students who are forced to read them and write papers on them. Basically, if Harry Potter becomes a "classic", he may lose the magic he has cast over his audience because some things are not as nearly as good when they're forced upon you.
This is true even outside of literature. Think back to the days of Physical Education classes when you're forced to attempt to play various games and sports. For me, I've always loved to play basketball, and never really minded having hours upon hours of practice after school. However, when forced to play it in gym class, i never ever enjoyed myself. People would be so ignorant of the rules, and would foul constantly and wouldn't be able to make the easy shots and would get away with so much that you would never be able to in a real game. I'm sure you get the idea and sympathesize with how frustrating that could become. This is exactly what could happen to Harry Potter; while the HP books are amazing and fun to discuss among others who know what they are talking about (i.e. everyone on this board), the book could be ultimately be ruined by those who would ask really stupid questions like "So, is, like, Harry reallya wizard?" And then have people who may have normally liked the book be so consumed by the stupidity of the question to realize that the book is amazing.
Also the way it is taught could have a huge impact on whether or not people would actually like it. Seriously, if a teacher practically forces a kid to read it, assigns like 3 chapters a night and papers on it, its highly unlikely that someone will be able to enjoy the book because of the workload. What frightens me is that HP is liked SO much by people in our generation, that we will indeed ruin it for everyone else because they will be forced into reading it, which generally yield negative results. I would certainly hate for HP to turn into a book like 1984, which is probably a really good book out of a school setting, yet turns into something hated because its forced upon people that do not want to read it.
However there is always the chance that HP will not turn out like other classics and become hated in a classroom setting. This is unlikely, i feel, because like every other piece of modern literature, it will eventually become outdated. The language will become "hard to understand" as culture and wording evolves (just look at Charles d*ckens and Shakespeare- they were apparently "understandable" in their respective times yet now they are almost indecipherable). Even the content will become outdated because the Muggle World in HP describes a very specific time of technology in the 1990s, and even some of those things will be changed. Because of our ever changing culture, Harry Potter, as a classic, will fall into the same categories as all other "great" pieces of literature (if it ever makes it there) and will inevitably disliked by 75% of all language art students everywhere. Doesn't that sound like a great future?
Next time, i'll have to think of a bright and brilliant plan of what to write; in the meantime, I hope you all are doing great, and hopefully i'll keep up in my postings!!
~Fantasyfan1~
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Post by Ginny Potter on Feb 29, 2004 19:50:36 GMT -5
I see what you mean...but I don't want HP to be remembered as a FAD.
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Post by elysium on Mar 25, 2004 23:25:19 GMT -5
Oh dear...I wish I would have read this sooner; you shouldn't hesitate to ask me for advice, fantasyfan1. I'll go answer it, hopefully it's not too late.
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