This Means WAR!

I foresee a war. A great, nasty war. A war so immense that even those beyond petty high schooler's feelings, such as Ms. Serensky, cannot help but partake in. A war comparable to WWI in magnitude and participants. I foresee a war amongst the geniuses of AP English 12 - 7th period.
              In recent weeks, I have noticed a singular common theme in the stories we have read thus far: adultery. Oh, what an ugly word. Disloyalty. Infidelity. Immorality. No one wants to have such a label and all shy away from the mark. However, I have learned that such a topic evokes great conversation in our class for it seems like we try to spend as much time as possible discussing hanky-panky. Over the last three reads, a certain divide has sprung up in the class, those who abhor the practice, versus those who find ways to justify it. Initially, only a few people in the class fought the war, the extremists. Derek and Lauren versus Kate and Alex, Italy and Germany versus Great Britain and Russia.We rather tentatively put forth our opinions of the matter and merely waded into neutral waters. Few sides formed, and even fewer alliances. No one could risk angering the almighty force, the force that no one dared to cross, the force that nearly guarantees victory in any verbal or written debate which had yet to enter the conflict, Ms. Serensky, or to continue the metaphor, the United States of America. Next, The Winter's Tale re-excited our strange point of contention upon Leontes' accusation that Hermione cheats on him. In this battle I firmly staked my ground with the Axis in their stand against adultery at all costs. My current writing partner, Claire, opposed me and justified disloyalty for true love. I felt as siblings did when they crossed one another in the Revolutionary War. However, still no one portrayed their rage, or threw moral cheap shots, or hand-grenades, at one another. Rather contradictorily, we feigned calm and politely discussed our opinions of the matter in vague terms. Now, we reside in the present, on the brink of battle, and utter anarch. In our story, The Great Gatsby, we learn that Tom, frequently and openly, cheats on his wife which blatantly begs one's judgement of the deed. Today's discussion represented the assassination of the Archduke Ferdinand. Teams formed, sides aligned, and tempers flared. Or so we thought. Until someone who claimed to have a "soft spot for Tom" changed his mind! Derek, in congruence with Italy, switches his opinion and now supports the Allies because for Tom, he can validate infidelity! This monumental moment greatly shifted the balance of power I had so carefully calculated in my mind to equilibrium, foreshadowing a clash of equally powerful foes. Please Ms. Serensky, give us insight as to where you stand so that one side may back down and we may prevent this catastrophic collision of ideologies.

Pink and Flashy, Apparently My Style

I hate journal days. Actually, I enjoy writing in them because I have no fear of Ms. Serensky's instant and seldom positive (in my case) feedback, yet I still despise journal days. Last year I felt no such emotion, however due to my pink and flashy notebook, I now dread hearing, "Open up your journals, write today's date, and this will be entry number seven." I remember our assignment on the first day of school to bring in a notebook with a cover that represented us and our personality. Well, as usual, it slipped my mind, and I had to resort to stealing said journal out of my six year old sister's backpack. Needless to say, the tiny drama queen discovered with terror her missing notebook yet I will save the full story for a future time. As I walked to class that day, I planned to present my journal to my honorable writing partner, Lauren, as somewhat of a joke to mask my embarrassment. As always, she took it in stride which did not irk me then as it does now. Why, why did she expect nothing less than for me to bring in a pink notebook with flowers on the front cover? I do not consider myself a very funny kid, and do not believe my classmates perceive me that way either, therefore Lauren could not have foreseen a joke which means she must have simply expected me to bring in something different! Until very recently this event did not bother me, yet over the last 72 hours, nothing else has broached my mind. Time and again the justification has eluded me... Until now. As insensible as this sounds, I believe that people expect me to bring the exact opposite of what I should bring to the table! Let us look at the most current writing partner situation for example, I certainly remember Claire exclaiming with joy when Ms. Serensky set our AP English fates together for she sees me as an intelligent guy. Should not that have a direct correlation with quality of writing partner? So Claire believed. Unfortunately, her expectations and my production do not tend to coincide for I seem to consistently do the exact opposite of what I am expected. Do not get the impression that I think of this as a curse however, for it works positively in the realm of sports for example. If a bystander saw me they would not receive the impression that I am an athlete, although I actually hold my own rather well in the sports world. Come on - a gangly, big-footed kid? Yessir, since I am expected to fail, I strive to succeed. Therefore, after examining these two unrelated fields, I have reached the conclusion that perhaps my pink and girly notebook really DOES represent me well. Since I am expected to do the unexpected, should I fret when someone thinks of me strangely or differently? I feel as though I am the incarnate form of the old saying, "expect the unexpected." Or perhaps, as in "The Balloon," I am simply trying to find significance in an event that yields no deeper meaning whatsoever.