"It was not for the mineral wealth...it was for Will as he would be."

Elizabeth Holland former New York socialite maybe has truly turned a corner in her life. When she first ran off to California she was unsure of her ability to live the simple life but she seems to be figuring out it may not be that hard if she has the right person by her side. Will Keller is that person for her, she knows it when she sees him the wealthy lifestyle she left behind is well worth the love she has found in her new home. "Elizabeth's cheeks had risen into one of those radiant smiles... She was surprised to find it was not for the mineral wealth..it was for Will as he would be" (73). Although Will's discovery of oil means wealth for Elizabeth, as her new lower class self she doesn't care. She is shocked by her own reaction, she is not happy for the wealth in the near future she is happy because Will is happy. This out of character reaction shows a development for Elizabeth. She is no longer second guessing her choices and is not struggling with the thought of a life with out luxury. Her love for Will is far larger than her lover for the finer things and that is what will keep her in California. I think this is foreshadowing, showing a big turn around in Elizabeth's attitude and perspective. Day by day she is distancing herself from the drama and emptiness of life in the city and pulling closer to her new and fulfilling life in the country.

"If that last thing she'd said, about not needing money, could really be true."

Elizabeth a young women of high society New York has run away from a forced marriage, she followed her families coachmen, will Keller, the man she truly loves. When she makes it all the way to California she is finally aloud to be with Will with no secrecy, she opted out of her wedding by staging her own death and running away. She is leaving a luxurious life behind her for a working life in California, but because her whole life has been fancy dresses and parties she is not sure how she will adapt to the life style of a coachmen. After assuring Will that she doesn't need money she has to convince herself,"The contented feeling was so overpowering that for a moment she even stopped wondering if that last thing she'd said, about not needing money, could really be true."(41)Although she seems pretty sure of herself i see her doubts as foreshadowing. Indicating that her transition to lower class may be bumpy and not as easy as she thinks it will be. Her preference for the high life may cause some waves in her relationship with Will. Bach in New York they only had good times together because they had to make the most of the secret late hours of night and early hours of morning they had together. Now that they will always be together and in a state of transition the relationship may not be as easy as their secret meetings back in far off New York.

Rumors: Outside Reading Reflection

For outside reading i chose Rumors by Anna Godbersen. It is the second book in the Luxe series. The series follows upper class young adults through problems of love, death and money. I chose this book for the most part because of the first book, The Luxe, it leaves you wondering. It ends with a funeral for Elizabeth Holland who we find out really isn't dead and it leaves you with Diana, Elizabeth's sister, and Penelope, Elizabeth's best friend both in love with Henry, Elizabeth's fiance before she died. Because the first book ends in such a mess i wanted to find out if any of the problems can be fixed in the second book.

Overcoming Odds(#15)

Sometimes the challenges in you life are based on where you were born. Dominic Carter Political Anchor for New York 1 new may seem like a pretty well off guy with a great job and a pretty good life. But seeing him now you would never suspect his dark past. As a child he lived with his mother and only met his father twice. At the age of 7 his mother sexually abused him as he said "stealing his innocence". He did not tell anyone about it for twenty five years. Growing up in the projects of New York there were no expectations of him. When he asked the head of his school what he should to about applying to college the man replied "don't waste your time cause you'll be dead or in Jail". Those harsh words were used as a positive for Dominic, he realized that if he wanted to do something he had to overcome the odds. Although being discouraged as a child he still is full of hope for the kids who are in the same situation as he was. "If you Believe in yourself and you're willing to work hard for any goal that you might have you can achieve that goal." I learned all of this from a video at cnn.com entitled overcoming abuse.
link to video: cnn.com
MLA:Grace, Nancy. "overcoming abuse." 22 June 2007. 22 March 2009. cnn.com. http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2007/0/22/grace.dominic.carter.web.cnn?iref=videosearch

Love(#14)

When spring come around everyone is ready to start anew, especially with love. In the spring the air is clear and everything is coming alive giving everyone hope to find a special someone. In an article from cnn.com by Bob Greene called "Peggy Sue and a love so rare and true" it spoke about an interview with the real Peggy Sue. She is the Peggy Sue of Buddy Holly's hit song about love and heartbreak. Although she was actually the girlfriend of his drummer Peggy Sue said she sensed "a certain yearning on his part".In the article it discusses true icons of love like Romeo and Juliet, but those two are not around to give love advice so in the article they turn to Peggy sue. Her idea of love is "I think, I really believe, that on a rare occasion, two people in life run across each other in a path like two comets. And when it happens, I think that feeling lasts forever." Her ideas about the song written in her honor have developed over the years as well as her ideas of love. At first she only heard the catchy lyrics and beat but as she grows older it is more of a love song about never giving up.
Link to Article:cnn.com
MLA:
Greene, Bob. "Commentary: Peggy Sue and a love so rare and true".cnn.com. 22 March 2009. 22 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/22/greene.peggy.sue/index.html?iref=newssearch

War(#13)

When thinking of war you think of far away places but there is a developing war south of the U.S. The war between the Mexican Drug cartel and the government. Especially in Juarez Mexico the violent drug cartels have been murdering and corrupting the police force. The police chief was forced to resign because of the threat of the dangerous cartel to kill one officer every day he remained in the position.This organized crime of money laundering, kidnapping and killing is turning into a war. The Mexican government is coming up with systems to prevent the drug cartel's power from growing and corrupting the military stationed in Juarez as well. They only have soldiers stationed in one place for a maximum of 2 months and then move them to a new location to prevent corruption. Another plan that is being put into action is cleaning up the police force. They are investigating the force to make sure it is working appropriately and everyone working on it is working against the drug cartel and not for them. Also you may think that they brought this on themselves and it has nothing to do with the united states but that is far from the truth. From recent raids the police have found military rifles purchased off the internet from the U.S. so we are not as remove from this problem as we think we are. I found this article on cnn.com it is called "Nine bodies found in common grave near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico" by Mayra Cuevas.
Link to article: cnn.com
MLA:
Cuevas, Mayra. "Nine bodies found in common grave near Ciudad Juarez, Mexico". cnn.com. 15 March 2009. 15 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/03/14/mexico.bodies.found/index.html?iref=newssearch.

Imperialism and Colonization(#12)

Before and during world war two Japan had invaded China and was killing their people and colonizing. Although many previous leaders have apologized for their aggression before and during the war the Military chief denied their actions during the war. His denial of the events got his job taken away. It seems that everyone except for him has realized that they wronged china during the war and have apologized. Their aggression against china included killing, raping and colonization. They would also take their women as sex slaves but they called them "comfort women" for the men of the imperial army. On many anniversaries of the wars end multiple prime ministers have apologized for their participation and they have vowed that Japan will never again take "the path to war". The violent colonization of this time was a terrible reflection on Japan but their many apologies have shown their remorse and how badly they fell for the victims and their families. I found this article at cnn.com it is called "Japan fires military chief over WWII denial".
link to article:cnn.com
MLA: "Japan fires military chief over WWII denial". cnn.com. 3 November 2008. 15 March 2009. http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/03/japan.war.role/index.html?iref=newssearch