Thursday, April 29, 2010

Culture Shock

Romeo and Juliet by The Killers
A love struck Romeo, sings the streets a serenade
Laying everybody low, with a love song that he made
He finds the street light, steps out of the shade
'n' says something like, "You and me babe, how about it?"
Juliet says, "Hey it's Romeo, you nearly gave me a heart attack"
He's underneath the window, she's singing, 'Hey la, my boyfriend's back
You shouldn't come around here, singing up at people like that'
Anyway, what you gonna do about it?
Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start,
And I bet, then you exploded in my heart,
And I forget, I forget, the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame,
Both dirty, both mean, yes, and the dream was just the same,
And I dreamed your dream for you, and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
You can fall for chains of silver, you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah
Now you just say, "Oh Romeo, yeah, you know I used to have a scene with him"
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
I said "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die"
And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
I can't do the talks, like they talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything, but I'll do anything for you
I can't do anything 'cept be in love with you
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
And all I do is keep the beat, 'n the band company
And all I do is kiss you, through the bars of a rhyme
Juliet, I'd do the stars with you, anytime
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
I said "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you till I die"
And there's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize, it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
And a love struck Romeo, sings the streets a serenade,
Laying everybody low, with a love song that he made
He finds a convenient street light, steps out of the shade
'n' says something like, "You and me babe, how about it?"
This song does refer to the story of Romeo and Juliet since both names are mentioned in this song; however, in this version Juliet, after having a relationship with Romeo, lost her feelings for him. Romeo is still in love with Juliet though and the only way he can express it is through this "love song." I just recently came across this song and it made me think that Romeo and Juliet would be extremely tragic if they lost their love for one another; the story would lose its appeal.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Extra Credit Blog: English Reflection

If I were to go back in time and watch myself in Honors English this year I think I would be blown away. When I chose this class I knew that it would be a challenge, but I never would have imagined just how much effort I've had to put into it. It isn't just about reading a book and taking a huge test on it. There are many hidden meanings throughout a story. It's like finding buried treasure: sometimes you find the gold(in this case understanding it and having that "ah hah!" moment) or sometimes you come to find nothing. Ah and the ongoing topic of motif. That was a hard concept to grasp but now picking up on a motif almost comes naturally; in fact, one of my close friends actually finds motifs while we're watching a movie. It'll be completely silent and all of a sudden I'll hear, "That could be a motif!" Also, acting is a big part of English this year from Great Expectation skits to reading The Importance of Being Earnest aloud in class. Reflecting back I realize that yes, English isn't my favorite subject in the entire universe, but it's never the same. It has also taught me many MANY things from something as simple as grammar to something that seems as pointless as diagramming sentences. English has definately brought out the motivation within me.