As I reminisce of the days in my life in which I faced hardships, challenges, and quite frankly just flat out bad luck, one specific occurrence boldly comes to mind. This day in which I honestly was unleashed hell upon, will be forever remembered in both hatred and horror. So for everybody who tends to feel sorry for those who are suffering, I advise that you exit your internet browser and attempt to erase the memory of even reading this in the first place.

Oh yeah, it's that bad.

For the remaining few who possessed the valor to proceed, I applaud you, however even the bravest warriors cannot hear this story without shedding a tear or two of pity. So brace yourself.

Your in for a bumpy ride.

The nightmare commenced sharply at 8:00 AM, December 6, 2001. Thats right, on my birthday. Now customarily, my mother and father would wake me up, I would get ready, and then the day would progress as it would. However, being their only son's birthday, they decided give me a special treat, a treat that would turn out to be treacherous. Now I understand that my parents did not indeed on setting my special day into flames. They didn't know that the birthday cake they had fetched me was bound to cause food poisoning. They didn't know that when I put the last strike into the pinata, praying for a rain of candy to storm over me, that the only thing that would fall on me was a hollow, mexican horse. They didn't know that the clown they had paid to entertain me at my party had a history of heart problems and that he was one chicken wing away from a cardiac arrest (don't worry he didn't die). And they didn't know that right when I commenced the shredding of gift wrap to unravel my newly acquire toys, mother nature would decide to bless my outdoor party with hail, slightly larger than the size of marbles.

Well, expect the unexpected.

Hail, normally falls in the summertime, although basically being balls of ice. However, this law of nature didn't apply in December, the brink of winter. Normally, during the wintertime, due to its extreme temperatures and horrendous winds and snowy conditions, only a fool would host an outdoor party. However, Marshall Seese, the old weatherman on The Weather Channel claimed it the be the warmest December day that he'd seen in years, standing at a low of 59 degrees. Little warm for a winter day right?

Well, hell ain't supposed to be cold.

The amount of disappointment, shock and pain I felt that day as a mere child will scar me for life. Although at the time I believed that I was to be bullied by destiny for the rest of my life, and that after a day like that, I would fail to recover, I have come to change my opinions. Even though one day of my life was far from enjoyable, I have moved past that fact and have lived a wonderful life. The important thing is to look past your misfortunes and just attempt to regain control of your life. The truth is, life won't always be fair.

And sometimes... it just won't be your day.

Bonus Blog

It is of no doubt that there lies a stark contrast in the portrayal of women in the 1931 movie of Jekyll and Hyde and Robert Louis Stevenson's novella. The novella, first published in 1885, contains opinions and ideas of women that are much different than those that existed in 1931. First off, in the late 19th century, women were considered "lower" than men, whereas in the early to mid 20th century they gained many rights and broke free from their original stereotype. In the novella, Stevenson very rarely even mentioned women, with the exception of maids, and housekeepers. Obviously neither of those occupations can be regarded as prestigious or higher class jobs. In the film, characters showed much more respect for women with the exception of Hyde. In fact Rouben Mamoulian, the film's director and producer, gave women roles that were non-existent even for men in the book. For example, in the movie, Jekyll falls in love with a women which later becomes the reason for the murder of Sir Danvers Carew. Stevenson didn't even bother having a reason for his murder, Hyde simply killed him. Although there may be a latent reason behind the murder, none was revealed to the reader. Mamoulian may have been attempting to please the audience with these changes. If respect for women was added into the movie, more women would spectate his film. He may have also wanted to show the difference in the portrayal of women then and the present day back then. There are a plethora of plausible reasons behind Rouben's decision to alter the women's roles; although there were major changes in the plotline between the movie and the book, both Mamoulian and Stevenson did a phenomenal job in including their time period's opinions and views of women in their versions of the story.

In the following blog assignment I will be prosecuting against Mr. Hyde:
One night, Sir Danvers Carew was sauntering down the street, when he might Mr. Hyde. Carew then politely greeted Hyde, ever so innocently, not even imagining to be attacked. However, the honorable man was wrong, as Hyde merclessly assaulted Carew with a cane. This attack later lead to Carew's pointless and horrifying death, caused by no one other than Mr. Edward Hyde. This type of murder is not only prohibited and completely uncalled for, but is also ruthless and cold-blooded. After such deeds, such a man should not be allowed to walk this earth as a free man any longer, for he may show what he is able to do yet again. This murder can be argued as high treason, as Sir Danvers Carew was a prominent figure in Parliament. Mr. Hyde's preposterous choices have awed both Carew's family and his country. Your honor, ladies and gentleman of the jury, this type of disgraceful and inhumane behavior cannot proceed without receiving dire consequences.

Blog Assignment #3

As I continue to read the Steveson's novella I am more and more drawn to the character of Mr. Hyde. He continues to be portrayed as an ambiguous, sulky character who, as he arrives in a scene, brings an aura of mystery along with him. Along with his distorted appearance and mysterious actions, Hyde's personality intrigues me most of all. Although to the naked eye, Hyde appears as a monstrous, inhuman beast , I believe that deep within him he may may be quite the contrary. No signs of this have been shown just yet, however because multiple personalities is a theme in the book, this is highly plausible. Aside from his puzzling personality, his actions baffle me as well. The fact that he cares about his reputation, however kills a member of Parliament in cold-blood. These contrasting actions may also lead to the theme previously discussed, multiple personalities. In my opinion, all signs are pointing towards the fact that there is something about Hyde that has to do with multiple personalities.

Story of the Door Reaction

A memorable moment in the chapter we recently read was when the unknown, ambiguous man, later identified as Mr. Hyde, trampled over a juvenile girl, and completely ignored her shrieks of pain. The pre-reading article I read was on good and evil. This event is a clear demonstration of how evil lurks everywhere on the Earth. Only someone evil and nefarious would have the audacity to ignore a young girl's screams of pain right after bulldozing her to the ground. Although he later came back (which he only did because he was forced to), his actions clearing proved the kind of wretched character he is portrayed as. Because this scene is one of the first of the novella, the theme has not developed just yet, however this may hint at some motifs. Throughout the book, doctors are present, whether it is Dr. Jekyll, Dr. Lanyon or whoever. As soon as Hyde returns to the girl during the scene, a doctor and the girls family suddenly appears. Soon after, the reader meets Dr. Lanyon, Dr. Jekyll's old college friend. Ergo, it is safe to infer that doctors will be a remaining motif throughout the story.

Jekyll and Hyde Background Knowledge

I read the article about Good and Evil. I found that the writer of this article tackles a very interesting topic that has caught my attention. For the most part, I agree with the writer; I believe that no matter what there will always be evil in the world. Although at birth we don't show much signs of evil, in every human being there is the potential of evil hidden within us. It lives deep inside of every one of us, however when and if it is shown varies for everyone. Because it is born with everyone, as long as there are humans on the Earth, evil will co-exist with us. Although evil cannot be completely depleted, if goodness can expand and grow, I do believe goodness can break the balance between to two. Goodness can never completely oust evil, however it may be able to break their deadlock and make the ratio of moral orientation more offbalanced. Or even vice-versa. The novella Jekyll and Hyde, can very well be a great example of this. As I progress in reading the book, this article may affect my outlook of the plotline. First off, I now know that the book will deal with good and evil, and their never-ending stalemate. I may also be able to infer that society's opinions on people may also play an important role in the story. As stated in the article, society decides what is evil and what is good. Society is what labels people, actions, or ideas as notorious or righteous. Overall, I believe that this articles ideas will be implanted into my mind and will further affect my opinions and attitude toward our future reading assignment.