My Beautiful Rescue

I really enjoyed working on the blog assignment for this week, so I decided to choose another song to analyze. It doesn't have to do with poetry, but most songs have a hidden meaning so I am going to examine and interpret "My Beautiful Rescue" by This Providence.

"I've been jumping from the tops of buildings

For the thrill of the fall, ignoring sound advice

And any thought of consequence

My bones have shattered

My pride is shattered

And in the midst of this self inflicted pain

I can see my beautiful rescue

I'm falling more in love with every single word I withhold

I'm falling more in love with every single word you say

I'm falling head over heels for you

I've been dancing on the tops of buildings

At the top of my lungs I'm singing you a song

"Don't you leave me alone"

My bones were shattered

My pride lay shattered

Well I'll trample my pride

Until the whole world will dance with me

I'm falling more in love with every single word I'll withhold

I'm falling more in love with every single word you say

I'm falling head over heels for you again

Well I'm crying out, "wash my hands, these bloody hands, oh open my mouth and I'll sing"

I'm falling more in love with every single word I'll withhold

I'm falling more in love with every single word you say

I'm falling head over heels for you

I've been dancing on the tops of buildings,

With you."

While I was studying the lyrics to this song, I found that it could be interpreted many different ways. The way I found it to make the most sense, however, was that its focus was on a boy and his experiences before and after falling in love with a girl.
His life becomes boring so he is jumping off buildings "for the thrill of the fall." He was miserable before he met her and over the course of the song, he begins to love her.
When he meets his "Beautiful Rescue," he realizes how reckless he was. In a sense, she has saved him from his old ways. It shatters his pride because now he understands that there is more to life than he knew before.
He becomes so happy that he dances on top of the buildings that he used to jump off of. He is experiencing the same joy and excitement that he did from jumping before, just by being in love. "Until the whole world will dance with me"... he wants the whole world to know what his love for her feels like and how much he truly loves her.

Where the Streets Have No Name

U2- "Where the Streets Have No Name"

"I want to run

I want to hide

I want to tear down the walls

That hold me inside

I want to reach out

And touch the flame

Where the streets have no name

I want to feel sunlight on my face

I see the dust cloud disappear

Without a trace

I want to take shelter from the poison rain

Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name

We're still building

Then burning down love

Burning down love

And when I go there I go there with you

It's all I can do

The city's aflood

And our love turns to rust

We're beaten and blown by the wind

Trampled in dust

I'll show you a place

High on a desert plain

Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name

Where the streets have no name

We're still building

Then burning down love

Burning down love

And when I go there I go there with you

It's all I can do

Our love turns to rust

We're beaten and blown by the wind

Blown by the wind

Oh, and I see love

See our love turn to rust

We're beaten and blown by the wind

Blown by the wind

Oh, when I go there I go there with you

It's all I can do"

METAPHORS:
1. the "dust cloud" and "poison rain" are byproducts of the modern world
2. "We're still building then burning down love." We are destroying what we create
3. "The cities aflood, our love turns to rust." Selfishness and materialism are currently the cause of the metaphorical flooding of the world. We have to rise above these desires.

RHYME: most of the song, excluding the chorus, follows an AB-AB pattern of rhyme
1. "And touch the flame, where the streets have no name"
2. "I want to feel the sunlight on my face... Without a trace"
3. "And our love turns to rust... Trampled in dust"

METER:
The song is written in segments.
1. Opening verse
2. Verse 1
3. Chorus
4. Verse 2
5. Chorus
6. Verse 3

DICTION:
1. "Walls" in this context refers to the only object that is keeping him or her from expanding
2. "Flame" in this context means the warmth of the world outside of his or her own, escaping the reality of their own
3. "Rust" is used in this context to show age. As an object gets old, it begins to rust.

Confidence in Inspiration

Confidence allows anyone to strive for a given goal, no matter the circumstances. It is an emotion that gives a person faith in their abilities and powers. If a student has sufficiently studied prior to a test, they maintain a higher level of confidence than a student who has not. Confidence is achieved by preparation in this situation. A positive attitude can also trigger a feeling of confidence. A basketball player can dribble the ball up to the hoop and have a positive outlook, imagining the ball going through the basket, or they can have a negative outlook, imagining the ball falling short of the basket. If they maintain the positive outlook, they will probably make it, whereas if they have a negative outlook, they probably won’t make it. In this example, confidence is to be certain about something, like the outcome. If a person has a positive outlook and has self-assurance, the situation will most likely end with the desired, positive outcome.

Some people are so caught up in the belief of failure that they think they can never achieve their goal. A far-stretched example of this is someone who is very timid. They are so consumed in self-doubt that they don’t speak what’s on their mind because of the fear of being put down or made fun of. Most people know, first hand, what that feels like. Few of the people, however, do not care what another person says or thinks about them. This is a great example of self-confidence because that person is able to push aside the negative thoughts and replace them with striving and successful positive thoughts.

On the other hand, too much assurance in someone’s abilities and powers can have a negative outcome. If a person waltzes down the hallway, not paying attention to anyone but themself, it can make the people around them feel unimportant or invisible. Confidence is a feeling that overcomes a person, giving them a piece of mind so that they are able to go into a situation with hopes of a positive outcome. Having confidence is a great emotion to be able to have, but too much confidence can result in negative effects on other people.

Life at 30

Wow. I suppose I'm kind of old now, aren't I? Hopefully my process of getting into college was successful.
As of now, I plan to attend either Iowa State or UW Milwaukee to pursue a master's in architecture. Then I hope to get a internship at a large architecture firm and gradually move up, having various promotions. I'm stretching it out a little far though, let's stick to around 30 years old.
I hope to find a "significant other" by this point and have possible plans for a wedding, if I think I could spend the rest of my life with him. Kids will be after the wedding, so that will come in the early 30's. I hope to have 2 kids of my own, a girl and a boy, and adopt one in need of a home, preferably a boy from Asia. Boys are so much less confusing.
I hope to stay in good contact with my immediate and extended family whether I end up moving back to the Twin Cities, staying where I went to college, or moving to a place with excellent job opportunities.
There are a few friends I would like to still talk to when I am 30 that I have now. Some of them though, I couldn't imagine trying to stay in contact with after high school.
I don't want to be wealthy when I grow up, or when I am 30, but I do hope that I have enough money to get by with a little bit of a cushion in case my car breaks down or I need a new computer.
That pretty much sums up what I think of myself 13 years from now. But between now and then, I hope that I make some lasting friends, have great experiences, and just enjoy my life for what it is.

Revealved Through a Picture

Train tracks, an object leading to a destination. Follow the tracks to lead you in the right direction. Winding through the city, venture off of the tracks to find different adventures waiting for you. Go back to the tracks, which will lead to the next destination. In the end, they always bring me home.

Fireworks are shot off the ground every year. On this certain day, families, friends and loved ones join together. Propped up in a sitting position, you’ll find me looking up into the dark night sky. We sit together, enjoying the sight of colors of lights, flashing before us in the abyss.

Lake Minnetonka, a place of relaxation. The waves lightly float across the top of the water, producing an almost inaudible splashing. The sound is in perfect harmony with my thoughts, imagining that same splashing on a cruise. A vacation spot close to home.

Snow, the white clouds covering the, once, green grass. The snow brings hours of entertainment, creating a snowman, throwing it in a snowball fight and sledding. After a snowstorm, you’ll find me at the bottom of the hill, laughing as I get up to find the sled.

A musician, a person who expresses their feelings and thoughts through song. Jump off the ground and fall back down to the beat. Catchy tunes with the ability to change a mood, to create a smile. You’ll find me with ear buds in my ears, my head bobbing, my foot tapping to the rhythm, and my mouth moving along with the musician’s words.

It'll All Be Worth it in the End

"Love the people who treat you right,
forget about the ones who don't
and believe that everything happens for a reason.
If you get a chance, take it.
If it changes your life, let it.
No one ever said it would be easy,
they just promised it'd be worth it."
-Unknown

I came across this quote the other day and it made me think about my life, my past, present and future. Why do some people stand in silence, while others stand up for themselves when they are being talked down to? Why do some people take the hurt, the pain and the embarrassment, while others don't? I've always heard a quote along the lines of, "everything happens for a reason," but never truly thought about it until it was mentioned in this particular quote. We feel sadness to know what happiness is. We feel pain to know comfort. We have all these negative feelings to know the positive ones. What would be considered negative if everything was always positive? The next part explains itself pretty well. You need to take the chances that you are given and something good will probably come of it. If you get a chance to play on the high school basketball team, you should take it because you might end up playing for the NBA. Or, more realistically, if you are offered an internship in your field of study, you should take it. The opportunities you are given could change your life, you just need to let them. Some things are harder to accomplish or get through than others but with almost everything you pursue you can succeed. All you need is motivation, the right attitude and the opportunity. The world is in your hands, you need to take the opportunities that are handed to you.

Looking Back with the Help of Music

When I saw the topic for this week’s blog, I got really excited because I absolutely LOVE music. It was tough to narrow the playlist of my life down to 10 songs though because I have a lot of favorites, that all mean a lot to me for different reasons. Eventually, I came up with a list. Here it goes...

1. “Things Like You” by Sanctus Real –This song talks about how we need to let go and find an alternate way to live our lives, instead of clinging to things we don’t need. My favorite part of the song is when it says, “everyone wants everyone else’s everything. Sometimes the more we have, the less we really gain.” People today are so caught up with what they don’t have. They need to take a look at what they have and be grateful for it.

2. “Wannabe” by the Spice Girls – The lyrics in this song don’t really have any meaning to me, but it was my favorite Spice Girls song when I was little. My friends from elementary school and I would always crank up their songs, dance along and have singing parties.

3. “Jerk It Out” by the Caesars – I like to crank up this song when I’m driving. It’s one of those songs that has the ability to make you feel good because if you’re in a situation or a funk, you can just, “jerk it out”. It’s also mine and my best friend’s theme song, so I always smile when I hear it.

4. “Invincible” by Ok Go – Every time I hear this song I feel powerful, like nobody can stand in my way. It’s an upbeat song that has a catchy beat and I fell in love with it the first time I heard it.

5. “Don’t Stop Believin’” by Journey – This song means a lot to me because it is the theme song for the Quest retreats and mission trips I go on. It reminds me of memories I have had with friends from my church and the awesome car rides across the country with all of them.

6. “4Ever” by the Veronicas – This one is another upbeat, feel good song that reminds you that life is right here, right now and you need to make the most of it. I like listening to this song because it reminds me how you need to live your life and have fun doing it.

7. “Pachelbel: Canon in D” composed by Johann Pachelbel – This is a piece that almost everybody has heard before. It means a lot to me because it is one of my favorite pieces to play and it is one that I have performed, on the violin, at two weddings with my family.

8. “Fall Away” by the Fray – This is a song I listen to when I’m in a down and gray mood. It reminds me that I can’t erase the past and I need to fight a way to make everything right. Usually by the end of the song, I find a solution and there is a large burden lifted off my shoulder.

9. “The Remedy” by Jason Mraz – This is an older one but I like it because it talks about how you are more than you think and there’s no need to worry about what other people think of you. My favorite part of the song is, “you can turn off the sun but I’m still gonna shine.” You are what you make of yourself and it doesn’t matter what the people around you think.

10. “Graduation (Friends Forever)” by Vitamin C – I had to finish my list off with the widely famous song played in grad videos because I’m a senior and I’m going to be graduating soon, myself. It makes me think about what life is going to be like after I graduate. Who am I going to keep in contact with and who am I going to forget about?

Wow… this blog was really tough and it probably took a little longer than it should have but I enjoyed it because I was able to reflect on my favorite songs and the memories I have of each and every one of them. I hope you like it!