Day 6: Allie

Bashkim

In True Notebooks, I think Mark faces a lot of obstacles.  They are a lot different than what the boys have to face but they are still just as important and difficult to deal with.  A lot of them are within himself, for instance in the beginning his first obstacle is that he can't get the character in his book right. He's at a loss for how to write him correctly and goes to his friend Duane for help.  Mark is just trying to be a successful writer when he's thrown into a completely new situation.  I think Mark is struggling with being the writer he wants to be and being the person he wants to be.  When he comes to work at the juvenile hall he struggles with just keeping the boys on task and helping them to write.  He faces struggles just as the boys do and even though it may seem like his problems are nothing compared to what they're going through, they are just as hard to deal with.

I'm a dancer and even though some people may think dance is not that competitive, it's one of the most competitive sports out there.  Whether it's in class, at a competition, or at a convention, every single person there is focused on being the best and standing out from everyone else.  Each dance class is like an audition and you always want to be the one that's being picked for the star spot.  I was at a dance convention last weekend and we were taking a jazz class with a guest celebrity teacher.  I moved to the front and danced harder than I've ever danced because I wanted to be noticed and I wanted him to see my talent.  He noticed me and it felt good to see my talent being recognized but being in dance and going to dance conventions can really take a toll on you.  It helps you build a tough skin and to not be so afraid or intimidated but competing with people all the time, especially your friends, can be really hard on you and sometimes take the fun out of a situation.  I think it's always best to remember that you can work hard and have fun at the same time.  Don't let all the seriousness of the situation take over and ruin it, you can balance it out and you can have both.

Carmelo

The writing class has helped the boys conform into a positive group by letting them express themselves freely.  Mark doesn't really make any rules for their writing; as long as they write he's satisfied with that.  Because there aren't really any boundaries, it helps the boys to get out all of their feelings and say things they can't usually say out loud or are afraid to say out loud. When they write it takes them somewhere else and their mind wanders off to places they have been avoiding or tried to ignore.  The writing class is really helpful because they can write without judgment from Mark and even though the other inmates may make slick comments, they can all understand what the other person is going through.

I've tried to stay away from conforming into certain groups because I feel like there's so many different types of people that I talk to I couldn't just stick to talking to the same group of people forever.  Because I never really conformed to one group of people I think I have a more open mind and am less judgemental about everyone.  When you conform to a group, you only hang around those people and kind of almost get stuck in those ways.  Going to an arts high school has really helped me to not conform and to open my eyes and understand people who are not exactly the same as me and may not necessarily have the same views or interests as I do.  Almost always, conforming affects you more negatively than positively because it closes you off from other groups of people and hinders you from seeing the full picture.  If we all focused less on conforming and more on coming together as a whole, things can only go up from there.