Rhiannon's+Meaning

=My Meaning Statement:= I am trying to fit in and be the best I can while wondering what another life would be like.

Directions
Once you have found your Meaning Statement you must decide how you are going to explore it using two resources: the book and your life. This template is a series of questions that you will answer using all forms of text (multi-media, writing, links, etc.). If you can't think of a way to do something, please consult the Enhancing My Meaning page or ask one of the Wiki Champions/Help-Crew.

//The Book//
I believe that the characters in the book would tell me to add more information. I still need pictures and maybe color. They would agree that it is valuable. Its not just a waste of time. Its a way to get out your thoughts and opinions. Its my own space with my own thoughts. It is very valuable.
 * What would the characters in the novel have to say about your Meaning Statement? (You can come at this from the perspective of any/all of the characters in the book. Would they think that it was a good idea? Would they call you an idiot for trying to achieve something like that? Would they simply agree that it is something valuable?)

I think I'm like Ponyboy. I've lost someone really close to me, my little brother, and he lost his parents and Johnny. I haven't lost my parents, but I've still lost someone I loved. Sometimes I think about what life would be like if my brother, Ashton, was still alive. In the book, Ponyboy thinks about his parents and imagines a life with them there. I always think about my life when he was alive and I compare my life now to what it would be like if he was alive. We wouldn't be living where we are now and I wouldn't know the people I know. There are many similarities and differences between Ponyboy and I.
 * How is the the character that you relate to most like you? (You can compare and contrast you and the character you have chosen in any way that you like, but make sure that you think about all of the ways that you are similar.)

//You//
If I was a character in the novel I would want to be Cherry Valance's younger sister. I think that maybe the part in the book where they go to the movies would be different. Maybe Cherry would take her younger sister with or, if she didn't, then atleast introduce me to the "Greasers". They would probably have another spy since I would be a "Soc". I would support the "Greasers" and try to help them, just like Cherry.
 * If you were a character in the novel, how would the book change?(You can rewrite a part of the story, write about a time before the book started, continue the book's storyline, or fill in one of the gaps in the story. Think about how your Meaning Statement would be played out in your part of the story.)

My relationship would be between me and my younger brother. Since he died, I always wonder what life would be like with him still here. I wouldn't be able to live in Colorado. He had heart problems, and because of the elevation, we wouldn't be able to move to Colorado. Almost my whole family lives in Colorado. The closest to home we would have been able to move to would have been Texas. I have friends from Texas and sometimes I wonder, if my brother would have survived, if I still would have met my friends. I think about what I would miss out on life and what I would gain if my brother was alive.
 * What is the one relationship in your life that helps to explain your Meaning Statement most clearly? How is that relationship significant in your life?

//The Book//
The book "Gone With the Wind" was very significant. Johnny and Ponyboy read the book to forget what they had done. When I am in a bad mood, I read and try to forget what happened. They used the book to get over the fact that they had killed someone. I've haven't done anything that extreme, but I still read to get over the fact that something happened.
 * What objects in the book represent are the most significant to you? What do you think that they represent? (You can use pictures of these objects in order to illustrate you point.)

I related to the book best when I read about Johnny dying. Since I've lost my brother, I could relate to what the whole gang was feeling. Sometimes I get frustrated when I think about my brother, just as Dally was frustrated after Johhny died. As I read about the part where Johnny died, I could picture him in a hospital bed dead. It brought back memories of my brother. That part was definitely the hardest part for me to read.
 * Which places in the book had the greatest affect on your mood (your thoughts) when you were reading them? (Describe the environments/settings that you could see the best in your mind.)

//You//
I don't think Lone Tree really has an effect on my goals or want I want out of life. I would probable still have the same goals if I was living in Florida. I think the biggest impact on my goals are how I was raised and the people I know. I wouldn't know the same people if I was living somewhere else, but I would probably still have the same goals and a same Meaning Statement. My family and my friends are the objects I treasure the most. If I didn't have family and friends, I don't know how I would live. I wouldn't have I purpose in life, so I'd have to try to find my own purpose.
 * How does the place where you live affect whether or not you can achieve your Meaning Statement? (Does Highlands Ranch have an effect on your goals or the things you want out of life?)
 * What are the __things__ in your life that give your life meaning? (What objects do you hold most dear?)

//The Book//
The characters don't have a very good education. Sodapop dropped out to get a job to help pay for his family. Darry has two jobs to pay for his younger brothers. Ponyboy is smart, but doesn't pay attention in school. All the Greasers talk slang because they don't know any harder, better words. I would want to talk to Ponyboy. We could have a long conversation on sports, school, and family. I would talk about my brother, and he could talk about Johnny, his parents, and Dally. We could relate to each other in many ways and agree on many things. A conversation with Ponyboy Curtis would be very productive. I like talking about my brother, but I like listening to others, too.
 * How does the way people talk in the book affect the way that they deal with their problems? (What things in our Poor Man's Dictionary help you to understand the issues that face the characters in the novel?)
 * If you were going to speak to a character from the book, what would the conversation be about and what would it sound/look like? (Write out any dialogue you think would be realistic in a conversation with this character.)

//You//
My friends and I talk to each other just like any friends would. We tease each other, but we always comfort each other. We all have inside jokes about the wierdest things. One of my friends had Root Beer come out her nose once, so whenever one of us says "Root Beer", we both start laughing. Q: How do you like my Meaning Statement? A: Q: Do you like how I've answered my questions? Why or why not? A: Q: Is my Meaning space a productive use of time? A: Q: Have I answered the questions thuroughly enough? A:
 * How does the way you talk to your friends explain who you are? (What are the specific slang words and inside jokes that give your conversations meaning?)
 * What would an interview (with your parents, with your friends, with your teachers, etc.) about your Meaning Statement look/sound like? (Record your interview with this person using [|Gcast] and put it on your wiki page. Or, you can write out the questions and have one of your friends go onto your page and answer them.)

//The Book//
The central conflict was the rivalry between Socs and Greasers. Almost all of the characters in the book were involved in the central conflict.
 * How were all of the characters involved in the central conflict of the book? (Hint: you need to identify the central conflict before you can answer this question. You can write out character names and then think about how they were involved.)


 * Who was hurt/changed by the resolution of this conflict, and how? (This can be a part of the answer to the first question if you think that it is easier.)

//You//
The greatest conflict i have ever been a part of would be a fight with one of my best friends. Earlier this year we got in a big fight and didn't speak to each other for about two months. We finally sat down and talked and now we get along again. The whole fight was over how she was acting like she was better than me. Shes an eighth grader and it seemed like she was ignoring me because I was just a "little sevie'. She had been telling me what to do a lot more and she was acting like she was my "elder" and I had to respect her. We finally came to an agreement that if she did it again I would just talk to her. She hasn't really done it any more and I'm happy because of that. It was a dilemma. It was only a couple of months and there was a solution. Our solution was to communicate better and more often. I'm glad that it wasn't a problem and just a dilemma because or else I would be down one friend.
 * What is the greatest conflict you have ever been a part of? (A fight with your friends? An argument between you and your parents?)
 * How was it a problem or a dilemma? (Identify if it was a problem (long-term, perhaps without a solution) or a dilemma (short-term, with a real solution and then explain it.)