Alex Jackson- Forbidden City

   As most people probably know, I have started reading a book for school called Forbidden City. In the book the main character and narrator, Alexander Jackson, is a seventeen-year-old boy who lives in Toronto, Canada with his father.  He's a history fanatic who is interested by war strategies. In the book, he talks a little about his emotional struggle with his mother who left him when he was seven. In a way, the main character reminds me of my older half brother because of the intrest in history and the emotional problems with their parents. But when I start to think a little more,  Alex and I share some similar character traits. Alex demonstrates in the book that he is very focused and persistant when it comes to doing things that he has an intrest in. I tend to focus well on things and when I enjoy what I'm doing, I am determined to finish it weather it takes a long time or not.

     

This first picture is the Forbidden City in Beijing that Alex is determined to go see at sometime in the story. These are some sculptures like the ones that Alex spent a lot of time and effort on to make in miniature form from the story.

The Cave

" The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek."
                                                          -Joseph Campbell
      When I read that quote, it gets me thinking about how this relates to me. It reminds me of myself and high school. High school was like a huge cave to me and I wasn't too excited to go in. I was having mixed emotions about it in the beginning and I didn't know what to do. I finally decided I would just go head first and see how it worked out. The first week or so wasn't bad at all. It was actually pretty fun meeting new people, making new friends, and being in this whole new, welcoming environment that is very different from Redwood. I knew it would be very beneficial to attend New Tech and I still think it is. This school, in a way, holds many treasures. It is were I get to meet the wonderful people that I call friends. I get the treasure of a great education with the teachers who actually care to make a difference and aren't just here because they get paid the same amount weather we learn or not. So yeah, when I hear or read this quote it reminds me that there is always going to be a cave that you are too scared to go into but it's in your best intrest that you do go in an explore because you might just find the treasure you have been searching for all this time.

Hero's Journey

This is a picture of Marlin and Dory from "Finding Nemo" inside of a whale. This picture represents the step that I think I am currently experiencing as a freshman at New Tech. The step that I would say I am experiencing right now is "The Belly of the Whale". Being a freshman here at New Tech is a very new experience for me and in a way, it is like I have just crossed the threshold into this new world. I have been here for a little while and I finally realize that I can't go back to life that I had before high school and I just have to continue my journey.