
tlanzo
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A fashionista who also happens to be a blooming writer.
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Assignment One Story Statement In a vibrant New York City, Reese navigates the tumultuous journey from childhood to adulthood, where her quest for genuine and pure love is both a guiding light and unstable storm. As she grapples with the complexities of her relationships, and the echoes of her upbringing, she finds herself caught in a never ending cycle of familiar patterns that challenge her understanding of love and self-worth. Through heartache and self-discovery, Reese learns that true growth comes not from escaping her past, but embracing it, ultimately forging her own path towards the authentic connection she longs for. Assignment Two The Antagonist The antagonist can represent the protagonist's tumultuous relationships, particularly with men like Dylan and Ken who convey toxic behaviors and emotional manipulation. Dylan seeks control in the relationship and wants to dominate the protagonist’s life anyway he can. He feels having a successful relationship is about gaining power and keeping it maintained throughout using manipulation and jealousy to keep Reese stuck without independence or security. He tries to tell her who to interact with and deficits by projecting his insecurities onto her, making her feel guilty for his behavior which in reality, is his fault. Dylan’s background lacks emotional maturity and tends to be possessive which comes from his own insecurities. His controlling ways show deeper issues within himself related to his upbringing and past relationships. He struggles with trusting Reese and projects his feelings on to her constantly. He is quick to anger because of this issue and resorts to threatening her when he feels his power over her slipping away. Dylan also struggles to take responsibility for his actions and wants Reese to pay the consequences instead making him possess characteristics of an antagonist. Ken represents the past that Reese is trying to move on from but finds it difficult because he keeps re-entering her life. His goals are only around reconnecting in a sexual relationship while ignoring the emotional baggage they share. Ken has a habit of being emotionally unavailable and irresponsible when it comes to other’s feelings. His irresponsibility is also shown in his involvement with criminal activities which have impacted his relationships. Ken’s approach to relationships shows how selfish he can be. He seeks physical connections with no regard for the emotional consequences that can come from them. Especially for the protagonist. His actions and how he deals with her is seen as opportunistic, as he always re-enters her life when it’s beneficial to him. Both of these characters have antagonistic tactics, making the protagonist’s journey of self-discovery and independence a challenging one. Their behaviors and how they treat her creates conflict internally for Reese while she is still trying to learn who she is while wanting healthier relationships in love. Her struggling against their actions delays her growth and she eventually realizes that she deserves better than what they’re offering her. Assignment Three Breakout Title “The Merry-Go-Round” Meaning: A continuous cycle of activities or events, especially when perceived as having no purpose or producing no result. “The Merry-Go-Round” represents the cyclical nature of Reese’s relationships and emotional patterns. Just as the ride goes round and round, she finds herself drawn to the same man in different bodies. It symbolizes her tendency to revisit the same mistakes and lessons she needs to confront. Reese feels like she’s on a never ending ride that while it can be a fun and joyous experience, it signifies the illusion of movement without making real progress. Every time she gets close in her pursuit of love, she gets stuck in the same emotional patterns, going in circles rather than moving forward in her journey. A merry-go-round can also convey nostalgia for Reese’s childhood, a time where understanding of love and relationships were innocent and more simple. The connection to her past can serve as a reminder of what she longs for, contrasting with the complications of her adult relationships. It symbolizes her desire to reclaim that innocence and find true love. It also embodies moments of joy and escapism. In the midst of the hard times, it represents a sense of happiness and the need to escape the harsh realities of her life. But it's only a temporary solution and prevents her from facing her issues head on. In conclusion, “The Merry-Go-Round” serves as a complicated symbol in Reese’s story that outlines her struggles with repetition, illusion of progress, nostalgia, and the search for joy amidst the difficulty growing up. Assignment Four Genre and Comparables “The Merry-Go-Round is portrayed as a Bildungsroman better known as a coming of age novel. It explains changes the protagonist goes through as she grows from adolescent to adult and how what she goes through makes her who she is in the present day. Two comparables that can be similar to my novel are “The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley” by Hannah Tinti and “Sex and the City” by Candace Bushnell. Why those compare: While “The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley” is not exactly a coming of age story, it explores the deep history of relationships and the impact of the past and personal growth. The novel shows elements of a Bildungsroman with a narrative that combines the protagonist’s life’s lessons with his daughter’s coming of age journey. Reese’s story processes the themes of love, sacrifice, wounds of the past, making both stories similar because they both emphasize the complications of relationships and the lessons learned from them, making them relatable to young women paving their own paths. The second comparable, “Sex and the City” by Candace Bushnell focuses on the complexities of relationships, friendships, sex and personal growth within an urban setting. Both novels are set in New York City which serves as a backdrop for both protagonists and influences choices and lifestyles. Both works are also character driven, portraying the lives of not only the main characters but their girlfriends as well. They show different perspectives on love and life from each character. They also both have a personal narrative tone to them which can create a deeper connection to readers. What can set this novel apart from Bushnell’s work is Reese breaks the fourth wall by directly addressing the audience which creates an intimacy and makes the readers feel more invested in her journey. Assignment Five Hookline In a world where love feels like a relentless roller coaster, a young woman grapples with the ghosts of her past. Constantly torn between past relationships where some of them pull her back in, and the future where she sees herself finding her dream man, she must embark on a journey of self-discovery and true healing so that she can finally get off the ride she’s been on for half of her life. Assignment Six Conflicts The Protagonist experiences a range of external and internal conflicts throughout the story. Here are examples of primary, secondary, and inner conflicts Reese faces. Primary Conflicts: Her romantic relationships and struggling with her feelings for different men including three main staple relationships in her life. Each relationship presents different challenges and emotional baggage. Reese also struggles with self-identity as she navigates these relationships and is trying to find who she truly is outside of her romantic connections. Secondary Conflicts: The protagonist’s family dynamics plays a part as she has to deal with the complex relationships with her sisters and the death of her mother which adds to the weight of her emotions because she feels neglected and misunderstood by them at times. While her emotions weigh heavy, her career aspirations come into play when she faces disappointment with her educational and career goals especially when she doesn’t get into art school, making her question her adequacy. Inner Conflicts: Reese deals with having trust issues after having rocky experiences with certain men which causes her to have a hard time trusting others and herself in relationships. This leads her to have fears of being vulnerable, another inner conflict. She is anxious about opening up to someone new in the fear of getting hurt again and the ride not being able to stop. Reese’s fear is she won’t be able to find someone with whom she can stand still with. Hypothetical Scenario: Reese receives a text from Ken whom she thought would never see again. He recently got out of prison and he wants to meet up. The text from him is a trigger for her because of the work she put in to move on from him after years of mixed signals. Now, all of the feelings she thought were gone have been drugged up all over again. In receiving this text from him, Reese feels a mixture of excitement and dread. The excitement comes from the thrill of reconnecting with an old flame but dread because she knows the trouble it comes with. Secondary Conflict Scenario: A secondary conflict involving a social environment can be sketched around the protagonist’s relationships with friends and family. Specifically in the context around her love life and pressures of societal expectations. In this scenario, the protagonist is trying to balance her friendships and family while dealing with the turmoil of being in a tumultuous relationship with Dylan which she doesn’t really want them to know about. Reese doesn’t do a great job at hiding it and her friends and family notice a change in her. They start to express their concerns telling her she deserves better and to reconsider her relationship as it has become emotionally manipulating and controlling. Conflict arises when the protagonist feels torn between her loyalty to her boyfriend and her friends and family who only want the best for her. While she appreciates them looking out for her well-being, it only makes her alienate herself further from them so they don’t know how miserable she has been in her relationship. Soon, Reese must face the reality of the situation and see that it’s never going to change and her friends and family's opinions will soon cloud her mind while making the decision she knows she has to make but has to come to the realization on her own. This scenario shows the struggles of balancing personal choices with influence of loved ones creating a foundation for character development and the impact of dynamics on personal decisions. Assignment Seven Setting The setting of the narrative unfolds across various locations that are significant, each contributing to the emotional and character development. Below is a detailed breakdown highlighting unique views making these settings cinematic and engaging. Amusement Park: The story begins with a metaphor of an amusement park, which represents the thrill and excitement along with the anxiety of dating. This setting is colorful, filled with the sounds of laughter and screams from the ride, colorful bright lights which captures the excitement and fear of new relationships. As the protagonist gets on the metaphorical ride of dating, the ups and downs imitates the physical feeling of a carousel, making this a dynamic opening scene. Central Park: A typical first date location, Central Park is represented as an escape in a city that is constantly bustling. The distinction between the concealed bench where deep and intimate conversations take place and the park surrounding it creates a connection that is private. The imagery of nature mixed with the narrator’s nervousness adds emotion to the scene. Also, when she goes to prom at a restaurant located in the park with the same person she shares these same memories with, it serves as a sense of symbolism in their relationship. Home Environment: With each move the protagonist makes in her life, the apartment she lives in at certain points in her life, whether it’s the apartment she shared with her sisters in Harlem, the off campus apartment she shared with her roommates in college, the basement apartment she lived in with her father in Brooklyn, the project apartment she shared with her sister’s mother, and the Bronx apartment she now shares with her highschool best friend, it serves as a background of comfort as well as tension. Whether it’s the familiar details such as the comfort of being in bed with someone she has feelings for or arguments and conflicts that take place, in this personal space, the narrator’s feelings are intensified. Graduation Day: Graduation represents a transition in the protagonist's life as she ends one journey and starts another. Each graduation particularly highschool brings an celebratory atmosphere and is filled with proud families embracing other graduates. The joy of graduating mixed with the sadness of missing her mother adds a bittersweet cinematic moment to the scene. Herkimer County Community College: The college setting is depicted as both exciting but scary as the protagonist navigates the campus which is filled with new faces creates a sense of confusion. The setting can be captured through classrooms of diverse individuals, noisy hallways and the cafeteria. The struggle of trying to fit in portraying her self-discovery journey. Prom Night: This setting is glamorous depicting the protagonist beautifully dressed in her light purple dress. The place where the prom is held is vibrant, beautifully decorated while music is playing loudly. Everyone is expressing their happiness through laughter and dance in this scene and shows an expected joy for the protagonist while she deals with internal struggles, highlighting her insecurities. Train Ride to Utica: The ride up to college shows a transition physically and mentally for the protagonist. The changing of landscape outside of the window of the train shows a shift in her life. The quiet train ride gives her room to have self-reflections allowing the audience to connect with her on her new journey. William’s Apartment: The intimate setting of his apartment symbolizes a new start. The decor, the view of the bridge from the window and the cozy atmosphere creates a safe space for her and him to explore their relationship further. The setting shows romantic moments blooming while also taking risks with emotions. Cafe and Restaurants: Various dining experiences are portrayed throughout the novel and serve as backgrounds for connections. The lively ambience, with laughter and conversations throughout each restaurant is shown while the protagonist deals with struggles within herself is described in rich detail. Each of these settings shows different emotions and themes while providing backgrounds for the character’s journey. The locations, character development, and emotions felt in these moments creates a page to screen moment that deepens the novel's deepness and impact.